Clown fish acting strange

[AlexF]

hi everyone, i'm really really worried about one of my clownfish.
i cant see any visible damage to the fish but i woke up this morning to find him hovering right at the bottom of the tank near the rocks, if you go near the tank he will get up and swim around as normal but afterwards he will go back to the same spot at the bottom and just hover there. the other fish seams absolutly fine. my levels in the tank havent been good and ive been doing partial water changes. the levels at the moments are
nitrite 0
nitrate 10
ph 7.8
Ammonia 0.50

i know these are bad but ive been doing everything i can and cant seem to get them down.

 

[Mitchell0605]

Your tank appears to have not fully cycled or the bio-load of the clowns when added was to much. 50% PWCs everyday and some prayers are what should be done.

 

[AlexF]

do you really think he's going to die?
i know it sounds weird but he seams fine and its as if he's just choosing to float there, in exactly the same place every time he goes back. it looks as if both the fish have something hanging from underneath them, i was wondering if they had been mating and this particular spot is where they have chosen to lay the eggs.

 

[mattgreen]

for some reason my clown hangs in the same place evan tho it has a whole 4 foot tank to explore. but it chooses to be next the inlet of my canisterfilter

 

[cmor1701d]

.5 ammmonia is a toxic level. If you don't get it down fast it will damage the fish though it might not kill them right away. 50% PWC's are inorder every day till you get it down to ZERO.

They lay eggs (bright orange) on something, there should not be anything hanging from them.

 

[AlexF]

hi ive done a few water changes today and the ammonia is now once again down to 0
the only thing wrong with the water now is the ph and the nitrate.
ive added some tetra aqua nitrate minus which i'm hoping will help. the fish seems fine apart from the laying at the bottom of the tank, it perks up and swims around as normal when i go up to the tank and has eaten some food. i went to the fish store and showed them a video of what the fish was doing, they said it was normal but i'm not convinced.
do you think its too late for him?

 

[misskeeter2766]

upload the video to youtube then post the link here...

 

[SHARPiE]

Good to see the ammonia is at 0 now - try to keep it there, test daily if not twice a day for ammonia. Do you have strip or liquid tests?

I haven't heard of the tetra aqua nitrate minus - but be careful of adding extra chemicals to the tank, everything is slow going in SW. Your nitrates are fine where they are - 10 isn't going to harm your fish, part water changes are the best way to keep the nitrates in check. Its the nitrite and ammonia that is poisonus.

pH of 7.8 isn't too bad, a pH of 8.2 is optimal but make sure it doesn't fluctuate too quickly. What do you have as a substrate? Aragnite and crushed coral buffers the pH to the right levels naturally.

Do you have a refractometer? What is your Specific Gravity? SG fluctuations can also cause shock.

If the ammonia wasn't at 0.5 - I would put this down as "Clowns being Clowns". But monitor the ammonia and the clown's behaviour. If the clown starts breathing rapidly, PWC and do a test.

 

[AlexF]

hi Everyone, unfortunatly my clown died yesterday, i woke up to find him at the bottom of the tank and he looked very stiff. I'm very upset and am now worried the other one will get lonely although he seems absolutly fine and not even fazed by the death of his tank mate.
do you think i should get another clown or wait till i can stabilize the tank levels a bit more? i dont want him to get lonely.

I'm starting to doubt my testing kit, its an API mini saltwater master liquid test kit. i cant see any visible expiry dat but on the side it does say 2007 which does lead me to believe it may be out of date and not giving accurate results.
the nitrite and ammonia levels are both 0 but after adding marine buffer and doing a lot of pwc over the course of a week the nitrate and ph levels still dont seem to have changed and i cant get them right.
im going to buy another testing kit tomorrow, does anyone have any suggestions>?

 

[cmor1701d]

There should be a LOT number on the bottle. From API:
"Each reagent bottle has a Lot # printed
on the bottle. The last four digits are the month and year of
manufacture. Example: Lot # 28A0102. This is a pH reagent manufactured
in January of 2002. "

What time of day are you testing your pH?
How long have the lights been on before you test?
What salt mix are you using?
If you mix a batch to an SG of 1.025 and let it aerate overnight with a powerhead and heater what are the pH, Alk, SG, etc. readings the next day?
Are you using RODI or tap water to mix?

The reason I ask that pH will be highest just before ligths out and lowest just before lights on.
PWC's should maintain all the parameters including Alkalinity and pH.

I like the Salifert line of test kits for Ca, Mg, Nitritate, and Alk.

 

[AlexF]

i test my PH in the middle of the day so the light has been on for some time. i just use an RO pre mixed saltwater mix from the fish store and my SG is just above 1.020. i'm having to do water changes 3 times a week because my levels just keep rising every time after i bring them down

 

[thincat]

Your SG is on the low side. What levels keep raising?

 

[AlexF]

The nitrate and ammonia are the levels that keep rising, i do water changes which bring the levels down but the next day they seem to creep back up again. I have never been able to get the nitrate down. I am very careful what i feed the fish and ensure he eats all the pellets i give him, so the levels rising can't be due to over feeding. would you suggest i add some more clean up crew to the tank? at the moment i only have 4 hermit crabs and they must not be doing a very good job.

 

[thincat]

Any ammonia means that your tank is still cycling. Reduce your feeding and hope that the fish will survive.