sick fish help

[OCDreefer]

I have a Black Mis-bar Clown fish (well I have two but ones in question)
He was eating fine and doing well, then in the last three days he has been hanging near the sand bed and not eating. All other fish are great and he looks great to.. All corals are great. Normally when I have had a fish act like this they get worse (and fast) but he doesn't seem to be.

Water Para.

1.25 sal
Cal 380
AK 8
Mag 1300

Nitrates
Nitrites
Pho

all zero

only semi aggressive fish is a yellow tank and he doesn't bother anyone

In my experience when a fish starts acting this way they are toast. Is there anything I can do? Has anyone had fish pull though once this type of behavior happens?

Side question: DO black clowns host RBTA?

 

[leebca]

Thanks for the information. From what I see what you'd like to do is bring the Calcium, Alkalinity, and Magnesium into balance. Though each are in their 'normal range' they need to be in balance. You'll find the chart which shows their concentrations when they are balanced in this post: What is Water Quality.

Not much information to go on. Are they wild caught fish? How long have you had them (and the one that is ill). Did they both come from the same place, at the same time? What size aquarium are they in? What are all the marine life forms in the aquarium (larger than a pod)? What are they being fed and how frequently and in what quantity? Any other symptoms -- breathing rate up? tattered or frayed fins?

There is (obviously) some stressor at work. It could be one or a combo. If the stressor isn't poison (being caught by the use of cyanide, harmful copper or other treatments, things added to the tank, poisons in the water, etc.) then you'll have to wait for another symptom. If poison is really and totally ruled out, I would move the fish to a quarantine tank. This would remove environmental stressors and be in preparation of a pathogen.

In the above mentioned link/post you'll find a discussion on poisons and other sources for water quality issues. Just because one fish is displaying a problem and the others don't shouldn't be written off as, 'It can't be a water quality problem' because all marine fishes, even ones of the same species, can react differently to the same low level of poison (either alone or in combo with other stressors).

If you like and can, include a photo. Keep offering food. Perform immediately a very large water change (over 80%) making sure you follow the large water change guidelines here: How to Make a Successful Water Change. Let us know if the water change made any change in the fish.

 

[OCDreefer]

no other symptoms. In fact he looks great. Not sure if wild or tank raised. Will call the LFS and ask. I have only had them for about two weeks. Both came form the same batch and same store. They are in a 40 breeder (with an RBTA they haven't figured to host yet). I feed Rod's food twice a day. (high end meat based food.)

In there with a

Cleaner shrimp
Baby yellow tang
very small angel
Blenny
gobies
firefly fish
leopard wrasse

maybe a water issue as I had a very small out break of red hair algae this morning.... will retest water and do a large water change ether way.

 

[OCDreefer]

update: after five days of not eating and hanging in the sand bed, clown has made a full recovery

 

[jag3534]

Hey, an out there idea, But when we got our fist set of clowns one of them did the same thing that you're describing, and after a few days did die. And the thing that I was told is when a new pair are introduced, one has to become the female, and maing this switch can be hard on them, and sometimes they don't make it. And when this happened with ours, it was between one and two weeks after we had them. So Idunno, food for thought. And I'm glad your clown made it!