Sick clown?

[Washburn82]

I have had my clowns for 5 months now i think. When i bought them they were already paired and one was clearly the female (much larger) For the 5 months i have had them they were fine. No problems at all. Very curious and funny fish to watch. Lately the female (larger one) seems maybe to be getting sick. She is breathing heavily and swimming very weird. (all over the place near the top, the bottom upside down, sideways and vertically) today since i had the day off i have been watching her she is hugging the sandbed kind of lying sideways on it.Also she appears to me to be getting pale. The problem is since she is so vulnerable in this state, the male is getting much more aggresive towards her. Not letting her rest and constantly harrasing her. For the time being i removed her gave her a 3 min freshwater dip and placed in her a slighlty reduced water salinity. Although she doesnt seem to be getting any better. my concern is if she does die, how do i go about re-introducing a new one to my old male, without a battle occuring. I hope she does make it. just preparing for the worst. Anyone had any similar occurances>?
p.s my male and goby both are fine no heavy breathing or anything. Just the one female.

Water Parameters
Temp- 79
Salinlty- 1.024
Ph- 8.2
Ammonia-0
Nitrite-0
Nitrate- 20 ppm

 

[NanoReefer]

if she dies, add a significantly different sized one wither smaller or larger

 

[JustinsReefTank]

+1 Nano. But hope it all works out in the long run and you can save her!!

 

[little_fish]

Doing a freshwater dip and then placing her in a lower salinity bath is only going to stress her out further and wont address the issue.

Next time, i would move the other clown and giver her a chance to recover. If she is still eating, the odds are good of recovery. If she isnt, causing more stress wont help her case.

 

[Washburn82]

I dont think leaving her in the tank untreated will solve anything. Wont that only be the issue if in fact it is stress? It seems more like a parasite issue to me. She could barely stay afloat. I read fresh dips and lower salinity have the ability to kill off parasites due to pressure or something like that. I dont think she originally got like this due to stress. It was something else. Regardless she is resting in her own tank now. She doesnt look good still but at least she isnt getting hassled by the male anymore. And no she hasnt been eating for about 3-4 days now. But my peppermint shrimp was prego and i thought maybe she was eating on the eggs or something.

 

[little_fish]

When fish are stressed, the immune system drops, allowing for parasites and disease to take out. Even if stress isnt the original issue causing more stress by exposing the body to all the different conditions is just as damaging to the fish as its to the parasite. If she has enough parasites to effect her, doing a freshwater dip wont deal with all the parasites, and the parasites have to be directly on the outside of the gills or scale - otherwise they wont be exposed to freshwater to cause them to die.

If you are going treat, you need to identify the possible cause (bacterial, fungal, environmental etc) pick the appropriate treatment, and then treat in a separate tank.

 

[Washburn82]

I see. I just dont understand how she was fine for 3-4 months. Then, in the same exact environment became stressed. I keep a close eye on my params nothing has fluxuated drastically. But thanks for the advice i hope there isnt a next time but if there is i'll try that method. Her fins and mouth look very pale to me and she has a hard time staying upright. Sad to see.

 

[little_fish]

This site a pretty awesome resource for identifying what is going on

Fish Disease, Diseases of Fish, Medications & Fish Health Treatments


And sometimes it can be impossible to identify what is going on. She might have always had a low level infection of something and over time it has just overwhelmed her ability to keep it at bay.

 

[Washburn82]

Thanks little_fish i was searching all day online looking for a hopeful cure the thing is all the symptoms of most of the parasties/diseases she has. Ill def check out that site. ty

 

[little_fish]

Sure, another great resource is this book:

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Marine-Fish-Health-Feeding-Handbook/dp/1890087955]Amazon.com: The Marine Fish Health & Feeding Handbook: The Essential Guide to Keeping Saltwater Species Alive and Thriving (9781890087951): Bob Goemans, Lance Ichinotsubo, Matthew L. Wittenrich, Gerald Bassleer, Martin A. Moe: Books[/ame]

 

[Washburn82]

after alot of reading i believe it is a bladder problem. Hence, her swimming all over the place. This from what i understand can come from constipation from feeding or eating too much. Or parasties. I tried feeding her a pee this morning i read they are high in fiber and can help with that. She hasnt eaten or still wont eat for 3-4 days now. As i type this she is lying sideways on the sand. i dont know what to do really. Her colour is definitely brighter then it was yesterday. But no improvement in any other way. Poor fishy.

 

[Washburn82]

Forgot to update. She made a full recovery and is back with her buddy. She looks great and healthy and active again. :D not sure what i did but im glad shes better.