Clownfish acting strangely

[foxrun]

Got the clown 3 days ago on Saturday, still not eating after trying again today. Still swimming fast in circles around the upper layer, this time more at an angle, about 45 degrees, with its mouth occasionally out the water. No external signs of parasites or anything unusual, but I'm getting worried. Should I give it a few more days to settle or consider internal parasite treatment?

[foxrun]

Foxrun, can you please share your water test results.

Params for my QT tank are as follows:

- Temp's at 27 degrees Celsius,
- SG is at 1.023,
- pH is at 7.8,
- Ammonia and Nitrite are both 0ppm,
- Nitrate is between 5-10ppm.

Everything looks normal, but nitrates are a bit on the higher side. Could this be stressing the clownfish and causing it not to eat?

[zeno9]

Marine fish are pretty resilient when it comes to nitrates, I've had mine at 30ppm before adding algae and they were fine. 10ppm is relatively low and I wouldn't think it's the cause of your clownfish's stress and lack of appetite.

[foxrun]

Well in that case it must be something else then. I've had the clownfish for 4 days now and I'm getting a bit concerned. How long do you think I should give it to start eating before I start looking into getting some internal parasite treatments?

[zeno9]

I'd rather not wait and risk the fish weakening. If it's not eaten by tomorrow, I'd start the medication and see how it responds after 24/48 hours. It's better to act sooner rather than later, as the longer you wait, the more its immune system will weaken and it may succumb to the infection or parasite.