Sick clownfish. Help please

[Musicrocx09]

Poor Bob
Idk what is wrong with him but I just put him in his own tank to see if he perks up. Tank is 4 weeks old and the only other fish, the female, is doing great. He hasn’t really been eating the last week but when I first noticed it, online it said they would be fine a couple days not eating. I had hoped he would come around but I guess not

 

[vetteguy53081]

Poor Bob
Idk what is wrong with him but I just put him in his own tank to see if he perks up. Tank is 4 weeks old and the only other fish, the female, is doing great. He hasn’t really been eating the last week but when I first noticed it, online it said they would be fine a couple days not eating. I had hoped he would come around but I guess not

Tank looks very new. Was it cycled and if so- for how long?
How did you acclimate the clown initially and did you equalize salinity with the tank and did you use bag water ?
I regret to say this fish is moribund and with tank appearing to be fairly new may have experienced spikes in ammonia levels.
What is current ammonia-ph-nitrate level ?

Back to moribund. . . . this is a term for a fish that is weak, too weak to eat or swim normal and may or may not make it. A water change or adding oxygen via air stone may or may not help . Expect the worst but Hope for the best. Aches me to see fish in this state But realize , this happens to many- the challenges of the hobby with newer systems.

 

[Musicrocx09]

Tank looks very new. Was it cycled and if so- for how long?
How did you acclimate the clown initially and did you equalize salinity with the tank and did you use bag water ?
I regret to say this fish is moribund and with tank appearing to be fairly new may have experienced spikes in ammonia levels.
What is current ammonia-ph-nitrate level ?

Back to moribund. . . . this is a term for a fish that is weak, too weak to eat or swim normal and may or may not make it. A water change or adding oxygen via air stone may or may not help . Expect the worst but Hope for the best. Aches me to see fish in this state But realize , this happens to many- the challenges of the hobby with newer systems.

The tank in the videos is the tank I moved him to just now away from the female. They’ve been fine in my 40 gallon display for 3 weeks and testing even now, all the parameters are great. Just the 4th week the male just didn’t seem to be eating. I know the female always darted at him when he tried to get food but I figured that’s how they act. To be fair, the one that became the female came from the lfs bigger and brighter then the other one did. (The guy purposely did that so there was “no debate” which would be the male and which would be the female. Even though I told him I wanted two young ones ‍)

 

[vetteguy53081]

The tank in the videos is the tank I moved him to just now away from the female. They’ve been fine in my 40 gallon display for 3 weeks and testing even now, all the parameters are great. Just the 4th week the male just didn’t seem to be eating. I know the female always darted at him when he tried to get food but I figured that’s how they act. To be fair, the one that became the female came from the lfs bigger and brighter then the other one did. (The guy purposely did that so there was “no debate” which would be the male and which would be the female. Even though I told him I wanted two young ones ‍)

What test kits are you using?
The female often being the larger member is a displayer of hierarchy and will push the make to a corner, bully it, chase it and hog alk the food - reason the male is often smaller
Could very well be a product of aggression

 

[MnFish1]

I think the test kits are a red herring. Clowns - male and female - - IMHO - should be bought in a pair - rather than trying to guess - unfortunately - I cannot see your video. If you're doing your tests correctly (you can verify at an LFS) - my guess is that is the least of your concerns

 

[MnFish1]

The tank in the videos is the tank I moved him to just now away from the female. They’ve been fine in my 40 gallon display for 3 weeks and testing even now, all the parameters are great. Just the 4th week the male just didn’t seem to be eating. I know the female always darted at him when he tried to get food but I figured that’s how they act. To be fair, the one that became the female came from the lfs bigger and brighter then the other one did. (The guy purposely did that so there was “no debate” which would be the male and which would be the female. Even though I told him I wanted two young ones ‍)

BTW - I think there is no debate. If the fish is not eating, etc - that in itself is a problem. Hwere they quarantined, if so how, etc etc

 

[Musicrocx09]

I think the test kits are a red herring. Clowns - male and female - - IMHO - should be bought in a pair - rather than trying to guess - unfortunately - I cannot see your video. If you're doing your tests correctly (you can verify at an LFS) - my guess is that is the least of your concerns

They were bought at the same time from the same tank

 

[MnFish1]

They were bought at the same time from the same tank

If one fish is ok in the same water as another - especially if it's the same species - no matter what the test kits say - my guess is that the values you're getting are a non-issue. However- the question to me -is were they quarantined - with/without medication (both of them) as well as the fish in the tank they went into initially?

 

[vetteguy53081]

I think the test kits are a red herring. Clowns - male and female - - IMHO - should be bought in a pair - rather than trying to guess - unfortunately - I cannot see your video. If you're doing your tests correctly (you can verify at an LFS) - my guess is that is the least of your concerns

A tank of 3-4 weeks- water should be a concern although not high will go through spikes and with a new bioload, should be monitored and a fish that is spiraling in circles (shown in video) to the point of moribund, first reaction is water quality.

 

[MnFish1]

A tank of 3-4 weeks- water should be a concern although not high will go through spikes and with a new bioload, should be monitored and a fish that is spiraling in circles (shown in video) to the point of moribund, first reaction is water quality.

Agree. However the problem with test kits is not a 'low reading' as far as I know - it's a problem of a false high reading. Perhaps you have more information?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Not worried a

Agree. However the problem with test kits is not a 'low reading' as far as I know - it's a problem of a false high reading. Perhaps you have more information?

I wondered when stated "Water checks real good" how person is testing, this was not about test kits or continued debate.