Clownfish

[James5214]

Other thing I was thinking was I used new life pellets is it possible a pellet is stuck in its throat? And if it is dislocated I'm guessing nothing I can do about that right? Besides a vet visit that would cost way more then what I paid for the fish.

 

[SlugSnorter]

Other thing I was thinking was I used new life pellets is it possible a pellet is stuck in its throat? And if it is dislocated I'm guessing nothing I can do about that right? Besides a vet visit that would cost way more then what I paid for the fish.

there are not really saltwater vets at the hobbyist level

 

[Sharkbait19]

Could be stuck with a pellet but it wouldn’t stay for super long.
It is possible to relocate the jaw - but having never dealt with that personally I can’t give an exact procedure. This is also assuming this is the problem.

 

[rmorris_14]

Clowns will sometimes engage in lip lock fights, it’s possible the jaw would have gotten dislocated. Happens in cichlids all the time.

I just googled this because I needed to know what it looked like. Craziness.

 

[James5214]

Yea honestly I can't think of what it is. I got all 3 fish from a reputable mom and pop owned lfs by me in the Tampa Bay area. They were very fine healthy fish. Like I said for almost 3 weeks now that black snowflake has been active eating chasing the white clown and this morning bam this going on. Did big water change even though parameters still were in check. Other fish are happy active and eating so I can only think of a fight during the night I didn't see. I will keep watching them.

 

[James5214]

Last question I have should I dose any medicine? Like anything for brook? Or something else or wait because there isn't other signs of disease?

 

[Sharkbait19]

Looking at the video, nothing really looks up except the mouth to me, and it looks dislocated by me.

 

[James5214]

Yes no color loss. No slim coat growing around it. No bacterial growths. I hope if it is dislocated it fixes itself I'm sure it won't cause he/she didn't eat when I fed other fish today.

 

[Sharkbait19]

The process is to gently push the jaw until it pops back into place - @Jay Hemdal may have experience doing this.
Of course, any fish I’ve heard of this done on is a big one, so it would require being very delicate on the clown.

 

[James5214]

That's what I was going to try. I mean I have a 50/50 shot of it working atleast I can try and if it works I save the clown and if not it will be a sad day once he's gone. But should I put on a latex glove so my skin oils don't disrupt the clowns coating?

 

[James5214]

Any certain ways I should softly press on the jaw shark bait? Or just all directions. Slow push up and down and brush down both jaw lines?

 

[Sharkbait19]

I would wait for someone with more experience there to chime in. Yes wear gloves. I’m pretty sure you just have to push it inward back into place.

 

[James5214]

Ok il wait. Like I said he/she ate twice yesterday so I know i have atleast another day or so before the clown starts needing to be feed. Thanks for all the tips and advice shark bait "ooo haha" welcome brother shark bait, ahaha sorry had to do it I think I watched Nemo the first 6 months of my son's life. Thanks again. Happy reefing

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

That's what I was going to try. I mean I have a 50/50 shot of it working atleast I can try and if it works I save the clown and if not it will be a sad day once he's gone. But should I put on a latex glove so my skin oils don't disrupt the clowns coating?

I've seen a few cases of jaw hyper-extension in fish. I've pushed some of them back in place, but I've never tried it on a fish as small as a clownfish, just be very gentle.

Jay

 

[James5214]

Yes il basically be brushing him as soft as possible hoping it pops back in.

 

[James5214]

First round done. I rubbed him gently and tried to push upwards on the jaw. No success only made the clown breathe all frantic. So I turned lights off and will try again in the morning.

 

[FragFarm]

So I woke up this morning and noticed my black snowflake clowns gills are puffed out and he's not as active today. My other clown is perfectly fine and so is the royal Gramma both are active. So I tested water parameters. 0ppm ammonia 0ppm nitrite and 0ppm nitrate. He was totally fine before I turned off light yesterday. Any ideas of what I can do to maybe help him? Already have done a water change. And the thing is he isn't breathing all heavy even though his gills are kind of puffy. Any ideas or thoughts or things I can do to help

Hi there,

The clown in question, is he new to the aquarium? If yes, was the fish quarantined prior to adding to the aquarium? Either way, I would observe the fish and look for any other symptoms. Is there any condition in the aquarium that can be causing stress or possible aggression?
Best of luck.

 

[James5214]

Update I tried adjusting his jaw again today still no luck I even massaged his hill plates and moves his jaw longer then yesterday still nothing. The clown won't even eat love baby brine I'm putting in there smh.. hopefully soon it pops back it with me doing it or by itself..hopefully before he starves..il keep you guys posted

 

[bestfishes]

Stop touching the fish or trying to push his jaw into place, you are only stressing it out even more! Did I read correctly you only waited one month after set up before adding fish to the tank? If so that is likely contributing to your issue. The tank is not mature enough and you have some water quality issues causing stress. The gill thing could be a bacterial infection. Less is more. Get back to the basics, 10% weekly water changes, no major changes and leave him alone. Don't overfeed. You say hes eating, thats good. Check alk, ph, and be sure those are stable and in the proper range.

 

[Dave1993]

Stop touching the fish or trying to push his jaw into place, you are only stressing it out even more! Did I read correctly you only waited one month after set up before adding fish to the tank? If so that is likely contributing to your issue. The tank is not mature enough and you have some water quality issues causing stress. The gill thing could be a bacterial infection. Less is more. Get back to the basics, 10% weekly water changes, no major changes and leave him alone. Don't overfeed. You say hes eating, thats good. Check alk, ph, and be sure those are stable and in the proper range.

This is simply not true you can add fish in less than 1 month