Clownfish Mouth Issue - Left side of mouth white

[memorylapse]

Hello! I was looking through the threads but wondering if my issue is the same/different. Just got 2 clowns a few days ago and the smaller one developed some sort of something on its mouth. There's only these 2 clownfish in the tank and the tank finished cycling last week (used fishless cycling). Wondering if he needs some help or let him be.

Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Very likely, the two clowns have been fighting and this one lost the battle. If they weren’t paired when you got them, they need to work that out. Even if they were paired prior to purchase, that sometimes breaks down when the fish are moved to a new tank.
The key is to monitor this to be sure that it doesn’t escalate to continued damage to the fish. Clowns are very sly though, they often don’t fight while you are watching them. You’ll have to infer fighting from the damage: skin or mouth damage and ripped fins.

Sometimes, clowns just don’t pair up and you’ll need to separate them.

With a new aquarium, you’ll want to monitor the ammonia closely to ensure it doesn’t spike.

Jay

 

[memorylapse]

Hi Jay,

Appreciate the response! Ohhhh ok. Yes, they weren't paired when we got them and I haven't seen them being aggressive towards each other while I'm looking at them. Thanks for the advice! I have another tank ready just in case I need to separate them and will monitor closely.