Haddoni digesting saddle?

[Flightpipe]

I have a Large Green Haddoni Carpet and two 2 1/2" saddle back clown and the larger of the two looks like she went into a meat grinder. Both were fine at 8pm I fed the tank like usual at 8:20pm I was watching tv just now and the large saddle looks horrible at 8:40pm.

She is breathing heavily has frayed fins missing a center section of her tail fin what looks like damage to her tail (the body before the fin) and is discolored hanging around the top of the tank and acting crazy and hurt swimming poorly. No other fish are out of the norm the nem looks same as always, all other coral and inverts are fine. I turned off my lights and powerheads so only my return is running to lessen her stress and effort to swim. The other saddle looks just fine and is acting normal other than being worried about his buddy

Both clowns frequently lay, rub on, and, generally harassing the haddoni even going completely in its mouth for a couple seconds at a time so I do not think its stinging. If a clown went into the mouth and got lost (I know how it sounds) during its feeding response (carpet was not fed but did catch some rods food) could it get hurt by the nem trying to feed?

the only other thing i can think of is it swam into a active (ie turned on and flowing) power head I have 2 korrilla's (sp) They are they biggest fish next to a medium yellow tang that they have always got along with. they have been fine in the nem and tank for at least 5-6 + months now as well. I am going to be so sad if I lose my clown. Any comments are welcome.

 

[Flightpipe]

It could have been a fight between the saddle the slightly smaller on is picking on the larger injured one. They have been together for 5+ months with no fights if anything the larger one bossed the slightly smaller one around ugh she is still looking rough nit swimming much but still upright and breathing

 

[ssavader]

Any chance you have a Mantis Shrimp that you have not seen yet? Sounds like quite a beating!

 

[Flightpipe]

Tank has been up for nearly 2 years so I highly doubt anything predatory she is sitting upright on the sand breathing looks better all lights are off there is not a scratch on the other clown or any other fish. Could a fight be that onesided? She is and has always been the larger more dominant of the two to the Pointaof kicking the other out of the nem ect. I am a lil more optimistic about her making it but she is in bad shape

 

[timmmysli]

I had a sick clown years back that nearly ended up as carpet anemone food. The carpet grabbed it like it was food and seriously damaged the clown roughing up one side of the fish. I ended up pulling the fish out of the anemone but it was too late by that stage.

Maybe the clown was a bit sick and had lost its coating thats what happened with one of my clowns.

 

[Flightpipe]

he looked 100% at the beginning of the time line listed in the first post. she is still alive and looks horrible I am glad she made the night but I don't know if it will matter. I really dont think this damage was sustained in a fight with the other clown.

 

[Flightpipe]

Kinda blurry but show the damage, also the only new thing i have added in a long time other than frags is a deer cowrie and they are grazers.

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

Poor thing! I suppose it's possible that then carpet tried to eat it. They will eat fish from time to time. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/cptanembehfaqs.htm

 

[Flightpipe]

Very true they are fish eaters, however these are established clowns that have been acclimated to this Haddoni for an expended period of time and I have seen them do just about everything a fish can do to be in on or around the Haddoni. On top of which the Haddoni / Saddleback combination is a natural hosting situation for them. I am wondering if the feeding response of a Haddoni triggers a more potent reaction on the inside of the anemone that would have the potential to expose a clown that swam inside it during a feeding response to a greater amount or more aggressive stinging/digestion. I can not think of how this happened to her. She is still hanging in there but as the pics show its rough.

 

[tufacody]

Can we get a clearer picture?

 

[Flightpipe]

Ill try its rough getting one.

 

[patriots81]

what are your water parameters?

 

[Flightpipe]

Everything it dead on sg 1.026 ph8.2 alk 11 cal 410 mag 1420 amm nitrite nitrate all 0 temp steady 80 deg lights 8 bulb 54w t5ho good bulbs

sorry this is a lil roughy it's from my iPhone

 

[Flightpipe]

Update: I thought that the carpet trying to eat a saddleback clown or having a more aggressive feeding response was a little thin of a theory but hey I thought there was no way it was the smaller clown.

Well it was.........The smaller clown which was added second which was submissive to the larger clown that was there first that got along for all those months..........did it. i turned on the blues to feed the tank and the smaller one when strait for the larger wounded clown and went straight for the tail like the pictures show. I really dont know what to say about it, after 45 minutes I caught the smaller clown and put it in the sump so the larger can recover and hopefully reestablish territory. ugh I almost wish it was the haddoni who did it. I am still not sure it the larger will make it.

 

[patriots81]

that is odd. maybe you added another female?

 

[Flightpipe]

That have been together perfectly for a min. of 5 to 6 months now this if I added two females they would have fought instantly.

 

[clownaround2]

I am sorry about your clown. Hope she pulls through. It's always so sad to witness a fish in distress.

 

[SNAKEMANVET]

I bought a pair of wc onyxes that had been together for a year,placed them in their new home,they tore into each other,had to seperate for a week,then placed them together and now they are doing fine.They are strange sometimes.Hope your clown pulls through.

 

[Flightpipe]

Thanks for yalls well wishes, I hope she makes it too I am concerned about infection now. If she does do ok it is gonna take a while for her to get back to 100% before I would be willing to even think about putting the smaller saddle back in. I am worried about the smaller jumping out of the sump if it has to stay there for a long time. Why cant reefkeeping be easy!!!!!!!

 

[clownaround2]

Than everybody would do it. Yeah, there is always something to worry about. In my tank, if everything goes well, I mess it up. Either with adding a new fish, moving things around etc. Without any problems, I guess wouldn't be challenging enough. Who wants to see fish swimming around all day? Keep us posted...