Clownfish Rapid Breathing..

[Petercar (RIP Dec 2017)]

I had all my fish breathing fast a year ago.  So did a massive waterchange in a short time frame

Like a 50 percent waterchange but lost a few fish not the clowns

 

[Vee787]

(I'm new to this so I might be asking a lot of questions)
When you do a 50% water change do you leave the fish in the tank, or put them in a separate temporary tank/container, or does it matter? (would it be at least almost as effective if I changed out less than 50% of the water, my tank is small, about 3 gallons.
(I have a creepy shrimp that might be hard to move)

 

[Petercar (RIP Dec 2017)]

3 gallons is to small a tank  .yur best bet is to take it back to the store for credit

 

[yveterinarian]

I got a clownfish two days ago. It was with another fish, a black one with three white spots one on each side and one on the face. The Black \"Dotfish\" died the next day. I also have a small hermic crab thing. My clownfish was \"bobbing\" up and down for the first day and a half, now it swims normally.  I got another fish that's perfectly fine, and i got a shrimp that is twice the size of the clownfish. I'm getting rid of the shrimp tomorrow, but my clownfish has been breathing really fast (mostly out of its mouth), I turned up the filter so they'd get more oxygen, and I'm going to replace some of the water.
Is there anything else I should do???? Please help!!
Is there anything I should NOT do????

(looking at the comments above) My clownfish had a buddy at the store, but I only got him, he has been stressed, but is getting better.  (sorry to make this so long, but my newer fish and clownfish are swimming together, so I hope that will be my clownfishes new buddy) Can they be \"buddies\" when they are different species of fish?
I'm going to get them one of the things they can hide in tomorrow too, if that will help.

Just looked at the other responses you have gotten. 3 gallons is very difficult to keep the water parameters stable.  Try, if possible to get a larger tank because you will alway be fighting with this one.  When you do a 50% water change, leave all the fish in and try to add the new water into an area of the tank that causes the least turbulence.  I sometimes add it back with a cup to reduce the turbulence.  Is your tank brand new and was it cycled before you put the fish in?

Please don't say anything discouraging this is my favorite fish.

Vee787
Welcome to the FragTank

What are the water parameters for your tank and how is the temperature doing?  If he is the only fish showing signs of stress at the moment, it would be a good idea to quarantine him in a separate 10 gal tank with a 50% water change daily to control the ammonia so that you can observe him for a little bit.  A little "Prime" in the tank daily helps neutralize the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate that could be present. 
The quarantine tank toes not have to be cycled and shoud not have any rock or sand in it.  If you have to treat with medication, the rock or sand absorb some and the fish wouldn't get the right dose.  Sometimes rapid breathing is a sign that there isn't enough dissolved oxygen in the tank but most often it is one of the first signs of stress or illness.  The fact that he was in the same water as the other fish that died most likely means that he is in the early stages of the same illness. 
Sometimes, getting him in the quarantine tank and slowly lowering the salinity down to 1.019 can help combat minor illness without medication - especially for something like Ich.  Is there anything else you notice about him - spots, problems with his fins, swollen gills, scratching up against rocks?  A more detailed post would be very helpful in helping us help you diagnose the problem and assist us in offering you solutions. 
Trying not to sound all negative, take heart.  I have had a sick seahorse and have cured her and another member recently had some sick fish that were successfully treated.  If it is caught early, the better the chances.

 

[yveterinarian]

Just read the other replies you have received.  A 3 gallon tank is much too small for you to keep your water parameters stable and you will become very frustrated with it.  Best if you can get a larger one for your fish.  When you are doing a water change you do not have to remove the fish but you should replace the water carefully to reduce the turbulence.  I sometimes use a cup for my smaller tanks to put the water back in. 
Never be afraid to ask questions.  Every newbie has lots of questions.  If you don't ask them, how will you learn?

Is your tank also new?  Did you cycle the tank before you put the fish in?  If not, your fish may just be suffering the stress of Ammonia levels.  Check your parameters and pick up a product called "prime".  This will help your fish until you can prepare a properly cycled tank for them.

 

[Vee787]

The tank I'm using is brand new, just got it  and filled it up 5 days before I got the first fish.  I used to have a saltwater tank and never had problems with the fish, I still have it, but it's been sitting in the garage for years.  (also I found out the Petco I got the clownfish, and the dead fish, was having a lot of aquarium issues. When I got them half of the tanks were blocked off due to sicknesses in the fish, I should have waited to get fish)
I don't have any other tanks except the old ones. If I cleaned them out would they be okay for the fish?

I've been checking my sailinity daily, since I keep getting new fish. I have one of the cheaper salinity checker things, but it says I'm below 1.024 about 1.015, not sure exactly.
(also, I'm too young to drive so getting stuff is limited, but my mom is going to Petco to give back the shrimp so if there's anything I will need for him I might be able to get it, but the only tank choices I have is the 3-gallon and the old one (i don't know how many gallons but it's about 1.5 ft X0.9 ft.

 

[Duke]

The tank I'm using is brand new, just got it  and filled it up 5 days before I got the first fish.  I used to have a saltwater tank and never had problems with the fish, I still have it, but it's been sitting in the garage for years.  (also I found out the Petco I got the clownfish, and the dead fish, was having a lot of aquarium issues. When I got them half of the tanks were blocked off due to sicknesses in the fish, I should have waited to get fish)
I don't have any other tanks except the old ones. If I cleaned them out would they be okay for the fish?

I've been checking my sailinity daily, since I keep getting new fish. I have one of the cheaper salinity checker things, but it says I'm below 1.024 about 1.015, not sure exactly.
(also, I'm too young to drive so getting stuff is limited, but my mom is going to Petco to give back the shrimp so if there's anything I will need for him I might be able to get it, but the only tank choices I have is the 3-gallon and the old one (i don't know how many gallons but it's about 1.5 ft X0.9 ft.

Honestly do yourself a favor and sell whatever fish you have left on craigslist. Once they are all gone and in new homes take a step back and read about what the needs and requirements are for keeping a saltwater fish tank. You just aren't going to have any success with a 3G tank..

Frankly im still debating if this whole thread revival isn't just a big joke someones playing.

 

[Vee787]

This isn't a joke. My brand new clownfish is seriously just breathing really fast, and sadly might die, and I haven't lied at all.
I know how to take care of a saltwater tank, I just haven't done it in a while, and haven't had these types of fish before.

AND I'm going to keep my 3G tank and have FISH! 
I've been waiting to get a fish aquarium going for a long time, I'm not starting over.
I just want to help my clownfish!

 

[Poseidon]

Well I also agree that 3g is way to small. It's picto reef size and way to small to sustain a fish. Looking into to getting a bigger tank , even a 10g would be OK...
The bigger the tank you have the more diluted the waste of one fish becomes.
What are your ammonia levels? Have you tested for that yet?
Salinity needs to be exact and constant it's vital to saltwater aquariums.

If you can't upgrade to a bigger tank asap, bring the fish back, else it will end up dying. You can always buy a new one when your ready to go later on.

 

[Duke]

This isn't a joke. My brand new clownfish is seriously just breathing really fast, and sadly might die, and I haven't lied at all.
I know how to take care of a saltwater tank, I just haven't done it in a while, and haven't had these types of fish before.

AND I'm going to keep my 3G tank and have FISH! 
I've been waiting to get a fish aquarium going for a long time, I'm not starting over.
I just want to help my clownfish!

OK sorry, Its just theres been some jokers around here lately posting some fishy stuff.. no pun intended.  ;D

I understand what your saying about keeping your fish, and your looking for help with your clownfish but you need to take the advice of everyone and understand that 3G will not work for you at all, and secondly there is no chance you will keep those fish alive in that tank, your old tank sounds around the dimensions of a 10G tank possibly.. maybe that's what you should be trying to get running. but you need to realize you've done everything up to now totally wrong. There are many threads on this site alone talking about the basics of the hobby and what you need to know to keep a salt water tank.

 

[TORX]

Duke is right. The Ocellaris clownfish should be kept in an aquarium no smaller than 30 gallon / 120 L. The water quality should be kept high and the water well circulated. The temperature should be kept around 75°F - 80°F (24°C - 27°C), the salinity at 1.020 - 1.024 and the pH from 8.0 to 8.4.

There is no good need for your situation. Whom ever sold you the fish should not have.

Please google "cycling a salt water aquarium" to learn more about starting a new aquarium. Also, you may want to try reading up on a "pico" aquarium, which is what a 3 gallon aquarium would be called.

None of this was meant to be rude, and hope you are not offended. This is just the answer to your question.  There is nothing you can do at this point with your current set up to save that fish. What you can do is use google to learn more about the high level of care that an aquarium like this needs. Spend a fee weeks reading, then a few weeks seeing up your tank and start over.

Sent from my SGH-T989D using Tapatalk 2

 

[pulpfiction1]

Duke is right. The Ocellaris clownfish should be kept in an aquarium no smaller than 30 gallon / 120 L. The water quality should be kept high and the water well circulated. The temperature should be kept around 75°F - 80°F (24°C - 27°C), the salinity at 1.020 - 1.024 and the pH from 8.0 to 8.4.

There is no good need for your situation. Whom ever sold you the fish should not have.

Please google \"cycling a salt water aquarium\" to learn more about starting a new aquarium. Also, you may want to try reading up on a \"pico\" aquarium, which is what a 3 gallon aquarium would be called.

None of this was meant to be rude, and hope you are not offended. This is just the answer to your question.  There is nothing you can do at this point with your current set up to save that fish. What you can do is use google to learn more about the high level of care that an aquarium like this needs. Spend a fee weeks reading, then a few weeks seeing up your tank and start over.

Sent from my SGH-T989D using Tapatalk 2

+1

 

[Petercar (RIP Dec 2017)]

Is the tank even stocked with sand and live rock ?  A skimmer a powerhead and all that

 

[Vee787]

My tank has a live rock, but sadly it's from the Petco with the messed up aquariums.
My clownfish has Ick, which is what was at the Petco, it's literally eating him alive.  So, he's not going to make it, and he is in a separate tank. He was doing better, and when I unfroze and put those mini shrimp food in there he went crazy and swam all around eating them, had was so happy. Then he started to lay down, then get up again, then he'd swim up high and fall down and hit the rocks. It was sad to watch.
My other fish is a Bangaii Cadinalfish, just looked that up, and I'm changing out 50% of the water daily, and checking the salinity daily, leaving the light and filter on most of the time.
I also have the hermic-crab thing, and a emerald crab.
(the salinity, and temperature are at good levels all the time)

Pretty much all I have to say is, If someone's clownfish is breathing fast it might have Ick. (Which makes it hard to breathe, and they'll get white spots (my clownfish's white spots disapeared sometimes))

 

[yveterinarian]

My tank has a live rock, but sadly it's from the Petco with the messed up aquariums.
My clownfish has Ick, which is what was at the Petco, it's literally eating him alive.  So, he's not going to make it, and he is in a separate tank. He was doing better, and when I unfroze and put those mini shrimp food in there he went crazy and swam all around eating them, had was so happy. Then he started to lay down, then get up again, then he'd swim up high and fall down and hit the rocks. It was sad to watch.
My other fish is a Bangaii Cadinalfish, just looked that up, and I'm changing out 50% of the water daily, and checking the salinity daily, leaving the light and filter on most of the time.
I also have the hermic-crab thing, and a emerald crab.
(the salinity, and temperature are at good levels all the time)

Pretty much all I have to say is, If someone's clownfish is breathing fast it might have Ick. (Which makes it hard to breathe, and they'll get white spots (my clownfish's white spots disapeared sometimes))

So sorry to hear about your fish.  Ich is very common to fish and generally appears when a fish has been stressed by various factors and becomes suseptible to illness.  Lowering the salinity to 1.019 for at least 6 weeks helps to eliminate ich from your tank but is not foolproof.  Your Bengaii is also suseptible now that ich is in that tank.
Have you had a chance yet to start setting up your 10 gallon tank?  Moving forward with your other fish and crabs, you should set up your 10 gallon and cycle it properly before you put your pets into it.  Here is a link for various methods to cycle a tank:    http://www.seahorse.org/library/articles/cycling.shtml  If you have any questions about the article, you can let me, or any of the others know and we can help you through it.  This will help you be able to save your other pets from a sad death as your tank is still much too small. 
I would also suggest you purchase a testing kit that you can test for Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, pH and Phosphate.  Ammonia in a tank will irritate your fish's gills very badly and eventually cause death if left in the tank.  Nitrite is also toxic to fish.  Here is another article that helps describe the cycling of a tank and what happens with a cyle: http://www.thefragtank.ca/forum/index.php?topic=6.msg8#msg8  Are you putting an additive into your tank such as Prime to neutrallize these toxic chemicals?  If not, please do so until you can get your other tank cycled.
I know you don't wish to get rid of your 3 gallon tank but, truly, you do need a larger tank or your other fish will suffer needlessly. I truly understand your frustration as the pet stores often sell people the wrong system and don't have the knowledge required to help you choose the right size tank.  You have spent the money and I'm sure your little tank has been designed to look great but is really only suitable for freshwater or for a saltwater Dwarf Seahorse set up. (even with a Dwarf setup you need to have a much larger tank below the 3 gallon, linked into it called a Sump to help stabillize the water). The store never should have sold you the fish in the first place since ich was so obviously present. 
My fish store was the other way and sold me a much larger system than I should have had for the Dwarf seahorses I wanted and I was very upset with them but in hindsight, it was the only good thing they did for me.  They were right that you can't control your water parameters (and I don't mean just temperature and salinity) in a smaller tank without a ton of extra work.  As it turned out, the Dwarf seahorses I originally wanted weren't available in Canada so I was able to get the ones we do have available and use the tank they sold me with no difficulties.
I am truly sorry for all the effort and money you have already spent in your quest to have a small great looking tank but so many of us get caught that way.  All is not lost if you take the time to research and start up your 10 gallon to house your new pets.  I suggest you start a new thread dedicated to your new setup so you can ask all the questions you wish and we can help you as much as we can.  Read some of the sticky's showing in the sections of this site and they will also help you.  I wish you luck in the future and look forward to trying to help you as much as I can.

 

[Neopimp]

U need to get to 1.009 for ich to die.  1.019 won't do much as far as I know. 

 

[yveterinarian]

U need to get to 1.009 for ich to die.  1.019 won't do much as far as I know. 

Thanks, Neopimp.  I've never had to do it so my memory was off. 

 

[Neopimp]

No prob.... Been there done that so I remember