What could be wrong with my clown?

[lobsterfan228]

Hello R2R.

A few days ago, one of my newer clownfish died of a parasite. I had suspected it to be flukes, as he had been breathing heavily, had white stringy poop, and refused to eat. I started a Prazipro treatment around 3 days before he died.

Now, around a day after his death, my other clown is acting like this. He rarely goes inside the anemone he’d been hosting anymore, and just stays swimming near the side of it. I’ve also been noticing his mouth opening and closing a lot, along with him not eating a lot (even though he had previously chased food days before).

Is this behavior caused by Prazipro, flukes, or is it the result of another parasite like Brooklynella?

(please excuse the noise in the video, i had my powerhead pulled higher to provide more oxygenation).

 

[SOGavity]

The video makes it hard to see what you are seeing. Have you taken your parameters lately that you could post? Your issue could be anything between oxygen levels to water parameters or even parasites. But if you've treated for parasites, it's probably something else. Are there any other fish in the tank showing any signs of discomfort?

 

[lobsterfan228]

The video makes it hard to see what you are seeing. Have you taken your parameters lately that you could post? Your issue could be anything between oxygen levels to water parameters or even parasites. But if you've treated for parasites, it's probably something else. Are there any other fish in the tank showing any signs of discomfort?

Hello, sorry about the video quality; I don’t have a video from before he started acting like this for reference, but he is reluctant to stay inside the anemone’s tentacles and is breathing heavier. Here are my current levels:

Ammonia: 0.0 ppm
Nitrite: 0.0 ppm
Nitrate: 5.5 ppm
Alkalinity: 10.063 dKH
Salinity: 1.025 specific gravity
pH: 8.2
Temperature: 76.6°F

I don’t have any tools to measure oxygenation at the moment, but I have quite a bit of surface agitation with two filters and a powerhead running if that helps.

I do not have any other fish in the tank at the moment, just a BTA and 10 small red-tip hermit crabs in there with him. The anemone and the crabs seem to be doing fine.

 

[W31Olds]

Probably not flukes for 2 reasons:
1. Clownfish rarely get them.
2. Fish don't usually refuse to eat when they have them.
The Medics will need a second video as it's hard to tell much from the first one.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Hello, sorry about the video quality; I don’t have a video from before he started acting like this for reference, but he is reluctant to stay inside the anemone’s tentacles and is breathing heavier. Here are my current levels:

Ammonia: 0.0 ppm
Nitrite: 0.0 ppm
Nitrate: 5.5 ppm
Alkalinity: 10.063 dKH
Salinity: 1.025 specific gravity
pH: 8.2
Temperature: 76.6°F

I don’t have any tools to measure oxygenation at the moment, but I have quite a bit of surface agitation with two filters and a powerhead running if that helps.

I do not have any other fish in the tank at the moment, just a BTA and 10 small red-tip hermit crabs in there with him. The anemone and the crabs seem to be doing fine.

The not eating, rapid breathing and stringy poop is a symptom of an internal systemic infection of some sort - frequently protozoans in the gut or a viral disease. The key is the stringy feces as flukes don’t cause that.
Treatment isn’t possible if it’s a virus. Metronidazole in the food at 1% helps if it is a protozoan, but the fish has to be eating well for that to work.

 

[lobsterfan228]

Probably not flukes for 2 reasons:
1. Clownfish rarely get them.
2. Fish don't usually refuse to eat when they have them.
The Medics will need a second video as it's hard to tell much from the first one.

I have a second video showing the side of the clownfish attached below, he stays in that one spot next to the anemone. You can more clearly see how he opens and closes his mouth in this one.

Below is a list of symptoms I noticed in my now-deceased clownfish to help with diagnosis:
- Loss of Appetite
- Lethargy (swam under a rock arch seemingly the whole time he was afflicted).
- Heavy breathing
- Mouth opening/closing
- White stringy poop
- White spots on skin (only appeared for one day before his death, then disappeared the next).

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hello R2R.

A few days ago, one of my newer clownfish died of a parasite. I had suspected it to be flukes, as he had been breathing heavily, had white stringy poop, and refused to eat. I started a Prazipro treatment around 3 days before he died.

Now, around a day after his death, my other clown is acting like this. He rarely goes inside the anemone he’d been hosting anymore, and just stays swimming near the side of it. I’ve also been noticing his mouth opening and closing a lot, along with him not eating a lot (even though he had previously chased food days before).

Is this behavior caused by Prazipro, flukes, or is it the result of another parasite like Brooklynella?

(please excuse the noise in the video, i had my powerhead pulled higher to provide more oxygenation).

What foods are you feeding as the stringy white feces appearance can be associated with excess mucus especially of feeding mysis and brine shrimp exclusively
The fish seems to have a haze to its appearance which may be associated with Brooklynella disease and if true, some symptoms will be lethargic behavior, refusing to eat, weird swim behavior, loss of color and heavy breathing from the mucus.

 

[lobsterfan228]

Hello R2R.

A few days ago, one of my newer clownfish died of a parasite. I had suspected it to be flukes, as he had been breathing heavily, had white stringy poop, and refused to eat. I started a Prazipro treatment around 3 days before he died.

Now, around a day after his death, my other clown is acting like this. He rarely goes inside the anemone he’d been hosting anymore, and just stays swimming near the side of it. I’ve also been noticing his mouth opening and closing a lot, along with him not eating a lot (even though he had previously chased food days before).

Is this behavior caused by Prazipro, flukes, or is it the result of another parasite like Brooklynella?

(please excuse the noise in the video, i had my powerhead pulled higher to provide more oxygenation).

What foods are you feeding as the stringy white feces appearance can be associated with excess mucus especially of feeding mysis and brine shrimp exclusively
The fish seems to have a haze to its appearance which may be associated with Brooklynella disease and if true, some symptoms will be lethargic behavior, refusing to eat, weird swim behavior, loss of color and heavy breathing from the mucus.

I have been feeding a combination of flakes and occasional brine shrimp every 3-4 days. I don’t believe it’s Brooklynella disease, as the fish that had introduced the parasite to the tank had been fine for around 2 weeks until he died, and my LFS owner informed me that he had been in the store for 3 weeks before I bought him. From what I’ve heard, most instances of Brooklynella kill very fast.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have been feeding a combination of flakes and occasional brine shrimp every 3-4 days. I don’t believe it’s Brooklynella disease, as the fish that had introduced the parasite to the tank had been fine for around 2 weeks until he died, and my LFS owner informed me that he had been in the store for 3 weeks before I bought him. From what I’ve heard, most instances of Brooklynella kill very fast.

Brooklynella can last as much as 3 weeks but suspect, not necessarily the issue

 

[W31Olds]

Lobster, I think Vetteguy is correct, treat for Brook. You have lost one clown and the symptoms fit so what do you have to lose.

 

[lobsterfan228]

Thank you guys, will be treating for brook ASAP.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Thank you guys, will be treating for brook ASAP.

Brooklynella is an external protozoan disease. You list of symptoms doesn’t include any external skin symptoms.

I think this is either the internal protozoan disease that is common in clowns or it is a viral disease.

 

[lobsterfan228]

Thank you guys, will be treating for brook ASAP.

Brooklynella is an external protozoan disease. You list of symptoms doesn’t include any external skin symptoms.

I think this is either the internal protozoan disease that is common in clowns or it is a viral disease.

Hello! I’ve already treated for internal parasites with PraziPro, I don’t know what you mean by internal protozoan? Also, I did state that one of my clowns did get white spots on skin as a symptom.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Hello! I’ve already treated for internal parasites with PraziPro, I don’t know what you mean by internal protozoan? Also, I did state that one of my clowns did get white spots on skin as a symptom.

Prazipro only treats flukes (external) and tapeworms (internal). Tapeworms don't cause rapid breathing and white mucus feces.

I thought the fish only had a few spots?

Brooklynella is pretty distinct in its symptoms: stiff swimming pattern, rapid breathing, not eating and a white milky cast to the fins and body, which then tends to peel off in sheets.

 

[lobsterfan228]

Prazipro only treats flukes (external) and tapeworms (internal). Tapeworms don't cause rapid breathing and white mucus feces.

I thought the fish only had a few spots?

Brooklynella is pretty distinct in its symptoms: stiff swimming pattern, rapid breathing, not eating and a white milky cast to the fins and body, which then tends to peel off in sheets.

Thank you for your concern. Yes the white spots were small and appeared shortly before the fish had died, which sort of makes me think it was ich now. It would explain why he isn't going into the anemone anymore.

If possible, is there a list of internal protozoans that match the symptoms i've provided? I don't exactly think it's Brook anymore.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Thank you for your concern. Yes the white spots were small and appeared shortly before the fish had died, which sort of makes me think it was ich now. It would explain why he isn't going into the anemone anymore.

If possible, is there a list of internal protozoans that match the symptoms i've provided? I don't exactly think it's Brook anymore.

Just to be clear - if a fish dies from ich, it would have to have hundreds or even thousands of spots. That disease starts with a few spots, but the fish don't show symptoms until the spots become more numerous.

The internal protozoan that I'm concerned with here is a flagellate, Hexamita or Spironucleous. These are normal "gut flora" of fish, but under certain conditions, their numbers explode, making the fish ill. Metronidazole in the food (and to a lesser extent, if dose in the water) can help with that.

However, there is a suspicion that this clownfish issue we see a lot of, is actually a viral disease. for those, there is no treatment, only supportive care.

 

[lobsterfan228]

Thank you for your concern. Yes the white spots were small and appeared shortly before the fish had died, which sort of makes me think it was ich now. It would explain why he isn't going into the anemone anymore.

If possible, is there a list of internal protozoans that match the symptoms i've provided? I don't exactly think it's Brook anymore.

Just to be clear - if a fish dies from ich, it would have to have hundreds or even thousands of spots. That disease starts with a few spots, but the fish don't show symptoms until the spots become more numerous.

The internal protozoan that I'm concerned with here is a flagellate, Hexamita or Spironucleous. These are normal "gut flora" of fish, but under certain conditions, their numbers explode, making the fish ill. Metronidazole in the food (and to a lesser extent, if dose in the water) can help with that.

However, there is a suspicion that this clownfish issue we see a lot of, is actually a viral disease. for those, there is no treatment, only supportive care.

Thank you so much! I was already going to dose some metronidazole to the QT tank I’m planning to set up tomorrow, so it seems that worked out well.

I’ll get back to you if I notice that working at all! Again, thank you, this is a huge help.

 

[lobsterfan228]

Hello, all. I contacted the LFS i bought the clown that had introduced the parasite to the tank from, and it turned out to be Ich.

Thank you everyone for your help! I’m very very sorry if the information I provided wasn’t enough to accurately diagnose, that was on me.

 

[winxp_man]

Hello, all. I contacted the LFS i bought the clown that had introduced the parasite to the tank from, and it turned out to be Ich.

Thank you everyone for your help! I’m very very sorry if the information I provided wasn’t enough to accurately diagnose, that was on me.

As Jay stated, If a clown fish dies from ich in most cases they will be covered in thousands of spots. I have yet to have any fish die from just a few spots and it’s ich for sure.

Got a case of ich breakout, and caught all 11 fish and treated with copper power in a QT. No fish loss. Some had a ton of spots. And 7 of the fish are tangs.