Clownfish darting around and has spots on face.

[jugl]

Today I was lucky enough to catch my 10 year old clownfish jumping out of the tank. I heard a thud behind me while I was working and got him back in the tank ASAP.

After getting him back in the tank I've been paying close attention and noticing a few things that are off.

1. 3 or 4 times today he has darted around the tank in a panic. After 5-10 seconds of doing this he is stunned and not moving much at all. At one point I thought he was a goner as his breathing was very slow but each time he eventually came back to normal. I'm assuming this is what he was doing when he jumped out of the tank.

2. I'm noticing a few spots on his face and under his mouth. Could these be some kind of bruise from diving out of the tank or the result of an infection or disease?

3. His gills seem a bit dark but I'm not sure if this is typical or not

4. His breathing seems a bit heavy

Things I did:

1. Added a screen to prevent any more jumping

2. Did a 70% water change

3. Added an air bubbler to increase oxygen

This is a 10 gallon tank with only the paired clownfish inhabiting it. They spent half their life in a 20 gallon cube and the other half in this tank. Nothing new has been introduced to the tank.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Today I was lucky enough to catch my 10 year old clownfish jumping out of the tank. I heard a thud behind me while I was working and got him back in the tank ASAP.

After getting him back in the tank I've been paying close attention and noticing a few things that are off.

1. 3 or 4 times today he has darted around the tank in a panic. After 5-10 seconds of doing this he is stunned and not moving much at all. At one point I thought he was a goner as his breathing was very slow but each time he eventually came back to normal. I'm assuming this is what he was doing when he jumped out of the tank.

2. I'm noticing a few spots on his face and under his mouth. Could these be some kind of bruise from diving out of the tank or the result of an infection or disease?

3. His gills seem a bit dark but I'm not sure if this is typical or not

4. His breathing seems a bit heavy

Things I did:

1. Added a screen to prevent any more jumping

2. Did a 70% water change

3. Added an air bubbler to increase oxygen

This is a 10 gallon tank with only the paired clownfish inhabiting it. They spent half their life in a 20 gallon cube and the other half in this tank. Nothing new has been introduced to the tank.

Looks like a light impact injury which should heal on its own but do keep an eye on it for improvement rather than becoming sore
Is fish eating ?

 

[jugl]

Not eating... hoping that is just from the stress of today's adventure

 

[jugl]

Just witnessed him have another episode of swimming extremely frantically, running into the glass and the rock and kicking up sand everywhere and then being stunned for about 2-3 minutes.

I've turned all the lights down and lowered the flow in the tank. He seems to be resting under his rock now.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Just witnessed him have another episode of swimming extremely frantically, running into the glass and the rock and kicking up sand everywhere and then being stunned for about 2-3 minutes.

I've turned all the lights down and lowered the flow in the tank. He seems to be resting under his rock now.

It could well be that these episodes are not a result of the fish jumping out, but rather the cause. There could be some neurological disease that is causing the fish to struggle in a panic. This could be age related.

 

[jugl]

This is my thought (and fear) as well. Today I haven't noticed him darting around in a panic but I did catch him in what seems to be that paralyzed state where he is floating sideways at the bottom of the tank for a few minutes until he catches his bearings and swims around normally.

Doing everything I can to make sure this problem isn't environmental. The other clown seems perfectly normal so this could just be father time catching up

 

[jugl]

Today overall seems like a better day than yesterday as the clown hasn't had any frantic panic attacks like he did at least 4 times yesterday - but still not eating.

I noticed some stringy white poop just now as well and the breathing is still heavy. Occasionally I'll catch him with his mouth really open like he's gasping but I've only seen that a few times.

Could this be an internal parasite? If so do you guys recommend any treatments I could dose in the tank?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Today overall seems like a better day than yesterday as the clown hasn't had any frantic panic attacks like he did at least 4 times yesterday - but still not eating.

I noticed some stringy white poop just now as well and the breathing is still heavy. Occasionally I'll catch him with his mouth really open like he's gasping but I've only seen that a few times.

Could this be an internal parasite? If so do you guys recommend any treatments I could dose in the tank?

Rapid breathing and stringy white feces can be a sign of internal parasites, but two of the common issues; viruses and coccidia, can't be treated and the other two (protozoan and worms) require the fish to be eating in order to treat it.