[Trek2]

I have an Ocellaris Clown that seems to be very depressed! My pair of Clowns were bonded for almost 5 years. I just lost the female to Brooklynella disease. The male is visually recovering well on day 4 in QT being treated with formalin. He has no signs of Brooklynella but just does not look happy and is barely eating. Maybe a single brine shrimp a day, I’m very concerned that I may have stopped the sickness only to loose him to secondary problems.

I don’t know if getting another mate is the right thing to do considering he needs to be in QT for another 3 weeks.

Should I be concerned about his poor appetite or will it just take sometime?

[vaporize]

I don't have an answer for you but interested to tag along and see if anybody have any fish psychological help.

FYI, brime shrimp have very low nutrional value and you might want to get him eating something else if you can.

[Trek2]

Originally Posted by vaporize

I don't have an answer for you but interested to tag along and see if anybody have any fish psychological help.

FYI, brime shrimp have very low nutrional value and you might want to get him eating something else if you can.

I have lots of other foods what do you suggest?

[leebca]

Formalin treatments are very tricky. By this I mean they require a lot of control and attention. If they are performed perfectly the fish will not be adversely affected. Performed a little off, and the fish can go on a hunger strike or even die.

When the series of Formalin baths is complete, the fish should come around on its own.

Personification anthropomorphism is the researcher's bane. It wanders into our hobby through a lot of mystique and unprofessionalism people have with their pets. There is no evidence to suggest, nor studies done to show that fish mourn for the loss of a mate. A fish when mated will have a different behavior pattern which many hobbyists think means they are 'happy' or 'fulfilled.' These are not fish traits. They are human traits.

You may or may not choose to try and mate the fish again. It will certainly change its behavior pattern. But that is not related to whether the fish is or isn't eating after the loss.

Look for stressors and remove them. Offer tempting foods that are nutritionally sound and of good quality. Perform the Formalin baths with great care. The fish should follow by regaining its food interest.

If the fish was well and properly fed for weeks or months prior to this event, the fish can go without food for a few weeks without any negative impact on the health of the fish.

[Trek2]

Update – I reluctantly stopped adding the prolonged formalin treatments. He is not exhibiting any Brooklynella symptoms currently and his appetite is returning only 1 day after stopping the treatment. I performed a 50% water change and resumed carbon filtration. I will monitor closely for signs and perform a dip if any return. I also need to get some new formalin after reading a post about its short shelf life (thanks leebca).