One Clownfish breathing fast for 4 months

[hobbes51]

Hello everyone,

I run a 37 gallon system with solid parameters. I use ZEOvit and keep some SPS corals.

My Nitrate, Nitrite, and Ammonia levels are at 0, and my water quality is excellent. I use RODI water with a TDS reading of 0. I also use red sea coral pro salt.

I have 2 platinum clowns, but one is always breathing fast with his gills popping out very wide.

I have put him in QT, and treated with seachems copper, but didn't notice much of a positive change after 2 weeks.

He's been living in the display tank for about 4-5 months breathing like this. I'm not sure if he has permanent gill damage, or how to treat his current condition. He eats fine, but this rapid breathing looks stressful - his gills move much wider and more frequently than the other clownfish in the tank.

If anyone has any suggestions I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks

 

[MrTuskfish]

Hello everyone,

I run a 37 gallon system with solid parameters. I use ZEOvit and keep some SPS corals.

My Nitrate, Nitrite, and Ammonia levels are at 0, and my water quality is excellent. I use RODI water with a TDS reading of 0. I also use red sea coral pro salt.

I have 2 platinum clowns, but one is always breathing fast with his gills popping out very wide.

I have put him in QT, and treated with seachems copper, but didn't notice much of a positive change after 2 weeks.

He's been living in the display tank for about 4-5 months breathing like this. I'm not sure if he has permanent gill damage, or how to treat his current condition. He eats fine, but this rapid breathing looks stressful - his gills move much wider and more frequently than the other clownfish in the tank.

If anyone has any suggestions I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks

Possibly gill flukes (a worm) , but other fish would probably have them . Copper will usually kill flukes too. All fish should be wormed anyhow and you can do that with Prazi-Pro in the DT. ts the only med I'd ever use in a reef tank, but it will kill feather dusters.
Taking a fish from your DT to the QT an using Cu makes no sense. Copper is used to treat contagious parasites and the infected fish would be re-infected after he was returned to the DT. Two weeks of copper isn't long enouhg either, IMO & IME.

 

[hobbes51]

If I leave the display tank fallow for a 3-4 weeks, It should kill off any flukes or ich in the system - because the parasites have no host to latch onto.

I have a bottle of ParaGuard but not PraziPro.

I'll start preparing the QT for treatment.

My concern with my last treatment was that after 2 weeks I didn't notice any improvement. This time I will give it 3 weeks and try out ParaGuard.


Thanks for the advice.

 

[MrTuskfish]

A tank needs to be fallow for 10-12 weeks to rid it of ich. Two weeks is not long enough for copper to eliminate ich. Paraguard will not eradicate anything, its more of a preventative med for QTs. If you've had this fish for months and is eating; I see no reason to treat for anything other than flukes.