Tank, heater, sponge filter or a HOB filter since petsmart probably doesn’t carry sponge filters. Pick up some meds also: broad spectrum gram negative antibiotic, ruby reef rally maybe. Ich-x - the one with formalin in it maybe.
I also have a coral beauty, a much smaller maroon clown (bought as pair), pearly jawfish, and a mandarin. Fish were purchased approximately 3 months ago. I've been looking at pictures of brook and other diseases and it doesn't resemble anything. The only thing close is lateral line erosion.
It isn’t lateral line erosion. I don’t trust maroons in the same tank unless they are bonded and nesting, the pair dynamics can change over time. I would be leaning towards it being a bacterial infection.
Right, and the larger one is the one who has the damage to its scales so I kinda doubt the little one guy did this to the big girl. I just was thinking, is it possible that the clownfish tried to be hosted by the rock flower anemone I have and that maybe caused this?
I didn't get the quarantine tank set up yet because the only place I have available isn't level at all and I don't have any mat to put under it so if she's still alive in the am and after work I'll grab a tank stand and some melafix and start there. I'm completely unprepared for this and I feel like I messed up big time. The clown does seem to be behaving pretty normal still, eating frozen and doing the pairing dance with the smaller one (smaller being submissive still). I did notice while they did the dance though the little one does turn into the sides of the large one and looks like it's maybe nipping at her sides, but I'm not 100% sure I could just be looking for anything at this point to give me hope. I dosed some prime into the tank right before bed in case she doesn't make it to help in case of ammonia spiking. Hopefully she doesn't have brook and makes it through the night.
Yea the behavior is what I've always seen from these two and a few other pairs I've had in the past in my old tanks behaved the same. I really don't think it was the other clown causing the issue.
Unless they are bonded, their sex is dynamic, and the changing hormones can cause all sorts of aggression. It is pretty easy to tell though: does the pair hang out together? If so, then they are fine. If they don’t, they could be fighting when you aren’t in the room. I would expect to see some ripped fins though,
Yea they always hang out together and they do the "dance" frequently where the smaller of the two always is submissive from what I've seen. I've had the pair for 3 months bought as a pair and they have never exhibited any other behavior from what I've seen. What's weird is what I just wrote up before you responded. I see like no issues with the larger one anymore and I'm questioning if what I seen was actually scales missing or if the stripes were just darkening.
