Skinny Clownfish

[mythical]

One of my clowns is looking pretty skinny, and you can see the spine. I had always been able to see it since I got him, especially under the correct lighting, but I had just assumed it was because he is white, so it would be easier to spot . Had him for 4 months now, and he's always been a picky eater, but recently, he's been looking skinny. Whenever its time to feed, he shows interest in food, but spits it out when eating. Sometimes he will eat a few pieces. I feed TDO pellets, omega one marine flakes, and ocean nutrition prime reed. I have fed mysis and spiralina brine in the past as well. I also notice my clown "scavenging" the sand bed for food and picking at it. Besides all of this, behavior has been very normal.

The main reason I asked is because my other clown passed away a week ago. Everything was normal, but the fish had lost some interest in food (still showed interest occasionally, however). Mostly, it went bad in 24hrs. This fish had lost complete interest in food in the morning, and by the end of the day, was on the sand bed breathing heavy and couldn't swim properly. This clown was also looking frail when this happened. This fish had been bullied by the other clown, so we just assumed that was why this fish had died. I have one other fish (royal gramma), and they continue to eat and act just fine, and I would even say they're thriving. Any thoughts on if this is something more serious?

0 ammonia and nitrite
6.3 nitrate
0.04 phosphate
7.4 alk
35ppt
77.4 temp

 

[vetteguy53081]

One of my clowns is looking pretty skinny, and you can see the spine. I had always been able to see it since I got him, especially under the correct lighting, but I had just assumed it was because he is white, so it would be easier to spot . Had him for 4 months now, and he's always been a picky eater, but recently, he's been looking skinny. Whenever its time to feed, he shows interest in food, but spits it out when eating. Sometimes he will eat a few pieces. I feed TDO pellets, omega one marine flakes, and ocean nutrition prime reed. I have fed mysis and spiralina brine in the past as well. I also notice my clown "scavenging" the sand bed for food and picking at it. Besides all of this, behavior has been very normal.

The main reason I asked is because my other clown passed away a week ago. Everything was normal, but the fish had lost some interest in food (still showed interest occasionally, however). Mostly, it went bad in 24hrs. This fish had lost complete interest in food in the morning, and by the end of the day, was on the sand bed breathing heavy and couldn't swim properly. This clown was also looking frail when this happened. This fish had been bullied by the other clown, so we just assumed that was why this fish had died. I have one other fish (royal gramma), and they continue to eat and act just fine, and I would even say they're thriving. Any thoughts on if this is something more serious?

0 ammonia and nitrite
6.3 nitrate
0.04 phosphate
7.4 alk
35ppt
77.4 temp

Assure with water you are not getting false readings as i suspect you are using API kit and disregard Nitrite which is freshwater specific as the kit is also for freshwater although it says saltwater.
Please post video of fish Under bright white light intensity, no blue and of at 20 seconds

 

[mythical]

Assure with water you are not getting false readings as i suspect you are using API kit and disregard Nitrite which is freshwater specific as the kit is also for freshwater although it says saltwater.
Please post video of fish Under bright white light intensity, no blue and of at 20 seconds

 

[vetteguy53081]

This video unfortunately is small and cant be expanded. Can you post you tube version?
Fish is distant in this video

 

[mythical]

This video unfortunately is small and cant be expanded. Can you post you tube version?
Fish is distant in this video

Sorry about that.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Sorry about that.

Yes this fish quite thin. This seems to be an issue with designer clowns mainly . You will see bruising, pinched head, loss of appetite and lethargic behavior and may be hereditary or from overbreeding

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Sorry about that.

I agree, you only see this in some designer clowns. We call these fish “big head Todd’s” and they have a deformity due to either inbreeding or a developmental issue.
Chopping up mysis really fine and feeding enriched live baby brine can help put some weight back on them.

 

[mythical]

Yes this fish quite thin. This seems to be an issue with designer clowns mainly . You will see bruising, pinched head, loss of appetite and lethargic behavior and may be hereditary or from overbreeding

I agree, you only see this in some designer clowns. We call these fish “big head Todd’s” and they have a deformity due to either inbreeding or a developmental issue.
Chopping up mysis really fine and feeding enriched live baby brine can help put some weight back on them.

Thank you both for helping me out, I will try smaller food to get this fish eating.

That is unfortunate if this is the case. Is there any way I can look out for these things before purchasing a fish?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thank you both for helping me out, I will try smaller food to get this fish eating.

That is unfortunate if this is the case. Is there any way I can look out for these things before purchasing a fish?

Find out if fish is wild caught or tank raised and ask to see it eat and see how it interacts with others in tank and no skin imperfections