Sick Clown - photo attached

[gobeach]

I put this guy in my QT tank about 2 weeks ago because his female jumped ship and he was getting picked on by the pair in my tank. I added 3 Anthias, 6 Chromis and 1 smaller Clown 1.5 weeks ago. One Anthias developed a dark legion? towards the rear of it's dorsal fin - it appeared to be internal because I could see it from both sides. The Anthias died and now this clown has been isolating, not eating too much and now showing signs of some film on his body. Yesterday he seemed to be pooping something white and stringy (never saw that before).

He's been getting worse, I really thought he'd be dead by the time I got home. I stopped at the LFS and discussed things, and had been doing some research last night. I had concluded with Marine Velvet based on some other pics I saw but the more I think about it - the clown has a solid film but not white dots so I'm not sure. The folks at the LFS said it might be internal parasites. I picked up some cupramine and some PraziPro and am not sure which to treat with first. I thought I'd ask others if they recognize this based on the photo (attached).

 

[gobeach]

Additional info: labored breathing, but gets excited when I feed so he seems to want to eat. I'm not sure if he's getting anything or not.

 

[Octo]

Oh wow hes not looking to well.. MArine Velevt or Brooklynella

 

[Deinonych]

Oh wow hes not looking to well.. MArine Velevt or Brooklynella

Agreed - looks like brook to me.

 

[Octo]

Yah same thing happened to my platinum clown not too long ago.. and that the best and most effective treatment for Brooklynella is formaldehyde alone. Typically a standard 37% formalin solution is mixed with either fresh or saltwater in a separate treatment container, intitially the clown is given a quick dip or a prolonged bath, followed by continued treatment and care in a QT. So if you don't have this the fish bottom out pretty quickly.. 2-5 days.

 

[Mike&Terry]

Brooklynella Hostilis. Formalin is the preferred treatment for Brooklynella - Copper and Prazipro are both ineffective against this protozoan.

Here is a good article on treatment: Brooklynella


A freshwater bath can also give the fish some relief in the interim.

 

[gobeach]

Thanks. The LFS up the street said "what?" when I asked if they had anything to treat Brooklynella. I came home and put him in a 10min freshwater bath which he survived. I'll pickup some Formalin tomorrow after work and hope that he makes it that long...

 

[gobeach]

Woke up this morning to a dead clown... I believe the smaller clown that I purchased 1.5 weeks ago brought the Brooklynella into the tank. The one that I just lost had been a long-time resident in the Display tank until his partner jumped ship and he was getting picked on.

Question for the pros out there - can Brooklynella infect Chromis and/or Anthias? If so, any recommendations on how to get ahead of this in the QT tank where I've got 6 Chromis, 2 Anthias and 1 remaining clown?

 

[Mike&Terry]

Woke up this morning to a dead clown... I believe the smaller clown that I purchased 1.5 weeks ago brought the Brooklynella into the tank. The one that I just lost had been a long-time resident in the Display tank until his partner jumped ship and he was getting picked on.

Question for the pros out there - can Brooklynella infect Chromis and/or Anthias? If so, any recommendations on how to get ahead of this in the QT tank where I've got 6 Chromis, 2 Anthias and 1 remaining clown?

Sorry to hear that you lost the clownfish. If your other fish were exposed, you will definitely want to treat them - the sooner the better - as the disease can be quite virulent.
327VCVLH

 

[gobeach]

Do I have to dip each fish individually with Formalin? or is there something I can apply to the tank?

 

[Mike&Terry]

AP Quick Cure contains formalin and malachite green. According to the instructions on the bottle, it can be used in a hospital tank. Personally, I would not use it as an in tank treatment as formalin can be toxic, lowers available oxygen, and is a known carcinogen.

 

[Reefin_Reefer]

Huge out break around here right now. I just lost my sailfin tang (cause of it all) and my snowflake clown last night. Now my male clown is showing signs this morning.

 

[monkiboy]

yeah, looks like brook and sorry to hear about your loss. it's quite prevalent in wild caught clowns. that being said, there's really no reason now-a-days to be buying wild-caught clowns with the myriad of captive bred and raised options at such affordable prices.

for treatment of the rest of the fish, that is absolutely recommended. immediate action needs to be taken. paraguard is a fantastic tool that is easily accessible and is best administered as baths. if you have any other questions, feel free to PM me directly as i'd be glad to help. i'm a huge proponent of prophylactic treatment and all wild-caught clowns MUST be treated for brook in my book before adding them to a tank or being sold, in my book.

 

[Reefin_Reefer]

Loss my purple tang over night. Ive never had this prob. before. My UV only runs at night. Should I turn it on 24/7?

 

[gobeach]

Update on the QT inhabitants. I started with one clown from my Display tank - his pair jumped and he was getting picked on. Picked up one smaller clown, 3 anthias, and 6 chromis from the LFS. I believe the tank has stabalized - I'm left with 5 Chromis who are all looking really good, eating great, and acting quite healthy.

What I did was treat 3 days in a row with Quick Cure, and 2 days after the last treatment I performed a 5 Gal water change (QT tank is 20 Gals). A week later I performed another 5 Gal water change.

The fish that died appeared to have Brooklynella. Nasty stuff. Really reinforces using a Quarantine tank when bringing new livestock into the house.