Clownfish stopped eating in QT.

[AbjectMaelstroM]

So my pair of clownfish are in the start of week 4 of QT (@HotRocks ) method, with a 90 min Rally bath before QT. Made it through copper like champs, last week was week 3, first week in a new tank with GC dosed into the water column. While in copper they've been fed GC/focus laced food. Since the transfer into the new tank for GC I have fed non medicated food, TDO pellets and a mix of mysis/LRS fish frenzy.

Up until two days ago both have been eating actively. However, the male slowly showed less and less interest in food, female still chowing down. He just swims through the food.

Yesterday I did a 25% wc and dosed the 2nd round of GC into the water column.

Any thoughts? Ammonia badge showing 0.

Havent seen his poop to see if there is an internal issue, which I don't think would be since for 2 weeks they were fed GC food.

 

[AbjectMaelstroM]

Tried to take some video of him.

 

[Qasimja]

theres nothing obvious that i can see he looks healthy someone more experienced will comment im sure good luck with him

 

[Reef AquaCult]

Great job with the QT methodology. I agree with above, it’s difficult to see anything wrong with the fish at this stage. Your feeding looks adequate. Don’t see anything to change, good luck. Beautiful clowns!

 

[AbjectMaelstroM]

Great job with the QT methodology. I agree with above, it’s difficult to see anything wrong with the fish at this stage. Your feeding looks adequate. Don’t see anything to change, good luck. Beautiful clowns!

Maybe I'm overly paranoid... Like a parent with their first kid.

I haven't seen any physical signs of distress, scales are clean, breathing fine, swimming pretty actively though not as much as the female. Just thought it's weird that his appetite would go down that much. Prior to this both he and the female would rush up to the surface as I walked up with a syringe of frozen food and they would go nuts as the food came out. Now he's just kind of "meh" while she still goes crazy.

Guess I'll see how he does of the next few days. Then may hit up the LFS see if they have any live black/white worms.

 

[AbjectMaelstroM]

So update this morning, does not seem to be for the better.

Both came out to the glass but even the female didn't want to eat much. I then saw her flashing (quickly rubbing her head on the Pvc piece) 5-6 times.

Now I'm worried something is going on....

This is all after two weeks in 2.0 copper power, tank transfer and 2 rounds of GC 6 days apart.

I still don't really see anything on them.... But it's not always obvious...

 

[Reef AquaCult]

I agree that does not sound good. Was the sterile tank definitely sterile? What type of bio media, rocks or other equipment are you using and were they recently in another possibly infected environment? Are you sure there was no chance of cross contamination with any potential velvet source? I'm not a fish disease expert but I would consider doing copper again, possibly for longer duration this time x 4 weeks. You may either have a copper resistant organism or some sort of contamination during tank transfer. Another option would be hybrid TTM including 150 ppm peroxide dip but that can be tricky to do completely correct. Do you have any type of disease velvet, ich, brook or uronema in any of your tanks?

 

[AbjectMaelstroM]

I agree that does not sound good. Was the sterile tank definitely sterile? What type of bio media, rocks or other equipment are you using and were they recently in another possibly infected environment? Are you sure there was no chance of cross contamination with any potential velvet source? I'm not a fish disease expert but I would consider doing copper again, possibly for longer duration this time x 4 weeks. You may either have a copper resistant organism or some sort of contamination during tank transfer. Another option would be hybrid TTM including 150 ppm peroxide dip but that can be tricky to do completely correct. Do you have any type of disease velvet, ich, brook or uronema in any of your tanks?

Both copper and GC tanks were brand new purchased tanks with their own equipment. 20g tanks with hob filter with a sponge seeded with biospira and came from the sump of my freshly cycled dry rock that was in the tote. Basically everything was brand new and has never seen other fish.

Tanks are in two different rooms. I'm wondering if something carried over from copper tank to the GC tank whe. I netted them out.

How do you transfer fish from copper tank to GC tank without inadvertently bringing something along in the net? Net never physically went into the new tank, I dropped the fish in out of the net but I'm sure some water dropped in.

 

[AbjectMaelstroM]

Think I'm going to start setting up the other tank and get it ready for copper....

Or should I just dose copper into the current tank?

 

[Reef AquaCult]

If you were really @ 2.0 ppm copper then chances are low the small amount of water in net would be a problem. You can always do a quick bath stop over in small container to "rinse" the fish of most of the old water prior to intro into sterile tank just to be extra cautious. You're using Hanna checker right? It sounds like you did everything perfectly. Perhaps there are some nasty copper resistant strains of something out there, I have seen some people suggest this. Would have to ask the pros for more help. For now I don't see major harm of getting them back into copper to see if they improve. If they're not eating then there is definitely an issue.

 

[AbjectMaelstroM]

Yup measured with Hanna copper checker 2.0.

Female keeps flashing against the inside of the Pvc. Going to start filling the first QT and dose to 1.0 copper.

 

[AbjectMaelstroM]

Should I do a FW dip prior?

#reefsquad @Humblefish @HotRocks @4FordFamily

 

[Reef AquaCult]

Should I do a FW dip prior?

Do you have any hydrogen peroxide? This kills surface parasites and fish tolerate it way better in my experience. You can do 5cc 3% store bought peroxide in 1L/Quart of water or 20cc in 1 gallon for a dip. See hybrid TTM thread if you have questions. Aerate water thoroughly prior to dip. Then stop aeration during 30 minute dip. If you have both fish I would probably do it in a gallon of saltwater. Can always try FW dip but for me it stresses the hell out of them.

With your use of general cure I would think chance of flukes is low. More likely to be velvet or brook.

 

[AbjectMaelstroM]

Do you have any hydrogen peroxide? This kills surface parasites and fish tolerate it way better in my experience. You can do 5cc 3% store bought peroxide in 1L/Quart of water or 20cc in 1 gallon for a dip. See hybrid TTM thread if you have questions. Aerate water thoroughly prior to dip. Then stop aeration during 30 minute dip. If you have both fish I would probably do it in a gallon of saltwater. Can always try FW dip but for me it stresses the hell out of them.

With your use of general cure I would think chance of flukes is low. More likely to be velvet or brook.

Ok... Maybe a Rally bath instead of FW? Or still go with peroxide, pretty sure I have some here somewhere.

 

[Reef AquaCult]

Ok... Maybe a Rally bath instead of FW? Or still go with peroxide, pretty sure I have some here somewhere.

Rally is good too

 

[AbjectMaelstroM]

OK, Rally bath it is.

Another thing I'm worrying about is that the QT tank was about 6 Ft from my RODI storage brutes....they do have lids, but I was worried about air transfer...or is that too much?

 

[Reef AquaCult]

OK, Rally bath it is.

Another thing I'm worrying about is that the QT tank was about 6 Ft from my RODI storage brutes....they do have lids, but I was worried about air transfer...or is that too much?

Its possible but risk is likely minimal unless you don't have tops on the tanks and there is airflow directing tiny droplets to the RODI brutes. I would suspect resistant organism over droplet transmission, but its a possibility.

 

[AbjectMaelstroM]

Well... They're back in 1.0 copper.

Going to start dialing up the dosage over the next 3 days.

Hopefully this does the trick and they don't need another 14 days of GC after. Just 14 day observation.

 

[AbjectMaelstroM]

So... 2 hours in the new tank @1.0 copper, after 90min in Rally..... And they're both going crazy after TDO pellets.

I'm lost.....

At this point I'm planning on continuing copper treatment for 14 days, unless you guys think differently.

 

[AbjectMaelstroM]

Both are very active and swim up to the glass when I come up.

The female does have some stringy poop, wouldn't call it white but probably cream color?

Made up a bath of laced tdo pellets soaked with garlic guard and selcon + focus+GC and made a cup of mysis/LRS mixed with selcon +focus+GC. Wondering is the internal issue could have caused the flashing?