OCY Clown staying on sand bed not looking good

[thelawnwrangler]

I tested parameters ammonia and nitrite 0; Nitrate 20; Temperature 78.3.

I will test salinity after post.

I shut lights hopefully to reduce stress.

Possible reason fish is stressed 10 of 36 gallon water change 2 days ago. I used a heater but should have tested temp BC it caused about a 2-3 degree temp drop. Salintiy looked same between display and replacement water. That said fish looked happy yesterday.

Other concern other juvenile clown nips a little, but hard to judge how bad it is or stressing the clown.

My main question is there test or something I should be doing to ease fish stress?

 

[Sapelo]

Also how long have you had the fish? How old is your tank? What were your QT procedures?

 

[thelawnwrangler]

Also how long have you had the fish? How old is your tank? What were your QT procedures?

Had the fish for a week. Tank is a month old. QT -none. These are the only planned fish.

 

[DasCamel]

Post a good pic. Need more info on tank parameters also. I doubt it's the temperature drop, clowns deal with worse on shallow reefs.

 

[thelawnwrangler]

I am thinking the other clown picked on him too much. Fins looked worse then I thought.

 

[gone fishin]

Some times the mating dance can be pretty brutal and the female will just kill the male off.

 

[thelawnwrangler]

Some times the mating dance can be pretty brutal and the female will just kill the male off.

I told them they were too young for that stuff

So seriously you think that is what is even with them being so young?

What should be my game plan? I the no wait and see for one, but I guess let her get established and get her a male that will submit in a few months?

 

[gone fishin]

I told them they were too young for that stuff

So seriously you think that is what is even with them being so young?

What should be my game plan? I the no wait and see for one, but I guess let her get established and get her a male that will submit in a few months?

Nothing obvious jumps out from the pic to me. You mentioned the fins looked picked on, so setting the pecking order may have been a factor. Nature culling the weak.

You could try waiting or get another smaller than the female. I think either way it will be up to the female if she accepts the male.

 

[gone fishin]

Is that a maroon female? If so they can be a bit more aggressive than the ocellarus.

 

[thelawnwrangler]

Is that a maroon female? If so they can be a bit more aggressive than the ocellarus.

It was sold as a Percula misbar (maybe blood orange lol)

I could get another one - maybe she won't kill her own

She is only about an inch long I thought I had a fee months before they hit puberty

 

[thelawnwrangler]

Are there other things I should look for

She seems to look healthy

 

[gone fishin]

It looks like you did everything right. sometimes I think clowns can be tough to pick they can have some goofy behavior. The one thing I like to do is ask the LFS if they can feed the fish, at least I know it will eat.

BTW one inch does seem a bit early for puberty.

 

[thelawnwrangler]

It looks like you did everything right. sometimes I think clowns can be tough to pick they can have some goofy behavior. The one thing I like to do is ask the LFS if they can feed the fish, at least I know it will eat.

BTW one inch does seem a bit early for puberty.

He seemed to eat well. I think other thing to consider is I am struggling feeding right amount. Maybe I caused a little spike although seems like I am grasping at straws. Last water change some of my rock was out of water for 5 minutes at most. Maybe there was a spike there?

Might just be one of those things.

 

[gone fishin]

Yeah it could just be one of those things. young fish can be tough as well, maybe it was weak, not fully developed, been picked on in a holding tank.

Folks often search for a reason sometimes and it is just the fish's time.

 

[thelawnwrangler]

So tested water at fish store it all looked good (am and rite 0, salinity 1.020, pH 8.2, and rate 20ppm). I think it was a combination of stuff, but mainly my clownfish's time. A poor water change by me probably stressed by temperature change (2 degree delta), maybe salinity delta although it looked pretty close, and lastly getting picked on. That said he looked good for 24 hours after water change, and was always an eater.

Ended up picking up a star polyp frag $9 let's see what happens (I like them for the it will take over your tank crowd)

Also found a nice Ocy (although looked Perc to me) that doubled my bully's size. Bully isn't a bully anymore he has a gf. Did a submissive shake really cool to see, and now follows new ocy like a lost puppy.

That said if anybody see something I did let me know I will correct.

 

[gone fishin]

Good luck this time around. I was just responding to a pm about small young fish. They can be touchy. I don't know if immunity has not built up, just weak, more susceptible to tank changes or a combination.

 

[ZeeSparrow]

I had a similar experience with my first clown. The best guesses here were that it as likely sick from the beginning and succumbed to brook, which killed it really fast. A couple weeks after the first one passed, the second one (who had been eating and I thought was doing well) was gone overnight. He never showed any symptoms. Just gone.

I bought a second pair that were older and looked better from the very beginning, who have been doing great for months now.

Good luck!

 

[thelawnwrangler]

Thanks for support

I am going to look up brook. He went from looking good to dead in a few hours. I will miss him he was a beautiful vivid.

I am optimistic now that it is clear who the female is going to be. My misbar has fallen right in line now that he has a gf. The lady of the tank isn't nipping him she knows she is the boss.

 

[thelawnwrangler]

Reading about Brook

My other fish is SOL if that is what it was?

Glad I got a frag BC I might be going fallow soon.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Sorry for your loss.

Where are the pictures of the new fish?