Clown fish flipping wildly

All,

Thought id post this here too. I have a very strange behaving Clown Fish that I am not finding any information that seems to explain this, even for Clown Fish. I think this might be bladder problem, but would appreciate others to look at the video and provide any comments or thoughts on the behavior.

Clown Fish Swimming Wildy

Scott

 

Hi Scott,

That looks more like a significant neurological issue than a swim bladder issue.

Are you treating the QT with anything?

 

I see he calmed down toward the end of the video. Does he eat? Does he ever behave "normal"? How long have you had him?

 

The fish have been in the QT for just about 8 weeks. I started with about 2 weeks of Prazipro followed by change of filter media to one that had carbon to remove the med. That is where things have been, no other med.

The behavior of the fish has been always different, lots of on the side swimming, but initially as I read about it, appeared to be "normal" clown behavior. The flipping started about 5 weeks ago.

He does eat, assuming I can food in front of him without him starting to flip. Last night I could drop a pellet right by him and he would grab an eat. Otherwise it had been more random in trying to get him to see the food after a flipping episode before the other one got to it.

Since this is our first fish I don't really know what is normal. Its not a constant flipping, so there are periods where he is swimming around, still lots of times on his side.

 

I have had many Clown Fish and never seen this spastic behavior.

If you purchased these clowns from a breeder you should probably be able to get a refund or credit, same for if you bought them on line or from a local fish store.

Part of me hope he makes it, another part feels that it must extremely stressful for the fish when this happens. I certainly hope what ever neurological issue it is it passes soon.

 

Fish were bought at LFS. No return policy.

Any reason to not move him from QT to DT? Was planning on doing that this weekend.

 

I would not move that fish into the display EVER.

If you are done with the prophylatic treatments, the fish should stay in QT while not being medicated until: the fish dies or the problem resolves and stays resolved for weeks.

You went to all the trouble of QT the fish and treating it prophylatically, why would you even consider introducing it to your display when it is clearing showing signs of an active disease process.

 

Appreciate the input. My thinking, and I am very new at this, is my DT currently has no fish or corals, these were our first purchase. Consensus is that he has a neurological problem and outside of the behavior there is no other signs of disease.

Also, if I were to leave him in the QT, what steps or anything should then be taken? Leave them both in there? Or move just the one? I want to add new fish to the QT and continue stocking the DT, but really don't want to have everything on hold.

 

Since the other clown has the possibility of being exposed to whatever pathogen might account for the suspect clowns behavior it should be considered infected as well, just for the purposes of QT.

I suspect the affected fish has some physical anomaly causing this spastic swimming behavior rather than a pathogen being the root cause.

It's all only speculation.

I would leave them un-treated in the tank for at least another 5 days and then proceed from there.

I hate to see you add either fish at this moment since they are the first introductions with questionable health status currently.

I have a feeling the affected fish will perish in the near future, and if that happens and the remaining fish is still symptom free you can probably QT her with the next fish purchases just to be on the safe side.

Good Luck

 

woooow, i have never seen this. i would agree with coraillines suggestion about a neurological disorder....literally crazy. he must consume a butt load of energy spazing out like that