So about 5 days ago I bought my first fish (ocellaris clownfish. Probably spelled it wrong) and he is very active he swims from side to side plenty of space. 2 days later I bought another one actually smaller. I would watch them and I would notice the smaller one would start shaking. I did some research and found out that the bigger one it's been the dominant one which will be the female and the smaller one will be the male. I've been noticing the smaller (male) goes to the corner of the tank sometimes and likes to stay there and likes to roll on sand. Is that normal?? Also I notice white little spots on the smaller one? Could it be ich? Or maybe sand got on him??
Clownfish help!
- Thread starter Torresj9
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Duke4Life
Just a crazy eel guy, LMAS
No I havent. I noticed this last night now when I came back from work today I checked on him and there was nothing. Later I checked and it was there again. But he does like to get on the sand and my live sand is thin. Now this is my first saltwater tank so I'm still new at this. But any help/advice will be very much appreciated.
melypr1985
totally addicted
Hi there! I see some spots on the clown and it could very well be ick. Did you QT these fish or treat with anything before introducing them to the tank? It's not normal for the clown to "roll in the sand" and is probably trying to rub the parasites off himself. It IS normal for the smaller fish to "shimmy" to display it's subservience to the more dominant clown. Do you have a spare tank you can set up or maybe two?
melypr1985
totally addicted
In some of the pictures is looks like it could be brooke and in others ick. It's hard to tell from the pics. I'll get you treatment info for both.
No I did not QT the fish.. And I don't have an extra tank but I could get one (craglist or so) if the male has ich wouldn't the female have it as well???
And yeah sorry about the pics it's kinda hard to focus while the fish moves lol .. Would the ich change the fish behavior?
And yeah sorry about the pics it's kinda hard to focus while the fish moves lol .. Would the ich change the fish behavior?
melypr1985
totally addicted
This is what I want you to do. Check these links out and read the discription of brook below. Then report back with which one of these you believe is most likely. I'm doing it this way because you will be able to see the described symptoms better in your fish than we can in these pictures.
http://reef2reef.com/threads/how-to-treat-ich.191226/
http://reef2reef.com/threads/spars-tank-transfer-method.209690/page-2#post-2812627
Brooklynella:
Symptoms – This is most often seen in clownfish, but it can afflict any fish. The fish’s skin will appear to be peeling or sloughing off, oftentimes causing excessive white mucous to form around the affected area(s).
Treatment options - Formalin bath, followed by additional formalin baths (as needed - but give the fish a day to recuperate in-between baths). You can use formalin in a QT (at a much lower concentration than the bath), but great care must be taken to provide plenty of gas exchange as formalin will quickly deplete the water of oxygen. For this reason, doing baths is the safer option as the fish can be pulled from the formalin if showing signs of distress. Formalin-MS is preferred, as that contains 37% formaldehyde. However, in a bind, any medication containing formalin (ex. Quick Cure) is better than nothing. Alternative treatments for brook include metronidazole (ex. Seachem MetroPlex) and acriflavine (ex. Acriflavine-MS). A freshwater dip may provide temporary relief if you are unable to locate any of the aforementioned medications right away.
To answer you questions: yes the female has whatever the male has and isn't yet showing obvious symptoms. You'll need to work on getting one or two tanks of the same size for QT and treatment purposes. Most deseases and parasites can change a fish's behavior. It can cause them to stop eating, swim erratically, rub against the sand and rocks, ect.
http://reef2reef.com/threads/how-to-treat-ich.191226/
http://reef2reef.com/threads/spars-tank-transfer-method.209690/page-2#post-2812627
Brooklynella:
Symptoms – This is most often seen in clownfish, but it can afflict any fish. The fish’s skin will appear to be peeling or sloughing off, oftentimes causing excessive white mucous to form around the affected area(s).
Treatment options - Formalin bath, followed by additional formalin baths (as needed - but give the fish a day to recuperate in-between baths). You can use formalin in a QT (at a much lower concentration than the bath), but great care must be taken to provide plenty of gas exchange as formalin will quickly deplete the water of oxygen. For this reason, doing baths is the safer option as the fish can be pulled from the formalin if showing signs of distress. Formalin-MS is preferred, as that contains 37% formaldehyde. However, in a bind, any medication containing formalin (ex. Quick Cure) is better than nothing. Alternative treatments for brook include metronidazole (ex. Seachem MetroPlex) and acriflavine (ex. Acriflavine-MS). A freshwater dip may provide temporary relief if you are unable to locate any of the aforementioned medications right away.
To answer you questions: yes the female has whatever the male has and isn't yet showing obvious symptoms. You'll need to work on getting one or two tanks of the same size for QT and treatment purposes. Most deseases and parasites can change a fish's behavior. It can cause them to stop eating, swim erratically, rub against the sand and rocks, ect.
melypr1985
totally addicted
That's great to know! I'm sure you already read what needs to happen, but just as a reminder and quick reference for those reading and following along... You'll need to leave the tank fallow for 76 days. That's NO fish, inverts and corals are fine to leave in. All the while treating the clowns and then keeping them in QT until the fallow period is over. If you have any trouble, concerns or questions dont hesitate to ask!
melypr1985
totally addicted
I like TTM (tank transfer method) best. It's easy enough to do and doesn't involve chemicals unless you chose to deworm them while they are in treatment. I do recommend that- using prazi during TTM. You can absolutely keep the clowns together during this process.
Okay i will look more into that method tomorrow and start everything. Once started if I have question I will let you know!
Also could that ich be passed on to my tank? Could my inverbrates catch it and keep in my DT?
melypr1985
totally addicted
Okay i will look more into that method tomorrow and start everything. Once started if I have question I will let you know!
Also could that ich be passed on to my tank? Could my inverbrates catch it and keep in my DT?
Ich doesn't feed off of inverts. It will stay in your tank for a while, which is why we are going fallow in the DT. It will starve and die without fish to feed off of, then it will be gone. As long as you carefully QT every addition to the DT, you'll have the best chance at never having ich in your DT again. Oh and by that, I mean EVERYTHING.... corals, snails, shrimp- all of it. Daunting right? It doesn't have to be. A fishless frag tank is perfect for putting all inverts through QT, then a regular fish QT regimen will keep the fish clean and healthy. Anyway, I went off and starting talking your head off! lol
Ohhh man!! Not going to lie but all this is new to me and it seems bit scary since I don't want none of my fishes to die. :/
Okay so I'll just take my clownfish out tomorrow and start the treatment. Sorry for all this questions, but do I need quarantine my shrimp as well.
All I have is live rock. No corals at all (not ready for all that)
Okay so I'll just take my clownfish out tomorrow and start the treatment. Sorry for all this questions, but do I need quarantine my shrimp as well.
All I have is live rock. No corals at all (not ready for all that)
