Having a hard time...

Stege_saurus · Jul 15, 2019

Im having a hard time determining if there is something wrong with my clown. He looks slightly pale in comparison to my other clown, however he is acting normal. He is swimming strong, and showing an appetite. Im the kind of person who tries to be on top of everything if possible, however im not sure if there is something wrong here. I'd rather be safe than sorry...

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5ppm

rkpetersen · Jul 15, 2019

That fish is extremely thin. If it's eating but that thin, it may have intestinal parasites.
Are you seeing any white stringy feces? If so, you should start feeding it medicated food. (General Cure + Focus to bind it.)
Another possibility is flukes, which you typically won't see directly but can lead to the fish being pale and wasting away.
You diagnose flukes by doing a freshwater dip and seeing if anything drops off (flatworms that look like sesame seeds.)

Stege_saurus · Jul 15, 2019

rkpetersen said:
That fish is extremely thin. If it's eating but that thin, it may have intestinal parasites.
Are you seeing any white stringy feces? If so, you should start feeding it medicated food. (General Cure + Focus to bind it.)
Another possibility is flukes, which you typically won't see directly but can lead to the fish being pale and wasting away.
You diagnose flukes by doing a freshwater dip and seeing if anything drops off (flatworms that look like sesame seeds.)

I will try a FW dip and let you know the results.

There isn't any white stringy feces.

Stege_saurus · Jul 15, 2019

Im not 100% sure this is flukes, but im not an expert either.

rkpetersen · Jul 15, 2019

I'm not 100% sure from that pic either, but if those came off the fish, they're flukes.
Not a lot of them; maybe why the fish isn't too sick yet.

Here's a closeup of a lot of them:

Here's how they look on a fish, when you can actually see them:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/flukes-–-general-guidelines.224423/

The article recommends Prazi Pro, but I prefer using General Cure, which also contains metronidazole.

Stege_saurus · Jul 15, 2019

rkpetersen said:
I'm not 100% sure from that pic either, but if those came off the fish, they're flukes.
Not a lot of them; maybe why the fish isn't too sick yet.

Here's a closeup of a lot of them:

Here's how they look on a fish, when you can actually see them:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/flukes-–-general-guidelines.224423/

The article recommends Prazi Pro, but I prefer using General Cure, which also contains metronidazole.

I don't see anything on the fish. And that may have been in the container from the airstone. I'll keep an eye on him and treat with focus and API General Cure. If he still looks like this in a weeks time, I'll do another FW dip and see if anything is coming off.
Unless you have any other advice? Im not very good at diagnosing and treating diseases...

Stege_saurus · Jul 15, 2019

I also have a quarantine tank currently treating new arrivals with Cupramine. Would that treat both internal parasites and flukes? If so, would it be advisable to transfer him and treat him with the others?

rkpetersen · Jul 15, 2019

Copper doesn't treat flukes, so you'd have to add GC to the QT water to treat flukes, and feed the tank medicated food to treat for intestinal parasites.

Let's see if the #reefsquad has any additional thoughts on this.

ndrwater · Jul 15, 2019

I agree that the clown looks awfully thin. As @rkpetersen said, I would best guess internal parasites. Definitely a possibility on the flukes as well.
I think you have gotten good advice so far, but we can call in the big guns.. @Humblefish

rkpetersen · Jul 15, 2019

ndrwater said:
but we can call in the big guns.. @Humblefish

Unfortunately, he's no longer active here.

ndrwater · Jul 15, 2019

Well... @4FordFamily ??

Stege_saurus · Jul 15, 2019

rkpetersen said:
Copper doesn't treat flukes, so you'd have to add GC to the QT water to treat flukes, and feed the tank medicated food to treat for intestinal parasites.

Let's see if the #reefsquad has any additional thoughts on this.

So it's safe to put GC in with Cupramine?

rkpetersen · Jul 15, 2019

Denton Stege said:
So it's safe to put GC in with Cupramine?

Yes you can dose copper and GC together.
Add an extra air stone or even better a small powerhead pointing up toward the water surface to increase oxygenation.

Stege_saurus · Jul 15, 2019

rkpetersen said:
Yes you can dose copper and GC together.
Add an extra air stone or even better a small powerhead pointing up toward the water surface to increase oxygenation.

Awesome, im going to do this immediately!

4FordFamily · Jul 15, 2019

It can’t hurt to do both in this case, I can’t see anything wrong in the photo other than the fish is quite emaciated, for a clownfish.

I’d focus most on getting it fat. Whatever it eats, feed it small amounts several times per day. Don’t overfeed more than it will eat in 5 minutes each time, as it’ll foul the water and cause likely ammonia issues.

If you do mix meds, add an air stone bubbler and a small powerhead breaking the surface, as low oxygen is a common issue when mixing.

Stege_saurus · Jul 15, 2019

4FordFamily said:
It can’t hurt to do both in this case, I can’t see anything wrong in the photo other than the fish is quite emaciated, for a clownfish.

I’d focus most on getting it fat. Whatever it eats, feed it small amounts several times per day. Don’t overfeed more than it will eat in 5 minutes each time, as it’ll foul the water and cause likely ammonia issues.

If you do mix meds, add an air stone bubbler and a small powerhead breaking the surface, as low oxygen is a common issue when mixing.

Im on it. Im going to keep him in QT for a while and target feed him. I have an acclimation box he's going to stay in so I can ensure he eats when necessary.

Thank you all for your help and support! I'll keep you updated on his status as time goes on!

Lasse · Jul 16, 2019

If the fish is eating good and still as lean as the picture seems to show - I would suspect internal worms. Try to look at the part of the body that is between the eyes and the start of the dorsal fin. If it looks like it will become like a razor with time - it would indicate that too. In the same way that I think a thin white poop is not automatically a sign of internal parasites - I think that the lack of a thin white poop is not either a proof that the fish do not have internal parasites. Target feed with a food that contain anti helmit substances could be a good idea

Sincerely Lasse