Clownfish dying?

[930Reef]

Hi,

Not sure if my black ocellaris is dying, but need some advice. Just noticed it lying on the bottom on its side, labored breathing, fins shredded on the tips.

Here's the backstory, in addition to a photo.

Tank is about 6+ months old. Have a cleanup crew consisting of a skunk cleaner, a dozen dwarf blue-legs, and a couple turbos. Also have 2-3 softies, and one newly added acans.

Only other fish in the tank is a larger orange ocellaris, which has recently gotten a lot bigger and also taken up residence in my long tentacle.

The larger ocellaris is a bit of a jerk, but was nice to the small black one for the 6 weeks they've been together, and then a little cold toward him when she took up in the LTA a week ago, and now today seems to have abused him to the point of death? In one day?

I've moved him to a makeshift breeder net/basket/fuge in my sump to isolate him and let him rest. When disturbed, he swims, but struggles, and then returns to lying on the bottom and breathing rapidly.

While breathing is worse now, he's always breathed rapidly with pretty severely flared gills and a somewhat misshapen mouth. He came that way from LFS, and I didn't know any better than to ask for a different one. Guess I'm saying he wasn't always the healthiest?

Is this guy a goner? If yes or if no, what are the recommended next steps/where do I go from here? Thanks. Bummed out that the LFS sold me a possibly unhealthy $35 fish. I've since gone back and seen other unhealthy-looking stock and nems. Won't be shopping there again, but I feel bad for this guy.

Water params are all fine. I test and have LFS confirm. Tested today. All is well, including salinity, temp, phospate, nitrate, alk, calc, magnesium, etc.

Any input is always valued.

 

[D-Nak]

Looks like a goner. If you’d had it for 6 weeks, it doesn’t sound like your LFS sold you a sick or unhealthy fish. I think the female just flipped on him and beat him up. It happens all the time.

 

[930Reef]

Looks like a goner. If you'd had it for 6 weeks, it doesn't sound like your LFS sold you a sick or unhealthy fish. I think the female just flipped on him and beat him up. It happens all the time.

The more I read my original post, the more I think about how I didn't mean to sound like I blame the LFS as if it died due to being unhealthy. Just thought maybe it couldn't take much of a beating to begin with, due to it being a runt. I'm sure I'm making more out of it than I should...when nature unfolds before us in our tanks and it's good, we love it (nem hosting a clown, etc.). When nature's not so pretty, though, like in this case, I guess we have to remember that we have to take the good with the bad....

 

[j.falk]

The fish wasn't sick. The bigger (female) clown kicked the crap out of the smaller (male or unsexed) clown. D-Nak is right, it happens all the time...and yes it happens quickly. One day they'll be fine, the next it's a fight to the death. The best way to get a pair of clowns that will live peacefully long term is to buy 3 small (baby) ones and grow them up together...when a pair forms, take the third one out before the pair kill it and return it to a fish store.

 

[930Reef]

The fish wasn't sick. The bigger (female) clown kicked the crap out of the smaller (male or unsexed) clown. D-Nak is right, it happens all the time...and yes it happens quickly. One day they'll be fine, the next it's a fight to the death. The best way to get a pair of clowns that will live peacefully long term is to buy 3 small (baby) ones and grow them up together...when a pair forms, take the third one out before the pair kill it and return it to a fish store.

Very, very good to know. When I bought them both about 6-8 weeks ago, within a week of each other, they were much closer in size, with the orange one just slightly bigger. Her growth took off and, well, his didn't. Very good information; thanks so much.

I woke up this morning and the injured black one was dead. My questions going forward are these:

1. Should I just not even attempt to add another clown to this nano tank? Is she too aggressive and the tank too small for 2 to coexist? I don't want to be a jerk and put another fish in harm's way, just to be able to say I have a paired couple of clowns.

2. What about adding other fish to the tank? Will she do the same thing to other fish, or does it depend on species that I add?

3. If she's shown this behavior and I do in fact want to get a pair of clowns, should I trade her in so someone with a larger tank/more experience can take her over? I'd then start with the small ones as you said?

My biggest concern is to do what's right for the fish and the tank. This is a great hobby, and these are amazing little organisms.

I'm actually headed to Shedd Aquarium today in Chicago to check out some reef displays w/ the wife and kids. Not sure I'll tell the little ones that the little fish is gone just yet..... :sad2:

As always, thanks so much for the advice an experience that you share to help relative newbies like me.

 

[j.falk]

1. No. My advice would be to get rid of her and buy three small if you want a pair.

2. Other small fish are usually fine so long as they are not more clowns or damsels AND there is plenty of space for everyone. A clownfish's territory is 3 foot around from their "home / wherever they hang out the most" and if you do end up with a breeding pair, they can potentially attack other fish to protect their nest if they have laid eggs. This is where a good setup of rockwork comes in handy. If the clowns can't see the other fish, it really helps cut down aggression...out of sight, out of mind so to speak.

3. Yes.