Please help my clownfish!

[khaddaddy]

Hey guys this morning I noticed a white spot on my clown and I am very worried that it could be the sign of some parasitic infection like Brooklynella or Ich. Before I freak out too much I wanted to get everyone's opinion and see if you guys think so too.





He been acting pretty consistent with how hes been since I got him (3 weeks ago) and acts like a shark when I feed him. I do notice that he does sometimes go up and grab air from the top of the tank but not super often. He developed this white spot overnight and it kinda looks like a piece of flesh is nicked off him like if I sliced my finger a tiny bit. Hes a male out of a bonded pair and I do see the female chase after him a lot and kinda bully him a little so thats why I am hoping maybe its just an injury??



This morning I tested my parameters (before water change) and noted:

• Ammonia: 25ppm
• Nitrite: 0ppm
• Nitrate: 20 ppm
• Salinity: 1.024
• Temp: ~78 Fahrenheit
• Alkalinity: 9.6 dkH

I did a ~30% water change today which quickly brought those levels down keeping the salinity and Fahrenheit the same. I usually do a 30% water change every week.



Please any advice would help I dont know how to react as this is my first tank (about 2 months old). I see all these pictures of the diseases and think of the worst. Should I start setting up a QT tank now? I dont have any of the sort so I have to start brand new.



Thank you

 

[fishguy242]

#reefsqaud @Jay Hemdal

 

[Oropher]

i noticed that your tank still has 25ppm ammonia, this is toxic for the fish. ammonia poisoning makes fish go up to get oxygen.
this has to be sort out immediately. your tank is not cycled.
move the fish to other tank with new saltwater, give sponge filtration & some wave maker; then please cycle your main tank.

 

[Oropher]

Additional : the new temporary holding tank for fish, set salinity a bit lower (1.020), this will make it easier for the fish.

 

[khaddaddy]

#reefsqaud @Jay Hemdal

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

 

[ScubaFish802]

Could also be a bit of sand stuck to it. The pro’s have been tagged though!

 

[khaddaddy]

Additional : the new temporary holding tank for fish, set salinity a bit lower (1.020), this will make it easier for the fish.

I say that the tank has Ammonia at .25 ppm because I am using the API saltwater testkit and the color was in between 0-.25ppm so I just assumed the worst.

Originally I started the tank with a fishless cyle using a piece of shrimp and added bacteria for about 3 weeks until I was reading 0 ammonia and nitirites. Do you think I could be overfeeding which caused an ammonia spike?

 

[Oropher]

Ich doesn't make fish gasp for air near surface; but raising ammonia level will drop oxygen level in water.

 

[khaddaddy]

Ich doesn't make fish gasp for air near surface; but raising ammonia level will drop oxygen level in water.

Ok, thanks for the input. That could explain why I see my snails near the top of the water at least once a day? But aside form that you don't think the spot is cause for alarm just yet?

 

[Reverend Turtle]

Are you sure he's getting air, or is he maybe seeing the giant that provides food, and just testing the waters as it were?
As for the spot, looks to big for ich, or brook. You said it looked like a nick which it could be.
Setting up a hospital/quarantine system is always a good idea. A simple 10 gallon with a sponge filter, heater, and some pvc pipe is all that's required for smaller fish. Inoculate the sponge with bottled bacteria, then ghost feed to keep it cycled.

 

[fishguy242]

i think best thing atm,would be more surface agitation =more oxygen in water ,hang tight wait for experts to give advice

 

[khaddaddy]

Are you sure he's getting air, or is he maybe seeing the giant that provides food, and just testing the waters as it were?
As for the spot, looks to big for ich, or brook. You said it looked like a nick which it could be.
Setting up a hospital/quarantine system is always a good idea. A simple 10 gallon with a sponge filter, heater, and some pvc pipe is all that's required for smaller fish. Inoculate the sponge with bottled bacteria, then ghost feed to keep it cycled.

Thats the thing, I dont know! Doesn't seem like hes gasping for air but I just see him take a bite out of the water surface from time to time, the other out of the pair doesn't.

Are there any impromptu quarantine systems you recommend that I can quickly set up incase? My tank is a 13 gallon so another 10 is a lot to me at the moment.

 

[Alenya]

I think your ammonia reading is 0.25ppm not 25 - was it a very pale green? If so this is within normal parameters.

 

[khaddaddy]

Hey guys this morning I noticed a white spot on my clown and I am very worried that it could be the sign of some parasitic infection like Brooklynella or Ich. Before I freak out too much I wanted to get everyone's opinion and see if you guys think so too.





He been acting pretty consistent with how hes been since I got him (3 weeks ago) and acts like a shark when I feed him. I do notice that he does sometimes go up and grab air from the top of the tank but not super often. He developed this white spot overnight and it kinda looks like a piece of flesh is nicked off him like if I sliced my finger a tiny bit. Hes a male out of a bonded pair and I do see the female chase after him a lot and kinda bully him a little so thats why I am hoping maybe its just an injury??



This morning I tested my parameters (before water change) and noted:

• Ammonia: .25ppm
• Nitrite: 0ppm
• Nitrate: 20 ppm
• Salinity: 1.024
• Temp: ~78 Fahrenheit
• Alkalinity: 9.6 dkH

I did a ~30% water change today which quickly brought those levels down keeping the salinity and Fahrenheit the same. I usually do a 30% water change every week.



Please any advice would help I dont know how to react as this is my first tank (about 2 months old). I see all these pictures of the diseases and think of the worst. Should I start setting up a QT tank now? I dont have any of the sort so I have to start brand new.



Thank you

 

[khaddaddy]

I think your ammonia reading is 0.25ppm not 25 - was it a very pale green? If so this is within normal parameters.

MY MISTAKE .25 NOT 25ppm. Yes it was a pale green color (API testkit)

 

[Alenya]

MY MISTAKE .25 NOT 25ppm. Yes it was a pale green color (API testkit)

In that case your tank is probably ok and you are just dealing with a fish issue only

 

[Reverend Turtle]

Thats the thing, I dont know! Doesn't seem like hes gasping for air but I just see him take a bite out of the water surface from time to time, the other out of the pair doesn't.

Are there any impromptu quarantine systems you recommend that I can quickly set up incase? My tank is a 13 gallon so another 10 is a lot to me at the moment.

A small tote like for storage could be used, and keep the sponge filter cycled in a jar or bucket.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

0.25 ppm ammonia is right on the problem range, but many test kits are difficult to read, so it may be higher or lower than that. A zero reading is always best, then if you are reading the kit a bit low, the most it would be is 0.25. Ammonia actually degresses the respiration rate in fish at this level. Freshwater fish rise to the surface and gasp when oxygen is low, but reef fish are not adapted for that behavior, and typically will just gill faster. You can easily check this - add an airstone to break the surface tension and see if the behavior goes away.

The single lesion looks linear in the picture, so definitely not Brook, and probably not ich either. Since the clowns were squabbling, it is almost surely a bite mark and just bears watching.

Jay

 

[khaddaddy]

0.25 ppm ammonia is right on the problem range, but many test kits are difficult to read, so it may be higher or lower than that. A zero reading is always best, then if you are reading the kit a bit low, the most it would be is 0.25. Ammonia actually degresses the respiration rate in fish at this level. Freshwater fish rise to the surface and gasp when oxygen is low, but reef fish are not adapted for that behavior, and typically will just gill faster. You can easily check this - add an airstone to break the surface tension and see if the behavior goes away.

The single lesion looks linear in the picture, so definitely not Brook, and probably not ich either. Since the clowns were squabbling, it is almost surely a bite mark and just bears watching.

Jay

Thank you Jay! I woke up this morning with him happily swimming around and no other white spots (thank god). I will do my best to reduce the ammonia with a reduction in feeding and adding more beneficial bacteria. But as long as the problem is not a parasite I can stay at ease