Sick Maroon clownfish

[Offgrid_Reefing]

I have a female transitioning maroon I have had for a month tomorrow. She stopped eating on Sunday and her breathes became slightly more rapid than the male, but she was still swimming in the water column. On Monday she became lethargic and was laying on the sand breathing rapidly so she went into my separation box. Breathing has increased and decreased throughout the two day period, but has stayed elevated. The box is in the tank, but there is an air stone in the box itself. I have ruled out DO issue since my two other fish (paired male maroon and mandarin) are doing fine, but leaving the O2 as additional oxygen in the box. There are no visible issues to her exterior. All coral and inverts look amazing.

Did a 5 minute FW dip on Tuesday, nothing fell off of her.

She had not defecated until today. The start of the poop is white and stringy, but there seems to be a large almost air pocket also starting to come out. Any ideas?

I do not have a secondary tank, but am contemplating doing a 5 gallon water change, putting her in the 5 gallon bucket with the proper dose of metrocleanse for a 48hr period with the air stone.

Relevant context:
32.5 fluval flex
Tank was setup in October of 2024
3D printed media baskets (removed the sponges a while ago) they have filter floss, Chemipure blue and then rubble in the last chamber (one Chemipure blue was switched out Saturday during a 15% water change)
Protein skimmer bubble magnus miniQ
ATO
Sicce 1.5 return pump
Two wave makers

Parameters:
Temp: 75.6
Salinity: 1.025
NH3: 0ppm
NO2: 0ppm
NO3: 10ppm
PO4: .003ppm
Alk: 10.5
Mag: 1230
Calc: 425

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have a female transitioning maroon I have had for a month tomorrow. She stopped eating on Sunday and her breathes became slightly more rapid than the male, but she was still swimming in the water column. On Monday she became lethargic and was laying on the sand breathing rapidly so she went into my separation box. Breathing has increased and decreased throughout the two day period, but has stayed elevated. The box is in the tank, but there is an air stone in the box itself. I have ruled out DO issue since my two other fish (paired male maroon and mandarin) are doing fine, but leaving the O2 as additional oxygen in the box. There are no visible issues to her exterior. All coral and inverts look amazing.

Did a 5 minute FW dip on Tuesday, nothing fell off of her.

She had not defecated until today. The start of the poop is white and stringy, but there seems to be a large almost air pocket also starting to come out. Any ideas?

I do not have a secondary tank, but am contemplating doing a 5 gallon water change, putting her in the 5 gallon bucket with the proper dose of metrocleanse for a 48hr period with the air stone.

Relevant context:
32.5 fluval flex
Tank was setup in October of 2024
3D printed media baskets (removed the sponges a while ago) they have filter floss, Chemipure blue and then rubble in the last chamber (one Chemipure blue was switched out Saturday during a 15% water change)
Protein skimmer bubble magnus miniQ
ATO
Sicce 1.5 return pump
Two wave makers

Parameters:
Temp: 75.6
Salinity: 1.025
NH3: 0ppm
NO2: 0ppm
NO3: 10ppm
PO4: .003ppm
Alk: 10.5
Mag: 1230
Calc: 425

I cant tell if this is feces or internal issue. Can you post a 20 second video under same lighting ?

 

[Offgrid_Reefing]

I have a female transitioning maroon I have had for a month tomorrow. She stopped eating on Sunday and her breathes became slightly more rapid than the male, but she was still swimming in the water column. On Monday she became lethargic and was laying on the sand breathing rapidly so she went into my separation box. Breathing has increased and decreased throughout the two day period, but has stayed elevated. The box is in the tank, but there is an air stone in the box itself. I have ruled out DO issue since my two other fish (paired male maroon and mandarin) are doing fine, but leaving the O2 as additional oxygen in the box. There are no visible issues to her exterior. All coral and inverts look amazing.

Did a 5 minute FW dip on Tuesday, nothing fell off of her.

She had not defecated until today. The start of the poop is white and stringy, but there seems to be a large almost air pocket also starting to come out. Any ideas?

I do not have a secondary tank, but am contemplating doing a 5 gallon water change, putting her in the 5 gallon bucket with the proper dose of metrocleanse for a 48hr period with the air stone.

Relevant context:
32.5 fluval flex
Tank was setup in October of 2024
3D printed media baskets (removed the sponges a while ago) they have filter floss, Chemipure blue and then rubble in the last chamber (one Chemipure blue was switched out Saturday during a 15% water change)
Protein skimmer bubble magnus miniQ
ATO
Sicce 1.5 return pump
Two wave makers

Parameters:
Temp: 75.6
Salinity: 1.025
NH3: 0ppm
NO2: 0ppm
NO3: 10ppm
PO4: .003ppm
Alk: 10.5
Mag: 1230
Calc: 425

I cant tell if this is feces or internal issue. Can you post a 20 second video under same lighting ?

Here are two different angles

 

[vetteguy53081]

Here are two different angles

I believe I am seeing feces with heavy mucus especially of youre feeding exclusively mysis and brine shrimp. Hard to narrow down through the acclimation box

 

[Offgrid_Reefing]

Feeding a variety of pellets, reef nutrition TDO, hikari marine and probiotix(reef nutrition. Occasionally will get ocean nutrition flakes.

She also eat can O’ cyclops and baby live brine I feed my mandarin.

Do you suggest I do anything to help dislodge it or just let some time pass? Also thoughts on putting her in the 48hr bucket treatment with metrocleanse?

I appreciate the advice

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Here are two different angles

I think the rapid breathing combined with the mucus feces points to a severe internal infection. It could be bacterial, but in many cases, clownfish develop an unknown disease with these symptoms that I suspect is coccidia. That, unfortunately, isn't treatable.

 

[Offgrid_Reefing]

Here are two different angles

I think the rapid breathing combined with the mucus feces points to a severe internal infection. It could be bacterial, but in many cases, clownfish develop an unknown disease with these symptoms that I suspect is coccidia. That, unfortunately, isn't treatable.

Is it horizontally transmitted? Male appears normal and eating well. She did end up passing.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Sorry to hear.

Yes, if that what this is, it is presumably contagious. However, I’ve seen plenty of cases where only one fish in a pair showed symptoms. That may mean that this issue has some underlying relation to the immunity of the individual fish.