Maroon Clown fish

Question
I recently did a cleanup of my saltwater tank (had green algae) and stirred things up quite a bit. Since then my clownfish has been lethargic sitting at the bottom of the tank and moving very little. Color seems ok except he has a white spot on his left eye. Oddly enough the same white spot is apparent on the left eye of my Pyjama Cardinal (though he is moving around - the rest of the fish seem ok). I checked the tank and adjusted the PH. Ammomia level was around.225 - everything else seems ok.

Any ideas?
Thanks for your time
Tony

Answer
Hi Tony,

Without seeing the fish for myself, it would be hard to diagnose them.

From what you described, it may be the beginning signs of Marine white spot, (cryptocaryoniasis), also known as Marine Ich.

Symptoms:
Early signs are fasting, cloudy eyes, troubled breathing, excess skin mucus and pale skin. White spots appear on the skin, gills, eyes. Death can follow very soon, if left untreated.

I would get a second opinion, from another source, and if you believe that this is what your fish have, then I would treat them. Use a quality fish medication. A medication with copper in it, will usually help to cure Marine Ich. Carefully follow all manufacturers directions to yield the best results.

A reminder, you may want to move the sick/infected fish into a separate pre set-up and acclimated sick/hospital tank to treat them.

Tips: Prior to treatment, remove carbon if running it in your filters, because it will remove the medication from the water.

Also slightly raise the temperature of your aquarium water, because Marine Ich does like warmer waters. This will help to kill the parasites. Raising the aquarium temperature to 80 to 85 degrees F will greatly shorten the life cycle of Marine Ich.

I wish you luck with all your saltwater fish endeavors.

Regards,
David

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