Clown Fishes keep dying

[bellorusha]

Today died my 3-rd Clown fish.

Here is what I have

x2 Clown Fish
x1 Foxface
x1 Blue Hipo Tang
x1 Yellow Tang
x1 Powder Brown Tang
x2 Gubbie
x2 Shripms
x1 Anemone

6 days ago both clown fishes stopped eating. Now one dead and second (larger) still do not eat. I feed them with frozen shrimps, blood worms.

I bought it like 2 weeks ago. Fisrt week they were eating like crazy and then stopped.

Yesterday I bought flakes because I read that they need vegetarian food. I dropped some and still no action.

Any idea what is going on? This is my third dead clown fish for the past 2 month.

 

[kellyandcarrie]

Everyone's going to ask you how big your tank is and the Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate ex. levels are so you mine as well just post them next time you ask a question like that, otherwise we would have no idea

 

[bellorusha]

Tank is 90 gal.
Nitrite - 0.2-0.3
Nitrate - n/a do not have test. is it important?
Ammonia - 0

I have one mashroom coral

 

[kellyandcarrie]

Everything can play a role on the health of your fish, from the information you gave me I would have no idea, but hopefuly some one can help you... whats you water temp? do you have powerheads for water flow?

 

[bellorusha]

Temp. is around 80-82F and yes I have powerheads

 

[dantodd]

Sounds like brooklynella. How long did you quarantine them? The other fish in your tank can host teh brook until another clownfish is introduced, once introduced the clwonfish will become sick. Treating brook is very stressful and it is probably too late for your last clown since the other has already died. The proper treatment is with formalin which you should be able to find at your local fish store. Follow the directions on the bottle. The fish should stay in quarantine for the full course of treatment, usually 5 days.



Blood worms and shrimp are not a well balanced diet but shouldn't show up as a major problem in just a week.

 

[bellorusha]

I did not make myself clear. I'm sorry. I always have 2 clownfish in the tank. when one died i'm buying new one. So this one is my third one. They live week or so good and then die. one of them jump off the tank, found him on the floor and 2 of those died inside the tank.

May be I have to by a pair and not one at the time?

Also I saw white cover on both of them (like white film covering some of the body), so i put them in fresh water for one minute and it fell off. 2 days later nemo died the other still alive but do not eat

 

[OCDP]

Whooops.. after reading your post, it sounds like your not adding 2 clownfish at a time. You need to add a pair , male and female at the SAME time. Maybe yours is dying and your adding another female, and they fight to the death? Either that, or it's a disease of some sort. Good luck, and get rid of your nitrite.. an established system should have absolutely no trace of ammonias or nitrite.

Scott

 

[bellorusha]

I have a coral and that is why I have some nitrate. But i'll do 20% water change and I hope it will go to 0.

They did not fight at all. I think they were good to each other.

 

[kellyandcarrie]

Grey/White Slime could be Ich, or another parsite and needs to be treated

 

[kellyandcarrie]

I'd go with what dantodd said as I dont know as much...

 

[bellorusha]

but is there sicknesses only for clown fish? my tangs are fine

 

[OCDP]

Yes there is sickness just for clownfish.

That would be brooklynella (this has already been suggested to you!). Do a search, look for info and pictures.. then get back to us if you think that's what it is. Brook is also known as clownfish killer. It's hard to treat , at least this is my understanding, or hard to get rid of anyways.

 

[kellyandcarrie]

Brooklynella Signs: A grayish-white film will be noted on the skin of the fish, and is especially apparent on the eyes or darkly pigmented areas of the affected animal. Swollen gills and ulcerated areas may be noted in advanced cases. Such fish will generally tend to hang either at the waters surface or at the bottom of the tank. NOTE: This disease is highly contagious, and care should be taken that cross contamination does not occur.

 

[bellorusha]

I think 99% it is Brooklynella. I saw the pictures and I have the same thing.

I run to the store and they had QUICK CURE. I just read that this is what I need. Based on information here http://www.hisreef.com/brooklynella_experience.html I need to put it in a bath for 45 minutes and I did. The only problem is that everyone saing that after the bath with FORMALIN you have to put in quarantine tank and I do not have one. So after 45 minutes bath I let it go back to the main tank.

What can I do with no QT? And what do I have to do next. Thanks

 

[bellorusha]

anyone please.. i want to save my last clown fish

 

[bellorusha]

looks like i'm talking to myself..lol

but anyhow I think i"m gonna have 10g QT tank,.
Now question is what water do I put in there? From main tank? or fresh mix salt water?

 

[rich_tilbury]

Brook is a parasite. It will be infecting the main tank. So as you assume taking the fish out, treating and putting the fish back in is pointless.

You need to research to see if brook is hosted by other fish. This may be a problem.

Some parasites are treated by removing the fish and treating elsewhere and allowing the main tank to lay fallow for a couple of months or so until the parasite has died off.

Brook I seem to remember may be different.

I'd mix up some fresh salt water.

An ultraviolet filter might help on the main tank? Brook isn't something I've dealt with, but there is plenty out there on it. Know you enemy!

 

[bellorusha]

but fresh water is not cycled. is it ok for fish'? isn't it gonna die because of this?

 

[IslandCrow]

As long as you don't have anything that's going to decay in your QT tank like live rock or sand, you don't have to worry about it cycling. You really don't need these things or probably even want them in your QT/hospital tank (especially if it's being used as a hospital). Put a couple pieces of PVC in there to give the place someplace to hide and that's it. The only thing you may have to "cycle" is if you're using something like a biowheel, since it will need to get a culture of bacteria started before it can do its job. Unfortunately, you're not really going to have time to do this, so I'd suggest just making sure you have good cirulation in the tank and do water changes a couple times a week. For the future, you can throw a biowheel in your sump to start growing bacteria and that way it's ready to use when you need it (I think it takes a couple weeks on average).

I hope that helps. You definitely want to get that sick clown out of the main tank if you can. Although Brook is known as clownfish disease, since they are most susceptible to it, it is not exclusive to clownfish. Your other fish can potentially catch it, though it is much less likely. Anyway, assuming any brook parasites that may now be in your main tank can't find another host, you should be OK if you continue to quarantine your clown for a couple months so the parasites die out. That two months is kind of a WAG, since I don't know much about the lifecycle of that parasite, so if anyone has better info, please speak up.

Best of luck. I really hope the little guy makes it. I lost a juvie GSM to Brook a few weeks ago, and it was heart wrenching to watch him suffer. If he gets to the point where he seriously can't swim anymore, you may want to put him out of his misery.