Injured Clown? Video included

[danh]

She's been like this for about two weeks or so. Swollen jaw comes and goes a little bit. She can't close her mouth sometimes. Occasionally she tries to get a piece of food. Obviously she's getting enough food to last for the last two weeks. Sometimes, like in this video, she can't even close her mouth. Erratic swimming, sometimes swimming on her side. I say she because she's been the most dominant since I got these two about 18 months ago. She never got significantly bigger than the other though. Since this has started the other has become more dominant. They don't normally fight much but I guess it could just be damage from a tussle.



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[danh]

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[danh]

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[danh]

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[jennm]

She looks rough.  Her fins are frayed too.

What are your parameters?

Are you seeing aggression with any other inhabitant?

 

[danh]

I've got two medium sized hermits and the other clown. I've never seen the hermits do anything. There are definitely a few bristle worms but that wouldn't account for the fins. I can't remember 100% if her fins were torn AFTER the jaw or at about the same time. If it was the same time then I'd say it was almost definitely a tussle with the other clown that she lost after being the more dominant one for over a year. I feel like it might have been a few days after the jaw. The jaw injury might have given the other fish the opening to take dominance.



Today, the other clown has made a little bed in the sand, cleaning it out and looks like it's also cleaning off rocks around it. I didn't think that clown fish made beds, but it definitely looks to be tending a small hole in the sand that the water flow couldn't have created.

 

[danh]

Swelling in that little bubble is down today but it can't close its mouth. It has been swimming in circles but not like it's about to die. The other one chased it up toward the top so I netted it out and inspected. It doesn't seem to be dislocated. I can close the mouth but it can't hold it closed. It hasn't eaten in 4 or 5 days or so but this little damsel is bullet proof. I really don't think it's going to die any time soon.

 

[danh]

I just got back from a long lunch at Fogo. It was MUCH worse. It was getting harassed constantly by the other clown. Fins completely ravaged. All washed out. Jaw looked worse.. I had to put an end to it... It was REALLY bad....