Brook? Please help

[Is this the LFS]

So I got a small what I presume male clownfish from the Lfs last week after my female died. He seemed fine when I got him but a couple days later I noticed that his gills seemed to be flared and he was breathing somewhat rapidly. I also have another clownfish and a clown goby and they are both just fine. On top of his rapid breathing and flared gills he has been resting on the sand a lot. He also we sometimes just chill vertically near the corner and doesn’t swim around as much as the other clown. He has a good appetite however. Lastly today I noticed he is losing a lot of color near his tail and his fins and is looking somewhat pale. Could this be Brook? Water params are all good and coral is looking great. If this is Brook how should I go about this as having a qt just isn’t possible for me so I won’t be able to isolate him.

 

[Pickle_soup]

It's hard to tell from the pic, but I would not be surprised if he was getting regular beatdowns from the other clown. @Jay Hemdal @vetteguy53081

 

[vetteguy53081]

So I got a small what I presume male clownfish from the Lfs last week after my female died. He seemed fine when I got him but a couple days later I noticed that his gills seemed to be flared and he was breathing somewhat rapidly. I also have another clownfish and a clown goby and they are both just fine. On top of his rapid breathing and flared gills he has been resting on the sand a lot. He also we sometimes just chill vertically near the corner and doesn’t swim around as much as the other clown. He has a good appetite however. Lastly today I noticed he is losing a lot of color near his tail and his fins and is looking somewhat pale. Could this be Brook? Water params are all good and coral is looking great. If this is Brook how should I go about this as having a qt just isn’t possible for me so I won’t be able to isolate him.

Please furnish another like pic, even video under white light intensity only. I see signs of aggresion/nipping at the tail which may be stressing fish and need clearer pic to best assess fish

 

[Sharkbait19]

I agree that looks mainly like damage from aggression. Have you seen any chasing?

 

[Is this the LFS]

Please furnish another like pic, even video under white light intensity only. I see signs of aggresion/nipping at the tail which may be stressing fish and need clearer pic to best assess fish

I was able to get these I’ll try to get better ones when he comes close again. To be honest I’ve seen 0 signs of aggression from the other clown. I don’t even know if the other clown is even a female yet because the previous female just died and I replaced the clownfish within a few days to try and get him in there before the other male started changing. The fins don’t appear nipped to me but it looks discolored and I think that I what you guys are seeing that is appearing as nipped fins. As this guy is a snowflake, could it possibly just be a deformity in his gills that is causing this?

 

[vetteguy53081]

I was able to get these I’ll try to get better ones when he comes close again. To be honest I’ve seen 0 signs of aggression from the other clown. I don’t even know if the other clown is even a female yet because the previous female just died and I replaced the clownfish within a few days to try and get him in there before the other male started changing. The fins don’t appear nipped to me but it looks discolored and I think that I what you guys are seeing that is appearing as nipped fins. As this guy is a snowflake, could it possibly just be a deformity in his gills that is causing this?

Still having problems with clarity (assure glass and lens are clear)
If brook, you will see labored breathing, loss of appetite, loss of color, fish hanging in corner, as examples. Fish appears to be a little thin and clowns can change sexes, but female a little larger. As for aggression, they are generally on their best behavior in your presence.

 

[Sharkbait19]

It does look messed up - but I doubt that’s the cause of the breathing issues. Could you get a video to assess breathing rate?

 

[Uncle99]

It would not be unusual for new addition to be rejected up front.

 

[Is this the LFS]

What weird is now his color seems a bit better and is swimming fine and breathing appears normal. But then other instances he looks like he’s about to die and is on the sand breathing heavily. I’ve kept clowns for about 4 years so I’m fairly familiar with the aggression signs and I honestly don’t see much if any signs of aggression between these two. What’s weird is like I mentioned before he also has a really good appetite. If he starts lying on the sand again I’ll get a vid of that too. He def seems more lethargic than my other clown though. Could this all just be from an unknown stressor and there is infact no illness?

 

[Pickle_soup]

He definitely looks weak but looks pretty clowny to me. See if he will nibble at some mysis.

 

[Is this the LFS]

He definitely looks weak but looks pretty clowny to me. See if he will nibble at some mysis.

He eats flakes pretty well for me and I don’t currently have mysis. Will it be beneficial to get him on some frozen food instead?

 

[Cthulukelele]

Frozen and live foods do wonders for keeping fish happy and healthy

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

He eats flakes pretty well for me and I don’t currently have mysis. Will it be beneficial to get him on some frozen food instead?

IMO - it is pretty thin. Feeding meaty seafoods multiple time a day will help it regain some body mass.

Jay

 

[Is this the LFS]

Ya he is def thin. Will get him on some mysis and hopefully that helps him recover. Thanks for all the input guys.

 

[vetteguy53081]

What weird is now his color seems a bit better and is swimming fine and breathing appears normal. But then other instances he looks like he’s about to die and is on the sand breathing heavily. I’ve kept clowns for about 4 years so I’m fairly familiar with the aggression signs and I honestly don’t see much if any signs of aggression between these two. What’s weird is like I mentioned before he also has a really good appetite. If he starts lying on the sand again I’ll get a vid of that too. He def seems more lethargic than my other clown though. Could this all just be from an unknown stressor and there is infact no illness?

Flakes and pellets simply do not cut it. Add as mentioned mysis but mainly brine shrimp, small plankton and LRS fish frenzy. Stress alone can cause discoloration but keep an eye on fish

 

[Is this the LFS]

Flakes and pellets simply do not cut it. Add as mentioned mysis but mainly brine shrimp, small plankton and LRS fish frenzy. Stress alone can cause discoloration but keep an eye on fish

Will do. Thank you

 

[Spare time]

I disagree on flakes and pellets not cutting it. They should be getting more energy out of those due to how digestion works.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I disagree on flakes and pellets not cutting it. They should be getting more energy out of those due to how digestion works.

Clowns are Omnivores and for best health and breeding, they require a varied diet. They will readily accept flakes, pellets, even a stick of dynamite. In their natural habitat, they consume plankton, small shrimp such as mysis and crustaceans. They require frozen and live foods such as brine shrimp, larvae, fish eggs algae and even pods. I cant count how many clowns seen that are constipated because of a total dry diet and we recommend brine shrimp to help pass the blockage. The meats also provide increased fats, aminos and nutrients required for color, breeding and immunity health found in many frozen diets.
This also accounts for why they eat their eggs. Inexperience and fear is one reason, but they also have a taste for eggs.
Flakes are a staple and convenience with some nutrition but does not complete their long-term needs. Its like feeding a child crackers all day - they need soft foods and higher vitamin based foods for complete nutrition

 

[Is this the LFS]

Came home from work and he was doing this then I fed him and he ate good and then he went back to doing this again and then swam off. Really weird behavior.

 

[sc50964]

I disagree on flakes and pellets not cutting it. They should be getting more energy out of those due to how digestion works.

I thought so too as these pellets and flakes would typically contain much higher nutritional value than frozen based on their nutritional content label. I have always used frozen more as a snack for them….