HELP! CLOWN MIGHT DIE!

[TimmyG]

So I noticed the other day that my clown fish was getting very skinny. I have been watching him and he is eating still but not putting on weight. I was thinking that he might have a parasite now and that it might be sick.

today when I woke up I looked at the tank and the clown was swimming very funny. what should I do about this? should I try to treat him or is it probably to late?

poor little guy!
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z241/King_timby/IMG_0004.jpg
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z241/King_timby/IMG_0006.jpg

[hypertech]

If he is eating - can you feed him more?

IIRC - you haven't had this clown all that long and the other you got with him perished quickly. Has he been on a steady decline since you got him?

[TimmyG]

If he is eating - can you feed him more?
I don't think I want to put more food in there because I have been putting a lot more in when I saw him loosing weight.


IIRC - you haven't had this clown all that long and the other you got with him perished quickly. Has he been on a steady decline since you got him?
well I have had him for almost a month and a half. he was in my 29 gallon for about a month before I moved everything into a 55 setup. I was thinking maybe something nasty might have come out when the move occurred. it had only been this last week that it had been noticeable. all the other fish and coral have been very happy with their new home.

[BonesReef]

Timmy,

I never like to say that its to late...but he does not look good. In that second picture he looks to be takin over by that urchin...

Its always hard to tell someone this...but the cost and time to help make him better does not out weight the cost of purchasing a new healthy one.

IF you do indeed want to try to keep him going....there are a few questions we need to know.

1) When was the last time you saw him consume food?
2) Does he have white-stringy poop?
3) Are all his fins clamped close to his body?
4) What other fish do you have in the tank with him?

Thanks,
Brandon

[TimmyG]

1) When was the last time you saw him consume food?

he was still swimming fine yesterday and came out to eat with the rest of the fish. he did eat that day.


2) Does he have white-stringy poop?

no stringy poop that I have seen.


3) Are all his fins clamped close to his body?

fins are all fine, they don't even have anything missing from them.


4) What other fish do you have in the tank with him?

the only fish in there are all Damsels. I have the one Urchin and one Anemone. other then that is just some cheap corals.

[TimmyG]

In that second picture he looks to be takin over by that urchin...

p.s. he didn't even come in contact with the urchin, it just looks like he did in the pic. the urchin seems to keep to himself and goes into hiding during the day.

[BonesReef]

I would treat his food with garlic...this can be purchased at petsmart..or any LFS. This should help him from the inside out. Anything external that looks wrong on him?

[Skip]

Stress from too many damn Damsels?

[TimmyG]

Stress from too many damn Damsels?

only 4 of them in a 55 so i don't think thats the case! he was living happy with all 4 of them in a 29 gallon too!

[TimmyG]

I would treat his food with garlic...this can be purchased at petsmart..or any LFS. This should help him from the inside out. Anything external that looks wrong on him?

his coloring is off, not much but around his fins are looking discolored. I don't know if he will still be eating with the way he was swimming but he has been remove from the tank back into the 29 gallon alone! I also treated him with some parasite medication. I'll pick up that garlic on the way home from petsmart.

[BonesReef]

It does not sound good for the little guy....:(

If he is already swimming funny it may be all to late.

Keep us posted

[Chad Vossen]

my male clownfish had a very similar problem as yours. ate a lot of food but kept getting skinny. never really noticed stringy poop either. i removed both my clowns and put them into a 10 gal tank and treated them with parasite meds (internal).

things quickly turned around for my male clownfish and today he is actually kinda a fatty.


even if the issues isnt internal parasites, well then at least you tried. but im sure it is.

[mtfatwork]

Same thing happened with my Scotts Fairy Wrasse. By the time I noticed it was too late (not to mention there was no way to catch him in my tank). He had been in the tank for 2 months and it was only a week or two before when I noticed he was thinning, so my bet would definitley be on parasite, and he could have had it all along :)

[TimmyG]

well I pulled him out and put him into an extra tank but sadly he didn't make it. one thing I was worried about was do I need to worry that the parasite might have moved onto any of my other stuff in my tank?

[FastFish720]

It's hard to tell from the picture, but it almost looks like it has Brooks.

[wolrey]

Sorry to hear you lost him. By the time they are swimming erratically, there isn't much to be done.

Jeff