Clown fish - ick or other parasites?

[350DRVR]

Returned home after a few day trip and it seems my clown has taken a turn for the worse.

I pulled it out and did a fresh water dip before putting him into the QT.

doe this look like ick or maybe another parasite?

Thoughts and help are appreciated.

link to video.

Click here for video.

 

[zalick]

How kind have you had it? Looks like brooklynella to me. Does it have a coating like film over its body and eyes?

 

[480Reefer]

Ich is more spoty if I’m not mistaken, that looks more like brooklynella possibly.

Bump for anyone else who might know more though; sorry if I’m mistaken on any of this.

 

[350DRVR]

How kind have you had it? Looks like brooklynella to me. Does it have a coating like film over its body and eyes?

Doesn’t look to have a coating to me but I’m. It that familiar with these issues and what they really look like.

not the best picture but all I could get for now.

 

[fishguy242]

@Jay Hemdal @vetteguy53081

 

[vetteguy53081]

This is a heavy case of brooklynella. Brooklynella is an infestation of marine fish by the vilated protozoan Brooklynella hostilis. Most similar symptomatically to Oodinum, this is also a parasite that primarily attacks the gills first. At the onset, fish may scrape up against objects, rapid respiration develops, and fish often gasp for air at the surface as the gills become clogged with mucus. Very quickly the fish will become lethargic, refuse to eat, and its colors will fade. The most noticeable difference that sets Brooklynella apart from Oodinium is the heavy amount of slime that is produced by a fish that has contracted this parasite. As the disease progresses, a thick whitish mucus covers the body. This will usually start at the head and spread outward across the entire body. Skin lesions appear and it is not uncommon for signs of secondary bacterial infections to arise.
The consensus is that the best and most effective treatment for Brooklynella is formaldehyde alone.


Formalin is a 37 percent solution of formaldehyde gas dissolved in water with methanol added as a stabilizer. It has been found to be an effective treatment for Brooklynella as well as other parasitic diseases.
Typically a standard formalin solution is mixed with either fresh or saltwater in a separate treatment container. Initially, all fish are given a quick dip in the formalin at a higher concentration, followed by continued treatment in a prolonged bath of formalin at a lower concentration in a quarantine tank (QT). Of course, the longer the fish are exposed to the formalin treatment, the more effective it will be at eliminating this disease.
API quick cure offers a good form of formalin for treatment

 

[350DRVR]

Thank you for the info we did a freshwater dip for now and we will see how the night goes. I’ll go pick up some API first thing in the AM.
the fish is in QT and it’s mate seems to be doing great with no signs. Do you suggest just watching the other clown and only treat if We see any signs or is it suggested to treat both since the other has been exposed?

thank you

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

This is a case where a skin scrape under a microscope is the only definitive way to diagnose the issue. Brooklynella doesn't create distinct white spots, and this fish has them. However, there are also some mucus sheets, those can be a sign of Brook, but also a sign of moderate ich. It could also possibly have ich and Brooklynella.

The trouble is that Brooklynella and Ich have two different treatment courses. In my opinion, based on the way the fish is acting in the video, it has a moderately advanced case of ich. I base this on its swimming behavior, with its fins still pretty well extended. However, the second clown, if TOTALLY symptom free, clouds that diagnosis, as I would expect it to show signs of ich trophonts by now.

Copper and formalin dips would be one way to go. Copper and freshwater dips would be a distant second choice. The trouble is that copper takes at least 3 days to begin to work, and this fish has a pretty advanced infection.

Jay