Please help! CLOWN TRIGGERFISH!

[Triggerfishlover]

Hi there!
I have a clowntrigger fish in my tank- (75 gallons) he’s about 3 inches..
have had him for about 4 weeks he has been doing fantastic! Eating well, no concerns! He is absolutely gorgeous I love him!
About 2 days ago he was hiding & today not eating at all- some of his bottoms fins look to be that they have been chewed on by a few more fish .. he’s just in the coral won’t come out.. I also noticed on his side he has this brown splotch, I will try to get a photo and add to this in a few- has anyone heard of this? What it is? What can I do for my guy? I really want him to live!
Thank you!

 

[Qasimja]

try to post pictures

 

[Triggerfishlover]

As of right now this is the best picture I can get- when he moves again I should be able to get a better picture of what I am talking about.. thanks!

 

[Halal Hotdog]

What other fish do you have in the tank? Have you seen any fish attack him? Clown triggers are very hardy as long as they are eating. What's the long-term plan for this guy? Mine went from 3" to 7" in a year or so. 75 gallons is very small for him. Will be hard to maintain water quality. There is a good chance he will become very aggressive and kill everything if not given enough room and food. These guys eat A LOT. Mine eats more food than two tangs, two rabbit fish, a harlequin tusk, and clownish combined by a factor of two.

 

[Triggerfishlover]

What other fish do you have in the tank? Have you seen any fish attack him? Clown triggers are very hardy as long as they are eating. What's the long-term plan for this guy? Mine went from 3" to 7" in a year or so. 75 gallons is very small for him. Will be hard to maintain water quality. There is a good chance he will become very aggressive and kill everything if not given enough room and food. These guys eat A LOT. Mine eats more food than two tangs, two rabbit fish, a harlequin tusk, and clownish combined by a factor of two.

Thanks for the reply!
Yes I know he will need a bigger tank at some point, I am currently saving for that!
As for the other fish I have 1 other huma huma trigger who was their prior, he is very mellow they get along great, and a lionfish.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Seems like a behavior created aggression and intimidation by other fish in tank
Focus on and verify salinity and ammonia levels

 

[Triggerfishlover]

Seems like a behavior created aggression and intimidation by other fish in tank
Focus on and verify salinity and ammonia levels

He is still alive :/ breathing slowly, in a different spot this am. Still has the weird discoloration, I will see if he will eat for me tonight.

 

[vetteguy53081]

He is still alive :/ breathing slowly, in a different spot this am. Still has the weird discoloration, I will see if he will eat for me tonight.

They rarely refuse food and will be a good test

 

[Wen]

Hey Triggerfishlover,
How’s the clown doing tonight?
Can you share a little more with us about your tank?
What size is the Huma?
Did the clown eat today?
We are here for you! Lots of folks on R2R to assist.

 

[Dragon52]

He might have roamed into the Huma's territory & it went after him.

 

[Triggerfishlover]

Hey Triggerfishlover,
How’s the clown doing tonight?
Can you share a little more with us about your tank?
What size is the Huma?
Did the clown eat today?
We are here for you! Lots of folks on R2R to assist.

Clown is the same not eating.
Huma is the same size as clown. Not sure what happened with clown hoping he is going to pull through, not sure how much longer he can go without eating

 

[vetteguy53081]

No food- another week.
As a test if the humu is the issue. . .. . .. Trap or net humu and place in bucket for a few hours. Try to feed clown and see if it comes out for food. If it does, you then know Humu was the factor

 

[Triggerfishlover]

No food- another week.
As a test if the humu is the issue. . .. . .. Trap or net humu and place in bucket for a few hours. Try to feed clown and see if it comes out for food. If it does, you then know Humu was the factor

Sadly my Clown passed away sometime last night- very very sad!
Him and huma have been together for a couple weeks always got along never fought so I’m not sure what happened ..
like I said he had some weird discoloration all over so I do not think it was an injury caused by huma, but I can’t say for sure...
Not sure if it was some illness he had when I bought him either- but I would assume if he had some illness he would have spread it to my other fish!
Very very sad, but I appreciate all the advice here!
I had been looking for a clown for awhile & finally had found one at my LFS!
So I am so disappointed.

 

[Dragon52]

Sorry about that.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Well that's too bad and theyre not cheap :-(

 

[Triggerfishlover]

Very concerned- now my other trigger is doing the same his eye is glossed over hanging in coral not coming out, I think I’m going to lose him to. I tested water nitrate is a little high, but nothing out of normal... did a water change despite just doing one last week.. hoping my little guy will pull through, very depressing.

 

[vetteguy53081]

How old is your tank?
Still appears to be water quality. Eyes hazed over a sign of high ammonia and nitrate. I would highly suggest to take a water sample to a trusted LFS and have them test for you to see what readings they come up with.
What is your salinity and what test kit are you using?

 

[Triggerfishlover]

I have had my tank up for 9 months. When I am home I will verify my test kit & check where salinity is- ty,

 

[WMR]

Sorry for your trigger loss & ailment with your humu humu, could be water quality or disease issue, maybe @Humblefish & @4FordFamily can help. Another possibility could be your lionfish, what kind of lion do you have? I know some species of lions can & will sting other fish if they get too close to them(protection), having been stung by them myself, I know some of the tissue around the puncture can become necrotic. Maybe that’s what happened to your clown trigger, you mentioned a brown splotch on his side. Some survive lion stings, some don’t. By the way, how’s your lion doing?

 

[4FordFamily]

Eyes glazed over can be flukes or velvet as well. Any spots? The hiding from light symptom got mentioned, any flashing, scratching? Heavy breathing? Dusting on the skin? With the remaining fish?

I am going to assume you don’t QT. If so, it’s highly likely velvet or another parasite. A freshwater dip in a dark bucket for 5 minutes would tell if flukes are an issue. They’ll look like sesame seeds at the bottom.