New Fish Sick?

[ImLookinForNemo]

I got a percula clown today and he seems to be swimming kind of funny....not really straight, but kind of tilted to one side or the other...also he is hanging out near the top of the tank and not looking really great-i added him today, so he has only been in the tank about 2 hours now...do you think he just needs time to adjust? Everything in the tank checks out perfect, and he's the only fish in there.

 

[Anemoneman]

He needs time. An unsure "wag" near the top sounds about right. Turn the lights for a day to reduce stress.

 

[quarryshark]

Mine like to hang near the top of the tank, especially at night. In fact the sleep there sometimes.
They do swim kinda funny, wagging side to side. It may be normal. Cute little guys, aren't they.

 

[ImLookinForNemo]

It's the second day now, he's been in there since about 7:00 last night and still he swims RIGHT at the surface...and he looks like he's struggling too, bobbing around all funny (but the water movement is stronger at the surface b/c of the kind of filter I use so that might be why) also he seems pale and covered in little white spots, possibly ich but im not sure yet...could there be something wrong with my water?

ammonia-0
nitrite-0
nitrate-5
ph-8.2
salinity-1.028

my tank has already cylced...is there somethin else i should be testing for that i've ignored that could be makin him sick or does he still need time? it seems like by now he would have adjusted...help!

 

[Gauge]

That salinity is very high. Higher salinity is supposed to be more stressful on fish, but that's just hearsay. Anyone think that is too high, or is it just me? I keep my tank at 1.021-1.022 (but I have mostly fish and not too many corals).

Also, I have a saddleback clownfish, and he sort of bobs up and down when he gets excited when swimming. Usually, when my wife walks in the room in the mornings when she wakes up, if he notices her, he'll go from sleeping on a rock to "bouncing" up and down in place. Not sure if this is what you're describing, but if it is, it's no problem.

 

[quarryshark]

I keep my sg about .024, this is on the high side, but I have a red sea angel who likes it higher as well as my inverts. You should lower it to at least .025, 0.23-0.24 would be better. This could very well be stressing him. What do you use to measure? Swing arms are know to be way off. Your sg could even be higher than what you think is is.

 

[ImLookinForNemo]

hmm well i do have a swing arm...but how should i lower it? just do a water change and add water with a lower salinity? is that the only thing i should change? ....i mean, am i testing for everything that needs to be tested?

 

[ImLookinForNemo]

also what should i use to meausre? and is it possible for the clown to look sort of bad jsut because of stress or is that a seperate problem?

 

[quarryshark]

There are other tests, but these are the basic and most important with fish . Everything else looks good. I would just do small changes with fresh water (RO water if you have it) and lower it that way. You could lower it tonight to .026 without a problem it think and further lower it tomorrow. You may also want to get a good floating hydrometer, these are a little more accurate.
I really think that may be the problem. You may also have a parasitic problem developing. Do you have a qt tank?

 

[ImLookinForNemo]

no but i could probably get one set up fairly quickly...this clown is the only fish in the tank though, so i'm not worried about a parasite problem spreading...theres nothing for it to spread to! i do have live rock in the main tank though, does that mean that IF he has a parasite problem I can't treat it directly in the tank?

 

[quarryshark]

Yes, you would have to treat in a separate tank. Meds and hyposalinity will kill everything on your live rock. (reefsafe meds are no good). Also if you have a parasitic outbreak, you would need to leave the main fallow of fish for 4-6 weeks to allow the parasite to go through its life cycle and die off ( no fish hosts). If you don't do this, any other fish added will catch it. The best measure is to qt all new fish for 3-4 weeks before placing in you main.
I learned this the hard way and lost 3 fish to a velvet outbreak.
Maybe you will be lucky and its just stress related.
I have my fingers crossed.

 

[ImLookinForNemo]

i dont think its stress related...hes doing really bad now, i think hes probably dying-WHAT THE $%^& IS WRONG WITH MY TANK? this is the second fish that has died in there (with about 5 months between them) everythng ive been testing for checks out good...ammonia-0 nitrite-0 nitrate-5 salinity-1.026 (lowered it last night) and temp-about 79....what the heck am i forgetting?? the clownfish came down from teh surface and was swimming around last night, seemed to be doing better...then this morning he is laying on the bottom breathing really heavy, and covered in white spots, and his white stripes have brown on them. There was nothing i could do this morning so i went to school, just got home and checked him, and hes still layng on the bottom...still alive, but barely....what am i doing wrong

 

[quarryshark]

ithe clownfish came down from teh surface and was swimming around last night, seemed to be doing better...then this morning he is laying on the bottom breathing really heavy, and covered in white spots, and his white stripes have brown on them.

Sound like it may be velvet. The parasite goes through a life cycle. The fish may get better for a short time, but it comes back and hits even harder.
Need to get him out asap and into a qt tank to treat with copper ( I use cupramine) if its not too late. Need to do this today. Also get a copper test kit appropriate for the type of copper your using. You lfs should have this

"There was nothing i could do this morning so i went to school, just got home and checked him, and hes still layng on the bottom...still alive, but barely....what am i doing wrong"

In the future, the best way to avoid this is to qt (in a bare bottom tank) all new arrivals for 4 week to see if anything develops. Easier to treat and you won't infect you main tank.
Let us know if you have any question.
Good luck.