Clownfish lost tail overnight.

[19Mateo83]

I’m sure I’m not the only one to have had this happen to a clown fish. Yesterday he had a tail, this morning no tail. There is no other fish in this tank. He is a recent addition. He was very active until this morning and is still fairly active. He is favoring the top of the tank now. Breathing looks ok, eating is good, no other mucus on his body, just on the tail. Water Parameters look good. Is this brook or bacterial or fungal. Considering this happened over night, Can it be cured in time for meds to get here? My LFS dosent carry formalin.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I’m sure I’m not the only one to have had this happen to a clown fish. Yesterday he had a tail, this morning no tail. There is no other fish in this tank. He is a recent addition. He was very active until this morning and is still fairly active. He is favoring the top of the tank now. Breathing looks ok, eating is good, no other mucus on his body, just on the tail. Water Parameters look good. Is this brook or bacterial or fungal. Considering this happened over night, Can it be cured in time for meds to get here? My LFS dosent carry formalin.

Tail rot is a condition and not disease and does not usually occur this quickly leading to aggression by likely another clown or other occupant leading to what other occupants are in your tank.

 

[19Mateo83]

Tail rot is a condition and not disease and does not usually occur this quickly leading to aggression by likely another clown or other occupant leading to what other occupants are in your tank.

A blue leg hermit.

 

[vetteguy53081]

A blue leg hermit.

Possible but the clown would have to been quite weak to allow this from Crab. Isolate or in better terms quarantine fish and treat with either seachem Kanaplex or Maracyn 2 with added oxygen via air stone

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

+1 on "fin rot" virtually always being caused by some injury. No tankmates though, makes that less likely.
Capture damage is possible, but that usually shows up in 48 hours after you get a fish.

Can you post a video?

Jay

 

[19Mateo83]

Thank god I never get rid of any fish stuff.
I had this sitting in the closet

 

[19Mateo83]

+1 on "fin rot" virtually always being caused by some injury. No tankmates though, makes that less likely.
Capture damage is possible, but that usually shows up in 48 hours after you get a fish.

Can you post a video?

Jay

He’s been in here a week. So possibly capture injury?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

He’s been in here a week. So possibly capture injury?

No, unlikely to be that. Usually, that shows up in the first day or two, I've never seen it show up after than length of time.

Jay

 

[19Mateo83]

And off I go to try to find meds

 

[reeftivo]

not sure if anyone asked, but could it have possibly been from a power head or gyre?

mine like to swim around my MPs. they have never been caught up in them but my rabbit fish did briefly and i watched the goof do it. he likes to rest at night in the back corner towards the bottom left of my tank and i just happened to look at the tank when passing one morning and watched him slowly drift upwards an plank himself on the grill. he woke up quick and moved off but was stuck there a couple seconds and his tailfin had a little chunk taken out.

 

[19Mateo83]

No, unlikely to be that. Usually, that shows up in the first day or two, I've never seen it show up after than length of time.

Jay

Any other ideas before I go scouring the fish store 15 minutes before they close?

 

[19Mateo83]

not sure if anyone asked, but could it have possibly been from a power head or gyre?

mine like to swim around my MPs. they have never been caught up in them but my rabbit fish did briefly and i watched the goof do it. he likes to rest at night in the back corner towards the bottom left of my tank and i just happened to look at the tank when passing one morning and watched him slowly drift upwards an plank himself on the grill. he woke up quick and moved off but was stuck there a couple seconds and his tailfin had a little chunk taken out.

I like where your mind is at but all I have is the return pump.

 

[19Mateo83]

My options are @Jay Hemdal @vetteguy53081

 

[19Mateo83]

Maracin oxy is tonight’s winner.

 

[19Mateo83]

And here he is. In a 2 gallon hospital and he’s not happy about it.

 

[vetteguy53081]

My options are @Jay Hemdal @vetteguy53081

Oxy is the closest but not fond of this and the others would not have helped. Maracyn 2 is powder

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Sorry - I was offline for the night. Mar-Oxy isn't the best medication for this, but it is the only one of those you listed that might work. A true antibiotic would be better.

You'll need to monitor the ammonia level very closely in that tank, keep it below 0.5 ppm

Jay

 

[19Mateo83]

Sorry - I was offline for the night. Mar-Oxy isn't the best medication for this, but it is the only one of those you listed that might work. A true antibiotic would be better.

You'll need to monitor the ammonia level very closely in that tank, keep it below 0.5 ppm

Jay

It’s ok man, I appreciate the help. The little guy made it through the night. I will be doing heavy water changes on him and hopefully that will be enough to keep the ammonia in check. He is also aggressively taking food too so that is a very good sign. This one appears to have some fight left in him.

 

[19Mateo83]

Day two of quarantine. Still alive and kicking. Today will be a 50% WC and re medication. He is still taking food and still breathing normally.

 

[19Mateo83]

Day 4 of quarantine…. This little clown is responding to treatment very well. The white on his tail seems to be gone, he is playing in the current and is taking food aggressively. I can see little bits of fin starting to grow back too. I will continue with the heavy 50% water changes and treatment for another 3 days then it will be normal 10% water changes. I am going to leave him in quarantine for another week or two to see if the white fuzz comes back.