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View Full Version : Sad tank bred ocellaris


saltcreepy
01/15/2007, 05:19 PM
I bought a pair of tiny ocellaris (1inch) about a month ago. I lost one last week. Before it died, it was sitting on the sand respiring rapidly. There were no external signs of disease. Now the other surviving one is on the sand, but isn't respiring rapidly (yet). It is also feeding fine at the moment. The other fish in the tank (tangs, dwarf wrasse, coral beauty) are fine. Water params are fine (no phospate, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, 99.5% O2 saturation, pH 8.3, temp 26.0). Equipment: skimmer, carbon, phospate, UV. I'm concerned that this surviving one will go the same way as the one I lost.
Should I worry? Should I take it out and quarantine it? If so, what medication? I did hear on another forum that tank bred clowns suffer when introduced to wild caught fish and live rock as they aren't able to handle the newly introduced parasites and viruses.
I would greatly appreciate any advice!

Horizon Canopy
01/15/2007, 05:24 PM
I breed clownfish, and have found that when they are little (<1 inch), they will rest on the bottom instead of always staying in the water column. I've seen hundreds of clowns do this, and have never had a problem. As long as the clown is not rapidly breathing, and is still feeding, I wouldn't worry.

JownsenJesus
01/17/2007, 05:52 PM
Do you run a refugium? Did the clown always respire rapidly?

saltcreepy
01/18/2007, 09:59 AM
No refugium. The deceased clown respired heavily. Today the surviving one is doing the same. Is this because of an illness, or that it has "bad genes" being tank-bred?

Slakker
01/18/2007, 04:17 PM
There's no way it's due to it being tank-bred...tank bred fish are usually more easily adapted to aquarium life and more hardy than wild-caught counterparts.

It's most likely an illness of some sort...but without more details it's hard to say which, exactly. Check for any kind of skin irregularity such as white spots or sores.

saltcreepy
01/18/2007, 04:26 PM
Externally it looks totally healthy. All the other fish are fine and feeding. As from today, the clown hasn't been feeding. My dealer suggested a freshwater dip to exterminate any bugs. Any other suggestions? Maybe quarantine? If so, what medication?