First Clownfish, is it sick?

[Rudzbrewski]

I purchased 2 O. Clownfish approximately 7 days ago (one Davinci, one regular) and after a few days of getting used to their surroundings they both appear to be exploring their new tank more. I have been testing water every 3 days since adding them.

Today, while doing my weekly maintenance of 10% water change, I noticed the Davinci may have something going on. This is my first time with saltwater fish, so looking for help. It looks like it could be white stringy poop and one or two of it’s fins may be slightly damaged (hard to tell and couldn’t get a pic of the fins). This one has seemed to be the more outgoing of the two and has been eating the frozen mysis so far with no problem. Breathing doesn’t seem too much different, but can’t say I’ve focused on it much so hard to compare or reference. Would like to get out ahead of this if there is something to worry about, but also read that a diet that consists of only mysis could be a benign cause.

10 gallon tank
Salinity: 1.025-1.026
Temp: right around 79f
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
Dkh: 11-13 range

 

[Bfragale]

Stringy white poop is a sign of internal parasites. There are some great threads on here about symptoms and treatments. Personally I have used general cure and seachem focus (made a medicine/food mix and fed for 5 days) and treated in the tank with good results.

Hope this helps.

 

[Big G]

You may want to vary the diet a bit as just mysis can cause white poo.

White and stringy gets our attention. But we also look for eats a lot but the stomach is pinched = internal parasites.

 

[Rudzbrewski]

You may want to vary the diet a bit as just mysis can cause white poo.

White and stringy gets our attention. But we also look for eats a lot but the stomach is pinched = internal parasites.

I spoke with the LFS that I get the clowns from and they recommended just varying diet to some pellets (spirulina brine shrimp) before going to anything more extreme since colors and behavior are normal at the moment.

 

[Rudzbrewski]

I switched to Spirulina brine shrimp two days ago and it continued to eat and act normal. I was hoping within a few days of the diet change the stringy poop would be gone. WORSE. This morning I went to feed them before work and the clownfish of concern is 100% missing. Have a lid with only a small 1” gap in the back, but nowhere to be found on the outside anywhere. Didn’t see him in the filter, moved the rocks to see if it was dead or stuck, check behind heaters, everywhere. Have no clue where it could have gone or what happened if it does overnight. Only thing left I can think of is the Emerald crab killing or eating it if it died and dragging it into a deep rock hole.

It is only a 10 gallon tank with a HOB filter and two rock features with a bare bottom. Shouldn’t be this hard to locate dead or alive. When I get home from work today I will have to tear everything apart to try and solve this mystery.

Hopefully my other clown stays ok.

 

[DeniseAndy]

Could just be some adjustment. If the the clowns are only in 10g and they begin to bicker for dominance, one has no room to escape and can get pretty beat up. Keep an eye out.

 

[Rudzbrewski]

Could just be some adjustment. If the the clowns are only in 10g and they begin to bicker for dominance, one has no room to escape and can get pretty beat up. Keep an eye out.

Trying to be optimistic, but it’s tough. The weird thing to me is that through this all he was the more outgoing/active of the two. Not sure if that matters but would surprise me if that was the one that wound up being bullied? I also thought moving the rock around would have caused him to swim out if he was just hiding (which he never has done).

 

[Rudzbrewski]

It was quite the discouraging week. Two days after switching from mysis shrimp and both clowns still eating and acting normal (sticking to swimming at the water surface mostly when the lights were on), I woke up to find the one with stringy poop absolutely missing. Looked all over including in the filter, intake, rock work (took it out and used flashlight), outside the tank, everywhere. Nowhere to be found. Chalked it up to died or was killed and emerald crab dragged it keep into a hole where it couldn’t be seen.

Three days after that experienced an ammonia spike, from what I assumed is the decaying fish that can’t be found. Did a 25% water change and remaining clown still acting normal and eating with a plan to monitor levels to guide further action and fish behavior. Woke up this morning to the second clown totally vanished.Same search process, nothing. Couldn’t find the emerald crab either.

Being that it is only a 10 gallon tank with limited areas to work I am left to assume the emerald crab is dragging the fish deep into an area of the porous rock regardless of if they are dead or he is killing them. I am going to remove him from the tank in order the eliminate a variable as he is the only other inhabitant.

Plan is to remove emerald crab, monitor parameters until ammonia from decaying fish is gone (assuming I can’t locate them), then try again. Any other suggestions or recommendations are greatly appreciated.

 

[DeniseAndy]

Was your rock live when you added it? Just asking because I had a similar issue with my 28g when I first began. I had bought beautiful live rock. Unfortunately it contained a fish eating starfish. Ate around 4 fish before I found it. Only came out at night. Watch your tank at night and see if anything appears. Could take some time.

 

[Rudzbrewski]

Was your rock live when you added it? Just asking because I had a similar issue with my 28g when I first began. I had bought beautiful live rock. Unfortunately it contained a fish eating starfish. Ate around 4 fish before I found it. Only came out at night. Watch your tank at night and see if anything appears. Could take some time.

Yes, it was live rock purchased from a LFS and thoroughly rinsed prior to tank set up. Tank was up and cycled for about 5-6 weeks prior to any fish being added. I have not thoroughly watched the tank at night, but so far have not seen any hitchhikers in the tank (fingers crossed).