Should clownfish pair be kept together if one gets sick and goes to QT?

LMDAVE · Mar 26, 2018

I have a clownfish pair and one royal gramma. The dominant (female) clownfish has stopped eating showing signs of white poop again . She had this about a month ago. I decided to treat her in QT with metroplex mixed directly into the water for internal parasites. The other clown and royal gramma have been very aggresive and eating normal.

But today the second clown behavior seems a little different now, not eat as much and going into cave with royal gramma (he never went into caves before ever). I was wondering should I have kept the clowns together and given them treatment together? If anything, just to keep them as a pair?

Crabs McJones · Mar 26, 2018

LMDAVE said:
I have a clownfish pair and one royal gramma. The dominant (female) clownfish has stopped eating showing signs of white poop again . She had this about a month ago. I decided to treat her in QT with metroplex mixed directly into the water for internal parasites. The other clown and royal gramma have been very aggresive and eating normal.

But today the second clown behavior seems a little different now, not eat as much and going into cave with royal gramma (he never went into caves before ever). I was wondering should I have kept the clowns together and given them treatment together? If anything, just to keep them as a pair?

If it's an internal parasite it would probably be best to treat all the fish at the same time anyway. If one has it there's a chance one of the others will get it as well.

eatbreakfast · Mar 27, 2018

Agreed. If one is sick the others, at a minimum, will have been exposed, so treating all fish is a good idea.

I also think it's a good idea to keep a clown pr together because gender roles are determined by social situations. Without a female a male quickly begins to transition.

LMDAVE · Mar 27, 2018

Thanks for the advice guys. I moved the other clown over to QT this morning, and they both seemed very happy to be back together. So that was a good thing.

The royal gramma may be a challenge for me to catch given the amount of rocks for him to hide. He knows all the caves and hiding spots.