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FAQs about the Diseases of Clownfishes 19
Related FAQs: Clownfish Disease 1,
Diseases of Clownfishes 2, Diseases
of Clownfishes 3, Clownfish Disease
4, Clownfish Disease 5,
Clownfish Disease 6, Clownfish
Disease 7, Clownfish Disease 8,
Clownfish Disease 9, Clownfish
Disease 10, Clownfish Disease 11,
Clownfish Disease 12, Clownfish
Disease 13, Clownfish Disease 14,
Clownfish Disease 15, Clownfish
Disease 16, Clownfish Disease 17,
Clownfish Disease 18, Clownfish
Disease 20, & FAQs on Clownfish Disease By:
Environmental Stress, Nutrition,
Social/Behavioral/Territoriality,
Trauma/Mechanical Injury, & Pathogens:
Lymphocystis, Infectious Disease
(Bacteria, Fungi...), Protozoans:
Cryptocaryon/Ich, Amyloodinium/Velvet,
Brooklynella (see article below), &
Mysteries/Anomalous Losses, Cure,
Success Stories, & Clownfishes in General,
Clownfish Identification, Clownfish
Selection, Clownfish Compatibility,
Clownfish Behavior, Clownfish Systems,
Clownfish Feeding, Clownfishes and
Anemones, Breeding
Clowns, Related Articles:
Clownfish Disease, Clownfishes,
Maroon Clowns, Marine Disease, Brooklynellosis, | 
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Sick clowns-please help 3/17/08
Good afternoon,
I
apologize in advance for the long message, but I figure the more
information I can give you, the better.
I have a 120g tank with 2
Fluval canister filters and an inline pump on a 3/4in SeaSwirl. The tank
is divided into 3 sections and each section houses a pair of clownfish
and some snails with 2-3 inches of sand and a few live rocks and plastic
anemones. The tank is about a year old. The parameters are:
ammonia:0
Nitite:0
Nitrate:5
pH:8.0
Temp:80
florescent light-12 hour
cycle.
SG:1.023
<I'd raise to NSW strength>
The first pair are
maroons (tank raised) I have had them for 10 months they were originally
quarantined and have never had any problems. The second pair are black
Clarks (wild caught) quarantined and treated for rapid respiration
(mild) in a separate medicine tank with SeaChem's ParaGuard for 8 days.
The breathing returned to normal after treatment and they were eating
well so they were added to main tank after a few weeks- they have now
been in my main tank for 6 months. The third pair are ocellaris and I
purchased them from a person with a neglected tank and they didn't know
if they were tank raised or not. This pair was quarantined and also
treated with ParaGuard for slight open mouthed respiration (very mild),
they seemed to improve in a few days and they were moved into the main
tank after a few weeks. They have been in the main tank for 3 months.
During the last 3 months all 3 pairs ate well and acted happy and
healthy until a few weeks ago.
A few weeks ago the ocellaris spawned
for the first time- everything seemed to be ok until the 7th day, I
noticed that my Clarks and my ocellaris were acting high strung and
sporadic. I attributed it to the eggs being ready to hatch and that
night they did hatch and the larvae were collected with the bowl and
flashlight method described in Clownfishes by Joyce Wilkerson (I have
read this great book about 25 times in preparation for spawning). None
of the larvae survived past the 48 hour mark, despite having plenty of
rotifers, parent water, rearing tank as described in the book. They spun
in circles, acted comatose, then died. At this time I suspected
parasites from the parents
<Mmm, would be highly unusual>
and
noticed some white feces from the female. I treated her with raw shrimp
soaked in fresh squeezed garlic juice for 3 days and the feces returned
to normal, however the male continued to act jittery, confused and
frighten and the female Clark developed 1 popeye and some fatigue
although all
of them continued to eat well. I gave garlic soaked food
to the Clark as well, and her fatigue quickly diminished- although her
eye is still popped out. The male Clark and the male ocellaris continued
to get worse, they acted strangely afraid of every movement in front of
the tank which was very uncharacteristic of them- they occasionally
shuttered and twitched (but not at the females). I started all the
clowns on more raw seafood and Selcon soaked flake food in case diet was
a problem but I have not seen an improvement. 5 days after the first
clutch hatched, the ocellaris laid a second clutch. This time, however
the male is more neglectful and fans the eggs only briefly about once an
hour- he hides often now in his cave and swims in one direction after
another as though he is confused. The eggs are 5 days old today and only
about 1/2 remain, although the color indicates that they are still
viable. I considered stray current yesterday as a possibility and added
a grounding unit and this had no visible effect on any of my fish.
Currently the male Clark acts mildly confused and jittery, the female
Clark has 1 popeye, but is swimming normally, and the male ocellaris is
getting increasingly agitated, frightened, confused, and neglectful of
his eggs with only occasional fanning and more hiding than usual. All of
the clowns have bright color and no visible spots. I can think of no
major changes that I have made to decorations, tank water, etc that
would cause this sudden behavior. I do 10% water changes every week,
clean the canisters every 2 weeks and vacuum 1/3 of the sand every time
I water change. I don't currently dose with anything since the water is
changed so frequently (Instant ocean salt). My first concern is for my
adult fish- I know they are not healthy but I don't know what to do for
them. Money is not an object- I am willing to do anything- test for
anything- to get them back to the happy, healthy fish they once were.
Please suggest anything that you think may be causing this behavior, I
would rather not have to catch them and put them in medicine tanks, but
I will if I have to. I figure I will have healthy larvae when I have
healthy adults. I love this forum and I am sure it has saved many lives
over the years. Thank you for any and all suggestions you can give me.
<Mmm, there is some sort of endogenous chemical effect at play here...
the canister filters might be involved, the grounding probe is of no use
here... One could either emphasize the "removal" effort... by using
chemical filtrants (see WWM re) or enhancing skimming... Or making the
system more complex biologically... adding a sump/refugium, with live
macro-algae, DSB, RDP lighting... or both... I would investigate these
possibilities on WWM, elsewhere... Bob Fenner>
55 GALLON SALT WATER FISH TANK, Fish death, missing shrimp 3/6/08
Hi Guys, Gals,
<Hello>
My name is Gilbert and I am new to this
habit. I have a 55 gallon salt
water fish tank fish only. It was
given to me from a friend of mine; it has been running for more than
a year. I currently have a yellow tang,
<will need a larger home
before long.>
a snow flake eel, two false Perculas,
<may end
up eel snacks>
an urchin and about 60 lbs of live rock. As far as
filtration goes all I have is a cpr-bak pak and two rio-600 for
water flow. It seems like everything is fine, but I see all this
other fish tank that have built in over flows and all different
kinds of filtration and I just can stop thinking that there is a lot
of things that my fish tank needs.
<Not really as long as your
water quality is good and algae growth is under control. May want to
add more flow but beyond that you have the basics of what you need.>
I hate to go to my community pet store because they will say and do
anything to sell.
<Far too common of a occurrence, shortsighted
by the proprietors.>
I want to know if you guys can guide me and
recommend any other filtration or anything else you think I might
need. Of course in a near future I would love to turn it around in
to a reef tank.
<Would definitely need more flow and quality
lighting.>
I also seem to have a problem in the water because I
have bought different kinds of fish and none survive, well except
the Perculas.
<Start using a QT tank, will help determine what is
going on.>
I bought a coral banded shrimp that I saw once and
never again,
<eel food>
I bought a fire fish that was killed
god know by who or by what, a hippo tank
<tang? If so needs a
much larger tank than you have.>
that also died and a cleaner
wrasse.
<Skip these http://www.wetwebmedia.com/labroide.htm .>
I got the water tested and the water is fine.
<Fine is too
subjective, get numbers next time or better yet learn to test
yourself.>
I guess I'm doing something wrong with the
acclimation.
<Hard to say without knowing your water parameters.>
Any how I hope you guys/gals can provide me with great tips just as
you always do. Thank you.
Gilbert Gomez
<Keep reading>
<Chris> Re: 55
GALLON SALT WATER FISH TANK, Now clownfish health 3/6/08
Thank you for the fast response,
<Welcome>
Chris my brother
also has a 36 gal salt water; he has two false Perculas and a gold
stripe maroon clown.
<A dangerous combination, eventually the
maroon will probably kill the Percs if not separated.>
The gold
maroon spends a lot of time playing with the sand and is been a
week that all three fishes have some sort of white dots, or
something
similar, very small like the sand grains, do you think
is ich?
<Probably, could also be Brooklynellosis,
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/brooklynellosisart.htm .>
How long do
they usually last with ich if not treated?
<Impossible to say,
but treatment should be started as soon as possible, especially if
it is Brooklynellosis.>
Gilberto Gomez
<Chris>
Re: 55 GALLON SALT WATER FISH TANK, Now clownfish health 3/7/08
He has a QT but as far as the treatment, what should he do?
Gilberto Gomez
<Your options can found here
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mardisindex.htm >
<Chris> |
Suffocating fish... Clown... need data 3/2/08
Hi,
I have a percula clown that appears to have its gills and mouth covered
in a blackish slime.
<?!>
He is trying to scrape against the LR to
get it off. Any idea what it is and what I can do? Whatever this is has
killed off the other inhabitants in the last 12 hours. Its 5 gallons w/
3 lbs LR. Dead include 1 Nassarius snail and a blue leg hermit, only
other thing besides the clown is another Nassarius snail. Water tests
showed 5ppm nitrates 0 ammonia & nitrites and SG is 1.023.
Thanks,
Riley
<Uhh, not enough information here to render any opinion,
advice... Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/clnfshdisart.htm
and the linked files above... to give you an idea of the sorts of data
we're looking for. Bob Fenner>
Re: Sick Clowns... env. 2/24/08
I don't need advice on what
tank size I need to know what I can do about my fish they are sick
and acting abnormally, I posted this because I didn't have 2 or 3
hours to read every single article, I just needed advice on what was
wrong with them. Critiquing my tank size doesn't help me.
<Your
set-up is the root/cause of your problems... It's too small for the
Clowns, an anemone... See my original comments re... READ! BobF>
Strange clowns 2/25/08
Hello,
<Skyler>
This is my
second attempt at asking you guys about my clowns, I have a "mated
pair" of percula clowns that I bought from my local pet store
(trustworthy place) and I had them in a plain old 10 gallon setup
with a penguin 100 filter and heater and bubbler. I wanted them to
mate so I moved then in to a 12 gallon nano cube and they've been
doing good up until recently. I purchased an anemone bubble tip) and
I've had that for about 3-4 weeks now and the nano has had the
clowns in it for 6-7 weeks. The female seemed to accept the anemone
and the male stays in one corner of the tank and periodically will
go "visit" the female. What are they doing? are they ok? The female
has been acting slightly strange, she will "lay down" in spots and
will rest there for 10 minutes at a time. She has no swellings or
any spots or lesions, so I ruled out any time of external parasite,
but she has had a bit of color loss and her dorsal fin has been at
rest for about 3 days now. We checked the salt and it was at a
horribly high number so we went to the pet store and we changed 4
gallons of it and added a new carbon bag and got the reading to
about 1.025. She was doing slightly better today but still was at
times laying on the bottom of the tank. Occasionally she would get
up and twitch and move around. The male came over today and swam by
her a bit and she didn't seem to mind this. Could they be possibly
mating ( I had read somewhere that the female swims horizontally
over a patch to get it ready for laying her eggs) is this true? I
just really need to know what's going on with them.
Thanks again,
Skyler
and yes I realize the tank is small but it's suitable for
my budget and suitable for 2 fish and an anemone
<Have already
answered this... What you have system wise cannot, will not support
the life you list... This is posted. B> |
Re: sick clownfish? Poor English, no useful data, not following
directions, no reading 2/16/08
crew,
my tank is relatively new, running 10wks now, I added 2 clownfish last
Friday. Parameters are within the norm, (ammonia, nitrates, nitrites,
salinity and temp within prescribed tolerances).
Today I noticed that
one of the clowns has what appears to be a veil or almost like a clear
to cloudy shedding of some sort under his top fin on both sides of his
body. The top fin is not fully extended. I tried to research this
however I could not find a match. The fish is swimming freely and eating
normally and does not appear to be gasping for air. It does not appear
to be ich. Can you shed some light? and if so provide some suggestions
for a remedy.
Frank
<... read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/clnfshdisart.htm
and the linked files above.
RMF> Re:
sick clownfish? Dismal... 2/19/08
Thanks for the
info. It looks like this was velvet.
<Not good>
I noticed this in
the morning before I left for work and the fish was dead before the next
morning.
<Sorry to hear>
I tried a few remedies from your sight
but it was too late. This may be a little late but is it okay to keep 2
false clown fish together, (that are not a mated pair)?
Frank
<Frank, if it was indeed velvet (by my understanding you mean
Amyloodinium) then you may need to think about treatment of remaining
fish and perhaps system, before introducing more fish. Please check the
information here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/amylloodiniumart.htm
and the linked FAQs. Following that, turning to your question, there is
no problem keeping 2 un-mated Amphiprion ocellaris clowns together,
providing they are not both female. Our archives on clownfish will help
you with pairing advice. Good luck. Mike I>
Clownfish Behavior 2-9-08
Good morning all.
<Hi. Just one
Yunachin.>
Another Saturday morning with a reef tank puzzle.
<And a beautiful day for one.>
Established a 30 gal tank over a
month ago, live rock, live sand.
Parameters good : ph 8.1, temp
79, salinity 1.023, no ammonia, no nitrite, nitrate <25mg/l.
Current population: 3 snails, 6 hermits, 1 Orange Linckia, 1
Lawnmower Blenny, 1 juvenile Brown Scopas tang, 1 Banggai Cardinal,
2 clowns (both tank-raised 1 orange, 1 black).
1 week ago, moved
the orange clown (named "Spot") and Cardinal from an established 14
gal to the 30 gal. Acclimation went well. Spot has always been
spunky, and took to his/her new black clown friend no problems (no
skirmishes, swimming together etc).
<That is quite amazing that
there was no aggression at all. Is there a considerable size
difference?>
Two nights ago, I spotted a change in Spot's
sleeping behavior. He would normally float up near the power head or
surface on his side or nose down and sleep.
<I have one that
does the exact same thing when she sleeps.>
Instead, I found him
about 1 inch from the sand bed near the glass, looking like he's
swimming faster than usual. Top fin and bottom swim fins tucked back
and maybe a little faster 'breathing'. Next day he ate and swam
fine, until sometime in the afternoon where he adopted a different
spot near the sand and went back to this behavior. His motions are a
bit jerky, and he stays fixed in the same 2 square inches of space
above the sand.
<Depending on the size of the clowns this could
be a dominance issue. Where does the other clown rest at night? I
have had experiences with happy clowns during the daytime but as
soon as the lights go out the aggression fires up. Perhaps he was
chased from his favorite sleeping spot. If this is the case I am
confident to say that the aggression will tone down in time and they
will sort out their territory differences. Basically aggression
stems from the fact that someone is fighting to become the dominant
female. The smaller and the less aggressive of the two will become
the male in the factor. Check out this link for more information on
clownfish: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/clownfis.htm;>
He looks
otherwise healthy - no physical signs of disease or physical damage.
<That is good.>
He's a real survivor fish (survived a few flops
out of the 14 gal nano into the reservoir).
<Bless his heart,
they are hardy fish.>
Any insight to this behavior change?
Advice? All other fish healthy and happy, tank is looking good.
<Get back to me about the size of the two and we can go from there.>
Thanks,
<You’re welcome! ---Yunachin>
Rana
Re: Clownfish change in behavior
2/13/08
Hi Yunachin,
Well you thought that would be the
end of this chat and somewhat happy ending.... except I now think
that Spot has some kind of disease. :(
Spot has moved to yet
another spot over the sand (blowing any theories about laying eggs),
and is separate from the other clown.
Spot is still continuing to
breathe heavily and tonight the gills looked spread open - perhaps
inflamed. Color seems fine, he didn't eat too much today but
attempted. No spots or slime or 'velvet' appearance or secretions of
any kind, just the distressed breathing - wide open mouth and gills.
Continued fast tail flicking swimming in place, but not using bottom
fins - both top and bottom tucked back. Fish is facing the same way
with occasional flicks 180 degrees then back the same way.
After
copious reading, it might be good to suspect internal infection of
sorts - though from what is a mystery. I don't have a hospital tank
(yet) and have never administered a freshwater dip. I may be getting
ahead of myself but my significant other seems to concur Spot looks
distressed and not 'normal'.
Help (again), I'm worried this
state has progressed over 4-5 days now...
<Rana, I am terribly
sorry about your loss on Spot. (I read your other email today.) I
had some problems with my PC yesterday and was unable to get the
pages to fully load. I feel responsible for not getting to you in
time. I sincerely apologize. Regards, Yunachin>
Thanks
Rana
Re: Clownfish gills inflamed? Heavy breathing etc.. Too small,
mis-stocked... trouble ahead, reading 2/13/08
Hi All,
<Rana>
I was on a different thread with Yunachin and
was concluding that Spot, my tank-raised false perc, was going
through dominance/pairing with the recently added black perc
(smaller).
What prompted this is strange behavior a few days ago,
with Spot swimming in a fixed position a half inch above the sand,
mostly flicking his tail and swimming in one spot, facing the same
way. Top and bottom fins looked tucked in and breathing rapid.
The breathing has not improved but as of yesterday he was eating.
This morning he didn't but then he prefers mysis (and I didn't serve
that today).
Now he's shifted to a higher spot in the tank, nose
a little more (rather than parallel as he has been), his gills since
this morning look spread open and mouth open too.
Tank is a 30
gal with juvie brown scopas tank,
<Much too small a volume...>
lawnmower blenny, Banggai cardinal and the black tank-raised perc -
recently added orange Linckia
<A poor choice...>
and a few
corals, hermits, snails. The Cardinal and Spot (false perc) were
moved about 10 days ago from my 14 gal (into the new
accommodations), acclimated, everything fine. All fish are fine.
Spot seems the only one to be in distress.
Chemistry - all clear,
ph 8.1ish, nitrates <25mg/l, no ammonia nitrites.
I'm really
concerned he's getting worse and I'm debating a fresh water dip but
don't want to make things worse. I'm strongly suspecting something
bacterial.
<... too soon, too little information...>
Time is
ticking .... Would be great to get your advice!
Thanks
Rana
<Time for you to read: http://wetwebmedia.com/clnfshdisart.htm
and the linked files above...
and re the Systems of all the life
you list. What you have now won't work. Bob Fenner>
Re: Clownfish gills inflamed? Heavy breathing etc.. Learning
2/14/08
Thanks for trying anyway Bob.
<Welcome>
I had
provided all this info and exchanged emails with Yunachin, perhaps
if you had seen it from the beginning you may have had more advice
to give, or if Yunachin had read my last email... always what if.
<Such is the nature of reality>
It's exhausting but I have spent
the last 4 days reading the website exhaustively and getting various
advice.
<... and what do you think?>
Spot died during the
night. The gill looked inflamed - and I'm sure you too would
conclude it was likely bacterial.
<Perhaps ultimately...>
As
for the Tang and Linckia, from what I read this Linckia is reef-safe
and hardy and ok for 30 gal, and this Tang also.
<... no my
friend. See WWM re the genus of Asteroid, all Tangs... require more
space by far than this... READ>
Trial and error with Spot I
guess.
Rana
<Life can be, should be more than "trial and
error"... Homo sapiens sapiens... Intelligent man... Of course we
all do more than get by through learning, reading, oral
traditions... from those who have "come before"... Don't be
obstinate... read, at least on WWM re the star and tang... and act
as a human. Bob Fenner>
Re: Clownfish gills inflamed? Heavy breathing etc.. Difference with
RMF's attitude, reaction... Complaints, but as usual, no real input
for improvement 2/15/08
Bob,
<Rana>
It's
difficult not to take an email like this personally.
<?>
And
while I try to rise above the tone of your emails to get to the
substance, this particular email makes it difficult.
I'm not sure
what you were really trying to get across, but the condescending
tone is overwhelming.
<What are you referring to?>
Perhaps you
truly think I'm some ignorant obstinate insensitive "in-human"
person (per your language at the end), in which case, I'm
disappointed. Disappointed because you cannot appear to provide the
same measure of respect to ALL creatures - human in this case - that
you seem to champion on behalf of marine life.
Assuming you've
read to this part of the email (like I have to wade through the curt
brusque responses to my honest questions), then here is some
feedback for you:
- your website is difficult to comprehend -
it's a repository of data that is not very clearly organized nor
accessible
<Do you have suggestions as to how to improve it?>
- FAQ's should be at least sorted - rather than lumped page after
page in a broad category like "...FAQ 1"
<... there is no one, no
time... Note that it's free of charge... to do this>
- tone down
the curtness so readers can the see the point rather than the
attitude
<As "the sweep" daily (about 3-4 hours of my time) I do
rush through the "old" (left over from the day previous) queries...
of a necessity, quickly>
- the whole WWM site needs to be
overhauled (if you want it referred to as the authority) by those
who know the first thing about organizing data and designing sites
<Again, I am desirous of your input>
Lastly, be kind. To be homo
sapiens and use only our intelligence is not evolution. Evolve like
other humans and extend understanding, compassion and openness to
all.
<... Please re-read your note to us... You summarily "give
up" on the life in your care with a dismissive stmt. that "oh
well"... its loss can/should be attributed to "trial and error"... I
reject this apparent defeatist, lackadaisical attitude... Yes, did
you make this statement in jest?>
Yunachin was frankly more
helpful, and more importantly empathetic. You assumed I hadn't read
and was experimenting with Spot's life. WRONG. I had done EVERYTHING
I COULD DO (reading websites - not just yours!- several books,
asking LFS people) with frankly NO HELP from you. All you offered
was curt unhelpful remarks.
If I don't write to this board, nor
stay in this hobby, it will not be for my lack of intelligence nor
my ability to learn, nor for any more marine life deaths in my
tanks... it will be for the fact that I've found this 'hobby' to be
full of opinionated self-declared 'experts' that rarely have
consensus on the handling and treatment of marine creatures.
<Mmmm, I do concur with you t/here... And hence, don't participate
on BB's... nor refer folks to them for wont of consistent, useful
info. Instead, I encourage you, others to read magazine articles,
books (I will admit to being an author of these... and so it may be
said that this is some sort of self-promotion) and even then,
applying a discerning mind>
Everyone has an opinion and 'little
tricks' and are more than happy to flog you with it while not
showing you the alternatives in an intelligent, informed way. Thank
god the for the marine life, cause the hobbyists ruin it.
Best of
luck,
Rana
<And to you. Bob Fenner>
Re: Clownfish gills inflamed? Heavy breathing etc.. Difference with
RMF's attitude, reaction... Complaints, but as usual, no real input
for improvement 2/15/08
Bob,
<Rana>
It's clear that you didn't receive or read all my emails
about Spot. There were several days before you responded.
<I do
place all... but don't read for comprehension... I do scan all prev.
corr...>
My "oh well" was due to sheer frustration anger and
sadness because I could not get timely response from the WWM crew.
Yunachin knew that and kindly apologized. You judged me as
dismissive mistaking my bitterness. I'm pissed cause I watched one
of my favorite fishes die while waiting on a nugget from someone.
<I see>
I will forward you my last email from Yunachin. Your
response to me came late and added insult to injury with its tone.
<Is possible you mistake, mistook my "tone"... Understand me here...
I am the common progenitor of this site/tool... it represents
thousands of hours of my labour, hundreds of articles, tens of
thousands of my images, sections of books... ALL for free... for the
sake, edification of other aquarists... I am for all intents
"tone-free" other than my desire to help others... You of course
included... Have just reviewed your prev. msg.s to us (WWM)... they
are posted/archived on/under Clownfishes subfaqs files on Behavior
and Disease... Have you read where you were directed re the other
livestock?>
What I was dismissive about was the assistance from
this crew
<... My friend... go elsewhere for your help...>
NOT the life in my care. Spot had died before I got an answer back.
I don't blame any of you, but please understand the situation before
you judge. Read my other emails. I don't deserve that kind of harsh
characterization.
Rana
<To ask that you be what you are...
"intelligent man"? I do regret the lack of/poor communication
between us. Wishing you and your hobby well, BobF> |
Black Spots on Clownfish 2-12-08
Hi Team,
<Yunachin.>
My girlfriend and I purchased a 12 Gallon Nano tank about 3 months
ago. As beginners we took what we believed to be all of the
necessary steps. We began with live sand and rock, waited about 8
weeks where the tank went through an algae bloom and the levels
dropped back to normal. After the levels had settled out we waited
about a week and added the standard Nano cleaning crew of Hermit
Crabs and Snails.
From the beginning the tank has shown good
signs of life. There are multiple feather dusters that have sprouted
out of the rocks, there is purple mushroom coral, and what looks
like zoanthid polyps that have grown from some of the rocks as well.
Before we introduced fish there was also an abundance of tiny shrimp
in the tank (I'm unsure of the name);
<Mysis Shrimp>
in
addition we have noticed that there is a healthy population of
Bristle worms in the tank.
<Live rock and sand carries a number
of little surprises with it.>
Approximately a week ago we
decided, with ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph, salinity, and
temperature all constant, to add fish and corals.
We purchased
two Percula Clownfish and a Hammerhead Branch Coral.
My concern
is with the Clownfish, both are very active and eager to eat.
<Sounds good so far.>
However, the slightly larger one developed
a black spot on its tail about two days ago and now is developing
another on its midsection.
<Do you happen to have any pictures
if these spots?>
The other looks like it may be developing
something near one of its gills, there appears to be a very small
white dot on the edge.
I read about the black spots that Tang's
develop and the natural black spots that occur with age on clownfish
and neither of these seemed like they fit the description.
<Pictures would definitely help identify the problem.>
As for the
possible white spot developing on the other clown I have no idea
what it could be. Please help, my girlfriend would be very upset if
either of the two got sick. Do you have any ideas what these
symptoms could be and if there is any solution?
<If you cannot
get a picture, check this link and see if any of these look familiar
to you: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/clnfshdisart.htm; >
Thanks so
much,
<No problem—Yunachin>
Carl
Re: Black Spots on my Clownfish 2/15/08
I have tried
multiple times to get a picture of the spots with my digital camera
with no success. From the link you sent me I think the black spots
most resemble the first picture and the white spot on the other
Clownfish, the second picture. Both fish still look very healthy,
the only change in behavior that I have observed is the larger
Clownfish being more aggressive with the smaller one.
<Natural
behavior>
The suggested treatment for both appears to be an
improved water quality and environment. We have been conducting one
water change per week and topping off the water when necessary. We
have also been using a little bacteria boost once per week.
<Mmm, this should not be necessary>
Should we add other water
supplements? Improve water circulation?
<... no way to tell from
the data presented. I suggest continuing your reading... Bob Fenner> |
Help. Clownfish... just being a clown? 2/8/08
Hi Bob,
<Christina>
You are my last best hope, and I sincerely
hope that you can help me! I have read through page after page of the
FAQ on WetWebMedia.com and can’t relate the problems I’m noticing to
what is being described by everyone else. I am a receptionist on day 4
at this job and I sit very near to a large fish tank. One of the clowns
yesterday started swimming sideways, with his belly to the glass up near
the surface.
<Mmm, well... bear in mind that these are "clowns"
behaviorally... as well as color/markings>
So close that one of his
fins occasionally crests the water. These guys are like my roommates! I
have to sit here all day and I just can’t stand seeing one of them
uncomfortable! This all started about 10am yesterday, so around 2pm when
he hadn’t moved much beyond swimming in that same current that he had
found, I started researching. At first I just came up with a lot of
“clown fish do weird things” answers. Then I started considering a swim
bladder infection, but he doesn’t seem to have any trouble swimming
downwards, just an overwhelming desire not to. He does have one eye
protruding his head…
<Very far, relatively? Could you send a digital
pic?>
I just want to know if there is any way I can help him! This
being an office I don’t think there is much I can do as far as
quarantine or hospitalization, but if I can tell someone higher up what
I think is wrong perhaps I can get something done. It is now 10:30am and
he’s been at this for more than 24 hours. He looks exhausted, and goes
through periods of gasping for breath. I’m not even sure he’s gonna live
through this email, much less waiting for a reply but I can’t justify
not even trying. Any ideas?
Thanks for your time,
Christina
<Mmm... might be "nothing"... Perhaps the fish is reacting to its
reflection (happens all the time)... I would ask you in turn to contact
whoever does the maintenance on this system, ask them re your concerns.
Is another animal/fish bullying this specimen? Bob Fenner>
Re: help? Clown dis., Popeye 2/9/08
Hello again,
In the
two days that I knew this fish before him starting this behavior I had
never seen him bullied, he and his friend pretty much just hung out in
their little corner together. I've heard from people around the office
that he is a couple of years old now and never acted this way before. He
has since been removed from the main tank to a smaller, darker tank to
rest but we cannot medicate as that feeds the main tank.
<Still a
good idea not to medicate>
I don't have access to a camera to send
you a picture, but yes, his eye is really far out of his head. He looks
like one of those bug-eyed goldfish, but only on one side.
<Fancy
term, unilateral exophthalmia... Likely from a physical trauma>
He is
still alive today, but has very little energy. He looks like he's having
very small seizures more than he does like he's swimming....
I do
apologize for my lack of knowledge/resources on this matter, I don't
have fish for a reason and that is because I know they take a lot of
knowledge and work. I just can't stand to see this little guy's
suffering and will do anything I can to help him. I never dreamed I'd be
starting a new job and becoming a fishy caretaker too! Thanks so much
for your time.
Christina
<No worries. Perhaps a bit of reading
here: http://wetwebmedia.com/Popeyetrauma.htm
Bob Fenner>
Black spots on a clown... using, not abusing WWM
2/6/08
Hi,
I am fairly new to your website, but I do have
a question. I have searched your site before but it's so hard to
find the answer to my question!
<Try simply placing your above
subject title in the search tool...>
Recently my 4 ocellaris
clowns have shown these black spots on their bodies. These spots are
about 1/16 of an inch wide by my guess. I am worried that it might
be black ich.
<If so, easily cured>
My tank is a 24 gallon JBJ
nano cube.
<Need more room than this>
My parameters are: SG
1.026, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 0 and temps on average between
78 and 80 Fahrenheit. Tank mates are a green emerald, brittle star,
pom pom crab, 10 Nassarius (small and large) snails, 3 margarita
snails, 3 blue hermits, 4 red tip and yellow tip hermits.
<Not
for long...>
I also have some corals; a yellow gorgonian,
zooanthids and silver pumping xenia. I didn't quarantine any of the
animals. Yes, I know I should have because before this happened I
got an outbreak of white ich. (I am currently treating them all with
STOP parasites
<Worthless>
and waiting out their 30 day life
cycle). What could this be instead? Thanks so much. I am so worried
about the little fish because I am already very attached to them!
Regards,
Jami
<Try the above insertion, use of the search
tool here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/WWMAdminSubWebIndex/question_page.htm
and
read the cached views... as directed before writing us. Bob Fenner>
Re: black spots on a clown... not reading, nor following directions,
easy lessons -02/06/08
To whom it may concern,
I sincerely apologize for bothering you. If you were too busy to
answer my question, you didn't have to. I am sorry that I didn't
search through the web pages to find if my answer was there and that
I didn't follow the instructions to the letter. The web pages make
my eyes hurt sometimes because it's hard to read between what you
respond and what they write sometimes.
<How would you like to
read it all in order to respond? Esp. when folks don't follow
directions... looking for free help...>
Also, I was very worried
about these fish.
If this is not how a response was meant to
sound, I apologize, but to me, the response to my email sounded very
curt and I don't appreciate it.
<Do apologize for this... my
writing "style" (if one can label such) is purposely short, to the
point... as there is much more to life...>
I asked if they had
might be black ich. I didn't ask if I over-stocked my tank
<...
is a factor...>
or if what I was using to treat white ich was
going to work.
<Is pertinent>
I didn't even get an answer on
how you would treat it if it was black ich. You know what? If my
tank crashes, the fish kill each other for space or they get white
ich again that's fine. I can learn my lesson and start over.
<Is
not fine... to me... the universe is larger than your ego...>
Telling me everything I'm doing wrong isn't helpful.
Don't worry,
I won't be emailing you again.
Thanks.
<Goodbye, good luck,
good riddance. BobF> |
Tomato Clownfish - black spots/blotches developing near top fin
2/2/08
Hi,
I have a
Tomato Clownfish (about 3-3.5") that I've had for several weeks now.
He's in a 55 gallon FO aquarium with 2 yellowtail damsels that I bought
a while before the clownfish (I didn't use them to cycle, I used raw
shrimp instead), and a few crabs and snails. The aquarium is well
established.
I bought the clownfish at an LFS and he seemed to be
very healthy and active then. Within the past couple weeks, I've been
noticing several black "blotches" appearing on his sides... I'm really
sorry I don't have a picture, I'll just have to describe it as best as I
can.
The spots are fairly big, not small and salt-like. It doesn't
look like any disease that I know about, definitely not ich because the
spots are big and black, and I'm pretty sure it's not velvet, clownfish
disease, etc. The blotches aren't extremely dark, a couple of them are
almost see-through a little bit. They are mostly on his sides near the
top of him (near the top fin), but recently I noticed a very little bit
at the rear near where the tail starts. They have been spreading fairly
gradually, when I first got the clownfish none of them are there. Then a
couple days later I noticed just a very, very little bit of them
starting to appear, and now there are a few on each side.
I have
searched through most of the Clownfish Disease FAQ's on the site, and
couldn't find anything too similar, although the closest I could find
were 2 pictures on one of the FAQ pages... the link is
http://wetwebmedia.com/clnfshdisfaq5.htm. Scroll down until you see the
3 clownfish pictures in a row, then look at the middle and bottom
picture... that looks a lot like my Clownfish, except most of the spots
are near the top, and near the white band (on the side opposite his
face). There aren't quite that many spots yet and they're not that big,
but it still looks really similar.
None of the other fish (the 2
damsels) have shown any signs of anything yet, they have been acting
perfectly normal and eating. The clownfish is also acting normal, I
haven't seen any really weird behavior yet. He is alert and active, and
is eating well... he's such a pig! I feed marine flakes most of the
time, as well as freeze-dried krill and some other foods. The only thing
that I have noticed is that he normally just stays near the surface and
sometimes gasps for air at the surface, which I'm pretty sure isn't
normal, so is that a major cause for concern?
<Mmm, no>
That could
just be because I need to have more sources of oxygen and better water
movement, this may be part of the problem??
<The real problem/issue
is that this is a large specimen (A. frenatus or melanopus likely) that
is highly stressed... from being pulled from its anemone, the sea... and
the subsequent processing... the dark spots are indicative of this
stress... not zoonotic>
Main filtration is a big Tetra Whisper power
filter. I also have 2 airstones in the tank... I know they don't help a
lot in marine tanks, but I just like to see the bubbles, so I want to
keep them unless I find out that they are downright bad. Are they
actually harmful in marine aquariums, or are they just not particularly
helpful??
<More helpful>
Water parameters are mostly good -
ammonia is 0 and nitrite is 0... nitrates are at about 50, I know that
is really high, but I am trying hard to get it down and I'm doing a lot
of water changes to help. Temp. is about 78° and pH is about 8.3.
Hope that you can help me identify this or give me some good advice!
Thank you! If you need any more information then email me and let me
know!
-Jesse
<Well... my usual/stock advice re buying captive
produced Clownfishes, avoiding large wild-collected ones as you have
here... If this one adapts to captivity... it will likely prove to be a
"bruiser"... Aggressive toward all fishes in its territory... which is
larger than a 4 ft. long tank. Bob Fenner>
Re: Tomato Clownfish - black spots/blotches developing near top fin
2/3/08
Hi Bob, it's me again. Thanks for answering.
Then will
the spots eventually go away if they're just from stress, instead of an
actual disease that needs to be treated?
<The former>
Also, I
asked about this on a saltwater fish message board and some people there
said they thought it was something called Hyper-Melanization. Have you
heard of that before, and if so, do you think that's what it could be?
<This IS what "it" is... but the cause? Stress... alone...>
The
people on the message board said that the marks are caused from the
clownfish being stung by the tentacles of an anemone or coral and that
it's completely harmless... all it does is change the pigment
coloration.
<Can be>
I then told them that my tank is a FO tank
with no corals or anemones in it, and then somebody replied that the
marks just take a long time to appear, so he was stung a while ago
before I bought it.
<Mmm, doubtful>
Is it possible that that's
what the spots are (which would explain why he is acting perfectly
normal and the damsels haven't shown any signs yet), or are you pretty
sure that it is stress-related?
<Am very sure>
I know it might be
hard to tell without any pictures, sorry about that.
Thanks,
Jesse
<Bob Fenner>
Maroon Clown with air sac coming out of gill? 2/2/08
Hi guys!
I'm a bit stumped on this as I have never seen anything
like it. I searched all over and the only info I could find on air
bubbles seemed to deal with puffers. I woke up this morning to find
my male Gold Stripe Maroon clown had what appeared to be an air sac
coming out of his gill!
<I see this>
I have no idea what it is
or what to do so I came to you guys for help. I have checked all of
my water parameters and nothing seems out of whack. The other fish
all seem fine. He seems to be breathing normally and acting
normally, but didn't want to eat large pieces of flake food. He only
ate a few small pieces. I have attached some pictures. Any ideas?
Thanks,
Crystal
<Might be a neoplasm... perhaps a zoonoses...
In either case, I would do nothing re at this point. If it is a
tumour, perhaps it will spontaneously remit... if a "worm" et al.,
maybe it has a complex life cycle... will degenerate or age, not be
able to complete reproduction w/o intermediates... Thank you for
sharing. Bob Fenner> | 
|
Help With Diagnosis, clownfish, trauma/stress 2/2/08
Hi there,
<Rich>
I have a juvenile ocellaris clown who is not
too well. Tank parameters are ammonia, 0, nitrites 0, nitrates 0,
gravity 1024, ph 8.4, temp around 26.
He shares a 30 gallon tank
with a percula Amphiprion (also juvenile). They are relatively
peaceful together.
<Mmm>
I noticed one fin was frayed
yesterday and also that tail has some fraying.
There is also a
small white mark on one side of the body behind the pectoral fin and
also a small white mark on the head. The percula shows no signs of
ill health and in fact has never looked better. Although ruling out
bullying, I have already moved sick fish to a hospital tank with
same parameters.
<Good>
I have attached a couple of photos
(apologies for poor quality) I suppose one good sign is it took a
while to capture a picture as the fish is still moving around a lot
and eating and very alert.
<Good>
I would appreciate any
advice you could give as regards possible illness and also what I
should do:-
<How long have you had this fish? I take it this
animal was wild-collected (not tank bred, reared)....>
1)
Freshwater dip
2) Gradual drop in salinity in hospital tank
3)
Cupramin or methylene blue treatment. Not so keen on these two, if
they can be avoided. Does Cupramin affect fish fertility? Does it
contain copper? The name suggests so but it lists the active
ingredient as Formaldehyde.
I think that whatever the problem is
it is getting worse, as it started off on one fin, but now affects
both pectoral fins and also tail.
Rich
<I would not try any
of the above... as the root problem will not be addressed by such...
This fish is "breaking down", being digested microbially... as a
consequence of "stress", likely bullying from the other Clown...
arresting the decline may be impossible... Please read here re:
http://wetwebmedia.com/clndistrauma.htm
and the linked files
above. Bob Fenner> |  .JPG)
|
my poor lil clown fish... too little reading – 1/26/08
Ok crew
you all are life savers. I chatted with you bout my lionfish a couple
days ago, nothing has changed with my tank, but yesterday I noticed my
black clownfish has a problem going on here.
<I'll say!>
I have
searched your clownfish database, and couldn't figure out what is wrong
with him. I am attaching a pic, if you could help me out id be very
appreciative. I just did a water change on Sunday, and my test kit says
everything is fine. Don't want to loose the little one. Help me please.
<... it's likely dead by now... Looks like Brooklynellosis, but could
well be another protozoan, a combination... You need to READ re... Bob
Fenner> Re: my poor lil
clown fish 1/27/08
Hey crew thanks for the answer on that. Krusty
was dead when we got home from her grandmas funeral on Friday. I read
what you wanted me to, and I am pretty sure that it was Brooklynellosis.
<I think so too>
My maroon clown looks like he is got it also. He's
in quarantine right now, and is kind of shaky. I was told to use
KanaPlex,
<... no... Ridiculous advice>
I have treated the maroon
once, and plan on doing daily water changes as well. How well will that
help? My other question is, can I use
that to treat my main tank, and
will the Brooklynellosis affect my lion and ccs? They both look fine and
don't show no signs of it. Thanks again you are appreciated.
<...
read: http://wetwebmedia.com/brooklynellosisart.htm
and the linked
files above. BobF> | 
|
Possible sick Clown... Please help I have had them for more than 3
years... – 1/26/08
I have a 10gallon tank with two clown fish.
<... need more room than this>
I have had them for a little over 3
years. They are the only occupants in the tank. When I was doing a water
change I noticed on the Larger clown, a bump on its side and when I
looked closer, or tried to anyway it seemed like a scrap at first. I
thought maybe he just scraped himself on a rock or something,
<May
be>
then 2 days later I saw a white threadlike thing coming from the
site. It did not seem like it was ich, I have seen many cases of that
and it did not look familiar. Do you have any idea what this is and what
I should do?
<Mmm, better setting>
I just noticed this and have
not really had a chance to monitor his eating pattern but all else seems
normal. Please help!! I love these fish and have grown quite attached in
the past 3 years.
Kerry
<A photo? Can only roughly guess given
what is presented here... Perhaps a latent parasite, tumour of some
sort... the "string", likely some component of the fish itself... mucus
formed as a thread... The stress of being in such a small, vacillating
condition system... likely has taken its toll here. You have read:
http://wetwebmedia.com/clndisenv.htm
and the linked files,
particularly the article, above I take it? Bob Fenner>
Sick ocellaris picture, no data 1/25/08
I am new to this
hobby and was wondering if you may have an idea of what may> be
wrong. The blob is whiter than the picture shows
<... perhaps
Lymphocystis... Please read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/clnfshdisart.htm
and the linked files
above where you lead yourself. Bob Fenner> |
|
Perc clown worries... Induced problems 1/20/08
Hi!
A
bit concerned about my false perc clownfish whose
<who's>
acting
strangely. Read all the FAQs
<!>
& much on diseases but still
baffled. The 25gallon tanks been running for 2 & half years without many
issues. Currently, I only have a yellow tang,
<... needs more room>
1 blenny & a false perc clown, 1 turbo snails & 1 shrimp (& live rock).
All water tests (ph, nitrites, salinity) temp are as should be.
<Need
data...>
I do regular small water changes (10% or less) & use a ph
buffer.
<How? What?>
The clown shows no signs of disease or
parasites & looks puzzlingly healthy with no colour loss. He/she's
always has been quite small & not a great feeder but today instead of
his usual swimming around happily, he's lethargic & virtually stationary
at the surface of the water in the far corner of the tank seemingly
having trouble swimming & staying upright, seems to be swimming sideways
alot.
<No such word>
He doesn't seem to be finding it hard to
breathe but this is hard to tell & he didn't appear to have any slimy
film but I'm especially worried as he didn't feed at all today. The only
time I've seen this before is when a fish has been over fed. This can't
be possible as I'm only feeding them 2 small cubes or 1 large one a day.
<Of?>
Do you know what might be the problem?
<Crowding, & water
quality likely>
I changed carbon filters 2 days ago
<Bingo>
&
did all tests & small water change then. Have an issue with green/brown
algae covering my rock over recent couple of months which I don't know
how to solve but don't think this is a factor.
<Is actually... at
least a clue as to the lack of balance here...>
Have kept marines for
about 8yrs, tend to feed with a mixture of frozen, live & flake food.
Please help, I detest loosing
<Or losing?>
a living creature,
Thanks for your attention.
Bianca x
<Please answer the questions
posited here... re water quality tests... You need to place the Tang
elsewhere... learn/practice modifying your water quality before/in
advance of using... Study up re algae control through natural means...
all covered on WWM... Bob Fenner>
Urgent question about clownfish... many errors... time to read, past
time 1/14/08
We have a newly established 10
gallon saltwater tank. Our filtration are bioballs in the back of
the tank.
<... please see WWM re their removal>
There is a lid
that goes atop the tank with about 3-4 inches of clearance and is
open in the back the length of the lid. There is a fabric atop the
bioballs that collects particles from the runoff.
<Needs to be
cleaned at least weekly>
We let the tank cycle for almost 2 weeks
with cured liverock.
<Did it actually cycle?>
During this time
we've monitored our levels and were given the "ok" by our fish store
to get a fish. We introduced a percula clownfish
<Needs more room
than this>
a few days ago. He did well (ate and swam well) until
that first night our heater seemed to malfunction and the
temperature dropped from 78 to 74. I woke in the middle of the night
to check on him and he was frantically swimming back and forth
bumping into rocks with his nose almost as if he was disoriented and
scared.
<Mmm, not from the temp. drop>
I assumed it was
because he was cold so I turned on the light to try and warm the
water up. The next morning he had stopped the crazy
swimming and
since then has gradually stopped eating and swimming. We got a new
heater and have had to adjust it a few times ranging from 82 to 78.
It's back at 78 now. I worry the temperature inconsistency started
his downward spiral.
He's interested in food but will suck it
into his mouth and spit it out.
<...>
He'll come and swim
around if we're collecting water from the tank to do testing and
he'll occasionally take a lap around the tank but for the most part
he just hovers off the bottom and swims just enough to keep from
sinking.
<What they do>
His breathing seems rapid to me and
he doesn't ever shut his mouth like he's gasping.
<Likely
parasitized, and this system not really cycled>
He doesn't appear
to have any spots or disease on him although I suspect his color may
be fading a little. Our levels in our tank are as follows:
salinity 1.020.
<Too low>
I was told by a fish store this was
too low and he advised me to add salt right away. (could the change
in salinity have caused this?)
<Define "this">
I added 1/2 cup
and it raised the level between 1.020 and 1.025 approx...
<...
too much too soon>
I read it's best to do it gradually. Do you
think this is still too low?
<I think you should read>
Alkalinity is 300
PH is a little low at 7.8
<... this is way
low... the pH scale is a base 10 log...>
we were given a white
rock substance to place in the tank to slowly raise the ph but it
hasn't risen in 2 days thus far.
Nitrates are at 20
Ammonia
is .25
<Toxic...>
Nitrites are 0
We're very careful about
washing our hands and rinsing items before they go in the tank. If
you can help us figure out what's wrong I'd be grateful, I hate
seeing him suffer. Thanks. Kimberly
<Kimberly... I do wish
someone had sold you a decent book to read, or encouraged you to
borrow one from the library, and read it ahead of the gratuitous
errors you've made, are making... See the above comments I've made?
Investigate them... at least on WWM. Maybe in terms of survey
reading, start here: http://wetwebmedia.com/clownfis.htm
and the
linked files above. Bob Fenner>
Part 2 to original clown question 1/14/08
Hi. I wanted
to add to my previous question that we have a orange/brown algae in
our tank. Is this a bad algae and could this be making our clown
sick? Is it too soon to do a water change since our tank has only
been up for a couple of weeks?
<... the presence of such algae
is indicative of the cycling, and pollution process (see the prev.
email re the bioballs, mechanical filter media, cycling...>
Also...the store we purchased him from has had him for quite a while
(long enough to give him a name) anyway...he is assumed to have come
to us healthy. He is the only fish in the tank. Thanks.
<Read on
my friend, read on. BobF>
Re: False Percula Update... hlth., still not reading
1/14/08
Hi and thanks for your response. There is some good
news... I got some garlic drops and my fish is swimming much more
than he was and is eating again BUT, I'm noticing 3 pinhead white
spots on his sides that are more visible when he's facing me or
swimming away from me. They're harder to see direct on. He doesn't
appear to have the "velvet look" to him but he's definitely lost
color and he's still breathing fast. Do you think it's ich?
<Not
likely... you should read...>
His overall health seems a lot
better than the past couple of days after I did a water change and
the garlic, but I fear for him and want to get him treated. Do you
think copper is best for him or is there something I could put in my
tank that wouldn't hurt my liverock?
<... reading...>
My fish
store said I can bring him there to have him quarantined. Would it
be too hard on my fish coming from my low PH of 7.8 and going to a
fish store's proper PH in the same day?
<...>
I'd like to
clean my tank while he's away and get the conditions better for him.
You recommend removing bioballs from my tank....it's a 10 gallon
tank (he's the only fish in it) we have about 10+ lbs of liverock.
Is that enough liverock to sustain the aquarium? I'd like to start
gradually removing the bioballs. Also I noticed a very small white
worm in the bottom of the sand/shells, about the thickness of a
fingernail and about 1/8th of an inch long. Any idea what this is?
Also our diatom algae is slowly going away so I guess our tank
wasn't fully cycled. Gosh I have a lot to learn.
I'm sure you're
shaking your head at me but I really want to save my fish and will
do anything to help him. I'd really appreciate your thoughts.
Thanks, Kimberly
<Don't write... read. Your answers and much more
ancillary information are posted... on WWM. RMF> |
Sick and dead clownfish... No data or reading 1/9/08
I've had my tank set up for just a little over a month now
<Mmm, how
large a system? How set-up?>
and have added two ocellaris clownfish
to it. One an adult, the other a juvenile.
<Best to start with all
small individuals... allow one to develop into the alpha/female
individual>
They were doing just fine, swimming along, eating,
everything was normal. Then after 8 days they started to just hang out
near the bottom by a little "log tunnel" for about 4 days. They both
rarely ate and then stopped eating all together. I asked a local
petstore employee if they were ok and he said they were probably pairing
up. The next thing I know, 2 days later the juvenile was dead. Now my
larger one still wont eat and 'she' has some loss of color (just
slightly faded) and thin white fecal matter. 'She' keeps swimming in a
circle in the area where she and the smaller one were staying (im only
assuming its a she). I don't know what to do for her. I've tested my
tank time and again and everything is turning up normal.
<... what
does this mean? This is a subjective evaluation... we need actual test
data to help you>
I make food available to her about 2x a day but
she's not eating.
What are the possibilities?
Thank you
Meg
<Likely your system is at fault here... just not established... Though
these Clowns could be (very common) parasite laden... Please read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/clnfshdisart.htm
and the linked files above.
Bob Fenner>
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