3 year old Clown is pale and not eating. help

[Flipper_Picker]

Hello, I have a sick clownfish that's not eating and looking pale compared to my other clown. In the photo it's the top clown that's pale and sick. The eyes are darker on the healthy clown. I had a dottyback that I think was sick for a week recently and wasn't eating and was hiding under a rock. Now the dotty is back to normal the clown is sick. I don't know if they both had the same sickness or if I'm doing something that would cause it. There's no white spots on the fish. Haven't added a new fish in over a month. I added GFO 8 days ago. I also started thawing frozen food in RO water instead of saltwater to help keep the cup cleaner. I just started reefing 4 months ago and bought the fish and corals second hand so I have little experience. I don't have an ATO and top off by hand about 20 oz of rodi water daily. I add the fresh water all at once to the display tank, is that bad? The tank is 40 gallons with a 20 gallon sump. The tank looks very healthy, no algae problems or cyano. 3 year old reef with lots of big soft corals and some lps. Corals are open and vibrant. I feed only frozen mysis and nano frenzy. Is it normal for fish to get sick and not eat? Should I get vitamins or medication? Please help save my clownfish! Parameters:
Nitrates 7.2
Phosphates 0.11
Alkalinity 8.1
PH 8.2
Calcium 365
Magnesium 1360
Salinity 1.025

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

I would have been hard pressed to pick out the ailing clown from the photo if you hadn't said which one. Sometimes, issues don't show up well in photos. The not eating is a bad sign. Can you try posting a video? You Tube often is easy to do.

I don't see any clues in your tank details (I would add the new RODI water to the sump, and add it over a few minutes time, not all at once).

Jay

 

[LoveReefs411]

Have you tried to add garlic to the food? For some reason garlic helps when a fish is not eating. I can't tell from the picture either that the clown looks sick.

 

[Flipper_Picker]

Have you tried to add garlic to the food? For some reason garlic helps when a fish is not eating. I can't tell from the picture either that the clown looks sick.

I just noticed 2 very small dots on the fish. It's been 6 weeks since I added my Banggai Cardinal. There's no dots or markings on any other fish. If you look at the eyes in the other picture they are much paler than the healthy clown with dark eyes.

 

[Flipper_Picker]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

I would have been hard pressed to pick out the ailing clown from the photo if you hadn't said which one. Sometimes, issues don't show up well in photos. The not eating is a bad sign. Can you try posting a video? You Tube often is easy to do.

I don't see any clues in your tank details (I would add the new RODI water to the sump, and add it over a few minutes time, not all at once).

Jay

Thanks. I just noticed 2 small dots on the sick clown. Now it's swimming at the surface. This is difficult to watch.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Thanks. I just noticed 2 small dots on the sick clown. Now it's swimming at the surface. This is difficult to watch.

Two spots, even if it were ich or some other parasite, would not cause the degree of issues you are seeing (the not eating, and hovering). Something else is going on - that's why I need to see a video, so I can check its respiration rate and general "deportment".

Jay

 

[Flipper_Picker]

Two spots, even if it were ich or some other parasite, would not cause the degree of issues you are seeing (the not eating, and hovering). Something else is going on - that's why I need to see a video, so I can check its respiration rate and general "deportment".

Jay

Here's a link to the video. GSP is partially closed because I fed Reef Roids yesterday and bought too small of wavemakers by mistake so the flow is lacking in my tank. I have to use a turkey baster on the gsp occasionally because it hates detritus, roids or anything collecting on it. Other than that the corals are doing ok.

 

[Uncle99]

He’s being chased in the video.
When did that start.

 

[Flipper_Picker]

He’s being chased in the video.
When did that start.

They're a pair and have been together for a few years. I think the female is sick it's slightly larger. The male isn't really chasing. I think he's just very concerned because the sick clown is hovering today. I think he's more like "what's the matter, stop swimming like that and lets get back to our toadstool!".

 

[Uncle99]

They're a pair and have been together for a few years. I think the female is sick it's slightly larger. The male isn't really chasing. I think he's just very concerned because the sick clown is hovering today. I think he's more like "what's the matter, stop swimming like that and lets get back to our toadstool!".

Maybe. IMM being pushed away and cornered for an unknown reason. Is gasping for air at the top.

Corals look fantastic.

 

[Flipper_Picker]

Maybe. IMM being pushed away and cornered for an unknown reason. Is gasping for air at the top.

He's definitely not bullying her. They love each other. I've been watching for 3 days. The clown is very sick. Now she stopped swimming and is sitting on the sand. Should pull her out and put her in a bucket of new saltwater I just mixed? I have a pump in the bucket with a heater. I can go buy an air stone. I don't know what to do!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thanks. I just noticed 2 small dots on the sick clown. Now it's swimming at the surface. This is difficult to watch.

I too saw the dots and viewed them as possible sand grains which they tend to pick up
Garlic will not make them eat but rather helps boost immunity system. As stated by Jay - something else is going on but needed are closer pics or video under white lighting for best visual and assessment

 

[Uncle99]

The progression seems very, very fast.
It seems the fish is having difficulty breathing, a symptom of parasite infection, not all show themselves, no way to know.

I think anything you do outside of norm is just going to compound stress.

Cant treat the “unknown” just stop the loving thing, that’s not going to help.

 

[brandon429]

I try to learn about biosecurity from these events so I can discern patterns at work from web posts

Flipper, when is the last time you added something wet from a pet store to this tank, anything wet/a snail/a frag etc

what a nice reef, anyone would want that, huge corals no bad algae all healthy/nice

 

[Flipper_Picker]

I too saw the dots and viewed them as possible sand grains which they tend to pick up
Garlic will not make them eat but rather helps boost immunity system. As stated by Jay - something else is going on but needed are closer pics or video under white lighting for best visual and assessment

 

[brandon429]

how did you keep the sand so clean this whole time in that setup, nice one

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Here's a link to the video. GSP is partially closed because I fed Reef Roids yesterday and bought too small of wavemakers by mistake so the flow is lacking in my tank. I have to use a turkey baster on the gsp occasionally because it hates detritus, roids or anything collecting on it. Other than that the corals are doing ok.

One thing that concerns me is the film on the water’s surface, that can close off the water to proper gas exchange. Better surface agitation needs to be added. Now, that isn’t the core issue, else both clowns would be affected, but it is something that needs to be addressed.
I do see some extra attention from the other clown, but it isn’t overt aggression as the sick clown has no ripped fins or skin damage.
The sick clown is swimming poorly and breathing a bit fast. However, I’m not seeing any symptoms that would key in on some specific disease - sorry!
Do you have an isolation tank?
Jay

 

[Flipper_Picker]

I know there's surface film but I do have a sump and protein skimmer for gas exchange. I'm setting up my fluval evo 13.5 now for a quarantine tank. Do I use tank water or fresh saltwater? Should I add a piece of live rock?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I know there's surface film but I do have a sump and protein skimmer for gas exchange. I'm setting up my fluval evo 13.5 now for a quarantine tank. Do I use tank water or fresh saltwater? Should I add a piece of live rock?

I would use 80% new water (let it aerate to stabilize the pH after mixing, but before using). You also need some sort of substrate that has beneficial bacteria on it - filter media is good. Live rock works as well, but if you end up using copper, the rock will interfere with that.

Jay