Need help sick clown!!

[Josh jones]

Hey everyone I'm in need of help. 1 of my clowns is breathing very fast and I'm not sure why? My tank has been up about 10 months and has been doing great no deaths and it's not over stock all I have is 2 clowns 2 chromes a fire shrimp and a Sally foot crab I think that's what it's called and a clean up crew. She has been doing this for about 2 days breathing fast and really not eating or coming out from there spot they claimed. When I would come home from work everyone would come to the front cuz they no it's feeding time but not her she just stays in the back and hides but everyone comes out to eat. I did a 5 gal water change yesterday due to its over due. It's been like 3 weeks but anyways I did a ammonia test and will post pictures thanks for the help and ideas

 

[BoneXriffic]

@melypr1985 @Humblefish

 

[BoneXriffic]

What are you feeding them?

 

[Josh jones]

What are you feeding them?

I alternate these but how does that test look? I'm not very good with colors lol

 

[melypr1985]

How long have you had the clowns? Did you QT any of the fish in this tank, especially the clowns? Do you see any other symptoms besides the heavy breathing? Head twitching, flashing, scratching, swimming into the flow of a powerhead, dusty/dirty appearance, spots?

 

[Josh jones]

And I'm sorry I forgot to say these clowns have been in here for around 8 months and it's only this female clown the male and every one in the tank is eating and doing just fine they been with me since day 1 haven't added nothing but a few snails here and there

 

[Josh jones]

I have no power head just a hang on back bio filter and no she doesn't rub or nothing just kinda hides and breaths really fast like super fast but it's just that one clown every one else is doing fine I'm freaked out cuz I had these 2 for a while now

 

[melypr1985]

Ok. So, having a powerhead in the tank will help your entire tank be healthy for the long term. Having proper flow through the tank is necessary for the fish's health and if you have or get corals for their health too. Having one pointed toward the surface of the water will help oxygenate the water much better than your HOB filter as well.

For now, you can perform a Freshwater dip on the female clown. Your checking for flukes with this and is probably the best next step to figuring out what's going on with her. Here's how:
Freshwater Dip: Provides temporary relief for Brooklynella, Flukes & "Black Ich", Marine Velvet disease (Amyloodinium); possibly even Ich & Uronema marinum (both unproven). Can be used to confirm the presence of Flukes.

How To Treat - Fill a bucket with RODI water, and use a heater to match the temperature to the water the fish is coming from. Aerate the water heavily for at least 30 minutes prior to doing the dip, then discontinue aeration while performing the dip. Fish aren’t overly pH sensitive for short durations like this, but you can squirt a little tank water into the dip just before the fish goes in to help bring it up.

Place the fish in the freshwater (FW) dip and observe closely. It is not unusual for them to freak out a little at first. Also, tangs are notorious for “playing dead” during a FW dip. The important thing is to watch their gills; they should be breathing heavily at all times during the dip. If breathing slows, it’s time to exit the dip. Dip the fish for no longer than 5 minutes. Multiple dips may be done, but it’s important to give your fish a day to recuperate in-between dips.

For flukes, use a dark (preferably black) bucket so you can see if tiny white worms fall out of the fish (especially out of the gills) at around the 3-4 minute mark. The worms will settle to the bottom, so you can use a flashlight to look for them there as well.

Pros - Provides temporary relief for a wide range of diseases in a chemical free environment. Can “buy you more time” until a proper treatment can be done.

Cons/Side Effects - Not a permanent “fix” for any disease, as FW dips are not potent enough to eradicate all of the parasites/worms afflicting the fish. Some fish can have an adverse reaction to a FW dip by appearing unable to maintain their equilibrium once returned to the aquarium. If this happens, hold the fish upright (using latex, nitrile or rubber gloves), and gently glide him through the water (to get saltwater flowing through the gills again). It is also a good idea to place the fish in an acclimation box until he appears “normal”.

Here is what to look for:

 

[BoneXriffic]

So, does this tank have a protien skimmer? If not thats a big help in the oxygenation of the water

 

[Josh jones]

Ok. So, having a powerhead in the tank will help your entire tank be healthy for the long term. Having proper flow through the tank is necessary for the fish's health and if you have or get corals for their health too. Having one pointed toward the surface of the water will help oxygenate the water much better than your HOB filter as well.

For now, you can perform a Freshwater dip on the female clown. Your checking for flukes with this and is probably the best next step to figuring out what's going on with her. Here's how:
Freshwater Dip: Provides temporary relief for Brooklynella, Flukes & "Black Ich", Marine Velvet disease (Amyloodinium); possibly even Ich & Uronema marinum (both unproven). Can be used to confirm the presence of Flukes.

How To Treat - Fill a bucket with RODI water, and use a heater to match the temperature to the water the fish is coming from. Aerate the water heavily for at least 30 minutes prior to doing the dip, then discontinue aeration while performing the dip. Fish aren’t overly pH sensitive for short durations like this, but you can squirt a little tank water into the dip just before the fish goes in to help bring it up.

Place the fish in the freshwater (FW) dip and observe closely. It is not unusual for them to freak out a little at first. Also, tangs are notorious for “playing dead” during a FW dip. The important thing is to watch their gills; they should be breathing heavily at all times during the dip. If breathing slows, it’s time to exit the dip. Dip the fish for no longer than 5 minutes. Multiple dips may be done, but it’s important to give your fish a day to recuperate in-between dips.

For flukes, use a dark (preferably black) bucket so you can see if tiny white worms fall out of the fish (especially out of the gills) at around the 3-4 minute mark. The worms will settle to the bottom, so you can use a flashlight to look for them there as well.

Pros - Provides temporary relief for a wide range of diseases in a chemical free environment. Can “buy you more time” until a proper treatment can be done.

Cons/Side Effects - Not a permanent “fix” for any disease, as FW dips are not potent enough to eradicate all of the parasites/worms afflicting the fish. Some fish can have an adverse reaction to a FW dip by appearing unable to maintain their equilibrium once returned to the aquarium. If this happens, hold the fish upright (using latex, nitrile or rubber gloves), and gently glide him through the water (to get saltwater flowing through the gills again). It is also a good idea to place the fish in an acclimation box until he appears “normal”.

Here is what to look for:

I'll try this in the am but I'm thinking I'll half to remove everything out of the tank to catch her

 

[Josh jones]

So, does this tank have a protien skimmer? If not thats a big help in the oxygenation of the water

I do understand this but all the live stock have been in here for almost a year I have not added nothing to the tank but water changes no rock or fish and everyone is fine and has been acting the same for 8+ months it's so strange I'll try the fresh water dip or should I wait this out to see if she fights it off and how did the ammonia test look? I'm not good with these charts but it looks good to me

 

[melypr1985]

I do understand this but all the live stock have been in here for almost a year I have not added nothing to the tank but water changes no rock or fish and everyone is fine and has been acting the same for 8+ months it's so strange I'll try the fresh water dip or should I wait this out to see if she fights it off and how did the ammonia test look? I'm not good with these charts but it looks good to me

The ammonia test looked fine to me. I would try the FW dip as soon as you can. It will tell us a lot depending on what you find and it's the most minimally invasive diagnostic tool we have for things like this. I've done literally hundreds of FW dips and even if the fish doesn't have flukes, it can help flush out their gills and help them breathe easier afterward.

 

[Josh jones]

The ammonia test looked fine to me. I would try the FW dip as soon as you can. It will tell us a lot depending on what you find and it's the most minimally invasive diagnostic tool we have for things like this. I've done literally hundreds of FW dips and even if the fish doesn't have flukes, it can help flush out their gills and help them breathe easier afterward.

I wanna thank you for your info and concern I will try this tomorrow morning if I can't catch her tonight when there sleeping

 

[melypr1985]

I wanna thank you for your info and concern I will try this tomorrow morning if I can't catch her tonight when there sleeping

No problem! Keep us posted ok?

 

[Humblefish]

I keep looking at that ammonia test in your first post, and it looks closer to 0.25 ppm than 0 to me. Or is this just a trick of the camera?

 

[Josh jones]

I keep looking at that ammonia test in your first post, and it looks closer to 0.25 ppm than 0 to me. Or is this just a trick of the camera?

Lol these things throw me off but I took a picture with a flash and without but I'm thinking of doing another water change tomorrow

 

[Untamedrose]

What about the rest of the chem levels?

 

[Untamedrose]

Lol these things throw me off but I took a picture with a flash and without but I'm thinking of doing another water change tomorrow

Water changes cant hurt.

 

[Humblefish]

Water changes cant hurt.

+1

 

[Josh jones]

What about the rest of the chem levels?

Ran out of stuff to test it but will pick some up tomorrow with 5 gals of saltwater I know the salt is 1.024 so I think I'm good and the temp is set out 77-78 hasn't changed since the tank has been up I know this is bad to do and this is my 2nd tank but I used these 2 clowns for the cycle with some Instant cycle stuff that required fish and I have had these 2 guys since day 1 I hope she pulls through