Not ich, but what?

[debbers]

Hi,
I got a juvenile pair (1" long) of ocellaris clowns a week ago, and they both seemed to adjust well, they ate well and seemed happy.
Last night I noticed one clown seemed to be swimming funny. He would go into the lower front corner of the tank and jerk around a little, then go off as if nothing were the matter. I also noticed that his tail had a tear in it. I observed him do this a few times.
This morning the white stripe closest to his tail seemed to be losing color.
By tonight his tail is completely tattered, the stripe is very discolored. He now swims in a jerky motion, often nose-down and is gasping.
I observed him with a magnifying glass. No ich spots, no parasites that I can see.
The other inhabitants are happy with no signs of stress or tissue damage.
Water parameters: ammonia = 0, trites = 0, trates = <5, pH = 8.0, temp = 80, sp. grav = 1.023, calcium = 400 ppm, alk = 3.6
I'm afraid with his rapid downfall that he might not make it through the night. Any thoughts, ideas, or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
~D~

 

[debbers]

Never mind...
I went to check on him and he was at the bottom of the tank with the shrimp munching on him. He's gone on to that "great reef in the sky".
Any thoughts on what might have been wrong with him?

 

[newreefers]

If his tail was torn up maybe another fish was after him and it just stressed him out too much. I don't think a torn tail would kill him. What else is in your tank?

 

[debbers]

I don't have anything else in the tank that would have done anything to hurt/harrass him. I had another small ocellaris perc and a midas blenny. I have a small clean-up crew as listed in my signature. The other perc is fine; so is the blenny. It's a mystery to me as to what might have happened. I'm going to get another young clown, as I wanted them to be a mated pair. The one remaining is only about 1" in length; still quite small.

 

[debbers]

Now I've lost the other perc!
Can someone please offer some advice or thoughts of what might have happened?
The fish was fine this morning, then around 5pm or so when I fed, he seemed a bit listless and lethargic. By 7pm he was unable to swim upright. By 7:30pm he was being blown around in the current of the powerhead. At 8pm I found him stuck against the intake of the powerhead, dead.
Again, as with the other fish, there were no signs of ich or parasites. This fish did not have any faded coloration or fin deterioration. All seemed fine.
Any thoughts here would be helpful; the fish were bought together from the LFS. Could it be that they were diseased before I brought them home?
Someone, please help me understand!!
~D~

 

[debbers]

I don't know about Lenny the blenny being the culprit... but who's to say without 24/7 fish surveilance.
Do you know of any illnesses that would cause these fish to die in this way?
What about brooklynella (sp?)? What are its symptoms? I've heard it affects many clowns...
~D~

 

[sebae0]

in your first post with your water params you stated your ph is 8.0 that is a tad bit low maybe this could have something to do with it? im no expert but maybe beth or someone with more exp could jump in?

 

[debbers]

I've chatted with Broomer about my pH... it seems ok since my calcium and alkalinity are both right where they need to be.