sick clown, unknown disease

[goatfish]

I noticed on saturday that my two tomato clowns which are usually very active were hiding in my live rock. One will come out to eat then returns back to the rock but the other just floats around the bottom and gasps for for breath refusing to come out to eat or anything else. There are no visible signs of any disease except fot the one fish gasping. The poor guy looks like he is in pain and I don't know what it could be.

 

[beth]

When did you get these fish? And what size tank do you have, system, water readings?

 

[goatfish]

My tank is a 29 gal with live rock. I have had the fish almost a year and it has been as healthy as you could imagine untill now. All my water parameters are zero for nitrates, ammonia, and nitrites and my ph is about 8.0. The only thing out of the ordinary from usual I have done with the tank is about two weeks before I noticed anything I added a royal gramma which is doing fine and a leather coral both from a fish store which which I trust.

 

[goatfish]

Oh I am running a cpr bakpack and have about an inch and a half of aragonite subsstrate with plenty of circulation in the tank.

 

[beth]

How are the clowns' fins? Any chance of them being harrassed by the new addition?

 

[goatfish]

It's fins look good he was actually the boss of the tank and pushed the other fish around a little.

 

[beth]

Even so, I would keep an unobtrusive eye out to see if you can see any kind of harrassment. Fish can be subtle in harrassing. Do you have a magnifying glass that you can use to take a closer look at the fish?
What other fish are in the tank?

 

[goatfish]

I can't notice any kind of injuries to the fish. His jaw is looks like it is swollen but I think it just appears that way because he has his mouth gaping open. The only two other fish in the tank is another tomato clown which was added to the tank at the same time (one year ago) and the royal gramma which the clown picks on from time to time but is considerably smaller. It has seemed all the tankmates have tolerated each other very well especially the two clowns.