Clownfish help

James Barton · Dec 4, 2017

I'm not sure if this constitutes as an emergency, but it has me worried so... I have finally transferred my to clownfish from quarantine into my 185 gallon display tank. I prophylactically treated the clowns using chloroquine phosphate and prazipro. Today after feeding them I noticed both clowns open their mouths real wide as if taking a deep breath. They seem to be breathing fine otherwise and I only seen them do it a few times. My female clown has stringy white feces hanging from her which I would relate to a parasite Maybe? I feed them frozen mysis shrimp and New Life Spectrum pellets. Since they were treated in prazipro I don't see how that could have happened. I have good surface agitation in my tank and ammonia and nitrites are at zero, nitrates are around 80. What could be causing them to take these occasional deep breaths and cause the stringy white feces? They are the only fish in the tank with a few inverts.

Humblefish · Dec 4, 2017

The stringy white feces is a symptom of intestinal worms: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/internal-parasites-intestinal-worms.267419/

I would start soaking their food with metro: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/metronidazole.298762/

You will also need to use Seachem Focus to bind the medication to the food: http://www.seachem.com/focus.php

James Barton · Dec 4, 2017

Great humble, the 2 things I didn't buy ahead of time to prepare. I'll order it on Amazon prime now, will they be good until I get it? And could that be causing the occasional heavy breath?
I'd also like to note that the feces was always normal up until I seen this today.

James Barton · Dec 4, 2017

Actually! Going through my fish meds I do have both metroplex and focus!!

James Barton · Dec 4, 2017

Hey @Humble, now it's Brown and stringy. Also, I just cleaned my glass with my mag float and it looks like I stirred up a ton of pods that the clowns seem to be frantically eating now.

Humblefish · Dec 4, 2017

James Barton said:
Hey @Humble, now it's Brown and stringy. Also, I just cleaned my glass with my mag float and it looks like I stirred up a ton of pods that the clowns seem to be frantically eating now.

It will go back & forth between being brown & stringy and white & stringy.