Sick clownfish

[tessa1]

Hi, I posted a few days ago about my clownfish who was having trouble passing its poop which has now cleared up. It seems to not be in great condition though, it is laying on its side (usually wedged between rocks) and is breathing heavily. It is still eager for food but will spit it out I did a water change and iron, copper, nitrates, and chlorine levels are at 0. the ph is at about 8.3 and the water is at 79 degrees. When I tap the glass it will pop up and seems to not have any trouble swimming. Is there anything I can do for it?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Oh, that fish is moribund, close to death. Rarely can you bring a fish back from this point. What other fish are in the tank with it? Any symptoms with them?

Jay

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hi, I posted a few days ago about my clownfish who was having trouble passing its poop which has now cleared up. It seems to not be in great condition though, it is laying on its side (usually wedged between rocks) and is breathing heavily. It is still eager for food but will spit it out I did a water change and iron, copper, nitrates, and chlorine levels are at 0. the ph is at about 8.3 and the water is at 79 degrees. When I tap the glass it will pop up and seems to not have any trouble swimming. Is there anything I can do for it?

Not sure which kits you are using but the copper and iron will be more concern with coral than fish.
Chlorine- Are you using tap water from faucet or RODI water?
Something else is going on as clown appears moribund and may or may not make it. Tapping the glass may startle it, but if it lays right back down, a sign of deterioration. It is as you said breathing labored which is an indicator of :
High ammonia
Low Oxygen
flukes or other parasite

My other concern : I see plastic plants which have sharp edges and are you using Crushed coral or Aquarium Gravel ?

 

[tessa1]

Oh, that fish is moribund, close to death. Rarely can you bring a fish back from this point. What other fish are in the tank with it? Any symptoms with them?

Jay

Its the only fish in the tank

 

[tessa1]

Not sure which kits you are using but the copper and iron will be more concern with coral than fish.
Chlorine- Are you using tap water from faucet or RODI water?
Something else is going on as clown appears moribund and may or may not make it. Tapping the glass may startle it, but if it lays right back down, a sign of deterioration. It is as you said breathing labored which is an indicator of :
High ammonia
Low Oxygen
flukes or other parasite

My other concern : I see plastic plants which have sharp edges and are you using Crushed coral or Aquarium Gravel ?

I am using tap water but use the API tap water conditioner. I turned the air flow up on my protein skimmer a few hours ago. I have aquarium gravel.

 

[Kedron1977]

Don't quote me on this but if your using freshwater aquarium gravel and plants that could be part of the problem. How long have you had this fish?

 

[vetteguy53081]

I am using tap water but use the API tap water conditioner. I turned the air flow up on my protein skimmer a few hours ago. I have aquarium gravel.

Ok- many suspects here. Tap water is a huge No-No. See below on tap water.
Water in general is your issue. You can in now way use awuarium gravel as it offers No buffering for Ph and likely as I menrioned last post- water quality is the issue and maty have been the issue all along. Pull all plastic plants and Gravel and leave out plants and add crush coral sand as pictured also below.
In essence, you are running a freshwater tank with salt. What is salt level and how are you testing it?
What test kits are you using ?

Regarding Tap water:
Its NOT worth it. With so many sales on RODI units- worth the now small investment.
For starters, the amount of Alk in tap water can potentially double this number easily and affect CA and PH not to mention content of heavy metals, chloramine, polluants. flouride and other elements not contained in sea water. tap water also offers no ph buffering and note many areas have copper in their taop water which you do not want in your system. Next will be phosphates in water which will cause further issues.
As you can see - Risk is the issue
At minimum, buy filtered water from refill station at walmart.

 

[tessa1]

Don't quote me on this but if your using freshwater aquarium gravel and plants that could be part of the problem. How long have you had this fish?

Almost two months now, it has been doing super well up until the past few days

 

[tessa1]

Ok- many suspects here. Tap water is a huge No-No. See below on tap water.
Water in general is your issue. You can in now way use awuarium gravel as it offers No buffering for Ph and likely as I menrioned last post- water quality is the issue and maty have been the issue all along. Pull all plastic plants and Gravel and leave out plants and add crush coral sand as pictured also below.
In essence, you are running a freshwater tank with salt. What is salt level and how are you testing it?
What test kits are you using ?

Regarding Tap water:
Its NOT worth it. With so many sales on RODI units- worth the now small investment.
For starters, the amount of Alk in tap water can potentially double this number easily and affect CA and PH not to mention content of heavy metals, chloramine, polluants. flouride and other elements not contained in sea water. tap water also offers no ph buffering and note many areas have copper in their taop water which you do not want in your system. Next will be phosphates in water which will cause further issues.
As you can see - Risk is the issue
At minimum, buy filtered water from refill station at walmart.

The salinity is at 1.024 and I am using a salinity refractometer to test it. I can try getting filtered water and crushed coral but it unfortunately won’t be able to happen in the next day or two because of conflicts with work this is my first tank so I am still learning a bunch thanks for all the information.

 

[vetteguy53081]

The salinity is at 1.024 and I am using a salinity refractometer to test it. I can try getting filtered water and crushed coral but it unfortunately won’t be able to happen in the next day or two because of conflicts with work this is my first tank so I am still learning a bunch thanks for all the information.

Dont blame yourself. Your pet store sure could have guided you , asked questions, etc.
These are essentials:

1. Lighting
   The type of lighting you choose will be based on the type of system you have planned to set up, as well as what kind of livestock you will be keeping in it.
2. Skimmers, Filters & Filtration Equipment
   Once again, what type of system you are going to set up will help you determine which kind of filters and filtration system to choose.
3. Powerhead
   Depending on the size of your aquarium, the use of one or several powerheads is an excellent way to provide good water circulation throughout the system.
4. Live Rock & Substrate
   Here you need to decide on what type of material you want on the bottom of the tank, as well as whether you want to start with a live or non-living medium. Live Rock plays an important role in a marine tank. Many marine animals, fish in particular, can be quite territorial. It is important to provide ample shelter or places where the animals can hide, sleep, and avoid potential problems with aggression from other tankmates in the confined space of an aquarium.
5. Sea Salt Mix/Saltwater & Hydrometer
   Sea salts are what make an aquarium a saltwater or marine aquarium. Also referred to as a salinity tester, this item measures the specific gravity or salt content of the water.
6. Heater & Thermometer
   For smaller aquariums one heater works well, but for larger systems the use of multiple units is advised. With stick-on, floating, multi-function remote digital sensor, and many other types of units to pick from, the material a thermometer is made of is an important factor when choosing one as well.
7. Air Pump & Air Stones
   Only needed if you are going to run a piece of equipment that requires these items, such as a counter-current protein skimmer.
8. Test Kits, Additives & Supplements
   For live rock and reef tank systems, calcium (a.k.a. limewater/kalkwasser) needs to be added. Other supplemental vitamins or additives that are beneficial to the health of certain marine inhabitants you may be keeping, such as iodine for crustaceans, are important as well. Hanna and salifert test kits are best- Avoid Api
9. Maintenance Tools & Supplies
   This category includes having items on hand such as a various sized plastic buckets or containers, tank cleaning tools such as a siphon tube/hose, an algae scraper or magnet, as well as nets of different sizes, spare equipment replacements parts, and so on. A good way to keep track of what maintenance tasks you have performed and when is to keep a log book or record of everything you do.

Courtesy of Spruce