Clownfish diagnosis

[kryptonite_star11]

Hi everyone,

So I have this clown that is behaving completely fine - eating normal, swimming normal, no abnormal behaviors like flashing.

I have a had a parasite in my tank for a few months now - i assumed it was ich. But all my fish have fully recovered including a radiant wrasse and coral beauty who were formally covered in white spots. But after a round of Reef Rally and adding a UV sterilizer after - they look better than ever, no flashing and no more white spots.

This week i tried to add a clown to the tank to pair with the clown in the picture. She rejected him and consistently bullied him. Guess she prefers the single life. And this weekend i was planning to take the fish back to my LFS when i got a break from work. But it mysteriously died yesterday after eating each day since i had him. He had no visual or behavioral symptoms he just started laying on the sand heavy breathing yesterday then died. Then this morning the female clown has this white dusting look on her.

Like i said - if it wasnt for the visual appearance i’d have no concerns - eating completely fine and swimming fine. Parameters are good - 1.025 salinity, 10 Nitrate, 0 Phosphates. Corals are all doing well.

Any guesses or am i just being paranoid?
Thank you!!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hi everyone,

So I have this clown that is behaving completely fine - eating normal, swimming normal, no abnormal behaviors like flashing.

I have a had a parasite in my tank for a few months now - i assumed it was ich. But all my fish have fully recovered including a radiant wrasse and coral beauty who were formally covered in white spots. But after a round of Reef Rally and adding a UV sterilizer after - they look better than ever, no flashing and no more white spots.

This week i tried to add a clown to the tank to pair with the clown in the picture. She rejected him and consistently bullied him. Guess she prefers the single life. And this weekend i was planning to take the fish back to my LFS when i got a break from work. But it mysteriously died yesterday after eating each day since i had him. He had no visual or behavioral symptoms he just started laying on the sand heavy breathing yesterday then died. Then this morning the female clown has this white dusting look on her.

Like i said - if it wasnt for the visual appearance i’d have no concerns - eating completely fine and swimming fine. Parameters are good - 1.025 salinity, 10 Nitrate, 0 Phosphates. Corals are all doing well.

Any guesses or am i just being paranoid?
Thank you!!

This clown is showing secondary bacterial infections associated with Brooklynella disease.
The most significant sign is the amount of slime on its body which is noticeable on the fish. This mucus generally starts at the facial area as well as gills and spreads across the body producing lesions as it progresses often confused with ich and can turn into secondary bacteria. Other symptoms will be lethargic behavior, refusing to eat and heavy breathing from the mucus.
Typical treatment is a formalin based solution is mixed with in a separate container with either fresh or saltwater but is near impossible to find. Start with a prolonged 60 minute bath of ruby rally pro then at a lower concentration in a quarantine tank. The longer the fish are exposed to the treatment, the more effective it will be at eliminating this issue.
Temporary relief can be achieved by giving the fish a FW bath or dip in water same temperature as display tank. Even though this treatment will not cure the disease, it can help to remove some of the parasites, as well as reduce the amount of mucus in the gills to assist with respiration problems.
Treatment is best done in a QT tank using either quick cure (more effective but now harder to find) or Ruby Rally Pro. Ruby takes a little longer and initial treatment generally takes 2-3 days to really start going to work.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I agree, I think the second clown brought brooklynella to your tank.

 

[kryptonite_star11]

Thank you, both! This was super helpful. I will be going ahead and dosing Ruby Rally Pro into the main display for 6 days. A quarantine tank unfortunately isnt really feasible as my display is only 50 gallons. But it had no ill-effects on my corals so i will plan to do the full dosage this time (vs only half dose last round).

Overall, still seems to be in the early stages and she still eating/behaving per normal so hopefully this treatment catches it in time. Thanks again!

 

[Lavey29]

Thank you, both! This was super helpful. I will be going ahead and dosing Ruby Rally Pro into the main display for 6 days. A quarantine tank unfortunately isnt really feasible as my display is only 50 gallons. But it had no ill-effects on my corals so i will plan to do the full dosage this time (vs only half dose last round).

Overall, still seems to be in the early stages and she still eating/behaving per normal so hopefully this treatment catches it in time. Thanks again!

That bandaid treatment won't stop brook. You need formulin in QT for all fish.

 

[KrisReef]

Hi everyone,

So I have this clown that is behaving completely fine - eating normal, swimming normal, no abnormal behaviors like flashing.

I have a had a parasite in my tank for a few months now - i assumed it was ich. But all my fish have fully recovered including a radiant wrasse and coral beauty who were formally covered in white spots. But after a round of Reef Rally and adding a UV sterilizer after - they look better than ever, no flashing and no more white spots.

This week i tried to add a clown to the tank to pair with the clown in the picture. She rejected him and consistently bullied him. Guess she prefers the single life. And this weekend i was planning to take the fish back to my LFS when i got a break from work. But it mysteriously died yesterday after eating each day since i had him. He had no visual or behavioral symptoms he just started laying on the sand heavy breathing yesterday then died. Then this morning the female clown has this white dusting look on her.

Like i said - if it wasnt for the visual appearance i’d have no concerns - eating completely fine and swimming fine. Parameters are good - 1.025 salinity, 10 Nitrate, 0 Phosphates. Corals are all doing well.

Any guesses or am i just being paranoid?
Thank you!!

My wife is doing this too and I don’t think that medication will help the problem.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

That bandaid treatment won't stop brook. You need formulin in QT for all fish.

I agree formalin is best, but it is sometimes difficult to source (folks get the wrong product) and is toxic to people, so must be used with care in a home. I'm not a fan of Ruby Reef Rally Pro, since it doesn't always work, but it is safer for the animals and the people.

 

[kryptonite_star11]

I agree formalin is best, but it is sometimes difficult to source (folks get the wrong product) and is toxic to people, so must be used with care in a home. I'm not a fan of Ruby Reef Rally Pro, since it doesn't always work, but it is safer for the animals and the people.

thanks! I ended up going to my LFS and shared with him your responses. He gave me a treatment plan with Malachite Green. Currently have the clown in a 5 gal bucket with treatment! Doing the full 3-4 day treatment. Hopefully this works! Let me know your thoughts however if you disagree.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

thanks! I ended up going to my LFS and shared with him your responses. He gave me a treatment plan with Malachite Green. Currently have the clown in a 5 gal bucket with treatment! Doing the full 3-4 day treatment. Hopefully this works! Let me know your thoughts however if you disagree.

Ugh - malachite green doesn't work well against marine fish diseases. I know a lot of LFS recommend that, but its track record is dismal. It does work well for freshwater fish, but it is toxic to some species.

Is this a formalin/malachite green product? If so, the formalin portion may work as intended though.

 

[kryptonite_star11]

Ugh - malachite green doesn't work well against marine fish diseases. I know a lot of LFS recommend that, but its track record is dismal. It does work well for freshwater fish, but it is toxic to some species.

Is this a formalin/malachite green product? If so, the formalin portion may work as intended though.

He told me that it had formalin in it but i dont see it listed on the bottle or anything. He also told me that Quick Cure isnt made anymore? Do you recommends or know of a brand formalin formula that i could track down and use? Thank you!

I admittedly feel a little bad putting the clown through this since they’ve been eating and behaving wait but its clear it has something in its skin and i just lost another banggai to what im assuming is Brooklynella yesterday - cloudy eyes, lethargic, frayed fins, white film. But luckily my coral beauty and radiant wrasse look to be in peak health.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

He told me that it had formalin in it but i dont see it listed on the bottle or anything. He also told me that Quick Cure isnt made anymore? Do you recommends or know of a brand formalin formula that i could track down and use? Thank you!

I admittedly feel a little bad putting the clown through this since they’ve been eating and behaving wait but its clear it has something in its skin and i just lost another banggai to what im assuming is Brooklynella yesterday - cloudy eyes, lethargic, frayed fins, white film. But luckily my coral beauty and radiant wrasse look to be in peak health.

Kordon Rid Ich + is formalin and malachite green.

 

[kryptonite_star11]

Update: Very happy to report that a 3-day treatment of malachite green in a hospital bucket appears to have worked. My clownfish looks completely healed no more white fuzz look, complete bold colors are back. And eagerly ate minutes after I placed her back in the display tank! She seems happy to be back.

Perhaps it worked since the Brook was in early stages? Outside of thebmildly-off appearance the clown never displayed any other symptoms outside of a little darting, and even that couldve been typical weird clown behavior. Was always eating and active. I bought some of the Kordon Rid Ich + you recommended so if it pops up again, i will use that. I can post a picture tomorrow in the day time.

All other fish seem happy and healthy. Thanks for all the quick responses here.