2 fish in QT breathing heavy

[Qasimja]

general cure has prazi in it so maybe thats the issue you double dosed prazi is the water cloudy at all? also i find after dosing prazi sometimes my fish will lose their appetite for a day it doesnt happen to every fish but ive seen it happen personally

 

[threebuoys]

Generally, combining multiple meds during QT adds a level of risk and stress that can be bad for the fish. Prazi will definitely reduce oxygen in the water. Extra aeration should always be used. You should wait 7 - 9 days between doses or you will overdose. Normally, we recommend Copper as the first step in QT. Given your situation, I think you need to get the water conditions stable before you add additional medication.

You may want to add something like a piece of PVC to give a place for the fish to hide to help them recover from their stress.

Try to get the fish eating before pursuing more meds also.

 

[Drummingbaker2010]

I have two clownfish I bought 6 days ago from a LFS. I put them in a QT where I have been monitoring them diligently. They were doing ok and the one had cloudy eyes since I brought him home. I had to do a large water change on Tuesday which maybe stressed them out. Now, they are both breathing heavy and on the bottom of the tank and losing some color. They stopped eating as of yesterday. I started treatment for everything since I cannot figure out what it is. They don’t have spots nor are they “sloughing slime”. I have attached a video of me attempting to feed them some frozen food and them laying there ignoring it to breath. So pardon the food particles…any suggestions?

what are your tank parameters?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I have two clownfish I bought 6 days ago from a LFS. I put them in a QT where I have been monitoring them diligently. They were doing ok and the one had cloudy eyes since I brought him home. I had to do a large water change on Tuesday which maybe stressed them out. Now, they are both breathing heavy and on the bottom of the tank and losing some color. They stopped eating as of yesterday. I started treatment for everything since I cannot figure out what it is. They don’t have spots nor are they “sloughing slime”. I have attached a video of me attempting to feed them some frozen food and them laying there ignoring it to breath. So pardon the food particles…any suggestions?

Sorry, I was sleeping and missed this. Just a logic check here: you dosed the medications AFTER the onset of symptoms, right? If so, then removing the medications would be a huge mistake. This is called "hunting and pecking" - people try a medication, and when it doesn't work right away, they try something else, or remove the medication. All anti-protozoan medications take 48 to 72 hours to begin to work. You need to stay the course. Coppersafe is the safest choice for protozoan diseases, but because it is mild, it takes longer to work.

That said, if this isn't a water quality issue, this looks like Amyloodinium, velvet. That disease kills so quickly that treatments after symptoms show are often not successful. That's why I advocate for preventative copper treatments from the start.

Mixing copper and metronidazole has been done, but I prefer to use one medication at a time if they are designed to treat the same issue (in this case, protozoans).

Also, you say your copper is at 2.0 with a Hanna? A full dose of coppersafe should be closer to 2.5

Jay

 

[Stephy A]

Sorry, I was sleeping and missed this. Just a logic check here: you dosed the medications AFTER the onset of symptoms, right? If so, then removing the medications would be a huge mistake. This is called "hunting and pecking" - people try a medication, and when it doesn't work right away, they try something else, or remove the medication. All anti-protozoan medications take 48 to 72 hours to begin to work. You need to stay the course. Coppersafe is the safest choice for protozoan diseases, but because it is mild, it takes longer to work.

That said, if this isn't a water quality issue, this looks like Amyloodinium, velvet. That disease kills so quickly that treatments after symptoms show are often not successful. That's why I advocate for preventative copper treatments from the start.

Mixing copper and metronidazole has been done, but I prefer to use one medication at a time if they are designed to treat the same issue (in this case, protozoans).

Also, you say your copper is at 2.0 with a Hanna? A full dose of coppersafe should be closer to 2.5

Jay

Well shoot. I’m still trying to learn the best way I already had a bout of velvet in my display tank in Jan and waited two whole months to get these two clowns. I put them in a QT and I thought I was doing everything right. I can raise the copper with the hanna just a smidge to the 2.5 ppm. Prazi can stop and general cure was just one packet a couple days ago. I was really hoping this was not velvet…the last round, my fish had a dusting and they progressed with their symptoms so fast, it was insane. This case, I’ve had them for 7 days and just the other day they started breathing rapidly.

 

[Stephy A]

what are your tank parameters?

Tank parameters are good considering it is a QT. 0 nitrite, 0 ammonia , 1.024 salinity, 2.5 ppm nitrate, 7.8 ph, 78 degrees. I’m going to the store today to get an airstone

 

[Stephy A]

Generally, combining multiple meds during QT adds a level of risk and stress that can be bad for the fish. Prazi will definitely reduce oxygen in the water. Extra aeration should always be used. You should wait 7 - 9 days between doses or you will overdose. Normally, we recommend Copper as the first step in QT. Given your situation, I think you need to get the water conditions stable before you add additional medication.

You may want to add something like a piece of PVC to give a place for the fish to hide to help them recover from their stress.

Try to get the fish eating before pursuing more meds also.

I do have a little thing off to the side they can hide in, just in the video. I actually saw the bigger fish swimming around and eating scraps I couldn’t fish out last night. So that’s a positive sign!

 

[Tcook]

Just to cover all bases, what was the salinity at the lfs? Some of them keep it pretty low for the fish only tanks. They went straight into 1.024?

 

[Stephy A]

Just to cover all bases, what was the salinity at the lfs? Some of them keep it pretty low for the fish only tanks. They went straight into 1.024?

their’s was 1.022 and i slowly acclimated them for about an hour and a half before I put them in my tank

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

their’s was 1.022 and i slowly acclimated them for about an hour and a half before I put them in my tank

Salinity wouldn't have been an issue after 7 days.

Jay

 

[Stephy A]

Salinity wouldn't have been an issue after 7 days.

Jay

Ok airstone is added, I have some new rodi making in case I need to do a water change. They are not on the bottom of the tank as much and kinda moving around. Still breathing heavily but I’m gonna keep the lights off to not add an extra stress. Let’s see how they do at feeding!

 

[Stephy A]

Update- came home after being out all day and fed. Big clownfish ate a few pieces of food. Little one seems interested but then didn’t eat. Is there a way I can spot feed him?

 

[hawkeyejp82]

Interest in feeding is a good sign remember in the wild fish can go several days without food so if they are interested they will likely eat within 24-48 hours give it a try later on.