Clownfish experts: Brook or bites?

[karid]

I got a new pair of true perc clownfish last Thursday (5/4/07).

On Tuesday (5/8/07), I noticed the male has this strange lesion on the upper half of his body. He was swimming, eating, and breathing fine though. I wasn't sure what it was (could be a sting from the frogspawn they hosted to? Could the female be nipping him? Could be a disease?). I thought I'd wait to see if conditions worsened.

Today, Friday (5/11/07), I noticed the female had 3 spots on her as well.

However, they are both still swimming, acting, breathing, and eating normally. I'm concerned it is Brooklynellosis, but from what I read, it sounds like if it was, the fish would be breathing hard, lethargic, and the male would be dead (or close to it) since its been 3 days. The areas in question are white, swollen (or bumpy), and sometimes have a stringer coming out of it (looks like flesh).

I had a hard time finding photos online of various marine diseases. Does this look like anything familiar to any of you? Any guesses as to what it could be?

Other fish in the tank are fine (1 blenny, 1 fairy wrasse, 1 rabbitfish).

 

[Bones18]

To me it does look like brook.

I would start off with a fresh water bath...I can send you a good link which tells the best method that I've used with zero loss of fish.

After a day or two after that if still present I would then do a formalin 3 bath..and if it comes to that I can provide you with my method as well.


Let me know updates.

Bones

 

[karid]

Hey Bones,

Yes - please send me the link for the fresh water bath and formalin 3 baths.

For the freshwater bath, can I just catch the fish, do the bath, and then put them back in the main tank? Or should I quarantine them after the bath?

THANKS!

 

[Bones18]

For the fresh water bath I put him right back into the main tank.

 

[Bones18]

one second...let me send you the link to the fresh water bath

 

[Bones18]

Step one: Put TAP WATER in a bucket and only tap water because its whats best for it.

Step two: Match the temp of the water to the temp of the main tank.

Step three: Use seachem prime 1/4 capful and stir into water.

Step four: Place fish in container without airstone..water needs to be stird by hand and very gently not to spook the clown.

Step five: Watch the clown the entire time.. I would go around 4 minutes. The clown will freak out at first and then calm down...around the 4minute mark he will begin to get more active and that is the time that you put him back in the main dispaly tank.

Try to do this fresh water bath in a room with not that much light...also I would turn the lights off on the main tank to reduce stress an hour before you take him out of the tank. And leave them off untill the next moring.

If you have any other questions let me know.

Bones

 

[traveller7]

http://www.petsforum.com/personal/trevor-jones/fishdiseases.html

 

[karid]

Awesome, thanks.

I just did the freshwater dip. I female went in and immediately went on her side - looking like belly up. But after 3:45 min or so she righted herself and started behaving normally again.

We'll see tomorrow how it turns out!

 

[Bones18]

did you use prime to help build up a slime coat?

 

[karid]

Honestly, I did not. I did go to a LFS today, but they did not have it.

I did everything else though (matched pH and temp, turned lights off, etc).

They look to be doing well so far - acting like normal.

 

[Slakker]

The link posted above has some great info...helped me get my clowns through something pretty nasty.

Good luck with yours...I hope they come out of it okay!

 

[Bones18]

KARID,
If you have a petsmart nearby...I know that they sell prime. The reason why its such a good product is that it helps build up your clowns slimecoat, in turn making them less likly to encounter any skin issues such as brook.

Let me know when your ready and if needed to do the Formalin 3 bath.

 

[Bones18]

Any updates?

 

[karid]

Well, the male seems to be doing OK, but the female is much worse.

The "lesions" are gone, but her fins are falling off! On one side, it is half ripped off, and her tail fin seems to be disintegrating! Not good...

Sounds like a bacterial infection to me. I think I will set up a hospital tank and investigate some medication.

 

[Bones18]

FINS falling off????

IS she being attacked by anything you have noticed?

 

[Bones18]

take a new picture today

 

[karid]

yea, doesn't sound good. Here are some picts.

I don't think anything could be attacking her/them. I had a fairy wrasse and a bicolor blenny (+/- some other fish) peacefully in the tank with no problems for over 2 years.

I got the clowns last friday. There seemed to be no problems. I got a scribbled rabbitfish on Sunday. The problems arose on Tuesday. I've never heard of a rabbitfish being mean before. I've always heard they are quite peaceful.

As for inverts, I only have one blue legged hermit, 2 red legged hermit, and 2 cleaner shrimp. They've been in there with my other fish for a long time also. So the addition of the clowns and the rabbitfish are the only things that have changed.

As you can see in the photos below, her right pectoral fin is half torn off (or maybe it isn't so obvious in the photos). The back half of her caudal (tail) fin is really really thin with a hole in it.

 

[karid]

Could they just be getting stung by the frogspawn? Would it be better to get them a rbta?

Or maybe the fins are just frayed from the freshwater dip. Too many variables!

 

[traveller7]

I have yet to see a freshwater dip/bath do anything for brook; needless stress and a waste of valuable time. The link posted above has the proper treatment regimen for brook, any thing outside that is speculative at best, detrimental at worst.

I don't suspect the fish are getting bit, or stung, by any of the tank inhabitants.

The fish need to be put into a hospital tank, likely treated for brook, and treated for secondary bacterial infections. In my experience, you have less then 3 more days before lights out, possibly much less.

 

[karid]

I'm going in a few minutes to get some formalin and will follow the instructions on that site. We're setting up a hospital tank now.

thanks!