What Is Wrong With My Fish

[omega59]

Okay i noticed one of my clown fish cannot close his mouth, it's like permanently open. It looks swollen or something so do his eyes, just slightly swollen. He is eating and swimming around fine still, well eating but cant close mouth so it looks like a vacuum lol. I just did a test and here are my results. Aquarium has been set up since Dec 2008. 30Gallons, I got LR, 2 clowns, 1 clown goby, 1 royal dottyback. Filter, heater (75-80F)

Ammonia oppm
Nitrite NO2 0 oppm
Nitrate NO3 5.0oppm
PH 7.8
Salt Levels are 1.015 (20PPT)

 

[omega59]

no one knows?

 

[Anguilla82]

sg is very low should be nearer to 1.026 (natural sea water is somewhere around that)

you say its feeding ok?

is it doing anything strange, like hiding away or not swimming properly?
have you had the clowns for very long?

 

[omega59]

thanks for responding. no he is acting very normal. i mean like all fish they all tend to hide sometimes but no he comes out and swim about with his mate. i had him since Jan 2008 last year. One last thing i noticed, is that his surrounding mouth seems to be getting very very pale in colour, it looks painful if you ask me

 

[Anguilla82]

i assume you can't see anything in his mouth/throat?

i'm a bit stumped to be honest.
if he's eating ok and acting normal, then i shouldn't worry too much.
sometimes clowns will lock jaws and fight a bit for dominance. could be a bit of an injury from that i guess.

 

[omega59]

hm oh i didn't know that. tell me something, is an external filter necessary if there is LR?, keep in mind don't have a skimmer.

 

[Anguilla82]

no not necessary and if its filled with filter sponges and not cleaned regularly (i.e. weekly) then they can become nitrate traps.

however i used to use one as a 'cryptic' zone. it was an eheim filled with live rock upon which sponges grew.

 

[omega59]

oohhh, so all it is doing for me is collecting and making nitrate spikes
hmmm that is a good idea, place a LR inside to grow sponge. does it take long for it to grow lol, and is it safe kind?

 

[Anguilla82]

it does take a while yes. my external was set up like that for around 9 months undisturbed, and when i broke the system down it was full of little sponges and tube worms etc.

if you've already got an external and are happy to keep it running its a good idea, just make sure that you don't cram too much rock into it as you want good flow through it.
it won't replace your LR as your only filtration but it will help once its matured.

below is a link to a very good site with some exceptional advice.
this particular page is to do with cryptic zones and how to set them up in a separate tank, but it gives you an idea of what your trying to acheive in the external:

http/www.reef-eden.net/cryptic_zones.htm

Rob

 

[omega59]

i will read that over, do i just remove the carbon and sponge and leave the rock in?

 

[Anguilla82]

yeah thats what i'd do.

i used to run a bag of phosphate remover on top of my rock , but again i had to be careful as that would clog with detritus every now and again and start to become a nitrate trap.

IMO just have LR in there

 

[omega59]

k. i understand why a filter is no good. it will hold the stuff inside which gets converted to nitrates which will cause a wonk in the tank. i suppose i can use it when i do a cleanup. let it run a few hours to catch debris then take it off and rinse away for next time. tell me something else. i got the 2 power heads at the back of my tank which are aimed to blow towards the middle. should this be placed higher above the surface to create surface movement, or lower is better?

 

[Anguilla82]

external: either use it but just have LR in it, or don't use it at all.

as for the power heads i would have one pointed towards the surface as this will agitate the surface of the water improving gaseous exchange. it will also help disapate any film you get on the surface.

 

[omega59]

okay ty.

 

[WILDER]

Has he injured himself.
Are the eyes bulging out.

I would issolate him and try an internal bacterial med.