Bryan,
Sorry to hear of the rough times. Thanks for the detailed info about your concerns. I like having them!
The fecal signs point to an intestinal problem. Most of those problems are caused by worms. The actions you've taken would be the proper ones. I try not to get 'professional' and turn veterinarian on posters, but. . .The feces could be looked at under the microscope by someone who knows what they're looking for. A fecal exam would go a long ways to solve the riddle. An advantage (if there is any) to having a fish/fishes with intestinal problems is that the diagnosis can be done microscopically without having to kill and autopsy the fish.
I have some questions:
1) What color is the stringy feces?
2) When the feces is not 'stringy' then what does it look like (texture)? What color is it?
3) Does the stringy feces appearance relate to any particular feed you might be using the two or three feedings before?
I would not choose the foods you are using to feed clownfish. Your clowns are omnivores. They depend as much upon meaty foods as they do vegetation. I don't see a high enough vegetable content in the foods you've chosen. Don't feel bad about this, it is a common situation.
Prepackaged foods 'say' they are good for this and that fishes, but you need to read the ingredients closely. Just because it says it contain vegetables (like spirulina) doesn't mean it contains
enough for an omnivore (or even a herbivore).
We (you and I) know that: mysis, Cyclop-eze, and brine shrimp are all in the meaty category. Let's take a closer look at that "herbivore frozen food" you're using. If the first ingredient isn't a vegetable matter but is instead a meaty matter, then that 'herbivore food' isn't vegetable-enough.
Formula 2 comes in different forms and some variety of mixtures. The ones I see on the Internet have the first three (or more) ingredients as meaty foods, even though the product is labeled suitable for herbivores. My flake Formula Two lists marine algae as the
seventh ingredient followed by one more meat, then kelp. I just don't believe that that is a proper herbivore diet, let along a proper omnivore diet.
I would try the following, so that we can eliminate (no pun intended) the nutrition/food parameter: Chart out 20 feedings.
Two can be the mysis (mixed with bits of seaweed - see below)
Two can be the enriched brine shrimp
Two can be the Cyclop-eze
Four are Hikari Mega-Marine Algae (frozen)
Four are Omnivore frozen food (first or second ingredient is vegetable)
Four are Marine-S
Two are broccoli flowers (the green buds at the top, well washed)
Every day, put in a strip of seaweed. Vary it between the different manufacturers and the different colors of seaweed. They may refuse this (or a particular color). If they do, then break up the strip into little pieces and mix in with the mysis and brine shrimp feedings, but keep a strip in the tank all the time for them to nibble on.
I make my own herbivore and omnivore food. I use spirulina, powdered kelp, and the different available seaweeds (e.g., nori) so I can only come close to that scheme in available products to you, which I've tried to do above.
Recap: Looking more closely at the fecal matter and a shift in diet towards more vegetables are the two things I would do next.
That's all I can think of, right now. Good luck!
