clownfish has lockjaw, swim bladder problems

[Stacyvamp]

Hi everyone, I need some help with my clown fish. For the past two weeks I noticed his mouth doesn’t shut and he won’t eat. I tried feeding him with a pipette, and now he seems to have swim bladder problems. I’m afraid that I might’ve blown some air into him while trying to feed him. He has trouble staying upright, swimming up and down and sometimes his belly turns up, which is unusual for him. Wish I could attach a video.. I attached photos of his lockjaw. Please advise me what I can do

 

[Colin_T]

How long has the tank been set up for?
How long have you had the fish for?

What is the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH and salinity?
What is the temperature?

What sort of filter is on the tank?
How often and how do you clean the filter?
Was the filter cycled before you added fish?

Are there any other fish or invertebrates in the tank?

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You can upload videos to YouTube, then copy & paste the link here.
If you use a mobile phone to film the fish, hold the phone horizontally (not vertically) so the footage fills the entire screen. Make the video about 1 minute long.

 

[Stacyvamp]

How long has the tank been set up for?
How long have you had the fish for?

What is the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH and salinity?
What is the temperature?

What sort of filter is on the tank?
How often and how do you clean the filter?
Was the filter cycled before you added fish?

Are there any other fish or invertebrates in the tank?

------------------
You can upload videos to YouTube, then copy & paste the link here.
If you use a mobile phone to film the fish, hold the phone horizontally (not vertically) so the footage fills the entire screen. Make the video about 1 minute long.

Hi here's the video. you can see he has trouble staying parallel, his tail kind of raises up, that’s why he began swimming vertically. You can also see his mouth does not close, he looks like he is hyperventilating with gills

Tank has been set up for a year
I had the fish for a year as well
I’m not sure of the exact measurements of ammonia, nitrate, nitrate, or pH, I only have test strips, and solutions that you add to a tube of water, so it’s not really accurate. But all of them fall within normal ranges that are included on the chart for results.
Salinity Falls within the green parameter on the hydrometer, between 1.02 and 1.03.
temperature 77F
Filter is QuietFlow by aqueon
I change the cartridge in the filter maybe once every one or two months.
The tank was cycled when the fish were added in.
there are no invertebrates

Just want to add in that my Heniochus acuminatus Lost partial sight a month ago for no apparent reason, it could’ve been his age or something else, I don’t know. At one point he just started bumping into other fish and could not find his food. I trained him to eat from a tweezer and he is more acclimated now, back in the tank, and more adjusted to his surroundings. Otherwise, all of my other fish do not have any problems

 

[Stan510]

The problem could be two things. The fish have grown and that filter isn't big enough. Or,gladiator wars as that larger Clown or the Damsel is picking at the smaller,causing soon to be fatal stress.
That is a very small marine aquarium. You should stop at two clown fish at the most.

 

[Stacyvamp]

The problem could be two things. The fish have grown and that filter isn't big enough. Or,gladiator wars as that larger Clown or the Damsel is picking at the smaller,causing soon to be fatal stress.
That is a very small marine aquarium. You should stop at two clown fish at the most.

I have not seen any aggressive behavior, these fish all grew up together and have been living together for a year, no aggression and no fights.
I have a 55 gallon tank, while I was doing research I read about one inch of fish per one or two gallons of water. I have 5 fish. even if they were 10 inch each, which they're not, I would still have adequate amount of space. Though I do agree that the longfin bannerfish needs a larger tank, we are thinking of upgrading later in the year.
I do a 30% water change every week, and I vacuum the gravel once a month.
Could you please explain how the filter became in adequate?

 

[Colin_T]

What are the tank dimensions (length x width x height)?

I change the cartridge in the filter maybe once every one or two months.

How many cartridges do you have in the filter?

It's preferable not to replace filter pads/ cartridges unless they are falling apart. If you replace the pads, you get rid of the beneficial filter bacteria and this can cause water quality issues.

If you have to replace cartridges, then put a sponge in its place. Sponges last for years and can be cleaned by squeezing them out in a bucket of tank water. The sponge gets re-used and the bucket of dirty water gets poured on the lawn.

You can buy sponges for different brands of filter and use a pair of scissors to cut them to fit.

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The fish is stressed out. The neon devil is bullying it a bit and the fish swimming upright is the fish trying to avoid confrontation.

Can you post a picture of the whole tank showing everything in it?

My guess is there is no anemone for the fish to live in, and the neon damsel and female anemonefish are bullying the smaller male anemonefish. The females normally bully the males to stop them changing sex but the combination of the neon damsel and the female could be too much for the male anemonefish.

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The fish's mouth being open is an issue. This could be a bacterial, fungal or viral infection, possibly brought on by stress.

In a freshwater aquarium, I would suggest doing big daily water changes and adding some salt. Salt won't help with marine fish because they live in salt water. But you could try doing a couple of huge (90%) water changes. Basically drain the tank so there is just enough water for the fish, then refill it with clean sea water. As long as the temperature and salinity are the same, you can do this without an issue.

Do the 90% water change every couple of days for a week or two and see if it helps. If there's no improvement after a couple of big water changes, you might need to treat the tank with a broad spectrum medication like Triple Sulpha.

Adding an anemone might help, and possibly having lots of rock in the tank might help.

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If you are using artificial marine salts to make up the salt water, make the salt water up and aerate it for at least 24 hours before using it. This allows all the salt and minerals to dissolve completely before being added to the tank.

 

[Stan510]

From the photo I thought it was 10 gallons or so. Clownfish without an anemone seem to get anxiety and that feeling of being alone. They are totally evolved to live the anemone life.

 

[Stacyvamp]

What are the tank dimensions (length x width x height)?


How many cartridges do you have in the filter?

It's preferable not to replace filter pads/ cartridges unless they are falling apart. If you replace the pads, you get rid of the beneficial filter bacteria and this can cause water quality issues.

If you have to replace cartridges, then put a sponge in its place. Sponges last for years and can be cleaned by squeezing them out in a bucket of tank water. The sponge gets re-used and the bucket of dirty water gets poured on the lawn.

You can buy sponges for different brands of filter and use a pair of scissors to cut them to fit.

--------------------
The fish is stressed out. The neon devil is bullying it a bit and the fish swimming upright is the fish trying to avoid confrontation.

Can you post a picture of the whole tank showing everything in it?

My guess is there is no anemone for the fish to live in, and the neon damsel and female anemonefish are bullying the smaller male anemonefish. The females normally bully the males to stop them changing sex but the combination of the neon damsel and the female could be too much for the male anemonefish.

--------------------
The fish's mouth being open is an issue. This could be a bacterial, fungal or viral infection, possibly brought on by stress.

In a freshwater aquarium, I would suggest doing big daily water changes and adding some salt. Salt won't help with marine fish because they live in salt water. But you could try doing a couple of huge (90%) water changes. Basically drain the tank so there is just enough water for the fish, then refill it with clean sea water. As long as the temperature and salinity are the same, you can do this without an issue.

Do the 90% water change every couple of days for a week or two and see if it helps. If there's no improvement after a couple of big water changes, you might need to treat the tank with a broad spectrum medication like Triple Sulpha.

Adding an anemone might help, and possibly having lots of rock in the tank might help.

------
If you are using artificial marine salts to make up the salt water, make the salt water up and aerate it for at least 24 hours before using it. This allows all the salt and minerals to dissolve completely before being added to the tank.

Thank you for that all the information, It was helpful. I unfortunately don’t know the dimensions of the tank, but I attached the photo, hopefully it will be helpful. I also found my clown fish just resting upside down today, whole day. He’s not swimming around or all, just hanging in the corner staying afloat. And he also seems to have developed some red sores on his skull as well as both of his sides...
also I’d like to mention that he is the bigger clown fish, the other one that was floating around is two times smaller than him, but in the video it might’ve seemed like he was bigger. Nobody is picking on him, him and the other clown fish were great buddies for the longest time.
Also, another reason why I can’t put an anemone in there is because my longfin bannefish keeps eating all the corals that I try to put in there

 

[Stan510]

Nemo fish are especially sensitive to no Anemone. If you wanted a hardy Clownfish than the Tomato clown types are your fish.
To keep anemones you need a much more expensive set up..skimmer,premium high lighting,etc.

 

[Colin_T]

I can't tell much from the pictures of the fish.

You can buy fake anemones. They are usually soft plastic or silicon. You could try adding a couple of those to the tank. Have them next to each the near some rocks and it might help the fish feel more secure.

The female anemonefish is still being bullied by the neon damsel but it has something else wrong with it. I would try the big water change and add some Triple/ Tri Sulpha. It might not help but it might.

The bannerfish normally live in groups and yours might be a bit stressed from being on its own. However, there isn't enough room in the tank for more bannerfish.

I would get rid of the neon damsel and if you lose the anemonefish, wait a month and then get a baby one to replace it.

 

[Stacyvamp]

I can't tell much from the pictures of the fish.

You can buy fake anemones. They are usually soft plastic or silicon. You could try adding a couple of those to the tank. Have them next to each the near some rocks and it might help the fish feel more secure.

The female anemonefish is still being bullied by the neon damsel but it has something else wrong with it. I would try the big water change and add some Triple/ Tri Sulpha. It might not help but it might.

The bannerfish normally live in groups and yours might be a bit stressed from being on its own. However, there isn't enough room in the tank for more bannerfish.

I would get rid of the neon damsel and if you lose the anemonefish, wait a month and then get a baby one to replace it.

I just bought a few fake anemones...however the sick clownfish won't even move anymore. He is just floating upside down in a corner... I think today or tomorrow will be his last day...
Thank you all for your help though.

 

[Colin_T]

Probably best to euthanise it now then so the others don't eat it
You can wrap the fish in a paper towel and put it on a hard surface, then whack it on the head. Or put it in a small bowl of tank water and add some clove oil, when it stops breathing, put the container of water with fish in, into the freezer and let it freeze solid. Then bury the iceblock with fish.

 

[Stacyvamp]

Probably best to euthanise it now then so the others don't eat it
You can wrap the fish in a paper towel and put it on a hard surface, then whack it on the head. Or put it in a small bowl of tank water and add some clove oil, when it stops breathing, put the container of water with fish in, into the freezer and let it freeze solid. Then bury the iceblock with fish.

Okay thank you...

 

[Stan510]

Notice too,it's looking emaciated- not eating from the stress.

Fish die and often in aquariums just like they do in the wild. Its why after decades I'm looking for fish now that have a track record of a long life. I can't do nano fish and a lifespan of a few weeks.

 

[Stacyvamp]

Notice too,it's looking emaciated- not eating from the stress.

Fish die and often in aquariums just like they do in the wild. Its why after decades I'm looking for fish now that have a track record of a long life. I can't do nano fish and a lifespan of a few weeks.

I believe it wasn't able to eat because of the locked jaw. I had to manually feed him but was unsuccessful