Need HELP for Clown Fish

[cyberlady]

Hi all.
For the last couple weeks my Maroon Clown fish has been acting very strange. At first I thought he was dying (probably still is). He lays on his side at the bottom of the tank. He still eats. In fact, when I come near the tank he gets up and swims to the top looking for food. When he swims, is back end is lower then his head.
There are only 2 other fish in the tank and one pencil urchin. Nothing new in over a year.
Does anyone know what is wrong with him.
I've had him for years and really like "clownie". I've rescued him from the other clowns that were trying to kill him and gave him his own tank, that he now shares with the other two fish. The three fish get along fine.
Hope to hear from you before its to late.
Cyberlady

[leebca]

WELCOME TO REEFLAND!

The general description implies a disease or condition. However, so many diseases and conditions start out like this that they can't be narrowed down.

If you want to do something, then move the fish to its own quarantine tank and administer an antibiotic that goes through the skin of the fish. This would be like Maracyn Two for Saltwater fishes.

You don't mention a lot of other information that may help in a diagnosis, such as:
How old is your tank? When did it originally cycle?
What is the size (dimensions and gallonage) of your aquarium? Does the gallonage include the volume from the sump and any refugium?
Do you use carbon, skimmer, mechanical or other chemical filtration? List all along with their maintenance.
Do you have live rock in the system? How many pounds or amount and where is it put?
Other than live rock hitchhikers, list all marine life & sizes in the tank BY SCIENTIFIC NAME (fish, inverts, corals, clams, snails, crabs, shrimp, etc.).
Do you use a quarantine tank and procedure?
Foods you use and feeding schedules.
How long have you had this fish?
Do you use any vitamins? Fat additives? Any elemental or other additives? Please list all.
Chemistries – Do you test for Phosphate, alkalinity, calcium and magnesium? Please give actual current numbers for everything. I would like test kit test results, not dip stick results and actual numbers even if you think all is fine/okay. Have these numbers been changing lately?
Water parameters – please give actual numbers (pH and your pH range, salinity or sp. gr. & range, temperature range)
Do you see any of the following in your system: hair algae; micro algae; cyanobacteria growths (red slime algae); dinoflagellate (zooxanthellae) growths; brown algae; diatom growth; slimes; off-colored patches on rock or substrate that are not coralline; etc.?
Water changes (how much and how often).
What is your source water? (Tap water, RO water, DI water, RO/DI, distilled, etc.)
List what you added or taken out of your aquarium system (living, decorations, and equipment) during the past 6 weeks.
Maintenance schedule. What have you done lately?