Troubled Ocillaris Clown

[alaska clowns]

This is my first marine aquarium:
I have a 26 gallon bowfront tank
10 pounds of live rock
7 pounds of base rock
2-3 inches sand
I began cycling my tank in February, and 4 weeks later my tank was ready, so I added my first fish, a 2 1/2 inch ocillaris clown. I also added a feather duster. Since then I have gradually added the following: Royal gramma, 2 nassarius snails, a handful of calurpa, a 3/4 inch ocillaris, and finally a scarlet banded cleaner shrimp, and a yellow-tail blue damsel.
I change about 5 or 6 gallons of water each week, I keep the water about 80 degrees F. I have no ammonia or nitrites, and my nitrates are under 20.

Here's my Problem:
I noticed after having the damsel for about 10 days that he was stressing out the tiny clown. I attempted to catch the damsel, but was unsuccessful, and also managed to further stress the baby clown, who put his "nose in the corner" between my heater and filter intake. I put the clown in a breeder box in my tank for 2 days until I was able to catch the damsel and find him a new home at my LFS, then released the clown. Since he has been back in the tank, the little clown still keeps his fins close to his body. He still mostly swims with his nose in that same corner, and he barely eats anything. When he does come out, he swims circles in the same spot. The larger clown does not show aggression toward the smaller one. My LFS said that maybe the small clown started to become a female during the two day period he was in the breeder box, and that if the change hasn't gone too far, he'll revert back to being a male. What do you think? Is there any way I can help this poor little guy? Thank you so much for your help!

 

[dudley moray]

they won't change until sexually mature he sounds like he's still stressed he will be ok once he realizes the damsel isn't around the corner possibly some damage to fins but that should heal in time

 

[WDLV]

Re: Troubled Ocillaris Clown

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15065321#post15065321 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by alaska clowns
My LFS said that maybe the small clown started to become a female during the two day period he was in the breeder box, and that if the change hasn't gone too far, he'll revert back to being a male.

Please find a new LFS. This guy needs to put down the crack pipe.

 

[clowns101]

the LFS sounds like they have no idea what they are doing.a clownfish that is at the size of 3/4 inches will not change his sex till he reachs a total size of about 2 inches.the clown sounds stressed out from the damesel that was in the tank.i would keep an eye on the clown and see what he dose in the next few days.also i would keep an eye on ich.once the fish is stressed out their more than likely to come down with ich.

 

[rkelman]

"Please find a new LFS. This guy needs to put down the crack pipe."

LOL. +1

Your fish is stressed. Just leave him alone and he's recover on his own.

 

[WDLV]

Re: Re: Troubled Ocillaris Clown

Re: Re: Troubled Ocillaris Clown

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15067167#post15067167 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by WDLV
Please find a new LFS. This guy needs to put down the crack pipe.

Perhaps I should ellaborate on why I said this.

One, a clown that small is probably still neuter.

Two, a clown does not become female over the course of two days.

Three, they NEVER go from female back to male. They only change gender from neuter to male to female.

 

[alaska clowns]

Thank you so much for your help! I joined reef central just yesterday because I was beginning to wonder about some of the advice my LFS was giving me- unfortunately, I think the options for any other LFS are exactly 0 where I live.

The little clown has been swimming around a bit more, but is still breathing rapidly. He kind of swims slanted in the water and mostly in one place. But he's not hiding. I'm just curious.... do royal grammas get aggressive sometimes? I have not SEEN the gramma pester the clown, other than swim up and look at him- but when she does, the clown looks like he's having a cardiac arrest. Sometimes the bigger clown looks like she's "herding" the gramma away from the little guy. The info I've found says that royal grammas are peaceful, but I'm wondering if maybe I have another aggressive fish- at least, aggressive when I'm not looking? I don't think she did that before the damsel episode.

 

[rkelman]

My Royal Gramma was quite agressive until it went carpet surfing...

 

[WDLV]

He sounds like he may be sick.... Research brooklynella, amyloodinium and ick.

 

[dc]

FWIW, I'd get rid of the damsel also.

 

[alaska clowns]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15071765#post15071765 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by WDLV
He sounds like he may be sick.... Research brooklynella, amyloodinium and ick.

Thank you- I researched these and none seemed to match completely- the symptoms are rapid breathing, and swimming in one place in the middle of the water column, lack of appetite, and clamped fins. Today, however there was this new symptom: a very thin, thread or hairlike structure coming out of one side of his gills. But I haven't found any disease descriptions to match this- I called a saltwater fish salesperson in a different state and was told to give him 5 minute freshwater baths- 2 per day, and that should take care of it.... is this sound advice? Is there anything else I can do?

 

[WDLV]

There's a paracite that fits that description but he name escapes me. The one thing you can try is if you have a refractometer (not a swing arm hydrometer) you can sequester the fish and use hyposalinity (1.009) until you can diagnose it. Many paracites don't like it.