Sick or stressed clown? QT?

[Crewdawg1981]

aight... so I've actually never had this problem before with a clownfish.

One of my Blackice Clowns is staying up in the corner (where he generally sleeps) and pretty much ignoring food. He's been doing this for two days so far that I've noticed. Usually comes out to feed, but not lately. This is definitely the submissive one.

Heres a pic



Given the cost on these bad boys... I'd rather not lose him. Should I try and net him and throw him in my fuge (which is ~20 gallons) to recover or? He doesnt look skinny or anything yet. Just... sorta swimming up there. No signs of disease or parasites. I'm thinkin either the other clown is keeping him up there (they've been swimming together for 5 months now no issues) or the flame is bothering him... which I've never seen, but its the only new addition (soon to be a subtraction).

[spiderman097]

as bad as it sounds, i think he's sick. QT him and hope he gets better

[JennM]

That behavior isn't unusual. Are there any symptoms?

If in doubt, qt. Article about qt here.

Jenn

[Crewdawg1981]

Originally Posted by JennM

That behavior isn't unusual. Are there any symptoms?

If in doubt, qt. Article about qt here.

Jenn

I'll watch him for another day. I know clowns can sometimes do this, but the ignoring of food is what is bothering me. Again, he isn't skinny so I may be Okay.

[JennM]

How long have you had them? Did you pair them or were they a pair when you got them? Does the other one actively chase that one away from food?

[Crewdawg1981]

Originally Posted by JennM

How long have you had them? Did you pair them or were they a pair when you got them? Does the other one actively chase that one away from food?

Hey Jenn... sorry, didnt see your reply last night.

I've had them for... 4 months now. I got them together as a pair, but in all likelihood they were probably siblings. One has always been a tad bigger than the other and while you can occassionally see battle wounds on the fins, there hasnt been a lot of overt fighting that I've seen.

I watched them for a while last night, especially while feeding. The smaller one sticks to a corner the whole time. Again, he's still not too skinny or anything and will occassionally jump out at a small piece of food that manages to get by him, but thats it.

Last night before my final light went out I was watching them and noticed them swimming together. They used to sleep together, one on top of the other in the same corner in my picture above. But the last two nights (the only two I've really paid attention), I see they are sleeping in separate corners.

Is my little guy doomed due to stress?

[JennM]

It's quite possible that now they are getting to sexual maturity. As juveniles the game of dominance isn't all that serious but once one starts to change to female, it becomes more of an issue for "her" to maintain her status. Usually the sparring doesn't result in injury, so I'd be a bit watchful of that. As long as the little guy does manage to eat and such, they should sort themselves out. If you end up separating them, putting them back together may not be an option, because the female may not tolerate the male upon re-introduction. That sort of thing can be hit-and-miss.

Clowns are pretty tough. As long as he's not showing signs of infection or infestation, I'd keep an eye for now and only intervene if you think that the match won't stick. Doesn't happen often, but it can happen.

Jenn