Parasite id/diagnosis?

[Andreas' Reef]

Hey, what’s this on my clownfish, and do you have any tips for treatment ?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hey, what’s this on my clownfish, and do you have any tips for treatment ?

Pics are quite fuzzy but suspecting this is Brooklynella.
The most significant sign is the amount of slime on its body. The thick mucus on its body is a second sign 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 solution is mixed with in a separate container with either fresh or saltwater. Start with a quick dip in the formalin at a higher concentration then performing treatment in a prolonged bath of formalin base at a lower concentration in a quarantine tank. The longer the fish are exposed to the formalin treatment the more effective it will be at eliminating this issue.
If a formalin solution is not available for immediate use, 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) or Ruby Rally Pro. Ruby takes a little longer and initial treatment generally takes 2-3 days to really start going to work.

 

[Andreas' Reef]

Pics are quite fuzzy but suspecting this is Brooklynella.
The most significant sign is the amount of slime on its body. The thick mucus on its body is a second sign 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 solution is mixed with in a separate container with either fresh or saltwater. Start with a quick dip in the formalin at a higher concentration then performing treatment in a prolonged bath of formalin base at a lower concentration in a quarantine tank. The longer the fish are exposed to the formalin treatment the more effective it will be at eliminating this issue.
If a formalin solution is not available for immediate use, 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) or Ruby Rally Pro. Ruby takes a little longer and initial treatment generally takes 2-3 days to really start going to work.

So my fish isn’t really lethargic and is eating well. Is brooklynella a protozoan bacteria?

 

[Andreas' Reef]

So my fish isn’t really lethargic and is eating well. Is brooklynella a protozoan bacteria?

*parasite sorry

 

[Andreas' Reef]

Pics are quite fuzzy but suspecting this is Brooklynella.
The most significant sign is the amount of slime on its body. The thick mucus on its body is a second sign 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 solution is mixed with in a separate container with either fresh or saltwater. Start with a quick dip in the formalin at a higher concentration then performing treatment in a prolonged bath of formalin base at a lower concentration in a quarantine tank. The longer the fish are exposed to the formalin treatment the more effective it will be at eliminating this issue.
If a formalin solution is not available for immediate use, 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) or Ruby Rally Pro. Ruby takes a little longer and initial treatment generally takes 2-3 days to really start going to work.

Would Seachem metroplex help?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Would Seachem metroplex help?

No- you want formalin based or acroflavine

 

[vetteguy53081]

So my fish isn’t really lethargic and is eating well. Is brooklynella a protozoan bacteria?

Better known as brooklynella hostilis, these parasites live on the skin of fish and often trigger respiratory issues once the gills are infested. Under a microscope, they appear as kidney bean-shaped parasites often looking like ich covered in cilia and attack the gills of fish causing the mucus and then breathing and feeding issues although not all fish with this stop eating. They become bacterial infections which cause white, cloudy-looking skin on fish.

 

[Sailaway]

Hey, what’s this on my clownfish, and do you have any tips for treatment ?

Looks like brook

 

[vetteguy53081]

Malachite green also may work but im not keen on its effectiveness

 

[Andreas' Reef]

No- you want formalin based or acroflavine

Ok so I don't think I can get formalin any time soon so a 3-4 minute fw dip will help right?

 

[dwest]

I agree with brooklynella

Brooklynella

Brooklynella hostilis (updated 6-9-2023) What You Need To Know: * This is most often seen with clownfish, but it can afflict other fish (usually in the gills) as well. When a clownfish has Brook, the skin will appear to be peeling or sloughing off. Which is actually excess white mucous coming...

humble.fish

@Jay Hemdal

 

[vetteguy53081]

Ok so I don't think I can get formalin any time soon so a 3-4 minute fw dip will help right?

Yes

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

How long have you had the clownfish?
What other fish are in with it?
How long has it had this issue?
Can you post a short video taken under white lights?

Jay

 

[Andreas' Reef]

No- you want formalin based or acroflavine

what about Seachem Paragaurd ?

 

[vetteguy53081]

what about Seachem Paragaurd ?

No. This stuff is overrated and rarely works . It contains a formaldehyde/formalin substitute making it ineffective in most cases

 

[ARGYGANG]

what about Seachem Paragaurd ?

Don’t forget you are going to need to fallow ur tank out for x amount of days before adding them back from the qt tank, brook can also spread to fish that are not clownfish but it’s most common in clownfish from what I’ve noticed in my personal experience and read. it can also be confused for marine velvet copper and other meds won’t treat it I’ve read copper will suppress it but as soon as the fish is out of copper it will probably come back, you need formalin. I would set up a qt tank, match the ph of ur freshwater dip to the tank ur clown is currently in that way the only shock the fish gets is the salinity difference (match temp of all three)to freshwater dip you can get a bucket and add ro water raise ph with reef buffer or whatever u prefer to use and then once ur ph and temp is exactly the same in the freshwater dip as in the clowns current tank freshwater dip him for 4-5 minutes then add him to a qt tank (you can literally use a air stone and a heater and a plastic tub and a pvc elbow does not have to be a glass aquarium) and order a formalin based med off Amazon and get one day shipping or go to ur lfs first thing in the morning, brook kills pretty fast.

 

[Andreas' Reef]

Don’t forget you are going to need to fallow ur tank out for x amount of days before adding them back from the qt tank, brook can also spread to fish that are not clownfish but it’s most common in clownfish from what I’ve noticed in my personal experience and read. it can also be confused for marine velvet copper and other meds won’t treat it I’ve read copper will suppress it but as soon as the fish is out of copper it will probably come back, you need formalin. I would set up a qt tank, match the ph of ur freshwater dip to the tank ur clown is currently in that way the only shock the fish gets is the salinity difference (match temp of all three)to freshwater dip you can get a bucket and add ro water raise ph with reef buffer or whatever u prefer to use and then once ur ph and temp is exactly the same in the freshwater dip as in the clowns current tank freshwater dip him for 4-5 minutes then add him to a qt tank (you can literally use a air stone and a heater and a plastic tub and a pvc elbow does not have to be a glass aquarium) and order a formalin based med off Amazon and get one day shipping or go to ur lfs first thing in the morning, brook kills pretty fast.

I'm prob going to make a qt tub with an airstone and heater but if i cant get the formalin soon could I freshwater dip the clown in put it back in dt

 

[ARGYGANG]

I'm prob going to make a qt tub with an airstone and heater but if i cant get the formalin soon could I freshwater dip the clown in put it back in dt

I would just set up the tub and put her there after the fw dip . Do not forget if it’s your first time freshwater dipping a fish u must match the ph and temp to ur display tanks ph and temp or your fish may die, I’ve messed up two freshwater baths so far and killed two fish. Maybe others can answer a little bit more than I can but basically you need to do whatever you can to get that medicine freshwater dips will only get you so far. and you need to treat all ur tank inhabitants for this disease also, it’s not clownfish specific/host specific.

 

[Andreas' Reef]

Don’t forget you are going to need to fallow ur tank out for x amount of days before adding them back from the qt tank, brook can also spread to fish that are not clownfish but it’s most common in clownfish from what I’ve noticed in my personal experience and read. it can also be confused for marine velvet copper and other meds won’t treat it I’ve read copper will suppress it but as soon as the fish is out of copper it will probably come back, you need formalin. I would set up a qt tank, match the ph of ur freshwater dip to the tank ur clown is currently in that way the only shock the fish gets is the salinity difference (match temp of all three)to freshwater dip you can get a bucket and add ro water raise ph with reef buffer or whatever u prefer to use and then once ur ph and temp is exactly the same in the freshwater dip as in the clowns current tank freshwater dip him for 4-5 minutes then add him to a qt tank (you can literally use a air stone and a heater and a plastic tub and a pvc elbow does not have to be a glass aquarium) and order a formalin based med off Amazon and get one day shipping or go to ur lfs first thing in the morning, brook kills pretty fast.

are there any formalin based meds you recommend

 

[Andreas' Reef]

How long have you had the clownfish?
What other fish are in with it?
How long has it had this issue?
Can you post a short video taken under white lights?

Jay

I have had the clownfish for 2 years. I have a watchman goby with it and that is about it. It has had this issue noticably for 3 days. I'll try to take a video when the lights turn on