Clownfish red gill, injured? Sick?

[562uned]

Hey everyone!

I'm new here (though I have been watching learning and reading for years) and have finally gotten my first tank setup.

I Recently finished my tank cycle and added a pair of clown fish about a week ago. I have been watching Ammonia, Nitrates and Nitrites daily and all levels are are stable at 0. I have been planning on adding a couple of firefish to the tank but I want to make sure the this clown is not sick.

I bought both clowns at the same time, from the same place and they came out of the same tank. I honestly cannot remember if this was here, or sort of here the night I brought them home but I know I noticed it the second day for sure. My first thought was Ammonia, and I did a couple of 33% water changes over the next few days and kept watching levels, all of which stayed 0. Initially I did notice they were sort of nipping at one another a bit in the beginning but really it was the larger one (the one with this issue) that seemed to be doing the nipping, so I don't think that is it. Im out of ideas and based on the research I have done, this could be a birth defect or it could be ammonia burns, or it could be brooklynella. Of course I want to make sure it is nothing before moving on and adding additional fish. It is the larger of the two in the video here.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

 

[threebuoys]

Hey everyone!

I'm new here (though I have been watching learning and reading for years) and have finally gotten my first tank setup.

I Recently finished my tank cycle and added a pair of clown fish about a week ago. I have been watching Ammonia, Nitrates and Nitrites daily and all levels are are stable at 0. I have been planning on adding a couple of firefish to the tank but I want to make sure the this clown is not sick.

I bought both clowns at the same time, from the same place and they came out of the same tank. I honestly cannot remember if this was here, or sort of here the night I brought them home but I know I noticed it the second day for sure. My first thought was Ammonia, and I did a couple of 33% water changes over the next few days and kept watching levels, all of which stayed 0. Initially I did notice they were sort of nipping at one another a bit in the beginning but really it was the larger one (the one with this issue) that seemed to be doing the nipping, so I don't think that is it. Im out of ideas and based on the research I have done, this could be a birth defect or it could be ammonia burns, or it could be brooklynella. Of course I want to make sure it is nothing before moving on and adding additional fish. It is the larger of the two in the video here.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

Welcome to R2R. This is a great place to get information!

Are you concerned about red spot on the gill plate or something else? If so, looks more like an injury to me, but @Jay Hemdal or @vetteguy53081 may have a better idea.

 

[562uned]

Welcome to R2R. This is a great place to get information!

Are you concerned about red spot on the gill plate or something else? If so, looks more like an injury to me, but @Jay Hemdal or @vetteguy53081 may have a better idea.

yeah, the red gill on the right side, it also does look like it is "swollen" when looking at the fish from the front. Hard to get good video of these guys haha

 

[vetteguy53081]

Looks like aggression bites from the female which is larger. its a hierarchy issue often displayed my females and may warrant separation until it heals. Female clownfish are much more dominant than their male counterparts. They greedily try to eat most of the food that gets into the tank (which is one reason the males don't grow as large). They will often aggressively protect their home, whether that be an anemone, a nesting site, or the entire fish tank. If it attacks your hand when you're trying to clean the glass or it won't let any other fish near its spot, you most likely have a female clownfish.

 

[rmorris_14]

Looks like aggression bites from the female which is larger. its a hierarchy issue often displayed my females and may warrant separation until it heals. Female clownfish are much more dominant than their male counterparts. They greedily try to eat most of the food that gets into the tank (which is one reason the males don't grow as large). They will often aggressively protect their home, whether that be an anemone, a nesting site, or the entire fish tank. If it attacks your hand when you're trying to clean the glass or it won't let any other fish near its spot, you most likely have a female clownfish.

I think the injury is on the larger fish..... so the female has the injury in this case.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I think the injury is on the larger fish..... so the female has the injury in this case.

I can’t see the red mark on my phone, but I did see the larger clown shake it’s head a couple of times, does it do that often?
Jay

 

[562uned]

I can’t see the red mark on my phone, but I did see the larger clown shake it’s head a couple of times, does it do that often?
Jay

I cant say I noticed that before, but I see what you are saying now, he does seem a little spaz-ish some times. Do you think that could be a sign of a parasite or something bothering her/him?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I cant say I noticed that before, but I see what you are saying now, he does seem a little spaz-ish some times. Do you think that could be a sign of a parasite or something bothering her/him?

Yes, I take that as a reaction to some sort of irritation - tough to say what it might be without some other symptoms to go along with it though. Flukes are one possibility.

Jay

 

[562uned]

Ok so it's been a few weeks and the bump is still there, I'm not sure if it has gotten worst or not but it still looks bad. The other clown still doesn't have any issue and there is a fire fish in the tank now as well. I snapped a few better pics here, any other ideas?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Ok so it's been a few weeks and the bump is still there, I'm not sure if it has gotten worst or not but it still looks bad. The other clown still doesn't have any issue and there is a fire fish in the tank now as well. I snapped a few better pics here, any other ideas?

These pictures are a lot easier to see than the video. This is a developmental issue sometimes seen in captive raised clownfish - basically a deformed operculum. It isn’t contagious and isn’t directly fatal, but it can cause ventilation/breathing deficiency.
Jay

 

[562uned]

Great! I appreciate the feed back, he/she has plenty of energy and I haven't noticed any thing else out of the ordinary, just the weird gill.

Thanks!