What is this on my clownfish?

Magic City Reefer

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I have a pair of clownfish that were added to my tank on 5/17. Starting last night I noticed them rubbing up on the back wall and on the sand and rocks on some occasions. I think they’re also starting to rub up on each other. Today I noticed what appear to be lesions on both of the fish and more rubbing up on the wall. They’re also seeming to favor swimming either facing straight up or straight down but staying in place although they start moving a bit when I approach the tank. Every now and then they dart off and come back. These are the only two fish in the tank.


Aquarium type: Reef (zoas, xenia, gsp) w/ CUC and the two sick clownfish.

Aquarium water volume: 60 gal total

Filtration type: sump has marine pure bio bricks, protein skimmer, two socks, phosphate reactor, carbon in a bag tumbling in the return chamber, and uv reactor. Life rock (dry) was used and tank was cycled with fritz turbo 900.

Lighting: radion xr15

How long has the aquarium been established? Month and a half

Digital image of the aquarium under white light

Water quality measured using API test kit
Temperature: 79F
pH: 8.0
Salinity / specific gravity: 1.026 using refractometer
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 5-10 +/-
Phosphorus: not available
Copper: not available
In-depth information:

Have you lost any fish to this problem yet? (see below): I bought a blue tang along with the clownfish on 5/14. The blue tang died on 5/17 along with my small horseshoe crab. I’m pretty sure the horseshoe crab death was unrelated because I know it’s tail got sucked into my MP10. I don’t know why the blue tang died but initially I just chalked it up to an immature tank. I don’t know if it could be related. I never saw any of these symptoms on the blue tang.

Are any invertebrates affected? CUC appears unaffected with exception of the above mentioned horseshoe crab death on 5/17.

Respiration rate of affected fish (in gill beats per minutes, count for 15 seconds and multiply by 4): I tried to count but it’s too difficult!


Are the affected fish still feeding? Yes, not voraciously but they eat a few pieces each

What remedies have you tried so far? Nothing yet

Images and video link:


1C5324B8-FDE3-4FFD-9A5E-DE052CE92B63.jpeg
42536CD3-BD5E-431F-B317-4979AC8BFB2D.jpeg
84F14828-B428-42D5-A6E2-4FF5F81D744F.jpeg
1015A4E6-0905-4ADA-A018-D1995089DA60.jpeg
53042CFE-93A3-400C-A472-64190054C5D3.jpeg

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated! TIA!
 

vetteguy53081

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Hard to tell in pics. I suspect either brooklynella or other parasite. Best course of temporary relief is always a FW dip using the same temperature as the display tank temperature for 4-5 minutes.
Ruby rally pro Will assist with an array of issues. You can safely dose in display tank or use it as a bath for 90 minutes
 

Jay Hemdal

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I have a pair of clownfish that were added to my tank on 5/17. Starting last night I noticed them rubbing up on the back wall and on the sand and rocks on some occasions. I think they’re also starting to rub up on each other. Today I noticed what appear to be lesions on both of the fish and more rubbing up on the wall. They’re also seeming to favor swimming either facing straight up or straight down but staying in place although they start moving a bit when I approach the tank. Every now and then they dart off and come back. These are the only two fish in the tank.


Aquarium type: Reef (zoas, xenia, gsp) w/ CUC and the two sick clownfish.

Aquarium water volume: 60 gal total

Filtration type: sump has marine pure bio bricks, protein skimmer, two socks, phosphate reactor, carbon in a bag tumbling in the return chamber, and uv reactor. Life rock (dry) was used and tank was cycled with fritz turbo 900.

Lighting: radion xr15

How long has the aquarium been established? Month and a half

Digital image of the aquarium under white light

Water quality measured using API test kit
Temperature: 79F
pH: 8.0
Salinity / specific gravity: 1.026 using refractometer
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 5-10 +/-
Phosphorus: not available
Copper: not available
In-depth information:

Have you lost any fish to this problem yet? (see below): I bought a blue tang along with the clownfish on 5/14. The blue tang died on 5/17 along with my small horseshoe crab. I’m pretty sure the horseshoe crab death was unrelated because I know it’s tail got sucked into my MP10. I don’t know why the blue tang died but initially I just chalked it up to an immature tank. I don’t know if it could be related. I never saw any of these symptoms on the blue tang.

Are any invertebrates affected? CUC appears unaffected with exception of the above mentioned horseshoe crab death on 5/17.

Respiration rate of affected fish (in gill beats per minutes, count for 15 seconds and multiply by 4): I tried to count but it’s too difficult!


Are the affected fish still feeding? Yes, not voraciously but they eat a few pieces each

What remedies have you tried so far? Nothing yet

Images and video link:


1C5324B8-FDE3-4FFD-9A5E-DE052CE92B63.jpeg
42536CD3-BD5E-431F-B317-4979AC8BFB2D.jpeg
84F14828-B428-42D5-A6E2-4FF5F81D744F.jpeg
1015A4E6-0905-4ADA-A018-D1995089DA60.jpeg
53042CFE-93A3-400C-A472-64190054C5D3.jpeg

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated! TIA!

I don't see any sign of external infection on the fish - doesn't mean there isn't something cooking, just it doesn't show in the video or pictures. The fish *might* be breathing a bit fast.
What I see are two scared clownfish that are tightly bonded - they swim in that one spot because that is what they would do if they had an anemone. The closer you watch them, the stronger that behavior will be.
I would feed them small amounts more frequently, and watch them closely for other symptoms that might develop over time.

Jay
 

fachatga

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Jay - can you clarify what makes you say they look scared? I’m just following along here like I do with all the posts where you and vetteguy give such great advise so I can identify issues with my fish as well. Thanks to you both for so selflessly taking so much of your own time to help us hopeless hobbyists
 

Jay Hemdal

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Jay - can you clarify what makes you say they look scared? I’m just following along here like I do with all the posts where you and vetteguy give such great advise so I can identify issues with my fish as well. Thanks to you both for so selflessly taking so much of your own time to help us hopeless hobbyists
The way they are topping each other while swimming, if there was an anemone there, they would be hunkered down it it. I can’t say this is all behavioral, but it seems to be playing a part.
Jay
 

ReefRusty

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I would suggest similar to what @Jay Hemdal had stated. They are fairly new to the tank and a new environment for them, sometimes it can happen over night other times it takes several days to weeks for them to really settle into their new environment. Mine took a good 2 weeks at least to really show signs of swimming around the tank other than the back corner where they felt safe even though they were the only fish in there. Took 5 days for them to take food as well.. just keep an eye on them over the coming days to see any changes in behaviour. But do remember clowns are know for some bizarre stuff.
 
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Magic City Reefer

Magic City Reefer

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I don't see any sign of external infection on the fish - doesn't mean there isn't something cooking, just it doesn't show in the video or pictures. The fish *might* be breathing a bit fast.
What I see are two scared clownfish that are tightly bonded - they swim in that one spot because that is what they would do if they had an anemone. The closer you watch them, the stronger that behavior will be.
I would feed them small amounts more frequently, and watch them closely for other symptoms that might develop over time.

Jay
Thank you so much for the quick reply! I just really don’t wanna lose these fish, so when I saw them start acting strange and then see something on their coat, I got nervous for them.

Jay, would you recommend that I try to get them an anemone? Is my tank even ready for an anemone? Anything else I can do to help them be less scared?

Jay - can you clarify what makes you say they look scared? I’m just following along here like I do with all the posts where you and vetteguy give such great advise so I can identify issues with my fish as well. Thanks to you both for so selflessly taking so much of your own time to help us hopeless hobbyists
you beat me to it! As I was reading the reply I was scratching my head wondering how you could recognize them being scared. Jay is always teaching me stuff on this site!
 

Jay Hemdal

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Here are some close up shots. Interestingly upon zooming in I noticed it’s mostly noticeable on their white bands.

5ADFAE68-5B18-4244-8ADC-DF2AB6078F3D.jpeg
3ACA6A7C-6DFF-4CB2-89A1-C3056E02E05C.jpeg
That issue has shown up recently on a couple of other clownfish here, I don’t know what that is. In the cases I got follow up on, the fish survived. I don’t think it is an infectious disease, it’s like the skin is wearing thin, and it shows up on the white portions of the fish.
Jay
 

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