Who Gives A Fish Forums

1. I just noticed my clown fish doing something weird - it's rubbing itself on the sand, kinda like a dog shaking off water. Is my clown fish trying to remove something from its body? What's going on, and how can I help?

2. I'm pretty sure my yellow tang is stressed out. It's got this long white line running across its body, like its spine is showing through or something. What's wrong with my tang, and is there a way to make it feel better?

Start by turning the caps lock off, it's a bit jarring.

To better understand what's going on, can you tell us about your tank? What are its dimensions, how old is it, and what other fish, corals, and inverts do you have in there? Also, what are your current water parameters - temperature, salinity, and pH? If you have a test kit, it'd be helpful to know your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels as well.

Are there any other visible symptoms on your tang or clownfish, such as spots on their fins or body, or is it just the single white line on the tang? How long have they been exhibiting these symptoms?

It seems like a combination of stress and possibly a parasitic infection, which tangs are prone to, but without more information, it's hard to say for sure.

I'm curious, when are you observing your fish - is it at night, or first thing in the morning?

Clownfish often rub against the sand while they're sleeping, it's not uncommon behavior.

Regarding the white line on your tang's body, I've had mine for about 5 months now and it's always had that line, so I think it might be normal.

Viewing your fish at specific times can give false alarms. A white line on your tang's body is usually noticeable in the morning or late at night when they're resting, it's a sign of blood circulation to different parts of the body. Same with the clown fish, they rub against something for safety at night, so if you're observing this during these hours, it's likely normal behavior.

I see what you guys mean. My yellow tang looks pretty pinkish in the morning, and my clown's been rubbing against the sand so much it's made a bare spot now.

My clarkii has a funny habit of sitting in the corner, bobbing up and down when he's asleep, and then he'll just plop himself down on the floor - it's quite amusing, to be honest. As for your tang, I've noticed that when mine used to dart around a lot and raise his fins high all the time, it was usually a sign that something was off. I'd recommend checking your water levels and making sure your tang is in a suitable-sized tank - my tang was doing the same thing, and it turned out he needed a bigger tank, so I ended up rehoming him to a more suitable environment. However, my clarkii is still going strong, and he's definitely my favorite due to his unique personality.

I've never seen my clown fish do that rubbing thing, but I have noticed something similar with my tang. When the lights are off, I see a white streak, and then the next day when they're on, the streak is yellow.