The best way to avoid clownfish diseases is to carefully observe the fish in which you intend to purchase and to use a quarantine tank for the first few weeks. Once you are satisfied that your new pet isn’t carrying any illness that may contaminate your main aquarium, you may then safely transfer them. Even with these precautionary methods in place, you may still have clownfish diseases or injuries that arise.
clownfish diseases and health issues
clownfish diseases are susceptible to the same health issues that can effect all marine life. It is important to have an idea of what to look for in a sick fish. so that we can quickly address any small clownfish diseases before they get out of hand. Here are given some clownfish diseases.
Loss of Color
- Whites Spots
• Black Spots
• Cysts
• Cloudy/Sunken/Swollen Eyes
• Rapid/Shallow/Labored Breathing
• Damaged Fins
• Disturbed/Uplifted/Missing Scales
• Sunken/Concave Stomach
• Constant Rubbing on Rock/Equipment
These are the most tell-tale signs of health issues in your fish. The cause of the symptoms falls under one of five categories.
Bacterial infection, viral disease, fungal disease, and parasitic infection are the four main reasons of your fish will become ill. Below we will examine each categories and explore the specific clownfish disease symptoms and treatments of each.
Bacterial Infections
There are thousands, if not more, types of good and bad bacteria within fish tanks. The following clownfish diseases are all caused by the levels of bad bacteria growing out of control, making most treatable with antibiotics.
Fin Rot
Symptoms – This is an external bacterial infection that slowly eats away at the fins of your pet.
Cause/Treatment – The main cause of this disease(and many others, as you will soon notice) is poor water quality. You should immediately change the carbon in your filter and make a water change. For the affected fish, there are antibiotics available to help kill off the infection.
Vibrosis
Symptoms – Depending on the specific species of bacteria, these symptoms can vary greatly. Everything from Ulcers of the skin, bleeding from gills and skin, lethargy, disrupted scales, clouded eyes, and even a sudden, unexplained death.
Cause/Treatment – These bacteria are normally found within the digestive track of our fish and help digestion. When a fish is stressed the levels of this bacteria grow out of control. This stress can be caused by several factors including: water quality, overcrowding and over-handling will cause this. Antibiotic treatment is usually advised.
Wasting Disease/Tuberculosis
Symptoms – Difficulties in breathing, scale loss, damaged fins, lack of appetite and skin lesions are all associated with this illness, although they may not appear at all, even though the fish is infected.
Cause/Treatment – This disease is normally transferred by infected seafood that you have fed your fish. Treatment for this will also be in the form of antibiotics, but you should also avoided feeding raw seafood to your fish as a preventative measure.
Fungal Disease
Whirling Disease/Ichthyophonus
Symptoms – Loss of color, spinal curvature, skin ulcers, erratic swimming, and fin/skin deterioration.
Causes/Treatment – This organism infects the major internal organs of a fish, making treatment near impossible.
Viral clownfish diseases
Unfortunately, there are no treatments available for viral illnesses of clownfish diseases. On the bright side, there are very few of these diseases that we need to worry about.
Lymphocystis/Cauliflower Disease
Symptoms – Cauliflower-like white lesions about the body and fins that steadily grow over several weeks. The behavior of the fish will appear normal.
Cause/Treatment – Your best option is to remove the infected fish before the disease spreads. This can literally take months.
Parasitic Infections
There are several varieties of parasites they can harm your fish. Some are microscopic, some are larger specimens like worms. Although most parasites aren’t life-threatening, they can cause wounds that are susceptible to bacterial infections, which we have learned, can be fatal.
clownfish brooklynella
Symptoms – Lethargy, labored breathing, cloudy eyes, lack of appetite, mucous secretion.
Causes/Treatment – Often only found in wild-caught fish, this can kill your fish in less than 12 hours, as this disease spreads faster than ich or velvet. Quarantine the infected fish and perform daily baths with formalin.
Ich Disease/Cryptocaryoniasis
Symptoms – Lack of appetite, cloudy eyes, labored breathing, loss of color, and the trademark white spots.
Causes/Treatment – This organism may be easy to remove from your fish using copper treatments. However, ich will most likely still be present in the sand bed of your tank. Therefore, the tank itself will also require copper treatment.
Velvet Disease
Symptoms – Velvet-like coating of the skin, white spots, rubbing on objects, lesions, lethargy, and difficulties in breathing.
Causes/Treatment – Clownfish disease are especially susceptible to this and a infected fish can die in as little as 12 hours. There is no specific treatment for this disease although some success has been had with antibiotics and copper treatment. You must treat the entire tank over a long period to ensure you have completely eradicated the parasites.
Trematodes
Symptoms – These microscopic worms will infect the gills, eyes, mouth and skin of your fish. Rubbing on objects is a common symptom of the infected, which can lead to wounds and additional infections.
Cause/Treatment – Freshwater dips, or immersion in trichlorfon has shown some effectiveness with this understudied parasite.
Clownfish Behavior
Aside from their beautiful colors and markings, clownfish behavior is one of the main factors in their popularity, and the reason for their namesake. Clowns are well known for their abnormal swimming styles, awkward sleeping positions, changing sexes and an apparent need to contradict any “rule” that suggests how they should typically behave. These spontaneous actions often leave new enthusiasts frantically searching for answers as to whether their fish is sick or distressed. Many times there could be an issue. Many times its just them “clowning around”.
In the Wild
In nature, clownfish are fairly peaceful, but can become very territorial if their space is invaded. All clowns are born as males and tend to congregate in small groups around a chosen host anemone. These groups consist of a male and female mating pair, along with multiple juvenile males. The female is normally larger than the male and will be the primary defender of their territory. If the dominant female dies, the pairing male will morph into a female, choosing a new mate from the remaining male juveniles.
Clown fish live in symbiotic relationships with their chosen anemones. This means both parties benefit from living together in several ways. The clown will lure fish into the anemone’s stinging tentacles and feast off of the leftovers. The sea anemone not only receives an easy meal, but also receives nutrients from the clown’s feces. The anemone is also kept clean of debris and receives constant circulation thanks to its roommate. The clowns defend against any polyp-eating fish, and in return the anemone protects the clowns from any potential predators with its stinging tentacles.
Captive Behavior
Though they are a striking addition to any reef aquarium, they are more challenging to keep and not recommended for beginner enthusiasts. Coral is not ideal however, as its abrasiveness can cause injury to your fish’s skin. Clowns tend to stay close to their anemone when present, and can spend their entires lives without straying more than a few inches from them. Not all will take to anemone instinctively, but this behavior is though to be “teachable” over time while in captivity. Clearing out an area where the anemone is located can help in achieving their relationship.
Breeding Behavior
Clowns have a variety of nesting behaviors that they do prior to mating, but staying true to their name, they also perform these actions randomly. This makes predicting their actual mating time difficult. If that special time does come, you will see the male meticulously cleansing a specific area for the female to spawn.
laying eggs in clown fish
Spawning will then occur typically in the evening hours, lasting up to, and over an hour. The female will circle the chosen location while laying eggs, while the male follows closely to fertilize. The male will then assume the role of keeping the eggs clean through constant fin waving and even biting. The female will protect the eggs and look over the male. The eggs will turn to a brown/silver color when ready to hatch which normally occurs within 7-15 days of spawning.