Pair clowns breathing with mouth open, refuses to eat

[marcosnano]

Hello reefers, I hope you are having lovely Sunday.

Woke up this morning to see this. Both clowns acting strange, breathing strange, open mouth, not eating, hanging out next to torch which they are usualy host.

Ammonia 0 ppm
Nitrate 10 ppm
Temp 78f
pH 8.2
salinity 1.025

I have added more outflow flow on surface in case water needs more oxygen...

What should I do?

clownfish breathing heavy

youtube.com

 

[Tuan’s Reef]

#reefsquad

 

[marcosnano]

@vetteguy53081 please check this case.

Clown is sucking torch coral and mouth is open all the time.

Other clown is fine.

 

[Tuan’s Reef]

#fishmedic bump

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hello reefers, I hope you are having lovely Sunday.

Woke up this morning to see this. Both clowns acting strange, breathing strange, open mouth, not eating, hanging out next to torch which they are usualy host.

Ammonia 0 ppm
Nitrate 10 ppm
Temp 78f
pH 8.2
salinity 1.025

I have added more outflow flow on surface in case water needs more oxygen...

What should I do?

clownfish breathing heavy

youtube.com

Verify ammonia levels- Not sure what kit youre using
any video you can provide under white lighting for at least 20 seconds?

Possibilties:
elevated temp
elevated ammonia - false readings on ammonia
Mucus in gills
Gill flukes

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Hello reefers, I hope you are having lovely Sunday.

Woke up this morning to see this. Both clowns acting strange, breathing strange, open mouth, not eating, hanging out next to torch which they are usualy host.

Ammonia 0 ppm
Nitrate 10 ppm
Temp 78f
pH 8.2
salinity 1.025

I have added more outflow flow on surface in case water needs more oxygen...

What should I do?

clownfish breathing heavy

youtube.com

Are both clowns doing this, or just one? It wasn't clear.

Are they still both eating?

Clowns sure have a love/hate relationship with torches.

Jay

 

[marcosnano]

Verify ammonia levels- Not sure what kit youre using
any video you can provide under white lighting for at least 20 seconds?

Possibilties:
elevated temp
elevated ammonia - false readings on ammonia
Mucus in gills
Gill flukes

Checked for ammonia with 2 kits, levels are fine.

I just fed them, other clown swimming and eating normal, this female still with open mouth and it will eat couple of bites but only if food is close to her, wont chase food as usual. Her mouth is open even when she eat, never closed the mouth.

It looks to me they had a fight last night and her jaw stayed open? Or something with torch coral happened?

clownfosh open mouth, strange

youtube.com

 

[marcosnano]

Are both clowns doing this, or just one? It wasn't clear.

Are they still both eating?

Clowns sure have a love/hate relationship with torches.

Jay

Just one, big female.

Male is OK, eating, breathing and moving normal.

Is it possible something happened with her jaw and she in shock and stress right now?

clownfosh open mouth, strange

youtube.com

 

[vetteguy53081]

Checked for ammonia with 2 kits, levels are fine.

I just fed them, other clown swimming and eating normal, this female still with open mouth and it will eat couple of bites but only if food is close to her, wont chase food as usual. Her mouth is open even when she eat, never closed the mouth.

It looks to me they had a fight last night and her jaw stayed open? Or something with torch coral happened?

clownfosh open mouth, strange

youtube.com

Clowns fight?
JK- Often, aggression can or will play a role but there is generally some noticeable damage not to rule this possibility out

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Just one, big female.

Male is OK, eating, breathing and moving normal.

Is it possible something happened with her jaw and she in shock and stress right now?

clownfosh open mouth, strange

youtube.com

It may be from jaw wrestling with the other clown, but found also be from getting stung over and over by that torch. Can you isolate this fish in acclimation tank? That would eliminate both the fighting and the torch as possible issues and then maybe it can heal.
Jay

 

[Reefahholic]

I was starting to think maybe it was brook, but the breathing isn’t to abnormal. I did see a little discoloration, but that is likely from the torch.

 

[z4chburris]

I would do the suggested isolation so that you can monitor the fish and rule out variables you speculate to be the cause. Clowns do weird things. But they’re pretty resilient.

 

[Hurricane Aquatics]

You might have already come to a conclusion, but I see nothing wrong with their breathing. They look fine to me.

As long as your tank isn't rand new and experiencing a cycle with high ammonia, I would say your fine.

 

[marcosnano]

You might have already come to a conclusion, but I see nothing wrong with their breathing. They look fine to me.

As long as your tank isn't rand new and experiencing a cycle with high ammonia, I would say your fine.

Yes I think fish has a jaw injury and it is in pain and stress, only thing that worries me if fish don't start eating soon.

 

[Hurricane Aquatics]

Yes I think fish has a jaw injury and it is in pain and stress, only thing that worries me if fish don't start eating soon.

Well, he does like a mouthful of torch tentacle. Seems like that might make it difficult to eat from the sting. Any way to separate that torch and the clowns? At least for a few days to see.

 

[marcosnano]

Well, he does like a mouthful of torch tentacle. Seems like that might make it difficult to eat from the sting. Any way to separate that torch and the clowns? At least for a few days to see.

Can't do it. Don't have a QT right now.

She is still only in torch coral, looks like she didn't learned her lesson.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Can't do it. Don't have a QT right now.

She is still only in torch coral, looks like she didn't learned her lesson.

What I had suggested was a hang-in-the-tank acclimation tank, just to isolate this clown from the other one and from the torch, you don't need a completely different tank, even a tank divider would work.

Jay

 

[jpughmom757]

What I had suggested was a hang-in-the-tank acclimation tank, just to isolate this clown from the other one and from the torch, you don't need a completely different tank, even a tank divider would work.

Jay

Even a small netted breeder tank would be fine, i got ome for like 4 bucks at my local pet store for situations like this.

 

[marcosnano]

Day 3 of this strange event and fish is fine. Eating well, chasing food and still hanging out next to torch coral.

Looks like clown had some kind of stroke and jaw freeze, like she was doing drugs on rave festival.

Thanks guys.