sick clown

[chicken neck]

Hi all,I have a 29 gallon tank and about a week ago I added 2 percula clowns.I noticed that the one that didnt make it(yes he died) never did eat. The one that is still living bareley does eat. I tried flake foods,brine shrimp and other foods. I have a 10 gal hospital tank so I treated the sick clown with copper safe and he did not make it as I said before. Thought he might of had some kind of parasite because he could barely swim. Did I do somthing wrong in the treating process or is it hard sometimes to get some fish to eat? Everything else in my tank is doing good. And if someone has the time could you tell me the steps on treating sick fish? Thanks everyone

 

[beth]

Hello, Chicken. I see you are new to our BB, welcome.
Unless you actually see ick or parasites on your fish, you should not have treated them with copper. The best thing to do when you have new fish is to garantine them for 2 weeks in a separate tank. That way, if they have diseases, you can detect and treat them separate and apart from your main tank--thereby protecting your main tank from exposure to diseases from new fish.
Clownfish do best in established tanks. How old is your tank, and what other fish do you have in there? Size? What are your water readings?
I can't tell you here how to treat fish diseases because fish diseases, like human diesases, are many and varied. One disease is treated a certain way, while others are treated totally differently.
One of the best ways to assess a fish's health is to closely observe the fish while the fish is at the LFS. Look at fish color, breathing, behavior, swimming, interaction with other fish BEFORE you make a purchase. Never buy fish that have just arrived at the pet shop.
[ August 26, 2001: Message edited by: Beth ]