Help Saving my Clownfish (re-post)

[govols2015]

I posted this in the disease forum too so if it needs deleted as a re-post that is not a problem. I just figured this may be a beginner question too and want to get the best possible answer to save my fish.

 

Hi everyone. I am still quite new to reef keeping and have no experience diagnosing fish illnesses so I am hoping that someone can help me.

 

I have a 10 gallon reef with a few small LPS and zoas, 2 nass snails, 2 nerite snails, and a tank bred clown. The clown was my first addition post-cycle and that was probably 3 or so months ago. Since he was acclimated to the tank he has always swam in the center of the tank and has eaten very voraciously both flakes and frozen food. About 2 weeks ago, right before my weekly 20% water change, he started refusing to eat but still actively swam around so I chalked it up to him finding various things to eat in the tank throughout the day. I did the water change and hoped that would help. All of the next week, though, he proceeded to refuse to eat but still seemed like he was swimming strong except that he suddenly liked to hang out inside a cave at various times. He had never really cared to be down in the roc work until then. Not actually laying on the rock either but just swimming in place where he was hidden from the light. That went on for another whole week. I did my water change that weekend too. This past week now he has still not eaten, spends all of his time in the cave, and at night time will lay on the sand next to the cave (he used to sleep up near the flow on my HOB filter). When the lights come on, he swims right back to the cave and hangs out there all day. Friday, I came home from work and he was passing the largest stool I have ever seen him pass. It was white and I imagine it was what would be considered stringy. I learned that can mean some type of parasite or worm and so I did my water change a day early and then dosed with PraziPro. Yesterday, I thought he was swimming around the rock a little more than he had been so I was encouraged. Today, though, he is back in the cave and is actually laying on the sand bed so as to not have to swim.

 

My parameters are 0 amm, 0 nitrite, 20 nitrate, 8.0 ph, 78 degrees, and 1.025 salinity. My snails and corals all look fine. Should I just give the PraziPro time and hope that it was not added too late or is there some other treatment I could try? Could this potentially be something other than an internal parasite? He does not have any marks or other indicators on his body. The only physical sign of illness is his lethargic behavior.

 

Thanks everyone and I hope that I can keep him alive. I do not know what caused the sudden turn after he thrived for a few months.

[Clown79]

White stringy stools plus lack of appetite normally suggests an internal parasite.

 

 

Sometimes white stools can be from mysis.

 

If the clown was eating Metro+Focus would be another medication for treatment but he's not eating.

 

 

 

@Tamberav do you have any advice?