Emergency!!!Clown is now just laying near the bottom of tank and breathing very hard!

Sorry to hear that. I wouldnt totally jump into a new fish right away... But that is me. Id try to figure out what exactly happened. Then move on if everything is inline.

 

I've heard that it is not good to buy fish from petco but after having the clown come in with problems from my LFS I think I would be better off buying from there.

What are your views?

 

Every LFS is different, It all matters on the staff that works there and cares for the animals and the equipment used to house them and how they are housed with their care. I have fish from Petco in my aquarium who have lived through a cycle... and they arent clowns

 

Doesn't matter where you buy them. You need to inspect them fully. Make sure they are eating, and all outward signs of good health.

 

Aren't you also having problems with cloudy water? Did you ever check your alkalinity or calcium levels? I would say don't get any more fish until your system is stable.

 

I checked the Calcium levels and they are at 380. It is just dust and dirt in my water that my filter will not get out for some reason. This is why I am upgrading to a sump come January when I have a better income.

 

I am the only employee, besides the owner, at the LFS he is talking about. I only work about 3 days a week and therefore i cannot care for all the fish, reptiles, and small animals as they need to be cared for. The other 4 days out of the week the animals are not taken care of properly.

I was there when he purchased the clowns and they seemed fine in the tank they were in. The other 4 fish are fine as well. I believe the fish had a small hint of hole in head and the stress of the move made it worse. I have refused to sell people inverts and verts before so I would not have sold them if they seemed bad. I honestly wouldn't have sold them to a friend if I thought they were sick, let alone anyone.

The main problem that I have found with petco fish is the lifespan of the fish. I have yet to purchase a fish fresh or salt to live more than 6 months. IDK what it is but I have to assume it is the diluted cyanide their provider uses to catch the wild caught fish. The tank raised should be fine as long as they don't have ick or look sick when they get there. I have another friend who buys corals and anems from them and has yet to have a problem with the inverts.

my problem with petco is the people that they hire who have no clue what they are doing. i could have been a real ass and gotten a purple firefish for 8.99, a carpet anem for 23.99, and a volatan lion for about 30 on night. If you notice, some of their signs with prices are for corals that they don't actually have, but the provider sent them as the coral designated by the sign. Just hate the stupidity. Most don't even tell new reefers they need to cycle their tank.

 

You are right, I don't know why I said bottom....

 

How did you come to the conclusion that it is just dust and dirt?

I think it would be a good idea to start from square one and post all of the parameters that you can test for. Everyone is here to help.

 

Alrighty!

So I test for pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, Calcium, Phosphate, and Copper. The only problem I am having is that my Calcium is actually coming up too low at 360. Everything else is good with phosphate even at 0.

What else could be wrong and I really appreciate the help I would love to clear up my water.