Unhealthy Clownfish

[TinkL]

Hello! Ive had this tank running for 1 year 4 months with the clowns in… the clown in question is my male who had a rough start as my female is a ROYAL ***** and was very close to killing him the first week they were in. I had to put him into a breeder box for recovery and once he got out they paired up almost instantly. However he has never really seemed “normal” because majority of the bottom fins (excuse my terminology) were bitten off by the female and never truly grew back (see pics) I also noticed the gils are puffier than normal but he has always been like this since coming out of that breeder box over a year ago. Ive always noticed his underside where the fins were bitten off has been pretty pale and white, same around the underside of the gils. Just recently I noticed hes been acting a little weird and jumpy so I thought I would post and see if theres anything I can do to make him healthier because I feel really bad for him whether this was caused by the initial beating or he has some sort of disease / parasite. The female is fat and happy with no signs of anything wrong. Thanks in advanced

You can see the extensive fin damage in the 2nd pic which has been like this since pairing… 1st pic shows the whitish areas.

Also excuse my algae on the sand heh

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Could there have been some more recent aggression? I can’t get a super clear view but the make looks pretty beat up. Clowns can be pretty sly about not fighting when you are watching them.
Jay

 

[TinkL]

Could there have been some more recent aggression? I can’t get a super clear view but the make looks pretty beat up. Clowns can be pretty sly about not fighting when you are watching them.
Jay

Possibly... but the fins have looked like this more or less over the last year its more the gills im worried about because they're sort of puffy, and at one point it had a white "flap" coming out of it but its not there anymore

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hello! Ive had this tank running for 1 year 4 months with the clowns in… the clown in question is my male who had a rough start as my female is a ROYAL ***** and was very close to killing him the first week they were in. I had to put him into a breeder box for recovery and once he got out they paired up almost instantly. However he has never really seemed “normal” because majority of the bottom fins (excuse my terminology) were bitten off by the female and never truly grew back (see pics) I also noticed the gils are puffier than normal but he has always been like this since coming out of that breeder box over a year ago. Ive always noticed his underside where the fins were bitten off has been pretty pale and white, same around the underside of the gils. Just recently I noticed hes been acting a little weird and jumpy so I thought I would post and see if theres anything I can do to make him healthier because I feel really bad for him whether this was caused by the initial beating or he has some sort of disease / parasite. The female is fat and happy with no signs of anything wrong. Thanks in advanced

You can see the extensive fin damage in the 2nd pic which has been like this since pairing… 1st pic shows the whitish areas.

Also excuse my algae on the sand heh

Expanding these pics, im seeing signs of brooklynella and bottom clown very thin.
Have you noticed mucus at the facial area as well as gills, lethargic behavior, refusing to eat and heavy breathing from the mucus?
Is the bottom clown breathing heavy ?

 

[TinkL]

Expanding these pics, im seeing signs of brooklynella and bottom clown very thin.
Have you noticed mucus at the facial area as well as gills, lethargic behavior, refusing to eat and heavy breathing from the mucus?
Is the bottom clown breathing heavy ?

no mucus and he is pretty active... he doesn't necessarily REFUSE to eat but will hesitate when eating. I do agree he looks skinny but some days he eats like a pig. His breathing has always been on the heavier side but no different than a year ago

 

[Tired]

Eating a lot and not gaining weight isn't a good sign.

Where did you get these clowns? Something looks a bit weird about their faces to me, particularly the male.

 

[TinkL]

Eating a lot and not gaining weight isn't a good sign.

Where did you get these clowns? Something looks a bit weird about their faces to me, particularly the male.

I got them from an LFS... and I agree, the male has always looked weird like he was a runt or has some birth defect with his gills. The female has some weird markings but is otherwise a textbook clown. This is why im wondering maybe something has been wrong with the male this whole time? maybe why the female tried killing him? No idea lol

 

[vetteguy53081]

no mucus and he is pretty active... he doesn't necessarily REFUSE to eat but will hesitate when eating. I do agree he looks skinny but some days he eats like a pig. His breathing has always been on the heavier side but no different than a year ago

A clown breathing heavy is abnormal and while pinched head and belly can be poor breeding stock is also not normal. Aggression is a possibility but hard to tell with still pics

 

[TinkL]

A clown breathing heavy is abnormal and while pinched head and belly can be poor breeding stock is also not normal. Aggression is a possibility but hard to tell with still pics

hopefully this is clear enough to see something... couldn't upload in 4k

As far as the breathing goes I guess it depends what you consider heavy... I think its heavier than the female but does not look like he is struggling to breathe

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I got them from an LFS... and I agree, the male has always looked weird like he was a runt or has some birth defect with his gills. The female has some weird markings but is otherwise a textbook clown. This is why im wondering maybe something has been wrong with the male this whole time? maybe why the female tried killing him? No idea lol

We see a lot of clowns with developmental abnormalities. This can show as a general unthriftyness.
Another option is fish TB, mycobacterium. …but that can’t really be diagnosed without running bacterial cultures taken from inside the fish (not something you can do).
Jay