help help help....asap response please

ok, i've had my tank running for 6wks. everything was fine and stable. i noticed one of my clowns not swimming around as much as the other. just sticking to one area. i immediatley got paranoid and tested my water. now it's hard to tell but my ammonia test is hard to tell. it looks yellow yet with a little green ting. my test is yellow=0 light green 0.25. it's somewhere in between and my nitrites are the same, between 0 and 0.05. none of the other inhabitants are acting weird. the clown is eating and went crazy for the food...which i know a bad sign is not eating. the only thing that changed was i had a fish pass on after one day of having him(it was a yellowjawfish and hadn't come out or eat) i removed it immediately and i did a water change last night. my water was at perfect salinity and temp and was ro water. what the f%k is happening.

my little sea chem shows ammonia is fine but i did the test 3 times and it came out the same. the clownfish is eating, breathing fine, no physical signs other than just staying to one area. what do i do...wait and see? i have no saltwater mixed up so doing an immediate water change is a nono as the salt wouldn't be mixed properly. oh my god, the panic is setting. please help.

 

Hey there. Being the owner of many. many clownfish I can tell you: they are called clownfish for a reason. Ever go out and look at your tank at like 3 in the morning. All the clownfish will look dead, laying down at the bottom of the tank. If your perams are good, and the fish is not breathing hard and is eating well, it sounds like you have a healthy fish. No marks on his body, strange colorations? Clownfish are not good swimmers, has he hosted to anything yet? Might want to try something that has a little cave effect to it like a clay pot on its side. They not being great swimmers will like to hang out under a rock or in a cave or in something that they have hosted. No, they don't require an anemone to do well in a tank.

That being said, I don't know where you got your clown. If he was wild caught, its very possible he could have a condition related to that.

There's really not much more I can tell you except that a worse sign, one that you really don't want to see, is the clownfish just swimming straight into the current. This is a well known condition that means impending doom for clowns.

Gl to you and I hope he's alright

GLTA

 

i don't know if he is wild. got them at BA's. i've noticed that when they do swim through the current they kinda look funny, ya know having to fight the current to get through. i guess i was a little scared cause my ammonia and nitrites went up a tiny bit...should i be scared? also about the filter, people were telling me that it would build biological gunk and go back into my tank. should i replace the sponge since i took it out?

 

Sound to me that everything is fine. Clown fish aren't the best swimmers but can hold their own. If you got it for BA it is likely captive bread. Ammonia poisoning will cause redness around the gills and rapid breathing. I'm sure even at 0.25 you will be fine. If your really paranoid you can get a product like AmoLock it is a product that will lock the Ammonia into a non toxic state. This is a good product to have around just for emergencies

J

 

Thanks Everyone. U Made Me Feel That Much Better. But Still A Little Worried. It Was Swimming All Around. Will Any Water Conditioner Do The Same Thing As Amolock. The Fish Store Recommended This Pond Water Conditioner Amonnia Detox. I Did Use It For When I Was Using Tap Water. God I Hope They Didn't Screw Me.

 

Things to look for:
Any loss of coloration, lighter color, a bit whitish perhaps.
Fins deteriorating or torn.
Tiny white spots.
Hanging in high current for more than a brief period.
Scratching, rubbing up on rocks or glass, ect...
Not eating.
Constant hovering at the top of the water, or bottom of the tank.


I'ts also very likey they are battling to decide who is dominant (will become the female). I suggest reading about this, you may find some clues on your lil guys (or perhaps even guy/gal if your lucky! )

 

Any time you add fish to a system, your ammonia is going to go up a bit until the bacteria in the tank has enough time to catch up to the additional bioload. Removing the sponge from your filter removed some bacteria from your system so that kinda works against you. Replace the sponge and every week or so, rinse it regularly in salt water to remove whatever detritus builds up on it which will help to prevent nitrate problems.

 

Thanks So Much. Really Appreciate All Your Help.

 

.25 to be honest is rather safe. Dont worry. .25ppm is not a toxic level to fish. Deaths in your tank, snails, fish, etc. can also raise it a bit. Usually it is taken care of by your filter, that is, if you have a good one. So catching the nitrites will give you an indicator that there was ammonia present in your system.

I recently tested .1 on the nitrites, kinda explains why my tang has been stressed.

 

Someone Suggested Using Ammo Lock, What Do You Guys Think Of This? I Asked Two Different Guys At The Lfs (bad Idea) One Said Ya It's A Good Idea, The Other Guy Looked Scared. Great Help He Was. It's A Water Conditioner...i'm Sure U All Have Heard Of It. Wanted To Ask My Trusted Friends First Before Using It.