Help with my clown!!

[littlefoxx]

Hey everyone.

I have a female and male frostbite pair in a 30 gallon. They were shipped a week ago, so they are pretty new to the tank. My female has been acting funny and swimming weird since l saw her in the shipping bag. I thought maybe she hurt a fin in the process as the inside bag was bunched up. But lve had her in my biocube for observation for a week and she doesnt seem to be getting better. She will with her head pointed down and her tail up near the back of the tank but one of her sides just doesnt move right. Now she has moved to to a corner at the bottom of the tank and swims weird very close to the sand or sits on the sand. Her mate swims around the tank without her but then returns and swims above her. He has no issues I can see. I have a picture attached and a video. I also filmed her mate for a few seconds to show hoe he swims. Any help would be very appreciated! I really like her and shes only about a year to a year and a half according to the seller.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Did you acclimate them and if so how and for how long?
Did you enter any bag water into tank?

You furnished a two second video. Will need at least 20 seconds to have any chance of assessment.

 

[littlefoxx]

Did you acclimate them and if so how and for how long?
Did you enter any bag water into tank?

You furnished a two second video. Will need at least 20 seconds to have any chance of assessment.

Drip method for about 40 minutes. And no bag water was put in the display.

 

[littlefoxx]

I noticed she also has a red bump on her face too

 

[littlefoxx]

this was the best I could get of her face. Its below her lower lip

 

[vetteguy53081]

Drip method for about 40 minutes. And no bag water was put in the display.

Im not a fan of drip method but How long did you float bag and did you match salinity with that of the display tank?
There are many methods to acclimating fish. I happen to do step below :
I generally:
Float for 20-30 minutes
Transfer fish and water into a clean bucket
Then . . . .
Measure the Ph, salinity and temperature of the bag water. If you can, make up some water in a container that has exactly the same measurements as the bag readings and move the fish right over, then you can add a cup of tank water to bucket every 10-15 mins 4-6 times (1- 1.5 hours)
Then check salinity in bucket and compare to tank. If no match, add a cup of water every few mins until youve come close or reached salinity and trap fish in same cup and pour off water and release into display.

 

[littlefoxx]

Im not a fan of drip method but How long did you float bag and did you match salinity with that of the display tank?
There are many methods to acclimating fish. I happen to do step below :
I generally:
Float for 20-30 minutes
Transfer fish and water into a clean bucket
Then . . . .
Measure the Ph, salinity and temperature of the bag water. If you can, make up some water in a container that has exactly the same measurements as the bag readings and move the fish right over, then you can add a cup of tank water to bucket every 10-15 mins 4-6 times (1- 1.5 hours)
Then check salinity in bucket and compare to tank. If no match, add a cup of water every few mins until youve come close or reached salinity and trap fish in same cup and pour off water and release into display.

Yes I did float them for 15 minutes. And thank you for the tip I will try that method next time l add a fish!

 

[jabberwock]

Is she blind?

 

[littlefoxx]

This is what she is doing when she swims vertical.

 

[littlefoxx]

^^^

Is she blind?

i have no idea, shes new to me. The pair was a replacement from a DOA from a ebay seller.

 

[littlefoxx]

Is she blind?

Okay so l thought about this and went up to the tank and put my finger against it. She didnt react at all but her mate immediately did. So I waived my hand around in front of her face when she was looking at me and nothing while the male darted under the rocks.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Hey everyone.

I have a female and male frostbite pair in a 30 gallon. They were shipped a week ago, so they are pretty new to the tank. My female has been acting funny and swimming weird since l saw her in the shipping bag. I thought maybe she hurt a fin in the process as the inside bag was bunched up. But lve had her in my biocube for observation for a week and she doesnt seem to be getting better. She will with her head pointed down and her tail up near the back of the tank but one of her sides just doesnt move right. Now she has moved to to a corner at the bottom of the tank and swims weird very close to the sand or sits on the sand. Her mate swims around the tank without her but then returns and swims above her. He has no issues I can see. I have a picture attached and a video. I also filmed her mate for a few seconds to show hoe he swims. Any help would be very appreciated! I really like her and shes only about a year to a year and a half according to the seller.

I see something very odd in the video - the clown is swimming with a back and forth motion. Then, I noticed that its gills are flared. I wonder if this could be the problem: flared gills are a developmental issue common in clowns. Since the gills don't close properly, the fish has difficulty breathing. This fish may have grown up with that, and it has learned that it needs to swim back and forth like that in order to get water moving better over its gills.

Is this fish eating well?


Jay

 

[littlefoxx]

I see something very odd in the video - the clown is swimming with a back and forth motion. Then, I noticed that its gills are flared. I wonder if this could be the problem: flared gills are a developmental issue common in clowns. Since the gills don't close properly, the fish has difficulty breathing. This fish may have grown up with that, and it has learned that it needs to swim back and forth like that in order to get water moving better over its gills.

Is this fish eating well?


Jay

So l did do a couple tests and figured out she is blind. Cant see my hand when its right next to her face. She eats when she feels food but when it floats away she loses it. She might have that issue you mentioned as well. Ive only had her a few days so lm still trying to figure out how to take care of her

 

[jabberwock]

So, I am no expert at this, but these are my thoughts. Don't rearrange the rocks, she will learn them. Train her to "spot feed". Get a spot feeder, and get her used to feeling and smelling the end of the feeder, and then push the food out for her.

This fish will be a challenge, but for some reason, the universe has chosen you to take care of her. Embrace it, and best of luck.

 

[jabberwock]

...and, can you post a full tank shot? Curious about the scape.

 

[littlefoxx]

...and, can you post a full tank shot? Curious about the scape.

Yes the universe did for sure, and Im going to take care of her. I did move 3 larger rocks out and went down to this and she seems much more comfortable with them and sits in the middle of the U shape. The guy at my LFS took a look at the pictures and video and believes that she has a deformity in her head and gills and was born blind. He said she was very lucky and usually most dont make it as far as she has, and she got very lucky with her male. He sleeps right under her at night and is always around her. These two are amazing!

 

[littlefoxx]

So l decided to create a instagram page for those of you who are curious and want updates on her.

mericle_the_blind_clownfish

 

[jabberwock]

Yes the universe did for sure, and Im going to take care of her. I did move 3 larger rocks out and went down to this and she seems much more comfortable with them and sits in the middle of the U shape. The guy at my LFS took a look at the pictures and video and believes that she has a deformity in her head and gills and was born blind. He said she was very lucky and usually most dont make it as far as she has, and she got very lucky with her male. He sleeps right under her at night and is always around her. These two are amazing!

Wow, great work! I am pulling for you all. No matter the outcome, the effort is outstanding.