White mouths gaping open...

karlaloveskrabs

karlaloveskrabs

Member
Help!
Problem:
2 percula clowns, approx 2 years old
Won't eat, mouths hanging open and pale/white...
I have two percula clowns that I have had for about 2 years... they are beautiful and BIG, so I am extremely stressed by their health problems.
These 2 fish lived in a tank together for almost 2 years with no problems. Recently, I bought a 37g Eclipse and wanted to move them.
The new tank has been set up and running great for about 4 months. I have had crabs and shriimp in there for about 3 months and all are fine.
I moved my 2 percula's to this tank about a week ago.
Since the move, they have slowly stopped eating... their mouths are now hanging open and seem to be pale or white. I have tried feeding them both flakes and frozen shrimp... they just won't eat.
Another thing they do is 'shake' all of a sudden... like they are having seizures. I have seen them do this occasionally over the time I have had them, but now they do it all the time.
I don't see them brushing against the LR to scratch... so I have no clue what is going on.
I don't have a hospital/QT set up unfortunately, I only have 3 fish (one still in the tank the percs came out of). I have LR, LS and crabs in both tanks... so I can't drop chemicals in to try to fix them without killing everything else.
:mad:
 
karlaloveskrabs

karlaloveskrabs

Member
Water levels are normal/fine... just checked... everything in a 'safe' range according to charts and these message boards and all the books I have on hand.
Was this move the cause?
 
pyro

pyro

Active Member
by normal water parameters, do you mean NH3 = 0, NO2 = 0, NH3 = <20ppm? pH = ? specific gravity?
Just checking.
 
karlaloveskrabs

karlaloveskrabs

Member
Yes, my readings are as you described... 'perfect'... pH too!
I don't understand what happened, these fish have been so hardy and healthy, I never dreamed this move would stress them like this!
Oh my gosh, one looks worse than the other now... his mouth has white FURRY stuff hanging off of it, and it looks like it is bleeding... weird! What is this funk?
 
beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
Can you get a picture up? Is there actually something "growing" on the mouth, or is it just white. Use a magnifying glass to get a better look.
An eclipse does not have enough circulation, did you add a powerhead? What filters beside the eclipse are you using? Please humor me a post all of your readings, including nitrate, pH, salinity as well as the others.
How did you do the transfer to the new tank? Did you use a net, if so, did you sterilize it before the transfer? Did the fish get tangled in the net? Did you remove them from watar at any time? How did you acclimate?
 
A

andretti

Guest
An eclipse does not have enough bio filtration; even with powerheads. What happened was you overloaded your system and what your fish have is ammonia burns.
 
unleashed

unleashed

Active Member
sounds like mouth fungus try some melafix you can treat the whole tank with it wont hurt inverts or corals its all natural .remove all carbon packs during 7 day treatment.this stuff works wonders.this product can be used longer if needed
 
karlaloveskrabs

karlaloveskrabs

Member
Thank you so much, I will try that.
I know the eclipse may not be the right choice for SW, but unfortunately, I raised these two percs... along with a Royal Gramma... in a TWELVE gallon eclipse! Not kidding, they have been happy and healthy and growing like weeds for nearly two years in that little bitty tank... along with a lot of LR, LS, many crabs, and two peppermint shrimp. Swear, they have made it just fine.
And, I have had another Eclipse 40, but lost it to my ex-husband in a divorce... we ran it as a SW tank for over two years as well... no problems.
I know you don't want to hear that... but it is true... maybe a miracle... or just luck.
:thinking:
 
lefty

lefty

Active Member
Your clowns could have cotton mouth. If this is the case, you'll need to put them in a QT and treat them with Maracyn Two. :)
-lefty
 
unleashed

unleashed

Active Member

Originally posted by lefty
Your clowns could have cotton mouth. If this is the case, you'll need to put them in a QT and treat them with Maracyn Two. :)
-lefty
she doesnt have a qt thats why i told her melafix cotton mouth is mouth fungus and she wont have to qt while using it
 
lefty

lefty

Active Member
Sorry, I must not have seen your post. :jumping:
QTs don't cost that much to set up. I know there are many conflicting opinions concerning Melafix and Maracyn Two, but my own opinion is that Maracyn is much more effective than Melafix. Melafix is a mild antibiotic at best. Also, even though Melafix claims to be safe to add to your tank, it has been known to cause damage, however subtle it may have been. I would still only add it to a QT. I think your best bet would be to invest in a QT, along with some antibiotics. :)
-lefty
 
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