Brookynella much improved with rid-ich bath

[Outerbank]

This has helped my clownfish tremendously. I think cleaner shrimp also helped. I could not treat the main tank. Here is the story and directions. It is worth a try with brookynella.

My 13 year old female clown came up with a severe brookynella infestation. I tried formalin baths and formalin baths followed by FW baths. This seemed to help but not resolve the problem, even as she was kept in quarentine at 1.009 hyposalinity. I was about to give up, stop baths, and let nature take its toll until I decided to give rid ich a try hoping the addition of malachite green may just be the trick. I decided to do a 35 minute bath using 5mL of Rid Ich per gallon of water. This yields a formalin concentration of 150 mG/L and a malachite green concentration of 0.5mG/L. I mixed up 2 gallons (I used tank water that I siphoned into a 5 gallon bucket) and aerated this solution for 2 hours. Aeration is very important since formalin will drastically decrease O2 concentration when added to salt water. The bath water should also be below 80 degrees. I used 2 gallons to stablize the temp and to help buffer the lower O2 environment. After the bath, I placed the fish in a 1/2 gallon container of tank water for 5 minutes to rinse the medications off her and then added her back to the tank. Add as little of the bath water as possible to the tank. It is now 9 days later and the fish is much better after the treatment.

Hope this helps anyone that is battling brook. It is very hard to eliminate and this bath has really helped. One 35 minute bath of Rid Ich has worked better than a combination of querentine with about eight 45-60 minute formalin alone baths (at 1mL of formalin 37% per gallon of water).

 

[Outerbank]

My clownfish looked just like the first clownfish picture in the collection of 8 pictures within this link http://home2.pacific.net.ph/~sweetyummy42/brookynella.html

 

[gsechen]

right now I'm using Quick Cure that has formalin and malachite green and I put my clown in a 5 gallon tank. the directions said 1 drop per gallon so I did 5 and leave it in for 2 days. Right now it has been in there for almost 24 hours. He looks ok just swimming in place on bottom corner of tank. should I take him out you think? I suspect brook has got him also...

 

[Outerbank]

gsechen, I would definitely consider the bath if the fish isn't doing better. If the fish looks better, then you can wait and follow his progress without doing the bath. If symptoms return, do the bath.

Check the concentration of quick cure and adjust dosing to what I used. It is likely the same. Rid Ich treatment dose is 1 teaspoon per 10 gallons of tank water. I just used 10 times the dose for the bath. Make the bath water with some of the water he is in right now. Aerate welll for at least 90 minutes and try to keep the water temp from dropping to much (you can always add a little boiling water if the temp is dropping before adding the fish. Don't overdilute, otherwise you will need to adjust by adding more quick cure). Leave the fish in there unless he is overly stressed. If stressed, just take him out and return to your treatment tank.

If the water isn't aerated well, or if the fish has a lot of sores, they may swim rapidly and try to jump out. My fish have done this when they had sores or if the formalin wasn't aerated enough. My fish didn't do this with the rid ich treatment, and I really think it was because I aerated very well before treatment.

Good luck! Hope this helps! Let us know.

 

[TerryB]

Using formalin to treat Brook requires a series of three dips, one every third day. With one treatment the problem usually comes back. You shuold not need the Malachite green as it it highly toxic to the fish. Formalin is toxic also but more effective and using both can add to the stress.

TerryB

 

[Outerbank]

TerryB, I have read your articles and it is great to have your input. I value your advice and by following it, I have lost very few fish. Thanks for your help and input.

I initially treated all fish in a seperate tank with hyposalinity and formalin baths exactly as your article states http://www.marineaquariumadvice.com/formaldehyde_friend_or_foe.html (I encourage everyone to read this article) except I actually used the 1.009 hyposalinity water for the bath (I am aware of your formalin concentration and I purposely chose a lower concentration with rid ich since malachite green is dangerous stuff). The fish significantly improved, but the symptoms eventually came back. About a month later, I repeated the treatment but did 5 baths, 3 baths back to back on days 1, 2, and 3 and then a bath on day 5 and 8. I even followed each bath with a 5-8 minute dip in freshwater and upped the formalin dose to 1.2 mL per gallon. (the poor fish. Stressful, yes, but less so than death). Once again, fish was better but symptoms came back, and clinically only on my female clown. I would examine the fish under light and even though the fish was drasticly improved, the parasites embedded under the scales would shrink but could never be fully eradicated. At this time, I was about to give up and was going to let nature take its tool. I knew the fish would only live several more days when I decided to try one more thing--the rid ich bath. I am not one to really promote rid ich because it is so toxic, IMO. So now, 11 days after one bath, the female clown looks very good. She may have a subclinical infestation, but color and scales look very good.

Note, the main tank was fishless for 7 weeks and the fish were initially in hyposalinity 1.009 by refractomer for 42 days. I also performed several very large water changes on the main tank during the 7 weeks siphoning the bottom to rid any parasites.

One thing about hypo, my clowns were fortunately very fat when I put them into the treatment tank. They spent too many days to count flat on their sides like flounder (I suspect due to the brook infection) and did not eat for 3 weeks!! Hypo definitely seemed to lower their metabolic demand, since I could not imagine them surviving otherwise. Now, if only my clown doesn't turn green or develop cancer.

My case is no scientific study and is only my experience. The symptoms may return. I am posting this to help anyone that is desperate, as IMO, baths can quickly improve respiratory distress.

The clowns are a 13-14 year old tank raised pair that I had since they were very small. To say the least, I am a little attached to the little guys.

 

[TerryB]

Hi Outerbank,

Thanks for the compliment. I know some people use a combination treatment, but I have good results without the MG. I wonder if 4 treatments would help? Treating for 45 minutes at 1cc per gallon. One treatment on the first, fourth, seventh and tenth day. Treating three days in a row could be counterproductive or even damaging to the gills. Could there possibly be another fish in the aquarium that habors the infection causing it to come back? Are you using formalin that is 37 to 40% or something less concentrated? Hypo may have helped the fish survive the Brook, but it isn't actually a treatment to cure it.

TerryB

 

[Outerbank]

Terry, I couldn't compliment you enough. Your work is very detailed and fish keepers can really do themselves a favor by listening to it.

I used the 37% formalin from Aquarium Products and it was a new, unopened bottle. I used 1mL per gallon for the first set of baths and 1.2 mL for the second set. I measured with a syringe (I am a doctor, not junkie, LOL) rather than counting drops. I was worried about the back to back to back treatments as you mentioned, but only chose that option because I was growing inpatient and desperate. Skipping days, like you said said, makes more sense to me. The fish were initially treated with 45-55 minute baths.

The gills may be scarred, as they flare a tad, but the fish shows no laboured breathing and darts about as a normal paired female. I had really no choice, and if rid ich ends up working very well, then there may be a treatment option that works with less overall formalin exposure.

My fish had been very healthy for many years, but I had a major move and job change come about suddenly. I had to make drastic, crazy, stressful tank decisions with a prolonged temporary tank arrangement. This is what triggered the outbreak. I suspect the tank had an undetectable well controlled very minor subclinical infestation prior to the move.

 

[Outerbank]

Update!

Still healthy. I am very pleased with the results. Clowns are very healthy and happy.

 

[rgaskins]

Glad it worked out for you!

 

[Squishy123]

Outerbank.. Thank you for this information. I too have battled Brook and Rid Ich Plus and Quick Cure were the ONLY things that saved the fish. Even though it's toxic, I'm happy my fish are alive and doing well!

 

[Outerbank]

Outerbank.. Thank you for this information. I too have battled Brook and Rid Ich Plus and Quick Cure were the ONLY things that saved the fish. Even though it's toxic, I'm happy my fish are alive and doing well!

Glad to help! My clowns are still alive and doing well. They are about 23/24 years old now and are likely a couple of the oldest tanked raised clowns in the world. Back when I bought them, tank raised clownfish were not readily available.

 

[Arrow36]

I have a thread on here dealing with brook and a clown, I'm using 2ml per gallon now because 1ml was doing nothing. I was told that 37% formalin was the only real treatment. should i try rid Ich plus, and quick cure or? I''ve been battling this with formalin for 1 weeka total of 5-6 dips(only 1 was 2ml)

 

[Outerbank]

I have a thread on here dealing with brook and a clown, I'm using 2ml per gallon now because 1ml was doing nothing. I was told that 37% formalin was the only real treatment. should i try rid Ich plus, and quick cure or? I''ve been battling this with formalin for 1 weeka total of 5-6 dips(only 1 was 2ml)

Try Rid-Ich 5mL in 1 gallon aerated SW for 30 minutes as mention in OP. TerryB knows his stuff. I haven't been on the boards in years, so I don't know if any new treatment has come along.

 

[Arrow36]

Thanks man, I really appreciate it, this clown has been through a lot. Ill order some tonight in hopes it gets here soon.

 

[snorvich]

Thanks man, I really appreciate it, this clown has been through a lot. Ill order some tonight in hopes it gets here soon.

The active ingredient is formalin, FYI.

 

[Arrow36]

I performed the bath of Rich Ich Plus like you said, I will keep updating on here in a few days, You mentions after 9 days of treatment your fish showed signs so I'll just give it some time.

 

[Arrow36]

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Heres a pic of the clown today, still pale day and night and rapid breathing, though still eating. Parameters are good and I do a 25-50% WC to keep ammonia down daily. Hoping in time he improves, but any thoughts?

Also can I move my other 2 fish back to the DT they show no signs of illness and look great, and yes I have been putting them through the same treatment as the sick clown.

 

[20 gallon]

Looks like my female clown of eight years has developed Brook.younger male does not have it and have had no new additions to aquarium in past 3 or 4 months. Doing the ridich bath 10 mL / 2 gallons for 30 minutes will update with treatment success later

 

[blackstallion]

Try Rid-Ich 5mL in 1 gallon aerated SW for 30 minutes as mention in OP. TerryB knows his stuff. I haven't been on the boards in years, so I don't know if any new treatment has come along.

With the 5ml/g of Rid Ich Plus, is that a one time treatment? I'm seeing for the 37% Formalin, there were multiple treatments over several days.