About clownfish
Clownfish, also known as anemonefish, are brightly colored orange, white and black fish popularized by the film “Finding Nemo” by Disney. Their small fish most often found hiding among anemones. They can reach a size of up to 6.5 inches, but the smallest fish are only about 2.5 inches. They are found in warmer waters, such as the Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and Great Barrier Reef.
Clownfish are not particularly difficult to care for and not overly aggressive or fussy eaters, making them a good choice to have in your home tank. However, they are prone to problems such as rot which if not identified and treated correctly can be a serious problem for your fish.
Unfortunately, there is not one single cause or cure for rot so below we will go over the basics to help you better understand the problem.
What is rot?
Also called “fin rot”, rot is both a disease and a symptom of another disease, in fish. Although it can occur in their natural habitat, rot most commonly occurs to fish in home aquariums.
As you would guess, rot is the literal rotting away of material. Most commonly it happens on the tail, or fins of your fish and that part of the fish rots away until there is nothing left.
It starts at the edges of the fin or tail and continues to rot away until it reaches the base. There can be several reasons that your fish develops rot. These include:
- Fungal infection
- Ammonia burn
- Bacterial infection
- Stress
- Poor tank conditions
The vast number of causes for fin rot means that sometimes the problem is not easily identifiable.
How to identify rot on clownfish?
Different causes for rot affect the fish and the rotting flesh differently. For example, if your fish has developed rot and it is deteriorating evenly over their tail or fin then you can most commonly assume that this is a result of a fungal infection. If this is the case there often there is also a white border around their flesh.
On the other hand, if the fin or tail is rotting unevenly and appears jagged then you can assume that the cause of the rot is a bacterial infection. Make sure to catch the rot early as once the rot has reached the base of the fin, unfortunately, your fish will not be able to regrow the material that they have lost.
If you catch it early enough then thankfully your clownfish will make a full recovery.
If you are still unsure if your fish is suffering from rot, look for the following signs:
- Colored edges (black, white, or brown)
- Missing chunks of fin
- Fin missing entirely
- Frayed fins
- Inflamed at base of the fin
- White spots on the fin
Unfortunately, there are other reasons that your clownfish may appear to have markings on their fins or even parts of their fin missing. If you have any doubts then it may also be a good idea to research other causes such as parasites (Uronema, Marine Flukes, Marine Ich). Another reason may simply be that your fish are “nipping” at each other, causing damage to the fins.
How to cure rot?
In order to cure the rot affecting your clownfish, you will first need to identify the root cause of the problem. In order to do this, you will need to assess the conditions of your home tank to know if one of the controls is out. If not, then you can eliminate these as a cause and look for another reason.
Some ways that you can cure rot by adjusting your home aquarium include:
- Check the water filter
- Change the water, keep the water as fresh as possible
- Test the pH of the water in the tank
- Test the ammonium levels in your water (this can cause burns)
If you discover that the rot is happening due to a bacterial infection that you can simply treat your clownfish with antibiotics to stop the infection. Make sure that you still correctly adjust your tank to make sure that the rot does not reoccur.
However, if you find that the rot is happening because of a fungal infection then you can simply use antifungal medication to treat the rot.
Once rot sets in it can progress very rapidly so in order to save as much of your clownfish’s fin as possible, or possibly even its life, then it is best to do your checks as quickly as possible.
How to prevent rot in the future?
The best and easiest way to prevent rot in the future is to ensure that you keep good tank conditions. This means keeping the water at a constant temperature and having good quality water. Additionally, keeping a decluttered tank will help improve the health of your fish and stop rot from occurring.
Feeding your fish smaller portions of food is also an easy way to avoid rot. This stops a build-up of unwanted nutrients in the tank if larger portions are not completely consumed.
Thankfully, rot is not too common a problem and it is more likely that chunks missing from your clownfish’s fins are simply due to aggression from other fish. Make sure to watch your fish carefully to identify any signs of bullying between certain fish as you may need to separate them to stop the problem.
At its essence rot occurs due to the mishandling of the fish. Unfortunately, it is not unheard of to buy clownfish that are already suffering from rot when you buy them from a store. This simply means that they have been kept in bad conditions.
If it is not too late and the rot has not progressed too far, then go over the checklist above to make sure that you are giving your new clownfish the best chance possible at recovery. Even something as minor as stress can cause a clownfish to develop rot, so make sure to create the perfect environment to give them a good chance at life.
