Clownfish Breathing Heavy/Rapidly

[GilroyC]

Good Evening All,

My tank has been up and running since 5 months and have has a pair of clownfish for around 3.5 months.

Did have an ich problem, for which the fish were in QTand the DT ran fallow for 90 days...Did I beat ich? No...my DT still has it as I have seen spots on my fish a few times in the last month or so...However, with all that said, 1 of my clownfish have been breathin heavy/rapidly for around 3 weeks...Initially, I thought it was going to die, as it never ate for 2 days and stayed in 1 location near the subtrate during this time...However, lately, he has been swimming all over the tank. Still breathing heavy though.

Prams as follows:

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5-10
Salanity 1.025
Alkalanity 9
Calcium 400
Magnesium 1200

Both my fish host the zoas in my tank.

Any idea what could it be...ich possible...Velvet or Brook would have taken them out by now, hence, don't think it's either of the 2.

Any assistance would be appreciated.

 

[GilroyC]

Just to add....along with the heavy/rapid breathing, her mouth is open as well, with swollen looking lips...it has never closed completely since I think she injured it a few months back...Also, their poop is white and string since the last month or so.

 

[vhuang168]

Actually you did get rid of ich in the DT if you left it fishless for 90 days.

I'm assuming you didn't treat the clownfish but just put them in a QT. If so, all you did was move the ich from the DT to your QT. Then after 90 days when your DT was ich free you reintroduced your sick fish back into it thus reinfecting the tank again.

Without pictures it is hard to diagnose.


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[Mishri]

ich likes to attach in the gills, so it might be that.. another possibility is flukes, those will also attach in the gills and cause rapid breathing. might also have some internal parasites - white poop.

so.. i'd remove from the tank, dose prazipro for the parasites.. and either TTM or CP for the ich. If it is flukes a dip might help, but for the internal parasites you'll need medication.

CP is also an anti-parasitic.. so t hat might also nuke the internal parasites. sometimes you have to try a few anti-parasitic unless you can ID them. I've also heard of fish dying once you kill internal parasites.. not sure if that is true, they should just pass the parasites out.. but maybe not, maybe depends on the type.

 

[GilroyC]

Evening All,

While in QT, I dosed paraguard for around 3 weeks....Then nothing for 2 weeks and another dose of paraguard for 3 weeks.

2 weeks prior to moving them into the DT, I dosed Prazipro for around 3 days. Yes, the possibility that the ich was still present is now confirmed. However, am not sure of flukes.

Now that my QT is taken down, as it was occupying too much space at home, is it possible to allow the fish to go through whatever is causing this, allowing it to fend it off itself. They're eating and swimming around fine, except for the female clown that at times behaves frantic. I was reading, that if the fish in DT having ich or flukes, go around a year or so, the possibilities of the parasite remaining in a tank is less...

That said, am not looking at ways to avoid QT, as will be setting up the QT again this weekend, however, was looking at all options, as going another 3 months in QT and fallow, not knowing what to expect at the end of it is really disappointing.

The fish show 1 or 2 salt like granules, and then nothing for maybe 2-3 weeks. They do scratch now and then, however, nothing too alarming. I was checking for Flukes, but there doesn't seem to be any kind of slimy stuff on their bodies.

Not sure what to do? Too many things going on in my mind, considering, I already went through this fallow and QT period.

 

[GilroyC]

Also, just a crazy question which comes to mind..... if fish remain in QT and don't show any signs of scratching etc for a period of 90 days(like in my case), except for say the 1st 2-3 weeks....would it not be possible for the parasite to die off or can it attach to a fish in a way, which would not cause it to show signs of infection.

 

[125mph]

I've tried paraguard... its unreliable for ich... It might work but might not.

Try the tank transfer method, takes 12 days and suppose to be almost 100% bullet proof. My own problem with tank transfer method is that if you spill over a little water from each transfer, you might be transferring ich over too.

 

[hairalgae85]

Actually you did get rid of ich in the DT if you left it fishless for 90 days.

I'm assuming you didn't treat the clownfish but just put them in a QT. If so, all you did was move the ich from the DT to your QT. Then after 90 days when your DT was ich free you reintroduced your sick fish back into it thus reinfecting the tank again.

Without pictures it is hard to diagnose.

Just another piece of evidence that "ich free" does not exist. I too have gone 108 days fallow, treated all fish ttm, and had it reappear. It is always in there


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[Dealseer]

Well there ya go!

 

[vhuang168]

My tank is ich free. As are many others.


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[Mishri]

yeah.. sounds like your fish have ich.. they may eventually die from it if left untreated.. I'd treat with either TTM or CP. The 1 year thing sounds like nonsense to me.. no studies support that theory. most of the time they'll attach in the gills and you just wont see white spots till enough overwhelm the fish or they are weakened by stress, fish that are normally weak to it will die if you add them (powder blue tang a primary example) while fish resistant such as clownfish or cardinals or dragonettes might survive even through stress.