Need help! -- Maroon Clownfish fry dying at day 35 plus

[michaelc888]

I have a batch of maroon clownfishs that have made it to day 35 plus. I had a few dying each day since day 20-30 e.g. 3 a day. But today i lost 24 in one go and very quickly. I have a photo attached.

Things that could be issues:

1) I fed them hikari first bites fish food, did they choke on these?
2) they been eating enriched rotifer till day 25 and then switched to newly hatched bbs. Did they choke on these?
3) there was a massive thunderstorm today that could of frighten them or affected the airpressure, maybe oxgen level?

PH 7.2, Seacam amonia badge is yellow level. temp is 78-80 range and have 2 pump and 3 air stone with moderate bubble flow.

Any thought on what is happening. they are in 10L of water which get changed every 3 days. I am also adding in ATM nitrifying bateria each day to keep the water clean and the amonia level down.

Need help to save the remaining batch.

Thanks in advance
Michael

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I have a batch of maroon clownfishs that have made it to day 35 plus. I had a few dying each day since day 20-30 e.g. 3 a day. But today i lost 24 in one go and very quickly. I have a photo attached.

Things that could be issues:

1) I fed them hikari first bites fish food, did they choke on these?
2) they been eating enriched rotifer till day 25 and then switched to newly hatched bbs. Did they choke on these?
3) there was a massive thunderstorm today that could of frighten them or affected the airpressure, maybe oxgen level?

PH 7.2, Seacam amonia badge is yellow level. temp is 78-80 range and have 2 pump and 3 air stone with moderate bubble flow.

Any thought on what is happening. they are in 10L of water which get changed every 3 days. I am also adding in ATM nitrifying bateria each day to keep the water clean and the amonia level down.

Need help to save the remaining batch.

Thanks in advance
Michael

The open mouth indicates an oxygen deficit, either in the water, or due to a gill disease that is impairing uptake. I don’t suppose you have a microscope you could use to look for ciliates?
Jay

 

[michaelc888]

Hello Jay,

Thanks, i do have a microsope. What should i do, take a sample of water and look at that? The tank has 90 fish left and 3 air stones with 2 pumps is that no enough aeration?

Thanks
Michael

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Hello Jay,

Thanks, i do have a microsope. What should i do, take a sample of water and look at that? The tank has 90 fish left and 3 air stones with 2 pumps is that no enough aeration?

Thanks
Michael

No, take a freshly dead one and look at it under the scope at about 40 power, try mushing up the gills a bit, you are looking for any ciliates swimming around the skin or gills.
Jay

 

[michaelc888]

Thanks Jay, what are my options for either of these situation.

1) lack of oxygen
2) the ciliates

Thanks in advance

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Thanks Jay, what are my options for either of these situation.

1) lack of oxygen
2) the ciliates

Thanks in advance

I doubt it is lack of oxygen, as you are aerating. Rereading things; did you transition from rots to bbs by overlapping for a week or so? I have had clowns burst their bellies by gorging on bbs, but you can see the split bellies. The low pH is helpful to reduce possible ammonia toxicity, but I’d be happier if it was around 7.6
Jay

 

[michaelc888]

Moving from rots to bbs i did a cross over for 5 days. and they have pink bellies so seem to be eating the bbs. I didnt see any splits in the stomach with the fish on iphone or with microscope. Could it be sudden fright syndrone SFS as i use bbs without enrichment. for the last 2 weeks. I am now trying to enrich my bbs with rotifer feed.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Moving from rots to bbs i did a cross over for 5 days. and they have pink bellies so seem to be eating the bbs. I didnt see any splits in the stomach with the fish on iphone or with microscope. Could it be sudden fright syndrone SFS as i use bbs without enrichment. for the last 2 weeks. I am now trying to enrich my bbs with rotifer feed.

Could be shock. I’ve not run into that, back when I raised clowns, I augmented with copepod Naups and enriched the bbs with super selco (which needs to be done at a later instar, (18 hours IIRC)

Jay

 

[michaelc888]

Hello Jay,

Thanks, i have bought some selcon and will see if i can add that to the bbs. Keep you posted once it arrives fingers x the death start to go down.

Thanks
Michael

 

[jaganshi066]

Following, interesting story. Nice that you’re breeding fish, probably takes a lot of work and patience

 

[michaelc888]

more have died today about 7.

 

[michaelc888]

Also transfered 20 into a breeding box in the main tank but 7 died in the process from fright.

 

[michaelc888]

Following, interesting story. Nice that you’re breeding fish, probably takes a lot of work and patience

Thanks, alot of work for sure. Its my 4th attempt. Its the first time i have some many past 35 days. But the die off have been everyday. Really hard to not make and have errors.

 

[michaelc888]

Starting too look like nitrite posioning from the test kit results? Any suggestion on what to do?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Starting too look like nitrite posioning from the test kit results? Any suggestion on what to do?

Nitrite is almost non toxic to marine fish, but it is more toxic to fry. I’d be more worried about ant ammonia that may have preceded it. Water changes are tough on fry, but if you adjust the pH and match temperature and salinity, it is a good option.
Jay

 

[michaelc888]

Hello Jay,

Had added an air driven sponge filter seeded with ATM nitrofying bacteria. Will see if this makes a difference probably should of added this on day 25-30 after i stopped using rots.

Could mini cycles due to water changes. As brine shrimp seems to add to bio load.

 

[michaelc888]

Also moved some to a breeder basket but suffered 40% loss in transfer to the basket. Also lost 1 today when feeding them in the basket. Not sure why. Maybe shock.

 

[sabeypets]

It is SFS (sudden fright syndrome) from feeding bbs. At 35 days they should be eating quality dry foods

Also transfered 20 into a breeding box in the main tank but 7 died in the process from fright.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

It is SFS (sudden fright syndrome) from feeding bbs. At 35 days they should be eating quality dry foods

Yes, I would have begun blending in Otohime by this point.

Jay

 

[michaelc888]

Thanks, am trying selcon and rotifier enrichment feed for the bbs after 12 hours. See how they goes. They didnt take to the hikari pellets so stop that as it mucked up the tank. And they seem to only eat bbs?