clowns acting strange

veselym · Apr 11, 2015

I will tomorrow...lights are out now, any ideas on what it is? Almost looks like a film/slimecoat

Humblefish · Apr 11, 2015

veselym said:
I will tomorrow...lights are out now, any ideas on what it is? Almost looks like a film/slimecoat

Sounds like Brooklynella (see more info below):

Brooklynella:

Symptoms – 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 options - Formalin bath, followed by additional formalin baths (as needed - but give the fish a day to recuperate in-between baths). You can use formalin in a QT (at a much lower concentration than the bath), but great care must be taken to provide plenty of gas exchange as formalin will quickly deplete the water of oxygen. For this reason, doing baths is the safer option as the fish can be pulled from the formalin if showing signs of distress. Formalin-MS is preferred, as that contains 37% formaldehyde. However, in a bind, any medication containing formalin (ex. Quick Cure) is better than nothing. Alternative treatments for brook include metronidazole (ex.Seachem MetroPlex) and acriflavine (ex. Acriflavine-MS). A freshwater dip may provide temporary relief if you are unable to locate any of the aforementioned medications right away.

veselym · Apr 11, 2015

This is what I was afraid of...can other fish get it?

Also I thought it was a quick killer? I have had them for 10 days

Humblefish · Apr 11, 2015

veselym said:
This is what I was afraid of...can other fish get it?

Yes; brook can wipe out tanks the same as velvet. Although, this does not happen 100% of the time - for some unknown reason. I would Google some pics of Brooklynella, and if you think this is what your clowns have I would move with a sense of urgency. At least start giving the clownfish formalin baths. Below are some fish meds I've recently looked into and discovered contain formalin:

* Formalin-MS (the "gold standard")
* Quick Cure
* Aquarium Solutions Ich-X
* Kordon Rid-Ich Plus

Humblefish · Apr 11, 2015

Fyi ..... weird how it makes a lot of the words lower case

oh:

formalin: treats brooklynella and provides temporary relief for marine velvet disease (amyloodinium). Also may be used as temporary relief, or even as an alternative treatment, for worms such as flukes and black ich.

how to treat - formalin is very interesting because its potential is not fully known. It is best administered in a bath solution for 30-45 minutes, following the dosage instructions on whatever bottle you use; or at 150 ppm if using "100% formalin" (ex. formalin-ms). The bath should be done in a large glass bowl or container, and temperature should match the tank the fish is coming from. A bucket is not advised as plastic may absorb some of the medication and then leach it back out during future use. It is imperative that you heavily aeratethe bath solution for at least 30 minutes before and also during treatment to compensate for oxygen depletion. The fish should be placed in a premixed bath solution. do not add more formalin after the fish is already in the bath.

For brooklynella, multiple baths may be required (so long as symptoms persist), but it’s important to give the fish a day to recuperate in-between baths. Formalin has also been used as alternative treatment for external worms such as flukes and black ich. However, at least 2 baths are required (7 days apart) for the same reason described when using prazipro. For all of the above, post treatment, the fish should not be returned to the same tank/water he came from to prevent reinfection.

You can dose formalin directly in a quarantine tank, but this can be risky due to the harshness of formalin and how quickly it can deplete the water of oxygen. providing additional gas exchange to the qt is a must! a fish being treated must be monitored closely and should be removed if showing signs of distress - this applies when treating in qt or in the bath solution.

pros - treats or provides temporary relief for a wide range of diseases. In some cases, formalin can “buy you more time” until a proper treatment can be done.

cons/side effects - formalin contains formaldehyde, a known carcinogen. Therefore, precautions must be taken when using it. Preventing your skin from coming in contact with it by wearing water proof gloves and not breathing in any fumes by wearing a face mask is highly recommended. Formalin also can be harsh on the fish and will quickly deplete oxygen from the water. In some areas, the purchase of formalin is prohibited.

veselym · Apr 12, 2015

Gonna get a pic in a few...can fish live over 10 days with brook? I read its really common in live caught fish but not so much captive bred

veselym · Apr 12, 2015

You can see a white haze on the first fish, on it's back black section...not sure if it's anything, been there for 3 days now so if it was brook they should be lethargic right? both don't breath heavy and are eating well

both have some markings like this but only visible on the black areas, the 2nd pic shows some little white dustings in the black areas

Humblefish · Apr 12, 2015

I can see the haze (but only in the 2nd pic); however, brook should be more pronounced than that. I would just keep an eye on it for now.

Brooklynella is most often seen in wild caught clowns, but I know a LFS owner who frequently encounters it in ORA stock as well.

veselym · Apr 12, 2015

That's what I thought, its very light and both fish act fine...maybe they are healing? On another note, I have a purple fire fish who is mean, bites the other fish so maybe injuries

veselym · Apr 15, 2015

Humblefish. Fish are still doing great, eating and swimming all over

The two have been fighting over dominance so maybe the white is from that. Anyway, I am setting up a qt and need suggestions for colorful reef safe fish