Yesterday one of the clownfish in my display tank showed a new behavior. He was in the corner, vertical, and 'bumping' the surface of the water. He did this for about 10 minutes then returned to the tank and his mates.
Today, when I cleaned the tank, he started showing extreme distress. I was cleaning the algae off the sides of the tank. I still haven't made it into Houston to buy algae eating snails. He started staying at the surface of the water, then sank to the bottom and just laid there. None of the other fish were affected and there was nothing wrong with him that I could see. I transferred him to the QT tank with the other clown that was being bullied so badly last week.
He started showing the 'bumping' behavior again. I took some video with my smartphone. It is posted on you tube under the name texasfishguy. He died 30 minutes after I took the video. He was in the tank for four hours prior to death.
Display tank
PH 8.0
Salinity 1.022
ammonia 0PPM
nitrite 0PPM
nitrate 5PPM
Temp 78

10 percent water change weekly

QT tank
Salinity 1.022
ammonia 1ppm
nitrite 1PPM
Nitrate 15PPM
Temp 78

first water change 20%.

I am posting a different question about my yellow tang.

I would have left him in the display tank since the water parameters look like they were better. How long had you had him prior to this? It could be that he was sick before you got him.

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Sorry to hear it. These things happen, some just don't acclimate to their new tank and water. Did you drip acclimate them? Most of us don't keep the same crap water parameters as LFS do, so a good drip will help the survival rate.

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I had the fish a little over two weeks. I put him in the QT tank because the water in the display tank was dirty from cleaning the algae off the tank glass. It is a 150 mile round trip to go get something to control the algae and someone has to take me. I don't drive.
Up until the day before he died he was apparently happy and healthy. There was already on clown in the QT tank that has been there for a week. He is recovering from being bullied by the other clowns.

Aquarium World where I bought the fish has an acclimate procedure that they require to be followed for their guarantee. They only guarantee 7 day survival. I should have done the drip acclimate instead.
I am less confident now that I can keep my fish alive.

Did he eat at all? 2 weeks is usually the breaking point on them starving out.

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He ate every time I fed them. He didn't look like he was starved. I have good video of him posted on you tube under the name of texasfishguy. He looked as healthy as all the other clowns. At least to my untrained eye.

If you have seen the video I posted of the clownfish in question you would have seen a second clown in the video. That clown died today. This time I know what killed him and there was nothing I could do.
The tank started cycling. My readings from yesterday are already posted above.
Today the readings were

PH 8.0
Ammonia .25PPM
Nitrite 5PPM
Nitrate over 40PPM
Salinity 1.021
Temp 78

I would say the nitrite spike killed him, but in a 10 gallon tank, the changes happen too fast. I tried moving him to the display tank, but the other clowns started trying to kill him so I put him back in the QT tank. He died less than 10 minutes later.
What should I have done?

Had a cycled QT is all you could have done.

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QT tank is still cycling. A third clown died today, both damsels are sick and the tang is acting weird. I looked at the disease descriptions but I can not tell which one they have. I don't think it is ick since I am familiar with that disease in freshwater fish and this does not resemble it. My best guess is Marine Velvet.
I also read there is no treatment for this. Where do I go from here? No of my cameras will focus well enough to get a clear picture.

Also have white fuzzy looking stuff growing on my live rock. And slender white threads on the surface of the live rock.

And now both damsels are dead.

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This is probably from phosphate issue, you haven't posted that yet. But, you start over. Extremely slow this time. One fish every 2 weeks. Let the tank settle for a couple of weeks, then off we go. I couldn't tell you how many fish I have gone through, been BIG$$$$, my wife goes crazy everytime I lost one. It happens, it sucks, but it happens.

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There is a test for phosphates? Actually, I now know that there is, and a test for calcium, hardness, iron (big possibility here. I can pick up small rocks all over my place with a magnet and I am using well water.) , and tests for a lot of things that only have initials and I don't know what they are. I could spend a couple hundred on test kits. And then hundreds more on 'fixes' to balance the water. I am having difficulty in separating the 'marketing BS' from actual truth.
I am going to wait and see if the Tang and the last Clown die. My QT tank is contaminated and will not be 'clean' for 6 to 8 weeks. I do not have a tank big enough to QT the Tang. So basically, my fish are going to die, and there is nothing I can do to stop it. I will never buy from Aquarium World again. This had to come from them. They are the only ones I ever bought fish from and with a life cycle of four weeks without a host, the tank was clean until I put these fish in it.
So, maybe next year, I will again be looking for fish. But right now, all I can do is watch the rest of a $200 investment in fish die.
This hobby sucks.

Ouch
Need to Test:
Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate
Phosphate
Alkalinity- for your Coralline Algea
Calcium
PH
Specific Gravity-Salinity

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I have been testing for Salinity, PH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate twice a week since I set up the aquarium. When the first symptoms showed up, I did not know enough to recognize that I had a problem.
I'll get the phosphate, calcium, and alkalinity tests as soon as possible. 10 gallon water changes at least once a week, and a lot more over the last 4 days. In all I have done 160 gallons worth (5 gallon bucket of salt)
The fourth clownfish died this morning and the tang will probably not last the day.

I forgot one. Magnesium
And, stop doing all those water changes. You have done enough. Its not going to help if the water you are using is actually the culprit killing the fish, ph may be way off, hardness may be crazy. So until you test for those things, lets leave well enough alone for a bit. Just continue your normal routine, maybe this will put less stress on the Tang.

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I'll order the test kits today. PH has been steady at 8.0 since day 1. Hardness hasn't been tested but I have been using my well water for my freshwater fish for 10 years without a problem.

I had a freshwater tank once, and I found that the fish were bullet proof.
Reef fish, once the've acclimated to your tank, are pretty much safe,its getting to that point that will drive you to drinking. But, once you have had a fish for over 3-4 weeks, I have found that its a good bet he'll survive.

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