Clownfish not eating and acting wierd.

[InformerAnts]

Hello all! I have a newly cycled tank that I decided to add another clownfish to. Upon adding the new fancy clown, my female Nemo started asserting dominance. After a small tussle they settled down and were nice, my Nemo won and the fancy found its place.

The next day I noticed Nemo sitting in the sand and breathing like a crackhead. She wouldn't move from his spot all day and seemed like he had trouble swimming. She started to not take food and actually swim away from it... not good . She usually loves to eat, swims to the top for attention, and all around a clown. He's not acting right.

Thinking she's sick or has a parasite, I immediately dug up the extra $$ to buy a cheap 5gal QT setup and some Fritz coppersafe and dosed according to the instructions. I plan to get a copper test next week.

I've noticed with him being in QT that his poo is a bit stringy, and there's a black spot in between her gills/fins. Is that a parasite and could it be the source of her suffering?

I plan on keeping the copper dose within specs and QT for 1 month. But I'm curious if I should QT the new fancy I got at the same time, and starve my display for any parasites. (Only have space for my 1 QT, so they would have to be together) or if there's a different route for this situation.

Tank params

20Gal
Topfin Pro50 filter
Random Cheap clip on LED light (no corals or anemones)

ammonia 0ppm
nitrites 2ppm
nitrates 20ppm
salinity 34

The tank is a month old started with booster bacteria.

in the photo of the QT you can kind of see the stringy poo and black mark in between the fin and gill. The second pic is where i found him in the DT which was unusual for him.

 

[Jekyl]

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[InformerAnts]

Sorry! I left out a ton of info. I just added to it.

 

[LeftyReefer]

Hello all! I have a newly cycled tank that I decided to add another clownfish to. Upon adding the new fancy clown, my female Nemo started asserting dominance. After a small tussle they settled down and were nice, my Nemo won and the fancy found its place.

The next day I noticed Nemo sitting in the sand and breathing like a crackhead. She wouldn't move from his spot all day and seemed like he had trouble swimming. She started to not take food and actually swim away from it... not good . She usually loves to eat, swims to the top for attention, and all around a clown. He's not acting right.

Man, that was pretty tough to follow.
So which clown are you worried about? the female (nemo) or the male (fancy)? or both?

you said the female is breathing like a crackhead and not eating.
you said the male is having trouble swimming and not acting right.

Clowns are weird and since these two are new, it might take a few days for things to sort out.

If you really think either of your clowns are showing rapid breathing, then there might be an issue in the tank that needs to be dealt with ASAP.

videos (under bright white lighting) may help here.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

I also had difficulty following which fish was doing what. A short video of each fish would help.

What type of ammonia test are you using? Does the tank have good aeration (not just circulation)? I want to completely rule out water quality before jumping in on disease issues.

Jay

 

[InformerAnts]

I should probably switch to the PC and stop typing thing out on mobile.

I'm worried about both, But especially Nemo as she isnt acting herself since i added the new fancy. I'm mainly worried because i bought him at petco and they usually have questionable stuff.

She wont come to the surface like she used to, or eat even which is what makes me think somethings wrong. I have a HOB filter that makes good air bubbles and my wave maker that agitates the surface. Ive been using the API Master Kit and seachem ammonia alert (still testing with api every day).

I had problems getting quality photos with my phone, so once as my gf wakes up i can take a video with hers and post it.

 

[vetteguy53081]

The fish has a milky appearance suggesting brook but not the. Clearest pics to confirm

 

[InformerAnts]

I apologize i was busy with a sick kiddo and didn't get the video up but I'm unfortunately I came with a grim update.

She didn't make it through the night.

Last night before i went to bed i dosed formalin in a bath along with a freshwater dip, then back into QT. Sometime while i was sleeping, the cats knocked my air pump onto the ground and the filter wasn't running. Seeing as how fish can be shipped and delivered, im not sure that was ultimately the issue as it was only about a 7 hour period.

Im pretty upset that I couldn't save her, but im happy to report that her partner is doing fantastic in his separate QT bucket i setup and eating great!

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I apologize i was busy with a sick kiddo and didn't get the video up but I'm unfortunately I came with a grim update.

She didn't make it through the night.

Last night before i went to bed i dosed formalin in a bath along with a freshwater dip, then back into QT. Sometime while i was sleeping, the cats knocked my air pump onto the ground and the filter wasn't running. Seeing as how fish can be shipped and delivered, im not sure that was ultimately the issue as it was only about a 7 hour period.

Im pretty upset that I couldn't save her, but im happy to report that her partner is doing fantastic in his separate QT bucket i setup and eating great!

Sorry to hear.

For future reference, depending on the formalin concentration, doing that and a FW dip at nearly the same time is really stressful, and the two procedures overlap in much of their effectiveness, it is really better to choose one or the other.

Jay