Clownfish tail rot Hi there. I've visited your site before and have been attached to it a lot lately. I've asked you guys (and gals) a question before about my clownfish that seemed to be dying, she was very lethargic not eating unless I put brine shrimp in the tank, struggling to swim, and her fins and tail were rotting. I told you guys that I put medicine in the tank and afterwards your advice to me was to do a water change. I did do that and she stopped struggling to swim but was still lethargic, not eating and had fin rot. I found out that my nitrates had spiked sky high (from reading your site I found out it was from algae that grew and died off while I was out of town) <Ahh!> and I did another water change. The water looks awesome and my fish is swimming around more but her tail is still rotting and just started bleeding this morning. Her fins don't look like they are rotting but are slowly turning transparent starting from the edge of the fin and moving in. The color has disappeared just past her black stripe on her fins. Oh also, the scales directly behind her pectoral fins are white, not orange. Her mate is fine though, he hasn't lost any color or acting like the female does. I have a damsel, a dwarf lionfish, <... this fish will likely consume your other fishes, and shrimp in time> and a peppermint shrimp that are all fine also. What advice can you give me to help get her better again? Thank you so much for all of your help! - Nicole <Likely the simplest, surest improvement here is to boost all fishes immune systems by supplementing/soaking their foods in a vitamin complex like Zoe, Selcon... Also, I'd place a unit of ChemiPure in your filter flow path to reduce existing pollutant levels. Bob Fenner> 

Clownfish I have a "tank-raised" false percula that appears fairly normal but not like other percula clownfish I have had in my tank. I have a 90 gal tank with lots of coral and live rock. Other fish in the tank include: (1) blue hippo tang, (1) yellow tang, (2) blue-green Chromis, (1) yellow-tail blue damsel, and (1) 6-line wrasse. All of the fish have lived together now for over 1 year and appear to all get along very well. I originally had (2) false perculas but one died mysteriously. <Happens> My question is regarding the clownfish. He (or she) has over the past few months gotten small black spots on the body. They don't seam to be protruding from the body but rather just spots, very small but in some areas dense. The fish eats like crazy and is plump; however, it doesn't really interact with the other fish except during eating. <Not atypical> I usually feed about every other day with dry flake and twice a week I feed either brine shrimp or high protein (frozen). It sleeps or stays near the bottom most of the time unless I appear at the front of the glass in which the fish then cruises to the top in hopes for food. Other perculas I've had were more active at the top of the tank. The previous percula also "homed" in a rather large leather coral in my tank. The other day I also noticed something under the fish's mouth that appeared to be like a small white skin tear (it definitely wasn't ich) but within a couple of days it was gone and hasn't reappeared. <Mmm, the spots? May be... encysted worms of some sort... Not catching to the other fishes... And to "perk" up your Clown... in this size, type system, given the other livestock listed... I would very likely add another of the same species... somewhat smaller or decidedly larger... tank-bred/reared also. Bob Fenner>   

Re: Clownfish Mouth Sorry to bother again but this opens another frame of thought and research for myself.  Is there possibly more of the isopods? <Likely not... the ones with direct life cycles will be on hosts...> Should I sit back and just observe or should I put something in the tank to take care of them?  Can cleaner shrimp take care of them? <Unfortunately not when they're large...> Thanks so much, Greg <Please do send along your notes, observations on its removal. Bob Fenner>
Re: clownfish mouth, isopod What's up, again? <I guess> Yesterday, I tried to remove the isopod from the fish's mouth. The pod did not appear as large today as it did when I sent the picture. Do these things fluctuate in size? <A little, yes... can grow, shrink depending on food availability... actually come to replace the "tongue" of fish hosts at times... Ewwwww!> Also I tried to remove what seem to be the pod twice. Both attempts failed because I could not get a good grip with the tweezers. Also, the isopod did not seem to be as hard as I thought it was. The third time I tried to remove the isopod, it was gone. Do these things move? <Yes> Could the fish have swallowed the pod? <Not likely. Wish I had remembered to mention to try this surgery outside the system... hope you did so> I fed him today and he ate, and breathing seems normal. Could this pod reappear? Any other steps I should take? <Keep your eyes open if you did this exercise over, in the main tank... the parasite might return. Bob Fenner>  

Clownfish darkening?! Hi guys <Conor> Thanks in advance for your help. I have 4 small tank raised common clownfish in my tank, with an external Ecco Eheim filter, internal filter, salinity 1.020, nitrite 0, temp 25 degrees. <I'd raise the spg...> I have had the fish only 2 weeks and notice that two of the fish have stopped eating as much and one of them has stopped eating entirely and has taken to staying in the top right hand corner and is opening and closing his mouth constantly. On the top of his body is a darkened area that is new the last 2 days. His darkening is more pronounced than the others - but all of the others have also started to get these shaded areas on the top part of their bodies. <Not good> Is this a disease? How can I treat it? <Is likely an indication of environmental stress... is your tank cycled? Please read through the many articles, FAQs files archived on WWM re Clownfish Systems, Disease...> I would be most grateful if you could help - I'm not sure where to go now! Thanks - Conor, Dublin, Ireland. <I am... WetWebMedia.com Bob Fenner>  
Re: Clownfish darkening?! Thanks for that. My tank is cycled - I had it running for a month before introducing any fish. <Still... may not be cycled> I was worried that the symptoms (the darkening on the upper part of the body) might be a sign of velvet disease? <Doubtful> The tank is fish only - no live rock and I can't see what would be stressing the fish out. They were all very active and hungry at the beginning and I have not yet done any water changes. I was going to do my first water change on Friday. My LFS can sell me a medicine for velvet which I was thinking of adding as a precautionary measure - any views? <Please read... WWM, our books, articles re...> Lastly - the fish are juveniles - if they are maturing into male/female sexes would this explain the darkening and loss of appetite? <No> Thanks again! <Keep reading... Bob Fenner>

- Clownfish Wasting - Thanks for your great site! I've learned a lot from it in the past months. I have a Tomato clown that looks like it has been pinched at the top... or is deflated. it seems to be getting worse and despite my best efforts, I can't figure out what is causing it. We feed a varied diet to her. I look forward to hearing from you with your ideas. Thank you. Michele <It sounds to me as though your clownfish has an internal parasite that is competing for food. I would try to get your hands on a medicated food, the New Life Spectrum Thera+a would be a good choice. There are more drastic measures you can take, but I'd prefer you try this first as drastic measures can have drastic results if the fish is in a weakened condition. Cheers, J -- > 

Pregnant or Constipated Clown? Hi Bob, <Yvonne> I have read many pages on your site and on other sites trying to find out what's happening to my clownfish. I am suspecting the female clown is pregnant.  How does pregnant clown look like? <Mmm, a bit round in profile...> A little background about my aquarium. It's a 40-gallon SeaClear Sys II with built in filter, etc ready for reef. <You can see my input re these rigs... the folks who own the co. are friends, but the filtration, and trying to work on these "systems" is bunk... looks like you do the "extra maintenance" here... Good!> I got that as a gift from my husband.  I have a pair of mated clown fish (wild) and a yellow mimic tang.  They all get along very well and I've have them for more than 3 years now.  All the corals are blossoming and water reading is great.  I do not have an anemone for the clowns and so I use a Hammer coral instead.  The clown fishies like it, and now the hammer coral has grown pretty big - about 10 inches wide during the day.  <All sounds great> Suddenly I noticed a big change in behaviour today.  I noticed that the yellow mimic tang's tail is bitten.  The female clown is swimming weird, with its head downward and it has a huge belly.  The male is fine and they will still swim together although the female swims kinda funny.  When I fed them, they ate like gluttons as usual.  The female can actually swim normal when it was trying to get the food but after it's done, it would swim weird again.  Occasionally it will go 'home' to the Hammer coral and hangs in there for while, and then swim about again.  The yellow mimic tang seems more shy than usual and it dares not swim near the Hammer coral now.  Could the female clown be pregnant? <Mmmm, yes> I've read that the couple clown would pick and clear a spawning ground before the eggs are laid.  I have not noticed any of this biting and picking a spot behaviour, unless they did that during the day when I was out.  <Maybe... should be down near the bottom, at the base of the coral> They seem to be very active and happy.  When I put my hand into the water, they still swim and play with my fingers as usual.  Yeah, this seems funny, I play with them :)  So everything's normal except the big belly, weird swimming style and the poor yellow mimic tang of mine with its tail bitten.  FYI, the skin of all fish look fine (no mucus, spots, no fin rot, no discoloration, etc). Could the female be pregnant? How does a pregnant clown look like? Or could it be constipated? I hope everything'll be fine soon....I hate to lose it to any kind of diseases. <Not likely constipated, but I might feed more live or defrosted/frozen small crustaceans as these have a laxative effect... and keep your eyes on the behavior... twixt the Tang and the Clowns... a forty is too small for having these together ultimately... the Tang will have to be moved. Very likely your clowns are engaging in reproductive behavior> Thanks for your great help.  Appreciate it. Keep up the good work on the website. It's so helpful. Goodnight. - Yvonne <Welcome. Bob Fenner>

Clownfish in Quarantine - II Hello again guys -  <Hello Phil> Reading through ALL of the FAQ's on clownfish, the only FAQ that remotely resembles the symptoms described in my previous e-mail calls for the use of Metronidazole (Flagyl). Is this the correct course of action to take in this instance?  <I can tell you that this medication is used for treating bacterial, fungus, and some parasitic infections. It's also being studied in the treatment of some cancers.> I have continued with the 12hr photoperiod as there is no external light in the room containing the QT tank, and have improved the fishes' diet to include krill, mussel and cockle as well as the Artemia. Any other suggestions on diet/medication would be greatly appreciated. (Please note that as these are the first fish I have ever had, and I am adamant that these fish all make it through to the main tank in good health!) Thanks once again <You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)> 

Ailing A. percula Hi, <Hello there> I think I've read every clownfish faq on your site now!! :-) But I still wanted to write because I have a mated pair of A. percula set up in a 20L for breeding purposes and the male is not looking good. I didn't want to medicate the fish before knowing what might be wrong, as the mere act of medicating could cause me to lose them, if it's the wrong medication. <You're so right> All water quality parameters are excellent, as are the Percs' invert. tankmates (pair of L. amboinensis -- who try to clean the fish, but the fish will not let them,  <Best to not have this animal here... too few "customers" and a bother to the breeders, their spawn>  some hermits and snails). Both fish ate at the LFS before I bought them (about 2 wks. ago). They were inseparable in my tank and ate some Prime Reef flake the first few days. Then, they seemed to decrease feeding frequency. I thought maybe it was the food, so I tried feeding them thawed frozen prime reef cubes and then vitamin-enriched Artemia. In the meantime, I noticed white, stringy feces from both fish, but as I've read on your site, I'm not sure if this is a sign of internal parasites or their non-feeding... <Are these wild fish? If so, they are very likely hosting parasite fauna.> The female will eat a couple of pieces of food, but for the most part they are taking in the food and then spitting it back out. This has been ongoing for about a week now. Then, yesterday, I noticed the male in the back of the tank (he's usually in the flowerpot w/the female) with a clamped dorsal fin, refusing to eat at all. So, his symptoms were clamped fin, white, stringy feces and refusing to eat. I also noticed some marks on him and I thought it was "bite-marks" from the female (she did a fair bit of chasing him initially), but now I wonder if maybe it's some necrosis? <Possibly... the environment is at least some influence... so I hope/trust it is optimal and stable> After reading a lot of your FAQs, I decided to put both fish in a FW, pH/temp adjusted bath for 15 min. Both fish tolerated the bath very well. This morning, I noticed the male's pectoral, pelvic and caudal fins are frayed and the clear area of the pectoral fins is cloudy/filmy. He was actually hanging out in the front of the tank, just outside the opening of the flowerpot (in which remained the female) -- but he is no longer clamping his dorsal. I fed them some enriched Artemia (I know, I need to get Mysis :-) ) and the female ate a few. The male did not eat at all and then the female "tried" eating more but promptly spit it back out. I've tried feeding them frozen Prime Reef, Prime Reef flake, newly hatched Artemia nauplii (from a culture I'm hoping to raise to adulthood) and vitamin E-enriched frozen Artemia. Their finickiness reminds me of my 3 year old daughter. ha ha  I'm torn because I don't know if I should medicate with Metronidazole (internal parasites?) or formalin/copper (Brooklynellosis?) or just leave them alone. They have never been real strong eaters (I'm comparing them to my 6 yr. old Clarkii who can never seem to get enough). lol I know you must read hundreds of these types of emails a week, but I just can't seem to decide what this might be and I don't want to do something wrong and lose them. We all know we can do everything right and still lose them. <Mmm, wish you had told me you were testing your water, changing a good deal out regularly here... The stress from the shrimp I'd eliminate with its removal, I would also switch out the other invertebrates... and lower the spg here a few tens of thousandths... to 1.018 over a few days time... I would leave off with trying formalin, copper... might try the Metronidazole... would look at some of their feces with a microscope if you had one... Bob Fenner>

White spots on clowns, ich? Evening crew (or James......I usually get your fabulous advice). I have a pair of false percula clowns that have been in my display tank for a little over 2.5 weeks. They seem to each have a couple of tiny white spots on their bodies. I know this looks like ich, but hear me out. I had an outbreak of ich in the tank with a yellow tang (which I lost) a few months ago. I let the main tank run fallow for 8 weeks and upon receiving the clowns quarantined for 3 weeks. I don't see how it could be ich given what I've done to eradicate the problem. I also have not noticed any of the other tell-tale signs of ich, i.e. loss of color or appetite, flashing or scratching, or heavy gilling. <Could be "something else">  The fish have good color and eat like monsters. They do however pick at each other from time to time. Is it possible the spots are just where they've picked away a few scales?  <Yes> Water parameters are: pH 8.3, alk 10dkH, temp 80, salinity 1.022, ammonia nitrites and nitrates are all undetectable (all figures are always stable and steady). I figure I'll watch them closely to make sure the spots don't spread. What do you think about this? Always appreciative,  Eric <I would hold off on moving these fish, medicating... maybe bolstering their immune systems with Selcon or equivalent soaked foods... But even if this is some parasite other than Cryptocaryon, I doubt if it will spread (perhaps a subdermal worm of some sort). Bob Fenner>

Maroon Clown Disease/Injury I have Maroon clown, that I've had for years, with some white fuzz or thick mucus at the bottom of one of it's gill plates. It's acting normal, not having breathing difficulties and eating fine, and none of the other fish (Eblii angel, Orchid Dottyback, Yellow Watchman Goby) are having any problems. It could be an injury because the Maroon clown gets aggressive with attacking objects in the aquarium like the heater, snails, hermit crabs, and moves little rocks around. <Yes... a good speculation> I also have an Emerald crab that could have pinched the clown and an urchin that could have skewered the clown if it tried to move it. Please let me know what you think. I hope I described the circumstances well enough for you. Thanks. <I'm in agreement with your guesses... and hope that your fish will stay healthy. Bob Fenner> 

Sick Ocellaris Clownfish Hello Crew, I want to thank you for a wonderful site that you have. I have had my 80 gallon tank w 90lb of live rock set up for about a year and found your site about 10 months ago and you have made it quite enjoyable. <Ah, good> My tank has the following inhabitants, yellow tang, coral beauty, 2 ocellaris clownfish, blue damsel , 2 firefish gobies and a lawnmower blenny, 2 cleaner shrimp, feather duster and misc. snails and crabs. The clownfish were the last thing I added back in late October. My water parameters are as follows ph -8.3,nitrites and ammonia -0, spec grav - 1.024, nitrates at 15ppm and temp at 78. The reason I am writing to you is one day in early January, 2 of my then 3 clownfish were swimming funny, the next morning one was in the rocks unable to control his motion. I was able to grab him with a net and kept him there until I returned from work. Unfortunately the other clown was dead in the rocks and a crab dinner. The only thing I can think of is that during a weekly water change I used a toothbrush and siphon to scrub a rock of what can best be described as a red carpet. <Likely a BGA/Cyanobacteria mat/colony... this could be a/the root cause, though clowns do "just die" when small/er at times> The clowns are aggressive eater and I thought that they may have ingested some of this "red carpet". I put the injured clownfish in a small hospital refugium inside the main tank. I observed for a while and no other signs of trouble with the other inhabitants occurred. He has been there ever since. He is not able to control his swimming motion. He basically swims on his left side, on top of the water and curls up in a U position.  He is active (the other clownfish is always near), eats daily (I target feed him) and has no color loss. Do you have any suggestions on what can be done ? I do have a 30 gallon QT tank but would buy a 10 gallon if medication was suggested. <I suspect that the swimming, neuronal difficulty is incurable... that this is probably a developmental/genetic anomaly... I would place the fish back in the main tank... as this is not catching. Bob Fenner>

Possible sick clown I'd like to say how helpful I have found your website and that I am really glad it's up. I've recently purchased two very young true Percs to go along with the BTA I purchased a few months back. On one of the clowns I am noticing what looks like his lower lip swelling. It seems as though he can't even close his mouth. <Happens... usually from a physical trauma... at times from genetic expression> Today I found that now below his lip on what would be his chin is a black spot that sticks out something like a pimple. I've looked on your website and on many other sites, but can't seem to find anything. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much. -Kavon <Not much to do on either of the two most common "causes" here. Good care (husbandry issues) at this point are important... optimized water quality, good nutrition. Bob Fenner> 

Sick Polymnus Clownfish 4/17/05 I purchased a mated pair of Saddleback (Polymnus) clownfish about 3 weeks ago. When I first placed them into my 12 gallon QT tank, they seemed very healthy and readily accepted foods including Mysis soaked in vitamins, Cyclop-Eeze and small pellets. However, after two weeks or so, I began to notice some odd behavior in the female (who is about 3x larger than her mate). She seemed very lethargic, mostly swimming near the bottom of the tank without the usual bobbing motion associated with her species. Once in a while, I noticed she would just swim from one end of the tank to the other, sometimes gently bumping into the tank wall before reversing direction. She also stopped eating, but exhibited no signs of parasites or other diseases. The male remains very healthy.  <A. polymnus aren't the hardiest of clowns and often fail to acclimate to captivity. The black variant seems to do somewhat better. If these are wild caught specimens, I would suggest that you research and rule out Brooklynella (usually indicated by thick cloudy mucous on skin). If it is Brooklynella, both clowns must be moved to a hospital tank and must be treated with Formalin baths.> A couple days ago, I moved the pair into the 60gal reef tank, hoping that a larger tank would perk her up. After several hours, the pair began hosting in my LTA anemone. At first I thought the female had perked up, but it has been two days now and she is still not eating (it's been about a week total since she stopped eating). This morning I discovered that one eye is beginning to bulge out, looks like early stages of Popeye however the eye is not cloudy. There is a small hippo tang in the tank which is perfectly happy and only occasionally hangs around the clownfish and their anemone although I've seen no biting.  <"Pop Eye", especially when only one eye is affected is most often caused by physical injury. However, in her outstanding book on Clownfishes, Joyce Wilkerson describes a very rare fungal disease that often causes pop-eye and the other signs you have described. There is no certain way to diagnose it while the fish is still alive, but she suggests that it can be treated by soaking food in 1% phenoxyethanol I don't have a brand name to recommend, but it will be marketed as an anti-fungal medication (don't substitute!).> What do you suggest I do? Is her strange behavior just a result of the Popeye she is developing or is there a bigger issue likely involved? Should I move the female (or both) back to the QT tank? Should I treat with Epsom salts or Maracyn as you sometimes suggest? Thanks for your help. You guys perform a wonderful service! Saahil.  <I would not move the fish again. The other fish have already been exposed to the problem and further stress and physical contact with the injured eye could be quite harmful. If the fish is not eating, there is no way to get phenoxyethanol into the fish (adding to the water is ineffective), so you will have to offer tempting foods and wait it out. Best Regards. AdamC.>  

Another Follow-up, Remarks to the Lymphocystic Clown  <snip> The reason I am writing everyone is because I also completely missed the attached photos when I replied and they are scary! The person described an Ocellaris with a white patch on it's tail that spread a bit.  They thought it was lymphocystis. They sounded pretty newbie with a young tank and reported a trace amount of ammonia. The fish was acting and eating normally. I replied that I doubted lymphocystis because of the species and the location of the lesion and made suggestions for proper water changes.  It sounded more like the fish got banged up a bit, so I also suggested that abrasions usually heal fine on their own with good food and improved water quality. However, when I did go back and look at the pics.... yikes! Whatever it is sure doesn't look like lymphocystis, although it is understandable how they came to that conclusion. Whatever it is pretty ugly looking, but doesn't look like anything I have ever seen before except for some pics that one of the crew (Jeni I think) shared with us of a puffer condition where spreading patches of the skin turns grayish until the fish perishes. If anyone is inclined to take a look, the original message is in the "emailswithimages" folder. I will be curious if anyone has any insight. Thanks! AdamC <Have looked at image, text... does look like some sort of tumorous growth... diag/prognosis, about the same as lymph... BobF>  <<Adam, I've answered some queries quite similar to this, and in my research I did find that, while very uncommon, Lymphocystis can indeed occur on the body like what is pictured. In my own opinion many, if not MOST, instances of disease are more due to water quality, nutrition, and basic husbandry issues than anything else. Lympho is no different in this respect. Marina>>

Lymphocystis on A. ocellaris Part 3 4/17/05 Hi Adam, Thank you for the response. Unfortunately my clownfish's condition deteriorated rapidly, stopped eating and moving around, and finally passed away yesterday.  <Sorry to hear.> Looking back if I did not diagnose the illness as Lymphocystis and treated with antibiotics right away, it might have made the difference. Anyway I guess this is part of the experience and how we learn.  <I polled the Crew for input about your clownfish, and got a few replies. One indicated that there are occasions when lymphocystis does occur as a body lesion. Another agreed it probably was not lymphocystis, but has seen similar lesions which eventually went away without intervention.> I hope someone can identify the true cause of the lesions in the picture and recommend the appropriate actions. Not only I can learn the lesson and know how to deal with it next time, the information can be useful for other hobbyists as well.  Best Regards, Damien Kwok  <For all of the reasons you listed, I wish I had a more definitive answer. In the mean time, I would suggest that you don't add any new fish for a couple of weeks, just in case this was caused by a communicable disease. Best Regards. AdamC.>

I think my female clown is going to die Hi there, I have had a pair of perc clowns for about 5 months. Just in the past week I have noticed that the female has been very sick. She will lay on either of her sides then get up and swim for a while, or she seems like she will sit in the water with her head facing the surface and her tail pointing downwards. ( I read on your website that that could be a swim bladder infection... but she's not doing it anymore.) But she just seems listless all the time, except when I feed the fish she gets up as if nothing is wrong at all. Sometimes she will go lay down on the live rock and the male clown will nudge her belly and sort of hold her up so that she doesn't lay on the rock. The first day all of this started, there was a little red spot on her dorsal fin and it was split in a few places. Once a day for 4 days I put a tablet of Maracyn for fin and tail rot in the tank.... following the instructions on the box. That helped her spot and her fins but not her behavior. 2 days ago I put some Stress coat in the tank and after about 2 hours she seemed all better and was swimming with her mate and they were bobbing their heads around together. Yesterday she was back to her rock again but this time she wasn't laying on it she just faced the rock not swimming. This morning I woke up to look at her and I found her on top of the powerhead of the filter that I have she was still breathing but one of her gills was partially out of the water so I scooted her off of the box. She struggled to get back on the power head and then just to stay at the surface of the tank but then turned around and shot to the bottom of the tank where she is just sitting right now. The male perc is fine and I have a black damsel that is fine and I just added a baby dwarf lionfish ( the fish store told my husband and I that the dwarf lionfish wouldn't get big enough to eat my other fish) <Only time will tell here... even small Lions have very big mouths...> who is also doing well. What could be the problem? Please help! - Nicole    <Your notes re changes in behavior with chemical additions point to the likely issue of "poor water quality"... as a/the source of trouble. I would be looking into issues, ways to improve it... you do have a skimmer? Do regular water changes? Test kits for nitrate, phosphate? Bob Fenner> Clownfish/Disease Hey guys. I do believe that something has injured or hurt my clownfish. The little guy is either by the heater hanging out, or he will be swimming around in the tank through out the day. This morning when I looked into my tank, he was in the opposite corner of where he is usually hanging out and he was not actively swimming amongst the tank as he normally does. Then, I looked a little bit closer and noticed that his mouth was open. I have never seen my little clownfish keep his mouth open for extended periods of time. I have also noticed that behind his right fin that there is a little bit of discoloration. When I fed the fish in the morning, he was not as aggressive as he normally is in order to get food. He did eat a pellet or two, but normally he comes right up to the top of the tank when he realizes food is up there and he plays a pretty good fight in order to get food.  So, if you could help me or let me know what you think the problem is, if anything, I would greatly appreciate the help. Let me know what I can do to help make him feel better and return to the norm because he is my most favorite fish that I have, and I would hate to loose him.  <Ken, I would check ammonia and nitrite levels first and see where you're at. Pellet foods are not a good everyday food. If you are going to use them, soak them in a vitamin supplement such as Selcon to give the fish the vitamins they require....just like us. James (Salty Dog)> Thanks guys! You guys are doing a wonderful job! Ken

Clownfish/Disease Follow-up James, Can you give me more information on what would be better for my fish's diet?  I currently have the clownfish I spoke of and also two yellow-tailed damsels and also a three striped damsel. What would be better for their diet that regular pellet food?  <Ken, a varied diet is important for the health of your fish. It would be like us eating pizzas every day. Mysis shrimp, adult brine (not a lot of nutrition there, but something they like, soaked in Selcon.) Bloodworms are another. I supplement my feedings with Ocean Nutrition Flake food soaked in Selcon. It's a pretty decent food for flake food. Then there are Ocean Nutrition's frozen cubes in various menu types.> Also, where can I get the vitamin supplements to soak the pellet food in?  <Drs. Foster and Smith is where I get mine. Key up www.DrsFosterandSmith.com and go from there. Get on their catalog mailing list. I've had excellent service from them and they do back up what they sell. You can also do a Google search on the Wet Web, keyword "Foods". James (Salty Dog)> Thanks, yet again!  <You're welcome> 

Clownfish/Disease - More Follow-up James, I just ordered some additional foods and vitamins from Drs. Foster and Smith.  <Good>  I will throw some more foods in the tank at feeding times and hopefully, the fish will like the variety a little better. The pellet food I had been using is the "Complete Marine Fish Food" by TetraFin, and I was wrong in thinking that is all they need. I have also have a brine shrimp hatching canister that I purchased from a local fish store. Will the clownfish and damsels eat live brine also?  <Sure> What would the best feeding procedures be? Should I just put a little bit of each food together and give to them when I feed them, or would it be best to use a different food for each feeding cycle?  <Feed a different food at each cycle, only feed what they will eat.> Thank you so much, yet again for your help. I am very appreciative for you help and assistance. <You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)> 

Clownfish 27 Mar 2005 Dear WWM crew  <Hi Paula, MacL here with you today.> I have two tomato clowns who live as a pair in an anemone they are both feeding and have I think begun to look like they are making a nest.  <Very possible.>  The larger clown has a white spot on both sides at the top edge of the gill covers. There are only the two spots they are almost identical in size and are in exactly the same place on opposite sides of the fish.  <Sounds like its just his coloration then.>  I have had no new additions in about two months and all other fish are clear apart from my blue damsel who has lumps out of him from fighting with a bicolour blenny. Not related I am sure!!  <Probably not but a situation you might want to fix.> I wonder as the fish is so healthy, the predominant feeder in the tank, in-fact, if these marks could be related to breeding displays? Perhaps?  <It's possible but it could just be coloration as they mature.> Have you ever heard of this before?  <Yep.>  They are in a 400 litre reef tank, all the chemical levels are good generally (except the Nitrate is a wee bit high not even enough to worry corals though), they are doing well. I like fat fish!  <EEEK put the brakes on, just as it's not healthy for humans it's not healthy for fish to be too large.>  Appreciate your help Thanks Paula. Xx Hard to get good advice in New Zealand as the hobby is rare here.  <We are certainly glad you have come to visit us Paula. Hope I helped. MacL> 

UWO - Unidentified White Object (Marine) My clown has a white spot on its chin...what could it be?... <It could be any number of things, I really don't have enough info to give much help. Remember, if you give more info, you get more info. :-) > looks white like if it were dead skin hanging...any suggestions? <Yes, skim through (stress the "skim" part, this is a huge amount of information) the disease pages on WWM (linked below) and see if you can identify the condition yourself. Best of luck, Mike G http://www.wetwebmedia.com/infectio.htm  http://www.wetwebmedia.com/disFAQsMar.htm  http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mardisfaqs2.htm  http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mardisfaqs3.htm  http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mardisfaq4.htm  http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mardisfaq5.htm  http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mardisfaq6.htm  http://www.wetwebmedia.com/clnfshfa.htm >

Sick Clown? HI, <Hello> I have a Nemo clown fish (use to have two), here is my situation, I added a sea anemone ( hope I spelled it right)... <Not sure which one that is, guessing a Sebae...>  ... and within twenty four hours one clown was dead. <Water quality!!! have you tested the water, and did you quarantine the fish and anemone when you added it?>  The clown seem to be fine, the day before he was rubbing in the sea anemone and the other was hovering in the sand like digging a whole. Anyway now my second clown is laying on his side and looks slightly pale, but he gets up when I come over and move my finger around on the glass and he is eating good, he is not swimming much at all! Please let me know what you think. <Test your water, and do a major water change ASAP of 25% at least. then keep testing daily and keep doing 25% water changes to lower the levels.> <Justin (Jager)> 

Clarkii Clown with Black Ich, No Quarantine Hello, <Hi> Love the site, thanks for all the info and help in the faq's. The question I have pertains to my Clarkii clown. I introduced an Emperor Angel and a Moorish Idol a few weeks ago, and both seem to be doing great, having a small itch outbreak, but raised the temp and am lowering the salinity as we speak.  <No Q/T??>  My Clarkii started developing black spots on his body and fins. I think it might be the black spot disease, but I am not sure as that usually pertains to tangs. <Nope all fish can get Blackspot, tangs are just the most notorious for getting anything first.>  I have a 100 gallon with live rock, sand, refugium, all my water parameters seem to be fine. <Seem to be fine does not tell me anything... We really need the numbers of all the tests to help.>  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time. Sincerely, Graham Hebson <Well Graham, Blackspot is treated just like ich. lower the salinity, and raise the temperature. if the hyposalinity (1.011 by the end) does not work, I would treat the clown with an anti ich medication like formalin or copper in q/t. Also please q/t all fish prior to adding them to your display for at least 4 weeks to keep diseases from spreading.> <Justin (Jager)>

Dead Perc Clown Dear WWM Crew, Just to acknowledge, My wife and I are new to the world of reef keeping. We have been reading your letters for almost a year before we invested, and have found that your place on the web is the best place for information and its one of the reasons we have started, just wanted to say you guys are great..... <Thanks> I was not able to find this question and or answer any where.  We have a 90 GAL 67LBS of live rock and 80Lbs of live sand and this includes the rock and sand in the CPR Refugium Pro w/protein skimmer. We have 2 10k MH lamps and 2 125 watt VHO. All we have for fish right now are 1 Regal Tang 2 Perc Clowns and some snails, crabs, 1 cleaner shrimp and 2 Peppermint Shrimp. One of our clowns has been acting real strange, and I understand from reading some of your letters that they do some times act this way, but this clown has been swimming in circles, on one side, backwards, and sitting on the bottom. I really think its sick for some reason oh forgot to mention he was also seen shaking like he had a spasm or getting electrocuted, which I have read in one of your letters that they also do this sometimes. After all this he was last seen on the bottom behind some rock he was up right and breathing normal, but now we can not find him and I'm worried if he had died and we cant find him what will this do to the tank if I cant pull him out.  I apologize for the long email. Any help would be greatly appreciated. You guys are the best, keep up the great work. Best Regards, Ken and Renata <The crabs will clean him up if he is not detected. In a tank your size it shouldn't hurt anything, but it's always best to get him out. James (Salty Dog)>

Clown Questions I'm so sorry to contact you, but I've been looking on your site and I can't find the answer. I have a black clownfish and his bottom fins look white and fuzzy. The tips of them have always had a little white to them because I think he was nipped at in the store. I've had him for about 4 weeks. Other than that, he is doing great. <I would just keep an eye on him.>  All my water test are perfect, I had them tested at the LFS. Also, is it possible for a black and a orange clown to mate? <I don't know of that happening.>  One more question. I have a bubble, sebae, rose tip, rock, and a curly anemone and the clowns don't go in any of them. Why? Your help would be greatly appreciated.  <Just cause you have anemones, doesn't guarantee that the clowns will go in them. Really not a good idea to have that many anemones in a tank. They do move occasionally and sooner or later one will sting the other. Kristie, here is a link on anemones worth reading. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm. James (Salty Dog)>

Everything Died I have a 10 gallon tank that used to have a small damsel and a very small clownfish. <Too small for these fishes...> Recently both got ich and died. I tried treating with Rid-Ich but they still passed away. <Likely helped on by the medicine> The clown went first and then the damsel. They were covered completely in white dots, even on the eyes. I was sure it was ich at first but now am not sure because along with the white dots was an cloudy mucous-y gunk on most of their body?? <Maybe Brooklynella, possibly just their skin/reaction to the formalin/malachite> My water chemistry was perfect until I started treating. I have the tank cycling without anything in it and am wondering if I should empty it out and clean the entire tank completely and buy new live sand and live rock or will I be just as well off letting the tank cycle for about 3 weeks and add some live rock to the set-up? <Better to bleach all... re-set-up with some new LR> I want to make sure that there are no diseases left in the tank when I begin to add fish and that there is a large population of "good" bacteria. I just want to get a small damsel, maybe two and that's it. Any advice on what I should do? It was sad to see both the fish die, I really felt like the damsel would tough it out, but it didn't. Any idea why?  Thanks. <Read... go here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ - see the Google search tool? Insert: "Damsel stocking", "Brooklynella", "Clownfish Disease"... study my friend. Bob Fenner>

Sick or just clowning around Hello Bob, Hope you can shed a little light on my problem with my daughter's tank-raised clownfish (Nemo and Marlin).  Lately they have been hanging around at the top of the tank near power head, either on their side or vertically head up or head down. they also are breathing rapidly and not eating.  <Bad signs... have you checked their water quality?> If they are eating I have not noticed, their mouths are always open. They have been this way for at least 3-4 weeks. So I assume they are getting some nutrition some how. They are the only fish in tank. 55 gallon w/live rock(40 lbs.), some snails and crabs.(5 each).  System components consist of the following: Emperor 400 Bio-Wheel Berlin Air-Lift 60 50 lbs crushed coral Small Rio powerhead Hydor Ario Turbo Air Pump (Ario 1) sitting in live rock about 10 inch depth.  Tank parameters are: Ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 10 or less and pH is 8.0 now, was 7.8 when this all started. Water changes are 10% weekly. Currently in hospital tank treated w/Methylene Blue per instruction of LFS. following box instructions and fresh water dipping every other day. Today is third day. Is there anything else I can do for Nemo and Marlin? Can you advise me to what is wrong with them as everything I have read that maybe wrong with them says they should not be alive this long? Is this the correct treatment or is there something else I can do? Thanks ahead of time, Robert. <Mmmm, in the (most likely scenario) that "something" is wrong with their system/water itself, I would do a large water change (50%), add a Polyfilter and/or activated carbon in their filter flow path, and put the fish back in their main tank... I suspect some sort of undisclosed poisoning here... maybe a source of metal... from... a clamp? An ornament? Do look for staining on the substrate... Otherwise the Polyfilter will likely "change color" on absorption of whatever is present. Bob Fenner> 

2 new clowns (great name for a rock band) Hi, again, you guys were such a tremendous help last time, I figured I'd bother you again. Tank: 50 gal. 65lbs live rock, 60lbs live sand, about 15 snails and hermit crabs mixed. It's a new tank ( 3 weeks ) but the chemical levels are fine. Salinity 1.023-24.  I put two clowns in 4 days ago and they were fine 'till this morning one of them seems to be digging in the sand, lying listlessly, and sometimes just staying suspended in mid water head up tail down is this normal? Should I rush it to the fish hospital? SOS!!! <Not normal... has this tank cycled? I would be waiting a few more weeks before placing fish life here... Any other place to take them out, put them in? Bob Fenner> 

Re: 2 new clowns The tank has cycled, I used cured live-rock. I had high NH3/NH4 after a few days... <Yikes... toxic> ...and that went way down same for NO2/NO3 the pH is 8.2-8.4, high alkalinity... <High?> ...I changed around 20% of the water using di-H2O. Since the last E mail I wrote that clown seems to be a little better but I think it's still sluggish, I got really scared when it was acting weird yesterday when I sent the original Email. BTW this is amazing! Professional advice, quick responses, you guys are the best keep it up!!! <Ah, good to hear it sounds like your clown/s are rallying. Perhaps they were "just new". Bob Fenner>   

Mysterious bump, growth on a Maroon Clown Hi, I have two Maroon clowns which I acquired within about a month and a half ago. I have a 55 gallon fish only tank with green Chromis, Bar gobies, dragonet, crabs. I noticed that a small bump resembling a white cyst was forming behind the fishes left fin. It has been the same size for weeks and the fish seems to be healthy. Do you have any idea what it might be? <A tumorous growth of some sort... virally mediated...> It doesn't behave like anything I have seen in the books. It doesn't seem to be spreading, it just stays the same. The other fish are fine. See attached picture. I was told a cleaner shrimp might be of use. Thank You Randy <Might be... worth trying for sure. Bob Fenner> 

- Clownfish with Mouth Problems - Hi <Hi.> My clown fish can't move his mouth anymore.  <Interesting.>  To eat, he has to swim towards the food and hopefully gets some. It's been about 4 days... happened after I added a fish to my 44 aquarium.  <Was he attacked? This seems an odd cause/effect if not.> The store where I purchased him said he probably has an iodine deficiency... When I did the search, it talked about shrimp and not clown fish.  <Sounds like a red herring... never heard of iodine deficiencies causing problems opening one's mouth... > Can you help me please? <I wish I could... there's not really a lot one "can" do. I'd keep offering food. I do wonder if this is really a problem with the fish's mouth, or just a general unwillingness to eat, which seems a more typical response to new occupants. If this is a hunger strike, then it will likely pass in a short time. If it is aggression, then you'll need to deal with that as you see fit - remove the aggressor or the victim to a separate system and consider your next step. As a side issue, there's nothing wrong with supplementing iodide in your system, but be very careful about the amounts you use... make certain to follow the directions. You may also want to try adding some fishy vitamins to the food you offer - Selcon or Boyd's VitaChem would be suggested.> Dianne <Cheers, J -- >   

- Clownfish with Mouth Problems, Follow-up - It's almost like he has lock jaw!!!!  <Interesting.>  Mouth is always open... Maybe someone hurt him.  <Would be my guess.> I will print your response for my husband, thank you for your help. <My pleasure.> Dianne <Cheers, J -- > 

- Clownfish with Mouth Problems, More Follow-up - Fish died this morning. Thank you for your help. <Oh... am sorry to hear of your loss. Cheers, J -- > 

Please help me with my clown fishy Hi there! <Howdy> I just started my first salt water tank and I got two small clownfish and a blue damsel. I have had the fish for about 3 weeks now. The first week the two clown fish were fighting and I thought they were going to kill each other, even though they came from the same tank.  <Happens... new, likely smaller system... new social dynamic> The next week all was well but I noticed a couple of white bumps on the right side of one of the clownfish's mouth (rouge). At first I thought it was some skin that had been bitten from the other fish but then I noticed it looked like little white heads.  I have read almost all your Q's & A's but I still don't know what it is.  <Could be "nothing"... like "zits" of humans... stress manifestation... though perhaps an indication of something more sinister> Another thing is both of the clown fish hover around one of the pumps and constantly sprint to the top like they want out. I have checked the water and everything is normal, and he eats regularly. It is a 10 gallon tank and only has the 3 fish and a live rock, shell, and a coral thing. <... this tank is too small for these fish... and the sprinting behavior worries me... I might suggest you have the tank checked for "electrical leakage"...> The two pumps are under gravel filters with carbon cartridges. Does my clown fish have fungus or some kind of disease?? And how do I cure it?  Thanks, Shana <Shana... there is much, actually too much to relate to you here, succinctly. I strongly encourage you to take the time and read through ALL of our archives on Clownfishes... Please start here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/clownfis.htm and carefully read through the linked files (at top), taking down notes... You need a larger system... to use a meter, probe to ascertain if you have an electrical short/ground problem... and to "figure out what you really want to do"... get a larger system, trade these fish in... wait out and see if there actually is a biological disease agent at play here... Bob Fenner> 

- Clownfish Problems - Hi Not sure if you can help, but here goes.  I have had my marine tank for a few weeks now, and the clown fish has been very happy and settled with the others for 4 weeks now, but tonight it is obvious it is unwell.  I have looked in the books I have but cannot find anything with the same symptoms. It has become very lethargic, eyes half closed as it can't stay awake, and is just rolling over in circles on the bottom of the tank. As its too late to phone anywhere, please have you some advice as to what to do to help?  <Things don't sound too good for your clown... it seems to me your tank is very new. If I were you, I'd being doing some water tests to make sure everything is normal; no ammonia or nitrites. If these are present, your tank is actually not quite ready for fish and you'll need to wait before adding any more. If no ammonia or nitrite are present, then I'd execute a small water change and see if that improves things for your clownfish.>  Thank you, Jenny <Cheers, J -- > 

- Clown Missing Fins - Hi, I've been looking around the site for some help, but thought giving the complete situation might give some more help: My roommate and I set up a saltwater tank and let it sit for about a week (we were told that it would be ready in about that much time for clownfish with the live sand to build up a bacterial field). However, we were a bit impatient and neglected to test the water quality beyond salinity and temperature, assuming that the others would be at zero since nothing organic had been added (bad move I know). Our next mistake was starting with two clownfish and a royal Gramma, introducing three fish at once, as well as adding the water from the pet store. Our water had a bit of a heart attack. This morning (we introduced the fish last night) we changed 3 gallons (29 gallon tank) of the water, and added more pH buffer. The stats are now as follows: salinity 1.021, ammonia 0, pH 8.2, nitrites 0.25, and nitrates 10. Now here's the main problem -- one of the clownfish seemed less colorful and much less active. This morning it was barely moving at all, seemed to be floundering, staying near the walls and occasionally on its side or upside down under a rock. After the water change it seemed to perk up, but it hasn't eaten, and we noticed that it's missing both its pelvic fins -- and it's gone back to lying on it's side. We recalled there was a Lemonpeel in the same tank at the store also lying on its side. We're trying to figure out if we can get this fish healthy, how to, and if it needs to be quarantined -- i.e., is it likely sick or behaving that way due to the lost fins?  <The behavior is quite likely from the accumulated stress of all of the above.>  And will the fins grow back?  <They can... but honestly I don't think this fish will get the chance... I'm not so sure it will make it through the necessary steps to recover. If you want to give it a go, do isolate this fish in a quarantine tank - don't worry about it being cycled and just change 25% of the water every other day... don't bother lighting the tank and just let this fish convalesce. If the fish improves, starts eating again then keep it in quarantine for at least two weeks and then consider letting it back into the main tank. You can try some of the Boyd's VitaChem which seems to be really good speeding the recovery of torn and lost fins.>  It looks as if they are completely gone. Also, is there any quick way to reduce the nitrite/nitrate levels in the tank quickly and are they toxic at these levels? <Water changes... that's your best ally now. Nitrites are toxic, but at the levels you mention they're likely on the downturn. With nitrates present, that means your cycle is near complete and the nitrites should be gone soon.>  Thanks so much. <Cheers, J -- > 

Diseased Clownfish Crew; Have been up all night, and doesn't look like sleep is coming any time soon. Just before I was about to go to bed, I checked in on my tank. My clown (one of two) was going ballistic! He had a whitish tinge to him, was swimming around on the substrate (rubbing), and speeding around the tank with little regard for what he was running into. I was concerned about a parasite infection. I haven't added anything to my tank within the past month and a half or so, though, and all of the other fish seem to be perfectly normal. To be on the safe side, I gave the clown a freshwater bath, and quarantined him. Now he seems to be perfectly fine. Any thoughts? I'm completely lost on this one.  < Tom, it sounds to me like you took the bull by the horn and did what was necessary. I'm sure the clown had a disease according to your description. I would keep him in quarantine for at least three weeks and keep an eye out for possible reinfestation. Good luck. James (Salty Dog)>

Diseased Clownfish - II Thanks for such a quick reply, James. It's greatly appreciated even though it confirms my original fears. Guess that's why I keep a 20 gal w/necessary equipment in the closet, eh? Am going to have to keep an eye on both tanks now, just to make sure that the other fish aren't going to be affected by whatever little nasty(ies) seems to have invaded my tank. Now I had just done the first dip with freshwater. Any thoughts on whether or not I should follow up with a FW/Methylene blue combo, or just stick with the straight FW?  <Tom, the Methylene will do nothing for ich. I suggest you soak your food in Garlic Elixir or Selcon before feeding. This really helps boost immune systems of the fish. Do another FW dip if re-infestation occurs. Diet is very important in helping fish fend off diseases. James (Salty Dog)> 

Clownfish with one injured eye I have a 30g tank...50lbs of live rock 1 cleaner shrimp, 3 snails, 5 hermit dwarf crabs, 2 watchman goby, and 2 clown fish pair. I have a problem with one of my clown the female which is the bigger one... her left eye has lost its color...you can only see her black pupil and there is no longer any gold ring around that...now it looks like a black pupil with a lil cloudiness and the gold ring is now the same color orange as her body... her right eye is perfectly normal in color... the other clown is perfectly well... my levels on my tank are normal...I had made daily water changes but no improvements on her eye...cut back on feeding still no changes and the rest of the fish seem to be doing fine with no problem...what can it be? what should I do? if there is a problem how should I treat it? Julio Thank <Likely your one Clown has a mechanical injury... a collision with something hard in the system... and this should clear up in time on its own... Some things can be done to speed up the process... adding vitamin supplements or soaking foods in the same best of all. Bob Fenner> 

Re: Clownfish with one injured eye what name brand do you think would be the best?...when I get the vitamins do I put it in the tank water directly or should I catch her a put her in a hospital tank to treat her by herself?...thank you for getting back to me! <See here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/vitaminmarfaqs.htm  and leave the fish in the present system. Bob Fenner> 

Clownfish injury Hi. Hope everyone had a great start in the new year. I have a 46 gallon saltwater fish tank with some liverock. All readings are fine. <Mighty fine!> Stock is one ocellaris clown, 5 Chromis, one yellow clown goby and one watchman goby. I had originally obtained two ocellaris, of which one died after a couple of days (LFS told me it was clownfish disease). Anyway, this has been two months ago and the other ocellaris is fine, very active, and also feeding great. <Assuredly NOT Brooklynellosis... otherwise both fish would have succumbed> About two weeks ago we noticed that the clownfish had gotten himself stuck in a small tight jar like decoration on the sand floor. While keeping him in the water I tried several times to pull him out by the tail. To no avail. We had to crush the small clay jar gently while he was still stuck. After that incident, he did not eat for about a week, but now is doing great again. My question is this: I have noticed a raised white spot on one of his sides closer toward the tail region. It looks like one giant ick spot and sticks out a good millimeter or two. He is still active, feeds well, no scratching, no flashing of any kind. Is there something I can do? Do you know what could be wrong with the clown? Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you! D.B. <An "owee". Not to worry. Bob Fenner>