URGENT: Possible sick clown...

[traveller7]

Immediately is the "best" time to start hypo, because it is 4 weeks from the last visible cyst after starting the proceedure. Not to mention, the sooner you make it tougher on the bugs, the sooner the fish feel better, eat more, etc.

Keep us posted, if folks don't want to read the thread, they wont ;>)

[Slakker]

Turkey bastered some cyclopeeze and they both definitely got more excited than I've seen in a few days. The male for sure is eating still, and the female is definitely going after it.

Temp matching some RO right now to bring down to hypo, I've only got a little over one point to go. I'll be adding enough pH buffer to the RO to get the pH up to 8.2 before adding the water to the tank.

I can't even begin to tell you how encouraged I am by this apparent improvement, however small it might be. Both fish are back to chillin on the bottom in their corner, but they are both having a much, MUCH easier time staying upright, and will frequently swim around a bit.

I know they're not out of the woods yet, but my heart is absolutely swelling with hope at this point.

Sure, it's gonna be a long and expensive road, but it's totally worth it.

[Slakker]

The male has taken to swimming straight up next to the heater and sometimes "nipping" at the air...I don't know if this might be a sign of amyloo (if it was i'd have expected it much sooner) or if he's just being a goofball.

I suspect he's just playing in the current (it's right underneath the filter's return) and it's not so much something that I need to worry about.

[traveller7]

That may be a concern.

Are the fins clamped tightly?

[Slakker]

Nah, he was just swimming in a sort of upwards type direction, but both fish are exploring more now and doing less sitting around.

[Slakker]

Still haven't gotten down to Hypo...I've been trying to pH match the RO all day and it's been quite a hassle.

[redvipe2010]

There is no doubt in my mind you clowns are sick. However I'm not sure I would be worried over the fact that they go to one corner. I have two very healthy clownfish that take host in the corner when there are 4 anemones and many other thing that clownfish are known to host in. Granted these clownfish ride the short yellow bus, but they have been doing this for two years.

I think your doing well with what you are doing for them. Keep up the good work!

[Slakker]

It's not so much the fact that they like that corner that has me worried, but that when they're in the corner often they're just laying on the glass tipping over and breathing heavily. It just scares the life out of me to see one of them lay on its side for like 5 or 10 seconds at a time...it's absolutely terrifying.

[Slakker]

I finally hit Hypo last night at about 3am...took me long enough.

Both fish are moving around more and gilling less, and I really think their color is starting to improve.

[traveller7]

Are they both eating better?

[Slakker]

Yep...sure are.

BUT, after today's first feeding the male went back to laying on his side on the bottom. I don't know if he just gets tired chasing the food around or something, but I'm worried about that.

Maybe a WC will help.

[Slakker]

And a few hours later they're both up, swimming around and exploring the PVC caves.

[traveller7]

Indigestion?

Clowns are not called clowns for the coloration alone ;>)

btw: feed them again ;>)

[Slakker]

I have been on a general feeding schedule of like 1, 4, 6, and 8, give or take a feeding here and there. I missed both the 4 and the 6 today due to going out for my brother's birthday, so I've just fed them now and I may give them another small bit about 9:00.

I've also got their daily WC coming up as soon as they're done eating, so after a meal and some housekeeping they should be pretty happy.

With the way things are going over the past couple of days I'm starting to get real hopeful that they'll pull through

[Slakker]

Did a WC at about 9, everything appears to be going well. They were still being fairly active before lights out and acting less miserable.

pH is still a little on the low side, I'll have to keep doing the 8.2 WC until it balances out, I guess. It's okay to add the sodium bicarb to the WC water to bring the pH up, right?

[traveller7]

As long as the bicarb is fully disolved, yes, it is okay to add directly to the WC water.

[Slakker]

Okay, cool.

Well...another day, another update. Both clowns for sure eating today

[traveller7]

Originally posted by Slakker
Both clowns for sure eating today

Best news yet ;>)

Any more of the white stringy stuff?

[Slakker]

None that I've seen, but admittedly I can't be around 24/7 to watch them. How much do you think it would be to hook up a surveillance camera with night vision?

[Slakker]

Less active today than they were yesterday, but I haven't been able to get a WC done since saturday. I made the mistake of adding straight bicarb to the mixing water and it ended up precipitating out on the sides of the bucket and powerhead.

I'm mixing up a quick emergency gallon by hand as we speak so that I can at least get them a little bit of a change.

[Slakker]

Well...even though my WC water was 1.008, somehow my QT tank SG ended up at 1.013

I've been adding a few cups of RO here and there and got it back down though.

[Slakker]

Alright...it's been a couple of days, so here's a quick update before I head to bed.

Both fish seem to be acting a bit healthier every day, spending less and less time breathing heavily and sitting on the bottom. Both are also eating. I plan to start diversifying their diet over the next couple of days by trying to feed Formula 1 Flake, Reef Herbivore Pellet, ORA-Glo pellet, and frozen Mysis. Not all at once, of course, but I figure it can't hurt to get them something different.

Also I've heard of clowns becoming "hooked" on a food and ignoring anything else, and I know how important variety is in the diet of a fish.

[traveller7]

Thanks for the update Tyler

Variety is definitely a good thing, but I have yet to have mine get hooked on anything to the point of ignoring food. In fact, wait until they mature, settle in, and the female attacks your hand the first time....talk about shocking

[Slakker]

*sigh*

Looks like I spoke too soon. Today both fish are doing a bit of their tipping action, once again the male worse than the female.

I wonder if maybe the deformed gill plates have anything to do with why the male is having a tough(er) time?

[traveller7]

Originally posted by Slakker
I wonder if maybe the deformed gill plates have anything to do with why the male is having a tough(er) time?

Deformed? Did I miss a detail somewhere?