Clownfish not eating - please help! :(

[elle1988]

I have a Clownfish and he hasn't eaten anything for the last few days and before that he ate very little (2 weeks or so). I have had him for 4 years and nothing new has happened with the tank. I was worried about him a week or so ago so i cleaned and changed the water in the tank but it got better for a couple of days then back to not eating.

There has been a big change in his behavior, when i put food in the tank it is like he doesn't see it and he is quite disorientated. He keeps swimming in an upwards motion and doesn't really no where he is going. Is it possible for a fish to become blind?

I have grown very fond of my Clownfish and would appreciate any feedback or suggestions! Any forms of bacteria that can cause this or the water perhaps?

Thanks!!

[ToddTT]

What are your readings for ammonia, nitrites, PH, salinity, temperature, etc.?

What are you feeding?

What is your tank size? What is in it?

What filtration and other equipment do you have?

[elle1988]

The tank is roughly 10gallons, i got it 4 years ago when i was 17 so not too sure on what i got. The guy at an aquarium shop set me up. It's not a flashy tank, it was a gift for my 17th birthday by my friends. So it doesn't have any high-tech gadgets.

Its a smallish tank and it's only him in there, so there is plenty of room. I have live rock in there and a small anemone. I also have a small crab that lives in the rock, but he came with it and has been there for a year or so.

The temperature is 26C if you are in Australia or just under 80F. I'm not sure about the ammonia and nitrates, i was only told specific things to do and that's all i do with it. Its a fan filter, but that's about all i know. I have a heater and a light and that's about it in terms of equipment. Sorry i love my Clownfish but don't know much about the tank! I've been doing the same thing for 4 years.

I feed him, frozen food which i defrost and it is specifically for marine/tropical fish. He has been having it for about 2 years now and always ate alot of it prior to two weeks ago.

Sorry i can't tell you alot, its just i don't really know. Could it be the filter? Should i give it a clean?

Thanks for replying!!

[ToddTT]

At 10 gallons, things can go wrong very quickly. You should invest in a larger tank if possible.

How does the anemone look? If water quality is an issue, the anemone may be showing symptoms as well.

Since it is a small tank, I would do several small water changes, over the course of the next week, making sure to match the PH, salinity, and temperature as close as you can. Very important, especially with a fish that is already acting stressed.

You should also get test kits for ammonia and nitrites, at the very least. These are very toxic to your inhabitants.

I'm not sure what sort of filter you have, but if you do clean it, do not clean it too
thoroughly. It most likely has lots of beneficial bacterial living in/on it. And for cleaning, use old tank water. Just shake or squeeze your filter media in it.

[leebca]

The fish was supposed to be put into at least a 29 gallon aquarium. Over time, chronic stressors, like space stress takes its toll. "Plenty of room" is you looking at a small fish in water. What you don't know is what space that fish really needs. That fish needs about 7 cubic feet of water space.

You don't mention the kind of food you're using, just that it's frozen. Not descriptive. This fish is an omnivore and needs greens as well as meaty foods. In captivity the fish also needs a vitamin and fat supplement.

In this size aquarium, non-fish marine life forms (like the anemone) can release toxins into the water. Again, this doesn't have to be acute, but can be chronic -- another slow stressor. This has a lot to do with maintenance and water changes to keep up with such issues, including the use of carbon or (thought a very small aquarium) a skimmer.

A fish's life is shortened through stressors, like those mentioned above. Other than the above, if all chemistries turn out well, that is about the general problems that can be the cause of the downturn. At this point in time, there isn't much to be done.