Is something wrong with my clown?

[badstorm48]

He seems to be breathing fast today. I got him a week ago and some change. I put in some snails and some hermit crabs today so idk if they are stressed out from me messing with the water a good bit today for like a little over an hour. He's just sitting at the bottom now and has been for a little bit, usually they stay at the top of the tank. I did turn the lights on a little bit ago because if they were stressed from earlier. So, I turned the lights off to help them relax. I just really want to make sure that he is okay and if not then I want to help him and make him happy. This just started today. Hers a couple pics that I took back to back to see if maybe y'all can see something I don't.

 

[badstorm48]

Here's just a pic of my tank.

 

[Humblefish]

Let's first be sure this isn't being caused by an environmental factor, as your tank looks new. How long has your tank been setup? Is it cycled? Can you test pH and ammonia for us? Nitrites too?

 

[badstorm48]

I got my water tested 2 days ago nothing in it 0 on everything. My tank has been up for a month now. For the most part it is cycled or just got done cycling. I started my tank with live everything to cut down on the cycling time. I get my water from my lfs so that I know the water is good and the salinity is good. I am taking it slow as to what I am adding to the tank since that is what my lfs recommended so I just follow what he says so I don't mess something up. We are starting with the hardier fish and going from there. I did have a damsel and cardinal fish that I had in there from day 2 of the tank and they did fantastic in there extremely bright colors eating like no tomorrow.

I posted a video on youtube of the fish so maybe that it would make it easier to see how the fish was acting. Here is the link.

 

[badstorm48]

Let's first be sure this isn't being caused by an environmental factor, as your tank looks new. How long has your tank been setup? Is it cycled? Can you test pH and ammonia for us? Nitrites too?

 

[Humblefish]

I did have a damsel and cardinal fish that I had in there from day 2 of the tank and they did fantastic in there extremely bright colors eating like no tomorrow.

What happened to the damsel & cardinal? Are they still in there?

 

[melypr1985]

I'm very sorry about your clown. I have a few questions also... You said you "did" have a damsel and cardinal. Do you still have them? I'm assuming you didn't QT those fish nor the clowns... is this correct?


lol... edit to say that me and humble were wondering the same thing at the same time!

 

[Humblefish]

Great minds, Meredith! Great minds!

 

[badstorm48]

No I traded them in for the clown fish and no I didn't quarantine them.

 

[badstorm48]

I'm very sorry about your clown. I have a few questions also... You said you "did" have a damsel and cardinal. Do you still have them? I'm assuming you didn't QT those fish nor the clowns... is this correct?


lol... edit to say that me and humble were wondering the same thing at the same time!

I got rid of the damsel and cardinal fish and traded them for the clowns and no I did not quarantine either of the fish.

 

[melypr1985]

He looks stressed. the female is apparently not yet affected. Is he eating? Does he do anything else like flashing, rubbing or scratching?

You could do one of two things.
1. Feed Selcon or some other vitamin and wait and see what happens. (assuming he is still eating)
2. Take them both out to QT and we can discuss further treatment options. Really though, it will be hard to pinpoint without more symptoms appearing.

The third option and one I would suggest strongly is a freshwater dip. If after the dip he is breathing and acting better than we can go from there.

 

[melypr1985]

Freshwater Dip: Provides temporary relief for Brooklynella, Flukes, Marine Velvet disease (Amyloodinium); possibly even Ich & Uronema marinum (both unproven). Can be used to confirm the presence of Flukes.

How To Treat - Fill a bucket with RODI water, and use a heater to match the temperature to the water the fish is coming from. Aerate the water heavily for at least 30 minutes prior to doing the dip, then discontinue aeration while performing the dip. Fish aren’t overly pH sensitive for short durations like this, but you can squirt a little tank water into the dip just before the fish goes in to help bring it up.

Place the fish in the freshwater (FW) dip and observe closely. It is not unusual for them to freak out a little at first. Also, tangs are notorious for “playing dead” during a FW dip. The important thing is to watch their gills; they should be breathing heavily at all times during the dip. If breathing slows, it’s time to exit the dip. Dip the fish for no longer than 5 minutes. Multiple dips may be done, but it’s important to give your fish a day to recuperate in-between dips.

For flukes, use a dark (preferably black) bucket so you can see if tiny white worms fall out of the fish (especially out of the gills) at around the 3-4 minute mark. The worms will settle to the bottom, so you can use a flashlight to look for them there as well.

Pros - Provides temporary relief for a wide range of diseases in a chemical free environment. Can “buy you more time” until a proper treatment can be done.

Cons/Side Effects - Not a permanent “fix” for any disease, as FW dips are not potent enough to eradicate all of the parasites/worms afflicting the fish. Some fish can have an adverse reaction to a FW dip by appearing unable to maintain their equilibrium once returned to the aquarium. If this happens, hold the fish upright (using latex, nitrile or rubber gloves), and gently glide him through the water (to get saltwater flowing through the gills again). It is also a good idea to place the fish in an acclimation box until he appears “normal”.

 

[Humblefish]

^^I recommend the FW dip as well. At least we can confirm/rule out the presence of flukes (notice the section in red).

 

[badstorm48]

He was eating this morning but after putting in the snails and hermits he started acting weird. How would I get some RO/DI water? I don't have a system to make it yet which is Another reason why I get my water from my lfs. Is distilled water the same thing? Sorry if it's a stupid question. I am just trying to learn what's what and am really just starting to really understand everything but just scratched the surface. Unfortunately I won't be able to do anything tonight so if he is still acting weird I'll find some RO/DI water and dip him like you said. Now with the female should I do the same or only if she is showing the same symptoms?

 

[badstorm48]

Also just to do it I will bring another sample of water just to 100% rule out the water. It is time for a water change as well on Saturday but I'll prob do it tomorrow since we may get some snow on Saturday. In South Carolina if we get a centimeter of snow everything closes so that's why.

 

[melypr1985]

You can use distilled water. That's fine.

 

[Humblefish]

He was eating this morning but after putting in the snails and hermits he started acting weird. How would I get some RO/DI water? I don't have a system to make it yet which is Another reason why I get my water from my lfs. Is distilled water the same thing? Sorry if it's a stupid question. I am just trying to learn what's what and am really just starting to really understand everything but just scratched the surface. Unfortunately I won't be able to do anything tonight so if he is still acting weird I'll find some RO/DI water and dip him like you said. Now with the female should I do the same or only if she is showing the same symptoms?

You can use distilled, that is fine. Or even tap water so long as you use a dechlorinator like Prime to neutralize any ammonia/chlorine in the water.

 

[badstorm48]

Well unfortunately my clown fish died last night. I took him and a water sample to my lfs today and I had a little high salinity level of 1.025, but my mom bought a smelly thing that puts out a vapor of some kind and you can put lavender and stuff in it. Well it was used once and I saw that my water looked like someone poured gas in it. I saw it last night but didn't think about it until my lfs asked if it had it. So, he said something about it looked like he had a parasite in him or something. So, I did a water change and did a slow dip of the water into the tank. Since his salinity was 1.020 it will hopefully balance out the salinity levels. I also added a Polly filter into the the hob filter and put the rest in the tank to soak up any of that oil crap and anything else that's bad. Since doing the water change a little over 4 hours ago I have not seen a oil look at the top of the water. I am hoping everything will be okay and my mom said she will return the air things. Very sad day and a feeling of defeat.

I have decided to halt putting anymore live stock into my tank for right now and have decided to work towards the maintenance part of the tank. I'm going to by a new stand where I can put a sump in it and do all that and when I finally get that set up and my tanks good I will start adding livestock to my tank again. I feel with what I have it isn't the best for my fish and having a sump and all that will make the hobby easier to enjoy. Now it's just figuring out how to move a 200 pound aquarium to a new stand without breaking or damaging anything

 

[fishroomlady]

so sorry about the clown sounds like you have a good plan - you'll have to empty the tank for the transfer - you will love a sump. it's a good thing that you removed the vapor thing - one never knows if something gets into the water that can cause harm. Your other clown is very vibrant in color and looks healthy

 

[Humblefish]

I'm sorry to hear of your loss. In addition to what you're already doing, I suggest running carbon to remove any toxins.

And when you go to move the tank, be sure it is completely empty. Even just sand and a little bit of water can break your tank when you try to move it. In fact, moving sand is a bad idea as you can release sulfates into the water by doing that.