Royal Gramma Dying?

[CarolineJ]

Hi all! I just bought a royal Gramma yesterday. He looked healthy in the pet store and I've always had great luck there. I acclimated him appropriately but this is what he is doing now. And I see it looks like his color is fading or possible white patches on his side. I check my parameters about every 2-3 days and they're always good minus my phosphate which was last 0.12. I just got home from work and am panicked so I'm going out to get a QT to get him out of there in case it's something communicable. Looking for advice please! I don't want him to die . I'll recheck parameters and post when I get back from the store.

 

[MnFish1]

Hi all! I just bought a royal Gramma yesterday. He looked healthy in the pet store and I've always had great luck there. I acclimated him appropriately but this is what he is doing now. And I see it looks like his color is fading or possible white patches on his side. I check my parameters about every 2-3 days and they're always good minus my phosphate which was last 0.12. I just got home from work and am panicked so I'm going out to get a QT to get him out of there in case it's something communicable. Looking for advice please! I don't want him to die . I'll recheck parameters and post when I get back from the store.

Its best to post the video to YouTube and then here - If you look in my signature, there a list of things to help you answer some questions that will help solve the problem. However, problems in the fir4st 24 hours are usually damage in transit, Parameter changes (especially salinity in the LFS vs yours) disease is much less likely

 

[Reef Wizard]

I do see tattered fins and what looks like scrape marks on the side of the body. I doubt you bought him like this are the clowns being aggressive to him or anyone else perhaps.

He looks in bad shape

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

The gramma is being attacked by the pair of clowns. It may be they are too territorial, or the gramma is weakened from something and is vulnerable to being attacked.

What was the salinity of the stores tank versus yours?

Do you have a tank divider or an isolation basket to move the gramma?

 

[CarolineJ]

Thank you all for the help! I was worried about the clowns picking on him, but he seemed to do it right after we put him in the tank. I floated him for 30 mins first. I don't think they had time to pick on him before he started acting weird. He positioned himself under my Halloween urchin at one point, maybe that's where the scrapes are from. He has plenty of coves and tunnels and places to hide. I just bought another small tank, I'm on my way home to set it up and put him in there. The lfs salinity claims 1.025 and that's what mine is, but who knows how accurate there's is.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thank you all for the help! I was worried about the clowns picking on him, but he seemed to do it right after we put him in the tank. I floated him for 30 mins first. I don't think they had time to pick on him before he started acting weird. He positioned himself under my Halloween urchin at one point, maybe that's where the scrapes are from. He has plenty of coves and tunnels and places to hide. I just bought another small tank, I'm on my way home to set it up and put him in there. The lfs salinity claims 1.025 and that's what mine is, but who knows how accurate there's is.

Test the water (salinity and even PH ) and float yes, but assure upon measuring that the salinity matches that of the display tank at minimum and do not introduce any bag water into display if you did so. Additionally, this is the power of quarantining which allows you treat and observe. Clowns can do damage quickly but you will / will have seen signs of damage.
Assure your salinity tester is accurate and calibrated