10 year old female clown sick - help!

[obzezzed]

My 10 year old tank-raised Ocellaris female has been sick for week.

Parameters =

1.025 salinity
78 degrees
0 ammonia
0 nitrite
10 nitrate
0.08 phosphate (hanna)

Of note, my 55 gallon is ~4 months old and to start up I transferred my live rock / corals etc over, waited a month, then added my clowns from my old 29 gallon, which I've had for 9+ years. These were the first fish I bought.

Could be unrelated, but a few weeks ago she got very large (I assume carrying eggs - which I haven't seen that often over 10 yrs, prob cause I underfeed) then back to normal. After this, she kind of hovered in the corner and I noticed a minor lump on her stripe - i thought it was an internal worm or parasite looking back at it, though it could have been nothing.

I added a Coral Beauty last Saturday, and a few days later things went downhill. Large white poop followed (first one with a reddish tint - blood?), and has been stringy white ever since. She hovers in the corner, hovers at the top, and swims erratically with labored breathing (although at night she seems fine sleeping in the toadstool coral). I fed metroplex + focus for a few days, and she ate it. Added carbon during & after. For some reason today she looked worse (stays in the bottom corner) and i dosed the DT Prazipro. Saw the few white marks on skin and I thought flukes for some reason. She also has a small red dot by her abdomen and her right pelvic fin seems to always be clutching it.

Doesn't look like ich, Brookynella for tank raised seems rare and it's been a slow decline. Been breathing heavy for a week. Male clown looks fine.

Any thoughts? I assume adding the CB was a stressor event, or maybe she caught something from it, although the CB looks great. I don't have a QT or hospital tank, so I am basically stuck with whatever I can do in the display. I have hermits/ snails /and mostly softies. Thanks!

 

[vetteguy53081]

My 10 year old tank-raised Ocellaris female has been sick for week.

Parameters =

1.025 salinity
78 degrees
0 ammonia
0 nitrite
10 nitrate
0.08 phosphate (hanna)

Of note, my 55 gallon is ~4 months old and to start up I transferred my live rock / corals etc over, waited a month, then added my clowns from my old 29 gallon, which I've had for 9+ years. These were the first fish I bought.

Could be unrelated, but a few weeks ago she got very large (I assume carrying eggs - which I haven't seen that often over 10 yrs, prob cause I underfeed) then back to normal. After this, she kind of hovered in the corner and I noticed a minor lump on her stripe - i thought it was an internal worm or parasite looking back at it, though it could have been nothing.

I added a Coral Beauty last Saturday, and a few days later things went downhill. Large white poop followed (first one with a reddish tint - blood?), and has been stringy white ever since. She hovers in the corner, hovers at the top, and swims erratically with labored breathing (although at night she seems fine sleeping in the toadstool coral). I fed metroplex + focus for a few days, and she ate it. Added carbon during & after. For some reason today she looked worse (stays in the bottom corner) and i dosed the DT Prazipro. Saw the few white marks on skin and I thought flukes for some reason. She also has a small red dot by her abdomen and her right pelvic fin seems to always be clutching it.

Doesn't look like ich, Brookynella for tank raised seems rare and it's been a slow decline. Been breathing heavy for a week. Male clown looks fine.

Any thoughts? I assume adding the CB was a stressor event, or maybe she caught something from it, although the CB looks great. I don't have a QT or hospital tank, so I am basically stuck with whatever I can do in the display. I have hermits/ snails /and mostly softies. Thanks!

This fish perhaps associated with the transfer is showing secondary bacterial lesions and the light discoloration associated with early stage brooklynella. If it hasnt yet shown sins, you will see mucus generally starting at the facial area as well as gills and spread across the body producing lesions as it progresses often confused with ich and can turn into secondary bacteria. Other symptoms will be lethargic behavior, refusing to eat and heavy breathing from the mucus.
Typical treatment is a formalin solution is mixed with in a separate container with either fresh or saltwater. Start with a quick dip in the formalin at a higher concentration then performing treatment in a prolonged bath of formalin base at a lower concentration in a quarantine tank. The longer the fish are exposed to the formalin treatment the more effective it will be at eliminating this issue. Formalin based meds are getting harder to find- Ruby as mentioned below is an alternative.
If a formalin solution is not available for immediate use, temporary relief can be achieved by giving the fish a FW bath or dip in water same temperature as display tank. Even though this treatment will not cure the disease, it can help to remove some of the parasites, as well as reduce the amount of mucus in the gills to assist with respiration problems.
Treatment is best done in a QT tank using either quick cure (more effective but now harder to find) or Ruby Rally Pro. Ruby takes a little longer and initial treatment generally takes 2-3 days to really start going to work.
With the advanced stage of this- I recommend immediate quarantine of all inhabitants and leaving display without fish for 4-6 weeks.

 

[obzezzed]

Thank you. I ordered Ruby Reef Pro this morning and it should arrive on Wednesday. Is it a definite no-no in the display, even if I remove the Prazi w/ carbon or polyfilter?

 

[MnFish1]

I would try the ruby, that said. the new thing is the coral beauty. I would focus on disease - iif yay did not qt it. I do not see brook here or bacterial lesions

 

[Weeb]

I ordered Ruby Reef Pro

I've had success using Ruby Rally Pro as a dip. Take fish from DT. Dip at 2x concentration, for 90 minutes. Be sure to: (a) Temperature control the bath water by using a heater. (b) Provide plenty of oxygen by using an air pump + air stone. (c) Ensure salinity, pH and temperature of the dip water matches the tank the fish is coming from (or use water the fish is currently in and maintain temperature).

Then move fish into quarantine/observation tank - same salinity, pH and temp as dip and QT for observation. QT should not be where the fish or any fish with Brook came from.

In the Fish Health Rough Proper Nutrition post you'll find recommended supplements to help the fish improve its immunity and heal wounds in the part for 'Supplements for an Ill Fish.' I wholeheartedly recommend Beta Glucan.

 

[obzezzed]

Thanks everyone! Well, I think I know what the issue is. It's my new Coral Beauty Angelfish. I decided to have the lights off most of the day, and my "sick" clown would swim normally to her Toadstool coral to sleep. Lights were off for 18 hrs, and when I turned them back on this evening she was swimming normally and looking much better, breathing normally too, with areas on body (mucus?) improving. 30 minutes later, the CB came to investigate, and my Clownfish went straight back into the corner at the bottom and was breathing heavy again.

Or the Prazipro worked overnight as I dosed the tank 24 hrs ago. But it seems like she is scared of the CB, even though all the fish does is swim over to investigate. Hmmm.

I dont want to bring the CB back but will if I have too. Would they eventually get along or will the clownfish always panic when seeing the CB? It's a 55 gallon.

Thanks!
Matt

 

[The WaterSide Fishing]

Might be a bit small for a CB but your good, a CB is normally not aggressive towards clownfish but it may just be the smaller tank, my CB which is in my 160 gallon never attacks or nips my clownfish

 

[obzezzed]

The CB hasn't done anything wrong and i've been watching the tank 24/7 since she arrived lol. When the clown sees the CB she starts labored breathing and swimming on the bottom. I'm hoping it gets better.

 

[Weeb]

Sometimes fish behavior changes when the hobbyist is near the aquarium.

You can set your Smartphone or camera up and turn it on and let it run 30+ minutes. Leave the area once you start it. Check the video to see what happens when you're not around.

 

[littlefoxx]

Thanks everyone! Well, I think I know what the issue is. It's my new Coral Beauty Angelfish. I decided to have the lights off most of the day, and my "sick" clown would swim normally to her Toadstool coral to sleep. Lights were off for 18 hrs, and when I turned them back on this evening she was swimming normally and looking much better, breathing normally too, with areas on body (mucus?) improving. 30 minutes later, the CB came to investigate, and my Clownfish went straight back into the corner at the bottom and was breathing heavy again.

Or the Prazipro worked overnight as I dosed the tank 24 hrs ago. But it seems like she is scared of the CB, even though all the fish does is swim over to investigate. Hmmm.

I dont want to bring the CB back but will if I have too. Would they eventually get along or will the clownfish always panic when seeing the CB? It's a 55 gallon.

Thanks!
Matt

I think they should be able to work it out honestly especially if there is no fighting between the two

 

[littlefoxx]

I think they should be able to work it out honestly especially if there is no fighting between the two

Does your clown have a male? Ive noticed that a male usually helps the female be secure from the clowns Ive had.