Post-Move Clown Distress

mavillan

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 3, 2021
Messages
11
Reaction score
3
Location
Denver
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Hello!
I recently moved across the country, and I took my 2 clown fish, hammer coral, and GSP with me. I have had the clowns for about a year-and-a-half, and the corals for ~6-8 months. I put them in a 5 gallon bucket filled with ~3.5 gallons of water and drove in the car for about 3-4 days. They were in the bucket for about as much time. In the bucket with them, I added the filter sponge from their tank, and a filter sock filled with Matrix. I could not bring my DT with me, so I brought my 13.5 QT tank with the intention of keeping them in there for a few weeks until I could go back and pick up my DT. With the mix of the move, I also am missing some of my main components (I somehow have half of my Red Sea reef testing equipment, but only for Calcium and Alkalinity. I know, I should have brought everything, I legitimately thought I did until now). They have been in this tank for about 5 days now. My light broke in the move, so I bought a Fluval Nano marine light. I also lost the magnet for my Sicce powerhead, so it was chilling on the bottom of the tank for the past few days. Water level was low because the replacements for my RODI came in today, and I am prepping for a water change now.

I noticed my female clown (orange) did not look like she was eating much earlier. I did not think much of it earlier, but I just watched the tank for a good few minutes and realized she is acting abnormal. She is swimming erratically, sometimes still on the bottom of the tank, and sometimes weakly swimming around the PVC pipe. It looks like she is breathing rapidly as well. The male clown seems normal and ate earlier today as well. She has always had the missing part of her dorsal fin. I also noticed she has some white discoloration on her head above her mouth. As I write this, she is just swimming very weakly in place in the corner of the PVC. This is the only tank I have right now, as it is my QT. I can go pick up testing equipment tomorrow, I just assumed it was ammonia poisoning. The symptoms also make me think this could be a parasite that was dormant for a while that resurfaced with the stress of the move, but seems kind of a long time to surface since she seemed normal and eating until today. Any help/suggestions are much appreciated.

Video Link:
Her weird behavior is more at the end, and as she comes through the PVC, you can kind of see her discoloration a little bit.
 

vetteguy53081

Well known Member and monster tank lover
View Badges
Joined
Aug 11, 2013
Messages
90,850
Reaction score
200,118
Location
Wisconsin -
Rating - 100%
13   0   0
Hello!
I recently moved across the country, and I took my 2 clown fish, hammer coral, and GSP with me. I have had the clowns for about a year-and-a-half, and the corals for ~6-8 months. I put them in a 5 gallon bucket filled with ~3.5 gallons of water and drove in the car for about 3-4 days. They were in the bucket for about as much time. In the bucket with them, I added the filter sponge from their tank, and a filter sock filled with Matrix. I could not bring my DT with me, so I brought my 13.5 QT tank with the intention of keeping them in there for a few weeks until I could go back and pick up my DT. With the mix of the move, I also am missing some of my main components (I somehow have half of my Red Sea reef testing equipment, but only for Calcium and Alkalinity. I know, I should have brought everything, I legitimately thought I did until now). They have been in this tank for about 5 days now. My light broke in the move, so I bought a Fluval Nano marine light. I also lost the magnet for my Sicce powerhead, so it was chilling on the bottom of the tank for the past few days. Water level was low because the replacements for my RODI came in today, and I am prepping for a water change now.

I noticed my female clown (orange) did not look like she was eating much earlier. I did not think much of it earlier, but I just watched the tank for a good few minutes and realized she is acting abnormal. She is swimming erratically, sometimes still on the bottom of the tank, and sometimes weakly swimming around the PVC pipe. It looks like she is breathing rapidly as well. The male clown seems normal and ate earlier today as well. She has always had the missing part of her dorsal fin. I also noticed she has some white discoloration on her head above her mouth. As I write this, she is just swimming very weakly in place in the corner of the PVC. This is the only tank I have right now, as it is my QT. I can go pick up testing equipment tomorrow, I just assumed it was ammonia poisoning. The symptoms also make me think this could be a parasite that was dormant for a while that resurfaced with the stress of the move, but seems kind of a long time to surface since she seemed normal and eating until today. Any help/suggestions are much appreciated.

Video Link:
Her weird behavior is more at the end, and as she comes through the PVC, you can kind of see her discoloration a little bit.

I notice the upper fin is bitten off. Any aggression from the other clown you’ve noticed?
Video lighting is a bit blue- any haziness or loss of color to its skin?
 
OP
OP
mavillan

mavillan

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 3, 2021
Messages
11
Reaction score
3
Location
Denver
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I notice the upper fin is bitten off. Any aggression from the other clown you’ve noticed?
Video lighting is a bit blue- any haziness or loss of color to its skin?
No aggression from the other fish, he never takes bites at her. She was aggressive the first day in the tank, but they also hadn't eaten in the bucket.

She has slight discoloration on her head, but it is also where she is swimming into the corner. It has a whiter-tone to it on the spot she swims into the PVC.
 
OP
OP
mavillan

mavillan

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 3, 2021
Messages
11
Reaction score
3
Location
Denver
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Alternatively, I could also treat for Brook? It kind of fits all of the symptoms, I just did not think it would take this long to surface? I could QT in the bucket while I dump everything else and start fresh in the actual QT? Thoughts?
 

Jay Hemdal

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 31, 2020
Messages
25,288
Reaction score
25,188
Location
Dundee, MI
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I'm not sure how Brooklynella would have just popped up in these fish? They've been through quite a lot, it may just be residual stress you are seeing.

Jay
 

Jay Hemdal

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 31, 2020
Messages
25,288
Reaction score
25,188
Location
Dundee, MI
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
So just water change and monitor for changes?

Well, they went through a lot - 3 to 4 days in a bucket is really rough on them. I just can't see how Brooklynella would have gotten started. Did you add any new fish/animals within a month or so of moving?

jay
 
OP
OP
mavillan

mavillan

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 3, 2021
Messages
11
Reaction score
3
Location
Denver
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I did have not added new fish since I got them, and the corals I got were in QT for ~ 4 weeks then added to the DT months ago.
UPDATE: I went to my LFS and asked them for suggestions. I rose in elevation significantly, and the importance of surface agitation is much more important here than where I previously was. They said they see this sometimes and to make sure I have better-than-average (or what I was used to) to help gas exchange. When I went home and moved the powerhead around, my heater was half-plugged in as well. I replaced the battery in my thermometer and sure enough, I was down to ~70 degrees. Once I plugged it back in and repositioned my powerhead, they are back to normal!
 

Mastering the art of locking and unlocking water pathways: What type of valves do you have on your aquarium plumbing?

  • Ball valves.

    Votes: 57 49.6%
  • Gate valves.

    Votes: 63 54.8%
  • Check valves.

    Votes: 26 22.6%
  • None.

    Votes: 28 24.3%
  • Other.

    Votes: 9 7.8%
Back
Top