Ocellaris Clown Odd behavior! Help!

[ChaseBetenson]

Hey everyone, so currently I have a 20 gallon long fowlr tank with 20 lbs of live sand, 25 lbs of live rock and a couple hermits.

I also have an occelaris clown as well as a green chromis.

Recently after my water change I did on friday, my clown has not been acting the same. He would usually swim around the tank happily and now he just hovers above the gravel and sometimes bobs sideways. Also he has been moving his mouth open and closed pretty rapidly for the past few days. He also has not appeared to eat normally.

All of my levels check out and are good, I'm not sure whats going on!

Ill post a video as soon as possible, thanks for any help!!

 

[ndz98]

Did you make sure the salinity of the new water you put in was the same as your tank water?

 

[ChaseBetenson]

Yes, I keep the salinity around 1.025 ... And the new water matched this

 

[BoneXriffic]

Temp change can shock them to?

 

[ndz98]

Temp change can shock them to?

+1. But I also was thinking it wouldn't cause him to be in shock for several days. Not really sure. Maybe [HASHTAG]#reefsquad[/HASHTAG] can help figure out the problem.

 

[twilliard]

@Humblefish any suggestions?

 

[Sabellafella]

My clowns currently havnt moved from the same spot for the past 2 years lolol its common for them to hover/ bobbing in any spot they feel comfortable aka "hosting" .as for breathing rapidly, could be flukes, could be higher level of ammonia from a wc/cleaning , could be low 02-whats your ph currently along with alk? And how has he ben eating?

 

[ChaseBetenson]

My ph is currently 8.1 and my alk is at 8.5 dkh ! I have a powerhead agitating the surface for gas exchange, an AirTube putting 02 in and a HOB filter providing O2 as well

 

[Sabellafella]

My ph is currently 8.1 and my alk is at 8.5 dkh ! I have a powerhead agitating the surface for gas exchange, an AirTube putting 02 in and a HOB filter providing O2 as well

Sounds good to me, how long have you had the little fella? Sometimes when you first get some clowns, theyll be swimming about nice and happily for the first month or 3 . Then theyll take host to almost never move from that spot again. Now im curious about how hes ben eating, if hes eating funny and breathing heavy it could possible be flukes.

 

[melypr1985]

How long have you had the clown? How long has the tank been set up?

 

[ChaseBetenson]

I have had him for about 3 months now ... I feed marine pellets and occasionally some brine every other day... I actually just fed the tank and what he will do is go after the food but won't seem to eat it. He would just spit it out. He would then after feeding go right back down to that same spot.

The tank has been up since January !

 

[melypr1985]

Did you ever see it flash or scratch itself against the sand or rocks? Would you be willing to do a freshwater dip with him? I'd like to rule out flukes with it.

 

[ChaseBetenson]

If never seen it flash or scratch!

 

[Oscaror]

This happened to me once after a water change, my clown recovered.

 

[melypr1985]

If never seen it flash or scratch!

The heavy breathing is indicative of something being in the gills preventing it from getting the oxygen it needs. Of course, maybe he's just stressed out from your water changes and is a bit of a drama queen. I had a Foxface at the store for a long time that would be fine until anybody at all walked by. Then it would shoot to the corner, display full stress colors and start breathing rapidly. I finially sold it (with full disclosure of drama queeness) and the customer came back and said it's perfectly fine now - unless you stick your hand in the tank and then it goes back into drama-mode.

My point? Fish are weird. You can still do the FW dip and that will clear out the gills some. If you see any flukes, then you know the problem... if not, then at least you helped clear out the gills and you rulled out flukes. That's progress.

 

[Humblefish]

Also he has been moving his mouth open and closed pretty rapidly for the past few days.

If this can be classified as "yawning", that is a symptom of gill flukes.

 

[ChaseBetenson]

this is what he is looking like now... I am about to try a freshwater dip... It is my first FW dip...

 

[ChaseBetenson]

He's leaning against the glass I'm not sure what to do

 

[melypr1985]

this is what he is looking like now... I am about to try a freshwater dip... It is my first FW dip...

Here's a refresher on how to do the dip. If you follow the instructions here, then you shouldn't have a problem and it will hopefully give us another clue.
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”.