Clownfish seizure and flashing?

j.falk · 07/07/2019, 05:27 AM

I've noticed something strange about my clownfish over the past week. They seem to be having random small seizures which make them swim in circles and then they dive to the bottom of the tank and rub their gills against the sand a couple of times and then go back to swimming normally. Both fish are doing it.

This is definitely not a pairing/mating dance. I'm well aware of what that looks like and this is NOT it. It's also not marking their territory because it happens all over the tank...not just in one area.

I first noticed it after I did a water change on them last week. Unknowingly the water had higher salinity than what was in the tank and the next day is when I first saw the seizures...so I tested my tank water to find out the salinity had spiked (1.028). The day that I changed the water the tank water was reading 1.024.

I've since got the salinity back down to the usual 1.025 that I've always kept them at.

The clownfish look perfectly normal (no discoloration, spots or red patches on their bodies) and they both still eat like pigs so no issue there...but these mini seizures have me a bit worried.

I know flashing usually means flukes or ich or some other parasite...but these fish have been in the same tank with no need additions for the better part of a year and did not have the issue until after the salinity spike.

Is it a possibility that the higher salinity water could have damaged their gills somehow and if so, is there anything I can do about it?

j.falk · 07/07/2019, 09:38 AM

Any ideas?

Alex114 · 07/07/2019, 11:11 AM

If you have had symptoms for a week my guess would be that it is not the salinity at this point, especially if you haven’t noticed their gills flaring or breathing faster. I’ve not had a salinity spike like that but I just recently treated my tank for flukes and my fish were doing exactly that for about a week until I added the medication (no quarantine tank unfortunately). To be sure it is flukes do a freshwater dip for 3-4minutes. Make sure the temp and ph of the freshwater is the exact same as the display tank. After 3 minutes you will see the flukes in the freshwater and on the fish if there are any

j.falk · 07/07/2019, 11:31 AM

I saw the female clown having the seizures/flashing this morning so I checked the salinity and it has again spiked to 1.028. I went ahead and did my usual water change and I haven't seen either of them doing the seizures since. Just to be on the safe side, I went ahead and ordered some Prazipro. I'll give them a couple of rounds of that and see how things go.

Uncle99 · 07/07/2019, 12:10 PM

And increase in salinity creates a temporary respiratory distress making breathing difficult
Higher salinity means less oxygen in the column.

A tank should never spike, I use an ATO to accomplish a consistent 1.0255.

Next to my RODI, this piece of equipment is worth 100 bucks.
My tank can now go almost 3 weeks with zero flux

j.falk · 07/07/2019, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle99

And increase in salinity creates a temporary respiratory distress making breathing difficult
Higher salinity means less oxygen in the column.

A tank should never spike, I use an ATO to accomplish a consistent 1.0255.

Next to my RODI, this piece of equipment is worth 100 bucks.
My tank can now go almost 3 weeks with zero flux

Neither fish has acted like they are having a hard time breathing. I'll try the fluke medication.

What ATO do you have on your tank?

Uncle99 · 07/07/2019, 02:48 PM

I would not allow salinity flux’s, changes in salinity affect all them chemistry
I use coral box A-100 for years now, uses IR for level and a backup
Never missed a beat

ThRoewer · 07/07/2019, 03:21 PM

I seriously doubt that this is due to salinity fluctuations.
I had tanks that went up as high as 1.035 and none of the fish looked even the least distressed.
Also, in the wild the salinity is fluctuating quite a bit depending on the location. Daily salinity spikes are quite common in the intertidal zone. Even on the outer reefs you may find noticable fluctuations.

As for the flashing, I would think that's caused by a parasite or infection that somehow made it into the tank.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

j.falk · 07/07/2019, 03:26 PM

Can parasites be dormant / present in the water and not affect the fish until they are stressed? I haven't added anything new to the tank in months...and the clownfish only started the flashing roughly a week ago.

monkeysee1 · 07/07/2019, 07:35 PM

"I know flashing usually means flukes or ich or some other parasite."
My money's on flukes. Get some Prazi Pro.

monkeysee1 · 07/07/2019, 07:37 PM

Double post.

Alex114 · 07/07/2019, 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by j.falk

Can parasites be dormant / present in the water and not affect the fish until they are stressed? I haven't added anything new to the tank in months...and the clownfish only started the flashing roughly a week ago.

I have heard that the eggs can be in there for awhile but I’m not sure for how long. And yes I agree PraziPro is a great option for flukes, I used it on an entire reef tank and it didn’t kill anything including crabs and snails. The corals were closed for 24-48 hours but opened up fine after that

ThRoewer · 07/07/2019, 11:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by j.falk

Can parasites be dormant / present in the water and not affect the fish until they are stressed? I haven't added anything new to the tank in months...and the clownfish only started the flashing roughly a week ago.

Yes! Fish with partial immunity can have a number of low-level parasitic infections without showing any symptoms. But if their immune system gets compromised - due to stress for example - you can have a sudden outbreak.

j.falk · 07/08/2019, 03:42 AM

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the help!

Uncle99 · 07/08/2019, 08:16 AM

[QUOTE=ThRoewer;25602889]I seriously doubt that this is due to salinity fluctuations.
I had tanks that went up as high as 1.035 and none of the fish looked even the least distressed.
Also, in the wild the salinity is fluctuating quite a bit depending on the location. Daily salinity spikes are quite common in the intertidal zone. Even on the outer reefs you may find noticable fluctuations.

As for the flashing, I would think that's caused by a parasite or infection that somehow made it into the tank.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

Not the cause, just quick spikes in salinity will stress out fish.
Twice the poster indicated salinity spikes, just trying to suggest that this is easy to control
Perfect and consistent water chemistry is the base of what we do.

j.falk · 07/08/2019, 08:36 AM

As of this morning I haven't seen them flash a single time. Medicine won't be in hand until Friday.

j.falk · 07/08/2019, 09:45 AM

Scratch that...the little clown just did it. Sigh. It's a long ways to Friday.

ThRoewer · 07/08/2019, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by j.falk

Scratch that...the little clown just did it. Sigh. It's a long ways to Friday.

It might help identify the cause if you could try to capture the behavior on video and post it here.

Thornbreaker · 07/10/2019, 08:19 AM

So, I've got a clown that occasionally spazzes out as well. Most often after a water change too.

However, I'm pretty sure my salinity is spot on everytime on a water change. The only difference is sometimes the new water temp, which is a degree or two higher sometimes.
But the clown and all my other fish are fine and have been for over a year now.

You may just have a slightly neurotic fish that's overly sensitive

j.falk · 07/10/2019, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thornbreaker

So, I've got a clown that occasionally spazzes out as well. Most often after a water change too.

However, I'm pretty sure my salinity is spot on everytime on a water change. The only difference is sometimes the new water temp, which is a degree or two higher sometimes.
But the clown and all my other fish are fine and have been for over a year now.

You may just have a slightly neurotic fish that's overly sensitive

I would suspect that as well...but both the male and female clown are doing the seizure / rubbing...

Strangely in the past two days I haven't seen either of them doing it. I still plan on treating the tank as soon as the PraziPro arrives.

j.falk · 07/16/2019, 12:14 PM

PraziPro seems to have worked. I added it 3 days ago and I haven't seen the fish flashing a single time since then. Thanks to everyone who helped me get this resolved!

07/07/2019, 05:27 AM	#1
j.falk Registered Member Join Date: May 2017 Posts: 632	Clownfish seizure and flashing? I've noticed something strange about my clownfish over the past week. They seem to be having random small seizures which make them swim in circles and then they dive to the bottom of the tank and rub their gills against the sand a couple of times and then go back to swimming normally. Both fish are doing it. This is definitely not a pairing/mating dance. I'm well aware of what that looks like and this is NOT it. It's also not marking their territory because it happens all over the tank...not just in one area. I first noticed it after I did a water change on them last week. Unknowingly the water had higher salinity than what was in the tank and the next day is when I first saw the seizures...so I tested my tank water to find out the salinity had spiked (1.028). The day that I changed the water the tank water was reading 1.024. I've since got the salinity back down to the usual 1.025 that I've always kept them at. The clownfish look perfectly normal (no discoloration, spots or red patches on their bodies) and they both still eat like pigs so no issue there...but these mini seizures have me a bit worried. I know flashing usually means flukes or ich or some other parasite...but these fish have been in the same tank with no need additions for the better part of a year and did not have the issue until after the salinity spike. Is it a possibility that the higher salinity water could have damaged their gills somehow and if so, is there anything I can do about it?

07/07/2019, 03:21 PM	#8
ThRoewer Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Fremont, CA Posts: 9,555	I seriously doubt that this is due to salinity fluctuations. I had tanks that went up as high as 1.035 and none of the fish looked even the least distressed. Also, in the wild the salinity is fluctuating quite a bit depending on the location. Daily salinity spikes are quite common in the intertidal zone. Even on the outer reefs you may find noticable fluctuations. As for the flashing, I would think that's caused by a parasite or infection that somehow made it into the tank. Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk __________________ Pairs: 4 percula, 3 P. kauderni, 3 D. excisus, 1 ea of P. diacanthus, S. splendidus, C. altivelis O. rosenblatti, D. janssi, S. yasha & a Gramma loreto trio 3 P. diacanthus. 2 C. starcki Current Tank Info: 200 gal 4 tank system (40x28x24 + 40B + 40B sump tank + 20g refugium) + 30x18x18 mixed reef + 20g East Pacific biotop + 20g FW +...

07/07/2019, 07:35 PM	#10
monkeysee1 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: MERRIMACK NH Posts: 423	"I know flashing usually means flukes or ich or some other parasite." My money's on flukes. Get some Prazi Pro. __________________ Your "fair share" is not in my wallet; it's in my fish tank!! Current tank info: 90 Gallon saltwater 10 fish with a few inverts; NO CORALS! Tried to go reef; didn't work out so hot; FOWLR's for me!

07/07/2019, 07:37 PM	#11
monkeysee1 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: MERRIMACK NH Posts: 423	Double post. __________________ Your "fair share" is not in my wallet; it's in my fish tank!! Current tank info: 90 Gallon saltwater 10 fish with a few inverts; NO CORALS! Tried to go reef; didn't work out so hot; FOWLR's for me!

07/08/2019, 08:16 AM	#15
Uncle99 Crab Free Zone Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 2,906	[QUOTE=ThRoewer;25602889]I seriously doubt that this is due to salinity fluctuations. I had tanks that went up as high as 1.035 and none of the fish looked even the least distressed. Also, in the wild the salinity is fluctuating quite a bit depending on the location. Daily salinity spikes are quite common in the intertidal zone. Even on the outer reefs you may find noticable fluctuations. As for the flashing, I would think that's caused by a parasite or infection that somehow made it into the tank. Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk Not the cause, just quick spikes in salinity will stress out fish. Twice the poster indicated salinity spikes, just trying to suggest that this is easy to control Perfect and consistent water chemistry is the base of what we do. Last edited by Uncle99; 07/08/2019 at 08:27 AM.

07/07/2019, 09:38 AM	#2
j.falk Registered Member Join Date: May 2017 Posts: 632	Any ideas?

07/07/2019, 11:11 AM	#3
Alex114 Registered Member Join Date: May 2019 Location: Northeast Ohio Posts: 162	If you have had symptoms for a week my guess would be that it is not the salinity at this point, especially if you haven’t noticed their gills flaring or breathing faster. I’ve not had a salinity spike like that but I just recently treated my tank for flukes and my fish were doing exactly that for about a week until I added the medication (no quarantine tank unfortunately). To be sure it is flukes do a freshwater dip for 3-4minutes. Make sure the temp and ph of the freshwater is the exact same as the display tank. After 3 minutes you will see the flukes in the freshwater and on the fish if there are any

07/07/2019, 11:31 AM	#4
j.falk Registered Member Join Date: May 2017 Posts: 632	I saw the female clown having the seizures/flashing this morning so I checked the salinity and it has again spiked to 1.028. I went ahead and did my usual water change and I haven't seen either of them doing the seizures since. Just to be on the safe side, I went ahead and ordered some Prazipro. I'll give them a couple of rounds of that and see how things go.

07/07/2019, 12:10 PM	#5
Uncle99 Crab Free Zone Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 2,906	And increase in salinity creates a temporary respiratory distress making breathing difficult Higher salinity means less oxygen in the column. A tank should never spike, I use an ATO to accomplish a consistent 1.0255. Next to my RODI, this piece of equipment is worth 100 bucks. My tank can now go almost 3 weeks with zero flux

07/07/2019, 02:48 PM	#7
Uncle99 Crab Free Zone Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 2,906	I would not allow salinity flux’s, changes in salinity affect all them chemistry I use coral box A-100 for years now, uses IR for level and a backup Never missed a beat

07/07/2019, 03:26 PM	#9
j.falk Registered Member Join Date: May 2017 Posts: 632	Can parasites be dormant / present in the water and not affect the fish until they are stressed? I haven't added anything new to the tank in months...and the clownfish only started the flashing roughly a week ago.

07/08/2019, 03:42 AM	#14
j.falk Registered Member Join Date: May 2017 Posts: 632	Thanks everyone. I appreciate the help!

07/08/2019, 08:36 AM	#16
j.falk Registered Member Join Date: May 2017 Posts: 632	As of this morning I haven't seen them flash a single time. Medicine won't be in hand until Friday.

07/08/2019, 09:45 AM	#17
j.falk Registered Member Join Date: May 2017 Posts: 632	Scratch that...the little clown just did it. Sigh. It's a long ways to Friday.

07/10/2019, 08:19 AM	#19
Thornbreaker Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Posts: 334	So, I've got a clown that occasionally spazzes out as well. Most often after a water change too. However, I'm pretty sure my salinity is spot on everytime on a water change. The only difference is sometimes the new water temp, which is a degree or two higher sometimes. But the clown and all my other fish are fine and have been for over a year now. You may just have a slightly neurotic fish that's overly sensitive __________________ SC Aquariums - 150 Gallon 5'x2'x2'; Trigger Elite 36 Sump; Mars Aqua Lights 150 lbs reefcleaner rock, SCA 302 Skimmer Current Stock: Foxface lo, 2 clowns, royal gramma, 2 spot bristletooth tang, fir

07/16/2019, 12:14 PM	#21
j.falk Registered Member Join Date: May 2017 Posts: 632	PraziPro seems to have worked. I added it 3 days ago and I haven't seen the fish flashing a single time since then. Thanks to everyone who helped me get this resolved!