I have a 29g Gallon Tank with 2 Clownfish(not just the clowns though, there's more that I'm not listing) and one of them is recuperating from a bout with ich that I believe is FINALLY gone, and the dominant clownfish is pretty aggressive with it. The edges of its fins are torn and nipped at, so I was wondering if it would be wise to keep it in a breeder net for the next few days. The breeder net is from a freshwater tank however and is covered in freshwater algae. I left it outside today(it's freezing) so I'm pretty sure most of it is dead, but I just wanted to double check to see if it would be safe to keep the breeder net in the saltwater tank. So, would it be safe to keep the breeder net in the saltwater tank? There are no sick fish in the freshwater tank, and the parameters are about equal in both tanks. Thanks in advance.
Should I Worry?
- Thread starter bumper55
- Start date
Personally I don't use my marine equipment in my FW tank and vise versa. Lots of reason such as bacteria, transfer of salts into the FW tank, etc.
Are both clowns the same species? Either way what species are they?
Are they similar in size?
Do they have enough rock to hide in?
What else is in the tank? This can have an impact on how well the fish cope with the ich.
Are both clowns the same species? Either way what species are they?
Are they similar in size?
Do they have enough rock to hide in?
What else is in the tank? This can have an impact on how well the fish cope with the ich.
Sorry 
Should've been more specific. Here's the setup:
29g
2 Ocellaris Clowns(1" and 1.75")
1 Starry Blenny(3")
2 Peppermint Shrimp
13 Blue and Red Leg Hermit Crabs
6 Turbo Snails
30lbs of Live Rock
And I make sure to wash off all of the equipment with clean freshwater before using it in a different tank.
Should've been more specific. Here's the setup:29g
2 Ocellaris Clowns(1" and 1.75")
1 Starry Blenny(3")
2 Peppermint Shrimp
13 Blue and Red Leg Hermit Crabs
6 Turbo Snails
30lbs of Live Rock
And I make sure to wash off all of the equipment with clean freshwater before using it in a different tank.
Scrub clean, soak in RO for a while, scrub again, then should be ok to use as long as it looks and smells clean (if it smells like rot or anything else weird, toss it). It's always easier to just buy a clean one to start with, but I have had to swap breeder nets between fw/sw in emergency situations (including to deal with clowns gone crazy).
The edges of its fins are torn and nipped at, so I was wondering if it would be wise to keep it in a breeder net for the next few days.
If the aggression is unrelenting, separate it while figuring out what's going on. If the first clown was well-established before the second one went in, it may take some careful introduction of the new individual (assuming it's sufficiently smaller - if it's not, as tcamos mentioned, it might be a bad combination).
What are the params of the sw tank? Unless it's an unusual fw system, the params (even ignoring salt) should usually be quite different.
The clowns have to figure out who is going to be the female. Whichever one wins this battle gets that honor and the looser becomes the male. If they are both male or both female right now the battle will be royal and one could die. It's worth either buying a new net or really taking the time to clean the old one.
Ok, I really scrubbed down the old net, brand new looking and smelling(didn't use soap though, don't worry). The clown is in the net, but at the moment refuses to eat. His fins are still torn(I've been using medication to try and help, but it doesn't really do much), and he kinda just hovers near the surface. I'm pretty sure the ich is gone but from past experiences with freshwater I know that it can easily come back if the fish is weak, which mine is. The two clowns were bought a week apart, with the smaller of the two(the one in the net) being bought first. They were both given a 2 minute freshwater bath to get rid of parasites and make up for the lack of a QT. It is obvious who is dominant, the smaller one doesn't fight back, just swims away, but the larger one still nips and chases him. I'm not sure if the nipping caused the ich and other stuff, or if it was something entirely different. My water(from my perspective) is clean. Here are the params:
0ppm Ammonia
0ppm Nitrite
30ppm Nitrate(I can't get it much lower, but I know this isn't that bad.)
7.6 pH(How can I make this higher?)
And I have low alkalinity, but I'm not sure how much that matters
I know the tank isn't overstocked, and I don't overfeed, just a pinch of flakes(once a day), a pinch of bloodworms(once a day), some seaweed twice a week, and a small piece of krill once a week. So, how can I heal my clownfish? And do you guys have possible diagnoses for the clown? I've looked at fin rot, but that could be nipping, swim bladder, but he isn't upside down, and can still swim fine.
0ppm Ammonia
0ppm Nitrite
30ppm Nitrate(I can't get it much lower, but I know this isn't that bad.)
7.6 pH(How can I make this higher?)
And I have low alkalinity, but I'm not sure how much that matters
I know the tank isn't overstocked, and I don't overfeed, just a pinch of flakes(once a day), a pinch of bloodworms(once a day), some seaweed twice a week, and a small piece of krill once a week. So, how can I heal my clownfish? And do you guys have possible diagnoses for the clown? I've looked at fin rot, but that could be nipping, swim bladder, but he isn't upside down, and can still swim fine.
Based on what you have written I think the clowns are fighting for dominance and the little guy has gotten the worst of it. If you can once method is to catch the other clown as well, then totally rearrange the rockwork in the tank and then reintroduce them at the same time. I've also had it suggested (but haven't tried it myself) that putting them in a betta container (the divided kind that hangs inside a tank) right next to each other can work as they get used to each other without being able to fight.
That's reassuring. I'll get the betta container ASAP. I'm just crossing my fingers that the little guy will survive, since he is pretty beat up. Do you have any tips on getting them to heal faster? All I have for meds are Melafix, which is iffy, and API Stress Coat and a Water Conditioner.tcamos said:
I don't recommend blood worms as a regular part of their diet. As an occasional treat they are fine but they are higher in fat than a clown is used to. If you can get some Mysis shrimp they are usually happily taken. The flake should be something that contains both algae and protein. I use Formula II from Ocean Nutrition.
Sadly, I did not move fast enough. Jetsam(or Jet for short) was found dead on the bottom of the net. He was pale and almost all of the color ad drained from his body. This really frustrates me, because I tried so hard to keep fish from dying, and this is the first for this tank. Now Flotsam(or Flo) is alone, but I don't think he/she cares much. But I'm going to try even harder to keep fish from dying premature deaths. Still to be added to the tank are a Goby/Pistol Pair and a Chalk Basslet but I'm going to wait until AFTER I go on vacation in two weeks to make sure that I can give them my fullest attention.
I am sorry to hear that.
Here's a video about introducing a new clownfish that might help once you get back from vacation.
http
/youtu.be/67oypmxijYg
Here's a video about introducing a new clownfish that might help once you get back from vacation.
http
/youtu.be/67oypmxijYgSimilar threads
Most reactions
-
371 -
249 -
205 -
187 -
178 -
176 -
174 -
172 -
145 -
103 -
101 -
99 -
97 -
97 -
82