Normal for false female perc?

kanicky

kanicky

Member
I've had my two false percs for about a month now and have been wondering if the following is normal for my female perc:
Her top dorsal (?) fin is down, and the two fins beneath her stomach are tucked up. Meanwhile, my male perc's fins are where they seem they're supposed to be. I apologize if this is confusing- I know the fins have actual names, but I am drawing blanks right now.
Any help would be appreciated. I want to make sure my female is okay.
Thanks a million!
 
sac10918

sac10918

Member
So, I think what you are saying is that her dorsal fin is down, and here pelvic fin is tucked up (but the pectoral fins which are the "arm-like" fins which are used for swimming are okay).
This sounds perfectly normal to me...My pair tend to do the same thing. SOmetimes, their pelvic fins will become un-tucked, but then they will tuck back up again. And sometimes, only one pelvic fin will be untucked. This is because the pelvic fins are used for stabilizing, not for swimming.
SOunds like a perfectly normal clownfish to me...Hope that helps!
 
kanicky

kanicky

Member
Thanks for the reply...
I also have another question about the "aforementioned female perc":
She doesn't move around the tank very much any more. She pretty much stays to one side, near the sand. Her little male counterpart is very active and swims around the whole tank, as well as with the other fish.
She isn't breathing heavily, nor does she appear to have Ick or any other visible parasites. I fed Cyclopeeze flakes this morning, which she usually jets after, but she kind of swam towards the food, and then seemed to decide, "Nah, I'm not really hungry." She's been like this for about two days now.
The parameters are as follows:
pH: 8.0
Ammonia: 0
Nitrities: 0
Nitrates: 15
Temp: 77 - 79.5
Her tank-mates are another false perc (male), a pygmy angelfish, sand-sifting goby, coral-banded shrimp, two emerald crabs, and a handful of snails and dwarf hermits.
Any ideas? :help: I'm a little worried.
 
kanicky

kanicky

Member
Originally Posted by renogaw
does she have an almond tint to her body near the front fins?
No, her color is still good. We actually thought she was going to die last night
She wasn't breathing hard, but she was breathing a little faster than she usually does, her mouth started to get pale, and she was swimming just above the sand.
This morning though, she was still alive, and as soon as I turned the actinic's on, she and 'Norbie' were swimming around, looking for food. I fed them some enriched brine shrimp and Cyclopeeze flakes. She took a few bites (which is great, because she hadn't really eaten in two days) and then actually swam around the tank (again, which is great, because she's been staying in the same spot for the past two days).
I did a parameter check again today:
pH: 8.0
Ammonia: 0
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 10
Temp: 79.5
Any ideas?
 
renogaw

renogaw

Active Member
odd--there's a female clown at the LFS near me that had eggs and was swimming the same way (fins tucked in) which is why i was asking--the almond tint under the skin were her eggs.
 
kanicky

kanicky

Member
Well, I'll be going home in a few hours, so hopefully she's still doing well.
But thanks for your quick replies!
 
kanicky

kanicky

Member
ARGH!

So, she seemed decent yesterday; at least better than she had been the two days before. This morning when I fed the fish, she was back in her normal corner, and it looked like she was a little pale around her mouth. She wouldn't eat and wasn't really swimming around much; just treading water.
Everyone else in the tank is active and eating and healthy. Why not her?
Readings:
pH: 8.0
Ammonia: 0
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 10
Temp: 79.5
 
kanicky

kanicky

Member
Okay, so we came home from work today to see her swimming with Norbie, still breathing a little fast, but active and alert.
What the heck?
Anyone, please? :notsure:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top