Clownfish help stressed or sick?

[matty0206]

6 days ago I purchased a pair of picasso clowns from my lfs. I brought them home and floated them for right around 30 minutes then added them to the tank. The fish were doing great, playing in the current, eating, and all over the tank. 2 days ago i got my new mp-10 and hooked it up in the tank, in doing so I realized I needed to move a few things around due to flow. Since I worked in my tank the clown fish have stopped coming out. They stay in one place all day and swim up and down breathing very heavily. I also noticed their gills splayed out a bit and one of them has a series of white raised dots along it's lateral line. They both seem thin also. The funny part is they seem to calm down when the light turn out for the night, however they don't leave the bottom corner of the tank where they are all day. The one with the white dots is still eating well and the other will eat when I feed misyd but not pellets.
I have tested the water and nitrites and ammonia are 0. Nitrate is at 2.5 on a red sea test kit. PH is 8.4, temp is 77-79, salinity is at 1.026 or 35ppm and there is no stray voltage in the tank. I tested with a volt meter.
I did a 5 gallon water change and will do another tomorrow. The tank is a 40b with a sump and over sized skimmer. I use ro/di water that I test every time I use and is always 0 TDS.
Anybody have a clue what is wrong with them? Are they just stressed or showing signs of a disease? I have a spare tank and all the parts to set up a QT but don't want to stress them more by moving them.
I called the LFS today and the owners son said they are tank bread locally and the guy they got them from had them for 2 years. This I don't believe because they are still small. He said it sounds like a parasite or stray voltage, the reason I used a volt meter and tested the tank.

Thank you for any help

 

[h2so4hurts]

The first two clowns I ever got did that for a week too. They seemed to snap out of it. They'd both just sit behind a rock, not eat, and bob up and down. Sorry I don't have any advice for you.

 

[matty0206]

I hope these guys snap out of it. I went last night and bought some rid-ich with formaline and an air pump just in case. I'm going to keep an eye on them.

 

[h2so4hurts]

I'd hold back on treating them until you see spots. Crypto isn't a super fast killer. Although crypto can infect the gills, it rarely presents without also showing signs on the fish's body.

BTW, you said you floated them. Did you also water acclimate them? Like, did you float them with holes poked in the bag to match pH and salinity of the tank and bag water?

I also hope this is a QT tank and not your main display.

 

[matty0206]

I have always just floated fish and never had an issue. I have also never used a qt, so I am learning all kinds of lessons with this go around. Sucks but I guess that is how you learn. I now have a qt/hospital tank set up. I will leave these guys for a bit and see what happens. The only other fish I have in the tank is a starry blennie and he seems fine. The clown fish have however gotten worse. The now have what looks like the signs of brook. I hate this and I will never not use a qt again!

 

[Reefbox]

I would probably do a big water change. You may have a spike in nitrates moving stuff around in your tank and kicking stuff up with more flow. Are the clowns eating well? Have you checked your nitrates?

 

[h2so4hurts]

Always water acclimate the fish. Salinity and pH changes can be very stressful. Most of us drip acclimate fish for an hour.

If it's brook, do a 10x rid-ich plus dip for an hour in a separate bucket immediately. 1 gallon of tank water, 5mL of rid-ich plus, and aerate the water. Then stick them in your QT with some ammolock and keep a close eye on ammonia. Do water changes as necessary.

 

[matty0206]

I would probably do a big water change. You may have a spike in nitrates moving stuff around in your tank and kicking stuff up with more flow. Are the clowns eating well? Have you checked your nitrates?

I have checked nitrates several times and the highest it has been is between 0 and 2.5. I have done 2 water changes in the last 24 hours. They are not eating pellets but will eat mysid in very small amounts.

 

[matty0206]

Here is a short video. This is how they have been for 3 days. I thought I was seeing the slime that hey would have with Brook but when they came out from under the rock I don't see it. In the video the clown in the front has the white dots along his lateral line and their fins are starting to get ragged. The one did poop and it was white but not stringy.



I may be over reacting but it sucks when my daughter keeps asking whats wrong with her fish and I want to make them better. Plus they were quite expensive and the LFS is basically refusing any help.

 

[MrTuskfish]

I agree with h2so4hurts' post #7 above. If in doubt, treat it. I can't tell much from the video. I'd Google "marine brooklynella" include images. You may better make a diagnosis. IMO & IME, the real key todiagnosing brook is peeling or sloughing skin. Plus, the fish is very obviously in trouble. Often, brook is fatal by the time its diagnosed and you don't have the luxury of time like you do with ich.

Why all the worry about nitrate? Nitrates don't hurt fish, unless (possibly) sky-high. Many FOWLR tanks are kept for years with nitrate at, say <60ppm. When you get a QT (vital, IMO), I see no reason to even test nitrate. Nitrates are bad for inverts, not fish.

However, brooklynella is really something to worry about. The med you have is ideal. I think formalin (formaldehyde) is the only cure and fish can go from normal to dead overnight. Many folks think tank-bred clowns, like yours, are immune to brook. Not so, they just are less likely to have been exposed. Once fish get into a dealers system, they are very vulnerable. If this brook; all fish will need to be treated in a QT/HT and the DT left fishless for 6+ weeks. Longer is better.

Your LFS refusal to help is one reason why I (and many, many others) buy all of my fish from online dealers; places like LA will help and have a 15 day guarantee. The LFS may want to help; but most are simply lacking the info to do so. Too bad; years ago, the LFS was THE source for info, not anymore.

 

[matty0206]

Would it be safer for the fish since I am not sure what they have to use the rid-ich at the recommended dose in a qt? Will a dip like mentioned above hurt the fish if they don't in fact have Brook?

 

[matty0206]

I decided not to move them because I tried to catch them and could not. I was just stressing them out. Funny thing though, they still have no skin issues other than the small white dots along the one fishes side. I managed to get them both to eat also, I spot fed them mysid soaked in Kent garlic x.

 

[h2so4hurts]

I do that dip on all of my new fish.

 

[matty0206]

So when I do the dip, how careful do I need to be none of the dip water gets in my display tank? Will the water clinging to the net hurt the inverts in the display? Should I transfer them into clean saltwater then back to the display?

 

[Reefbox]

How much flow do you have in that tank from the video? Is the water getting oxygenated enough? That's good that they are eating.

 

[matty0206]

I am using an mp-10 on reef crest at full speed. I also have a 400gph return from the sump with the return pointed at the surface. I think it is enough but I am beginning to think they are suffering from something other than brook or ich. I have tested all params and they test fine. All other inhabitants are doing great including the starry blennie. Could it be ongoing shock from not acclimating them properly?

 

[Reefbox]

If you can I would try to add more flow/ oxygen and see what that does. It almost looks like they are swimming to much and stressing. Keep them eating.

 

[matty0206]

I have a tunze 6015 that i modded to double the flow that I used before I got the mp-10. Do you think that would be to much flow to add that back? That would add about 750gph to the flow in the tank. This trouble did seem to start when I added the mp-10 and removed the tunze.

 

[Reefbox]

I would definetely add the tunze or some other flow. Flow is good. I bet they liven right up.

 

[matty0206]

Holy crap! I added it back in and they are all over the tank. Still breathing hard but definitely more active. I have the tunze about 8 inches below the water opposite side from the mp-10 pointed straight up.

I knew I should have got the mp-40.