SOS!! SOS!!(?)

[LbulletM]

there is a disease linked to not enough hufa....

He gets NLS and Omega pellets and Mysis. I'm guessing less likely than a parasite.

 

[LbulletM]

Stole some top off water. Heating it.

 

[LbulletM]

Light spot on face and black band are markings. Spot on white is a marking.

Sorry it's not a better picture. I took 18, some with better lighting ("shutter speed" is really fast to get crisp photos on this one, so not enough light) but Photobucket is doing the stupid thing where it combines photos and chops them together stupidly.

Like so:

 

[melypr1985]

Light spot on face and black band are markings. Spot on white is a marking.

Sorry it's not a better picture. I took 18, some with better lighting ("shutter speed" is really fast to get crisp photos on this one, so not enough light) but Photobucket is doing the stupid thing where it combines photos and chops them together stupidly.

Like so:

That actually looks almost like a bite mark. Like somebody took a chunk out of him

 

[LbulletM]

Which one? He has "bullet holes". He's a phantom.

So, I got the freshwater heated, added a quarter cup of tank water just as a precaution, and turned on just the whites to get a couple of pictures. Turns out he's not sick, just a dick. Swam around the water column, then grabbed onto my other clown's tail and held on for a couple seconds (honestly it was probably like a half second, but seemed like forever as I watched them flip around in circles in horror). Then he was just swimming beside the other clown as they both did their twitch thing - the other clown more so than he. So, now I have to figure out what's going on with the sexing. The black clown was sourced as the smallest in a tank of four. The other clown was alone in a tank for a month+ at the LFS plus about a month at my house, and is the larger clown. Is it normal for the male to also show some aggression? It doesn't look like he got a chunk or anything.

All of that being said, I'm still not completely relieved and will be keeping an eye on him. However, it's after 11 and I wake up at 5 for work. I'll keep everyone updated, and I really do appreciate the help so much! Thanks everyone!

 

[LbulletM]

Well, as of this morning at ~5:20am, he was still kicking. Tank lights were off, but I turned on the room lights and he was swimming around. It's about 20-25 steps from switch to tank, so coupled with the experience from turning the whites on last night and he swimming around, I'm either spooking him with lighting, or he's just not a night owl and has decided it's bedtime when the sun starts to set.

Also still entertaining the possibility that he was just tired from chasing/being chased by the "female" (who even knows anymore which is which) for the last few days.

Will continue to monitor and watch for disease and symptoms.

 

[LbulletM]

Another update. Same pattern yesterday. On the sand in the same spot near the Torch (maybe it's hosting the spot?) after whites started dimming. Swimming around the tank when I went down to check before work while the tank lights were off. Maybe I just didn't pick up the smartest clown haha.

 

[re76]

Take this with a grain of salt, but my clowns are just really weird sometimes, I have just come to accept that they are odd, goofy fish.

I have learned not to worry too much about them.

 

[LbulletM]

Take this with a grain of salt, but my clowns are just really weird sometimes, I have just come to accept that they are odd, goofy fish.

I have learned not to worry too much about them.

I think if he makes it through a week exhibiting the same behavior, I'll be able to start worrying less haha.

 

[re76]

I think if he makes it through a week exhibiting the same behavior, I'll be able to start worrying less haha.

Yeah definitely keep an eye on him. I was not trying to say "he will be fine, don't worry", more just trying to give you some anecdotal experience that my clowns have down some really strange things and turned out fine.

 

[LbulletM]

Haha don't worry. I didn't misconstrue. It has been comforting, though, that a fair number of people here and elsewhere on the internet seem to have random tendencies with their clowns.

 

[Jbryan243]

Hold off on stressing the fish with any dip. Does the fish seem bloated? I had a maroon pick at a new bubble coral as they do with anemones to acclimate years ago, the fish bloated up real bad and I too thought it was gone. Googled and googled and there it was, it reacted with the bubble coral and basically got a bad case of "gas", seriously. I site said to try and give it the meat part of a green pea and guess what, the fish passed it and still lives to this day.

 

[LbulletM]

So, update:
Still alive. Still acting weird.

Random observations:
1) Being bullied by both the female long fin and I've noticed the Potter's Angel go after him only once or twice. More of a get out of my way than a chase down and attack. Though I did see him go back at the female that original night.
2) Will swim around the tank, even in high flow near the couple of acros (not into the power head like trying to shake something off, though).
3) Still has an appetite. Some days he'll wait for food to come to his little corner. Some days he'll go out in the column and grab it.
4) Still likes to return to his little spot in the sand in the corner of the tank. Has a little ditch dug out at this point.
5) Has been swimming around in the column every single morning that I have been down to the tank to check before work (~5:30 am).
6) No visible signs of parasites (excrement looked normal, no spots) or other baddies.

It's been two weeks now. *shrug*

 

[Tuffyyyyy]

If it's been 2 weeks he's most likely fine. This is common for clownfish. They dig out a hole in the sand and lay there and make their owners freak out.

 

[LbulletM]

If it's been 2 weeks he's most likely fine. This is common for clownfish. They dig out a hole in the sand and lay there and make their owners freak out.

He definitely excelled at the last part.