Brooklynella Aftermath

[jaycapz]

I am in the process of figuring out what to do with my tank after a brooklynella outbreak. I am new to the hobby. Recently learned my lesson on the importance of putting new fish in a QT. I had a newly cycled 26 gallon bow, with 20+lbs of LR. I purchased 2 clownfish and 2 hermits. 2 Weeks later, I learned how brutal brooklynella can be. Lost my first clown 12 hours after symptoms. After tons of research to try and save my other clown, I dropped a quite a few bucks on setting up a 10 gallon hospital tank and equipment. With some good advice from forum members and website research, so far I have been able to keep my fish alive with some FW dips and Quick Cure (formalin/malachite green). Its been 4 days since I saw the original symptoms, and he's been looking great. My fingers are crossed, but I will take this lesson and feel good about being able to save a fish from this killer on the first go around.

So now I have an infected 26 gallon tank sitting empty with LR and 2 crabs. I can not keep my clown in the hospital tank for an extended period of time for obvious reasons. I could use some advice if everyone would agree this approach would be best at this point. My thought process is, others have stated it could take 6-8 weeks minimum for the parasite to die off in the tank. At that point, I should just start over since I have a smaller tank. Not to mention I can cycle a new tank in that time (and not risk this thing still living after that 6-8 week period). Heres my approach, all feedback is welcome. I do have a couple of open questions as well.


1) Tear down tank. Replace sand and filter media.
2) Use a light mixture of bleach and water to clean out the tank and equipment.
3) Setup tank and cycle with instant ocean bio-spira cycling product (this worked great first time around). I know alot of people hate bacteria in a bottle, but it worked great first time.
4) LR - How do I remove parasites? I think I will lose the beneficial bacteria no matter what right? Should I dip soak in FW?
5) Crabs - No clue where I am going to put them, maybe a simple container with some sand from the tank?

Appreciate all your feedback, I am really at a loss here. No clue how to take the proper preventative measures in getting set back up.

Thanks!
Jason

 

[HumbleFish]

I don't think Brook has been studied as extensively as, say, Ich... so suggestions for a fallow period will vary. I've seen 6-8 weeks recommended... but some say wait 12 weeks to be (almost) absolutely sure. Of course, nothing is 100% in this hobby.

I agree with you about just breaking down the tank & starting over. Especially with it being so new and only a 26 gal. But I would soak the tank/equipment in a f/w:vinegar (10:1) solution for a few days. (Getting all the bleach out would make me nervous.) The rock can be soaked in f/w RODI for about a week. I don't see anything living thru that.

As for the crabs, just give them away to a LFS. Rinse their shells off really good with fresh s/w to minimize the risk of transferring the Brook (which is very unlikely anyway). Just don't take that risk yourself over 2 hermit crabs.

 

[DrPat]

the Brooklyn killer

the Brooklyn killer

I had a brook out break last feb I discarded the sand broke down the tank.
I kept the live rock in brute pails for 3 months @1.010sg in the dark. I reset in May and added fish in july with a few new live rocks. The tank is now growing coraline the rocks are alive again with pods and mysis shrimp. To date there are 2anthias,2 bicinctus,2 ocellaris. w/o disease . Thats what I did and what I suggest. The BROOK entered my tank when I accidently spilled lfs water into the DT.I had all my fish in the tank for 4 years. I saved a regal and a chocholate tang but they enventually died .Take no chances or you may end up getting infected again. :sad2:

 

[jaycapz]

My understanding was that the hermit crabs couldn't transfer the brook anyway, so i was thinking about dipping them in some FW for about a 1minute to be safe. Sadly, the fish shops real close by won't take fish or crabs even as a 'donation'.

I was really more so concerned with trying to avoid major die off on my live rock. I really wish there was more research done on this disease/parasite. I thought since the parasite (although free swimming) normally only settles on a host fish, that it would be easy to kill them off in FW over night. Seeing as they say performing a FW dip of fish with the parasite, will cause the parasites to explode after only a matter of minutes. I know this is more precautionary.

I have one LR I kinda do like. Its a fiji rock about 8-9 lbs, has this fluffy'ish purple type algae on it. Damn shame to lose it.

 

[HumbleFish]

My understanding was that the hermit crabs couldn't transfer the brook anyway, so i was thinking about dipping them in some FW for about a 1minute to be safe.

Although unlikely, sometimes a parasite can temporarily attach to a coral/invert and "hitchhike" on over. Or it's in a drop of water that inadvertently gets transferred. It's a freak occurrence - but not impossible.

I was really more so concerned with trying to avoid major die off on my live rock..... I have one LR I kinda do like. Its a fiji rock about 8-9 lbs, has this fluffy'ish purple type algae on it. Damn shame to lose it.

The only way to preserve the rock is to go fallow. If you soak the rock, that will kill everything. It has to be one or the other.

 

[jaycapz]

I am going to just soak some of the rock. What are the water parameters that the live rock needs? There's only coralline algae on the one piece of live rock, so I'm not concerned about any other hitchhikers. It was about decoration at this point.

 

[triggreef]

Such a small system, I would bleach it and start over. Why take chances to save what? A little piece of coraline? A year from now you will be scraping it off the glass, posting threads asking how to kill off the coraline.

 

[Patrick Cox]

Will the infection die with no fish in the tank or does it stay?