Sick Clown

[stanton]

I just recieved the frantic call from my wife. We have had the false perc for 5 weeks. No problems other than a scrape on his chin that got infected.
His symptoms are
White face,filmy looking around the mouth
Hugging the bottom in one spot all morning
He is eating though. My hospital tank is ready. From limited info do you think this is brook?
I am searching while waiting for a response.Thanks

 

[beth]

Probably not brook, since you have had him for over a month now without symptoms. Move him to the QT.
Is he breathing rapidly? What are your water readings in the tank? Any problems with the tank recently? Any other fish having trouble. Any agression in this tank?
I would begin hyposalinity on this fish in the QT. With more info, we may be able to pin down the problem.

 

[stanton]

He has starting to breathe heavily tonight. The only thing I can think of is last Sat. I done a major aquascaping job that stressed him out for about two hours. I have a yellow watchman that he cuddles up against when the goby is out.Should I QT the goby also?
My readings are:
sg 1.025
temp 78
ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 0
calcium 380
alk 4.6
sally lightfoot and watchman

 

[beth]

I have seen this happen to clowns, usually following a major stress out.
Can you get a magnifying glass, and really look at the clown. See if you see anything at all abnormal. Many times fish will carry a parasite that they can live with until stressed, then the vermin becomes too much for them. See if you see any sign of a parasite on the fish. Look for swollen red gills as well, etc.

 

[stanton]

Sorry I couldn't get back sooner. The clown died 6 hrs after putting in Q.T. I did find a spot on it's gill plate that was swollen and his gills were bloody. My watchman is still doing great and shows no sign of infection. I'll keep a super close eye on him.
Thanks again