What’s happening in your aquarium that is causing the death of your clownfish? Could it be diseases, pests or predators? Let’s find out why your clownfish are dying.
There are so many factors to consider when looking at why clownfish die. A healthy PH balance of 7.8-8.4 is important, but it isn’t that simple. Salinity levels must be between 1.021-1.026 and the temperature should be around 72-78°F or 22-26°C.
How reputable is your local fish store? Are you sure the place is providing healthy fish to their customers? Sometimes these fish can bring home diseases they caught from heavily populated tanks in these stores.
Clownfish Dying Symptoms
Let’s look at what is happening to the clownfish before they reach their demise. Take a look at each of these symptoms and see if you have observed any of these before.
- Swollen gills
- Irregular breathing
- Sloughing of skin
- Congestion
- Cysts appearing like tiny white dots
- Parasites feeding on their tissue fluids (also tiny white dots)
- Lethargic or slow
- Frantic and hyperactive
- Faded color
- Skin lesions
- Fin rot
- Redness
It will be difficult to diagnose the actual disease affecting the clownfish. It’s easier to simply observe and see irregularities in their looks or actions. None of the symptoms above seem like they will go away on their own. Thankfully there are medications and solutions.
How to Keep Clownfish Alive
If there is a disease infliciting the clownfish such as brooklynella, the appropriate medicine is Formalin. This article should not replace the medical advice of professionals and it is recommended to seek help when your clownfish shows any of the common symptoms of illness.
Clownfish have a healthy relationship with anemone. They provide shelter and safety from predators. Clownfish can lure other smaller fish into the anemone with their bright colors.
The poison in anemone doesn’t affect clownfish, but can kill others. They end becoming the next meal for our omnivore clownfish.
The water salinity levels and PH balance along with a large amount of water in the tank are all important to keeping a clownfish alive. Aquariums should be kept out of direct sunlight as well. Marine salt and filtration are also going to be necessary.
It’s important to have discussions in person at your local fish store or pet store about this topic. Buy the essentials and maintain your aquarium properly.
Why Are My Clownfish Dying Suddenly?
A bacterial infection could kill a clownfish suddenly. Velvet or gram-negative infections must be treated quickly or else you’ll wake up to see a dead clownfish. These infections usually come from the shops they were sold in.
Switching up their food from what they were eating at the pet store could also cause them to become ill. There are so many factors and symptoms.
Don’t beat yourself up over it. Almost every fish owner has experienced the death of a fish or two from time to time. This is going to happen. Make sure your tank is clean and you’re doing your best to keep the environment just right for clownfish to thrive.
Can Clownfish Die and Come Back to Life?
The short answer here is no. A clownfish may have difficulty breathing and their gills may stop moving, but that doesn’t mean they have died yet. Check the PH and salinity levels.
Make sure the filtration is properly working and see if that helps revive them. Once they are dead, they won’t come back to life.
Why Did My Clownfish Die After a Water Change?
It’s important to test the salt levels and RODI systems in your aquarium. Sometimes it’s best to get pre pre-mixed salt water solution for the fish store instead of trying to do it ourselves.
So many things can go wrong during a water change. The water temperature could have simply dropped. Most likely it’s the salinity levels.
Thankfully there are many members of the clownfish community who aim to help each other in online forums. The first person to consult is the one who sold you the fish. A vet helps too, but most people don’t go to the vet for clownfish.
Take pictures and upload them to forums. List all the levels and details of your aquarium. Allow for members in these forums to assist with their background knowledge and personal experiences with their own clownfish.
What to Do When a Clownfish Mate Dies
If the female clownfish dies, the male changes its sex within a few weeks. Females cannot turn into males. Females usually look out for threats and are more protective of their offspring. This role is so crucial that a male clownfish must take over the gender of a female to preserve their lineage.
Females are usually larger and more aggressive than males. When the male changes sex and becomes a female, a new male will become her mate. These hormonal changes are adaptive and brilliant.
Conclusion
We try our best, but sometimes we can’t prevent the death of our fish. Clownfish are resilient and intelligent, but even they get sick from time to time. There are medicines available after a correct diagnosis.
The best we can do is to follow the regular procedures to maintain a healthy aquarium. We are not alone here. Use the support of other clownfish owners to guide and assist us when taking care of these beautiful fish.
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