Clownfish Chris
New member
I am holding a trio of fish in my qt while a friend gets his 75 gal total volume system back up to par. He has very high nitrates- off the scale on an API Test kit. Ammonia showed .25 on API and Trites were 0. I assume phosphate was very high as well.
He had 1 Occ.Clown and 1 blue damsel that I observed swimming on there side at the surface. They were not "gasping for air". The Blue damsel also appeared pale and bloated. The color of the flesh between the scaled is very pale compared to the many other healthy Blue Damsels I have seen. Apparently this has been getting worse for the last week or so.
Other inhabitants to his system are a Coral Beauty, a four stripe Damsel, a Pajama Cardinal, and last but not least a 6" Sail Fin Tang.
He asked me for help in determining his problem and possibly holding his fish. My plan of action involves water changes to bring down nutrients and finding a more appropriate home for the sail fin as well as a few other changes to take place slowly and individually. I brought home the Sail Fin, Clown, and Damsel last night to decrease stress and bioload on his system. The clown and Damsel are in a 20 gal and the tang is in a 55 on the same system.
Now for the question: The Damsel and Clown are not eating and show no changes in appearance or behavior. The clown is aggressive to the damsel as I have observed him nipping at the damsel so I plan to divide them. The tang is happier than he was and is eating fine. There are no other symptoms that I know of. What could be the problem and how should I address?
If needed, I can post pictures later.
He had 1 Occ.Clown and 1 blue damsel that I observed swimming on there side at the surface. They were not "gasping for air". The Blue damsel also appeared pale and bloated. The color of the flesh between the scaled is very pale compared to the many other healthy Blue Damsels I have seen. Apparently this has been getting worse for the last week or so.
Other inhabitants to his system are a Coral Beauty, a four stripe Damsel, a Pajama Cardinal, and last but not least a 6" Sail Fin Tang.
He asked me for help in determining his problem and possibly holding his fish. My plan of action involves water changes to bring down nutrients and finding a more appropriate home for the sail fin as well as a few other changes to take place slowly and individually. I brought home the Sail Fin, Clown, and Damsel last night to decrease stress and bioload on his system. The clown and Damsel are in a 20 gal and the tang is in a 55 on the same system.
Now for the question: The Damsel and Clown are not eating and show no changes in appearance or behavior. The clown is aggressive to the damsel as I have observed him nipping at the damsel so I plan to divide them. The tang is happier than he was and is eating fine. There are no other symptoms that I know of. What could be the problem and how should I address?
If needed, I can post pictures later.
