Clownfish with brook?

[Mattt]

So I purchased 2 clowns Wednesday and put them in a 10 gallon qt. Thursday night they both seemed fine and suddenly 2 hours later one was dead. Then Friday the other one started breathing heavy and laying on the bottom of the tank and he also has some white stringy poo. I went to my lfs and they are convinced its brook and suggested Kanaplex and garlic soaked food. Will this work or do I need to treat with something else? I also have general cure if that would work. I have had a great experience with my lfs and I trust them but I cant find anything online about treating Brook with Kanaplex.

QT 10 gallons
77*
Salinity 1.026
Ammonia 0
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 0-5
I'm using a RedSea test kit

 

[Sinibotia]

Definitely not garlic. Garlic has been shown to hurt marine fish, not help them (in actual research, not anecdotes)

 

[Omgitsjoe]

90 min ruby bath, then hit him with the big 3. Knana, metro, furan2. In the unlikely event you get him to eat, soak his meds with general cure, make sure you use focus (binding agent)

 

[SallyWho]

I am far from super experienced, but my first concern is the heavy breathing and laying on the bottom part. Do you have an airstone running? Anything extra to boost the oxygenation in the water? Others with more experience should chime in, but maybe a freshwater dip to loosen any flukes on the gills? The stringy white poo isn't going to kill it today, but not being able to breathe might.

 

[Dierks]

Humblefish wrote a writeup on some options...

Treatment Options Index

This thread contains links to useful treatment options. Please click on the blue links below for more info. :) Treatment Options 102 provides a brief rundown of most medications & treatments. Acriflavine is a first aid antiseptic. Antibiotics treats bacterial infections. Chloroquine...

www.reef2reef.com

I think you will have better options above or with this guide:

Brooklynella

Brooklynella hostilis What You Need To Know: * This is most often seen in clownfish, but it can afflict any fish. The fish’s skin will appear to be peeling or sloughing off, oftentimes causing excessive white mucous to form around the affected area(s). * Treatment of choice is a 45 minute...

www.reef2reef.com

Here is a quick Blurp on Kanaplex but cant seem to find anything to treat Brook with it:

"Antibiotics: Treats bacterial infections, which are oftentimes “secondary” to preexisting parasitic infestations.

How To Treat - Follow the directions on the label of whatever product you are using. Always use a broad spectrum antibiotic medication i.e. one that treats both gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial diseases (very important). Examples of this include Furan-2, Kanamycin aka Seachem Kanaplex, Nitrofuracin Green Powder, Triple Sulfa Powder or a combination of using both Erythromycin & Minocycline. The latter can be accomplished (albeit expensively) by using freshwater Maracyn 1 & 2 and then doubling the dosage for saltwater use. When battling a particularly nasty bacterial infection, combining Furan-2, Kanaplex and metronidazole (ex. Seachem MetroPlex) can be very effective (and safe). Props to “hedgedrew” for enlightening me of this.

Normally you have to do 4 doses to complete a full course of treatment. The instructions may say to dose every 24 hours, and perform water changes at certain intervals. In my experience, you often have to do 2 full courses of treatment (or 8 doses total) before a fish will show signs of improvement (antibiotics are notoriously slow acting with fish). If a fish shows no signs of improvement after the second full course, then it’s time to try a completely different medication. Just like with humans, sometimes a certain fish will respond better to a different antibiotic. You can run activated carbon at any time when you wish to end treatment.

Pros - One of the few medications that can safely be mixed with others. You can use antibiotics in conjunction with just about everything.

Cons/Side Effects - Appetite suppression, depletes the water of oxygen (so provide additional gas exchange).

 

[Omgitsjoe]

This is a fast acting disease, and honestly a hard one to battle. I'm currently on my phone so typing is a pain. But I'd be more than happy to walk you through what I've done in the past. Happened twice... 1 made it, 1 didnt. Although I feel if I caught it early enough the other one would have made it. But anyways.. when I get back to my computer I'll send you a PM and see if you still need help

 

[vetteguy53081]

Can you post a Pic so we can confirm before you start treatment for something that may not be Brook?

 

[Mattt]

90 min ruby bath, then hit him with the big 3. Knana, metro, furan2. In the unlikely event you get him to eat, soak his meds with general cure, make sure you use focus (binding agent)

Can I use all of those at the same time and do I just use them as directed?

I am far from super experienced, but my first concern is the heavy breathing and laying on the bottom part. Do you have an airstone running? Anything extra to boost the oxygenation in the water? Others with more experience should chime in, but maybe a freshwater dip to loosen any flukes on the gills? The stringy white poo isn't going to kill it today, but not being able to breathe might.

I have a power head with an air line attached that's pumping micro bubbles into the tank.

 

[Omgitsjoe]

Can I use all of those at the same time and do I just use them as directed?


I have a power head with an air line attached that's pumping micro bubbles into the tank.

1st Do 90 min ruby bath. It would be ideal to place him in another sterile tank after the bath. Then clean and sterilize the tick out of the current tank.
2nd. Dose the big 3 directly to the water column as directed.
You mentioned you have general cure. Soak the meds in that and use focus day one to bind the meds to his food.

 

[Mattt]

Hes hard to get pictures of but hes still laying kn the bottom breathing heavy. He does move around a little but no normal swimming.

 

[Omgitsjoe]

And as mentioned above make sure the water has plenty of oxygen.

 

[Omgitsjoe]

Hes hard to get pictures of but hes still laying kn the bottom breathing heavy. He does move around a little but no normal swimming.

I cant really tell on the phone... I try to zoom and the dang pic moves. Maybe someone else can confirm for you

 

[vetteguy53081]

Not really seeing brook. Try the FW bath method and general cure. May be enough to clear it up. Pretty Clown it is.

 

[Mattt]

Not really seeing brook. Try the FW bath method and general cure. May be enough to clear it up. Pretty Clown it is.

Should I dose general cure in the tank or soak food or maybe both? The company I got them from is sending a replacement next week and I only have the one qt, will I be able to put them both together and just treat them the same as a precaution?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Together , you should be able to.
FW bath- RO or distilled water in a CLEAN bucket ( many of us keep a bucket/pail dedicated to saltwater tank only. ) and set at the same temperature as tank or tad warmer- NOT cooler than tank temp and place fish in bucket for a couple of minutes observing it to assure it is not getting distressed and return to tank thereafter.

 

[Mattt]

Ok so I did a 4min FW dip and I dosed the QT with General Cure. I dont have access to anything else currently but I will buy everything suggested tomorrow just in case I need it.

 

[Omgitsjoe]

Just checking in. How is he holding up?

 

[Mattt]

Just checking in. How is he holding up?

He is hanging out on the bottom still but hes moving around and not just laying like he was doing. I want to say he looks like hes not breathing as hard but it's hard to tell. He did great in the freshwater dip last night and I didnt see anything in the water after I took him out.

 

[Mattt]

Here are some updated pictures. He is still hanging around the same spot so pictures are hard to get.

 

[Mattt]

Update: the little guy is now swimming around more. I tried feeding him some Rods food but the most he did was try it and then spit it out. He does seem like he's doing better than yesterday.