Help what does my clarkii have?

[jonathansruelas]

Ok so I noticed my clarkii clown scratching himself with my pvc piping, he is also getting some missing color like dots on his head by the first body ring of white. It doesn't look like ich becauce the dots seem like red .. He's going crazy swimming wise.. He's eating but just started some rapid breathing and is swimming non stop..
anyone know what he has?
Other fish in qt look good , have none of the symptoms the clown is showing

 

[MrTuskfish]

Very possible Clownfish disease (Brooklynella) Google brooklynella, including images and see if this makes sense. This stuff is a very fast killer and treatment can't wait; if that's what he has. Do you know if this fish was wild-caught or tank-bred? Formalin is the only cure i know of.

 

[jonathansruelas]

That's what I was thinking.. I tried to get formulin on marine depot but I couldn't find it. He was wild caught.. How long do I have before it's too late? Does the freshwater dip help ?

 

[jonathansruelas]

I just googles images, my clown doesn't have the white slimy coat..? :/

 

[b0bab0ey]

Can you post a pic?

 

[jonathansruelas]

Ok I realized its not brook And maybe not ich bc there's no white dots but yet he's still scratching on surfaces, the dots I was seeing were more like scars they were lines not dots it looked like red inside like scars .. Idk what this is ???
Nko
I tried posting a pic but he won't stay still and at night the flash didn't show the scars.

 

[b0bab0ey]

Ok I realized its not brook And maybe not ich bc there's no white dots but yet he's still scratching on surfaces, the dots I was seeing were more like scars they were lines not dots it looked like red inside like scars .. Idk what this is ???
Nko
I tried posting a pic but he won't stay still and at night the flash didn't show the scars.

OK, going solely on your first post which said he had dots and was scratching, it's probably one of three things: Brook, Ich or Velvet. Brook is treated almost exclusively w/Formalin but you say now that's def not it. So, the good news is that Ich and Velvet can be treated with the same med: Cupramine. So, QT the clown and treat w/Cupramine. If you can't find Cupramine, you can treat with another copper based med like Coppersafe.

 

[jonathansruelas]

Ok thanks, I still don't see any white film on him or any clear white dots.. In going to wait another week to see if any other symptoms come up. Itmay be ich just going on the fact that he's been scratching himself . :/

 

[MrTuskfish]

If his skin is starting to slough off, its brook. Velvet has a filmy, velvety appearance (often with a coppery sheen) , best seen head-on. Ich looks like the fish has been sprinkled with salt. If you can't find formalin (formaldehyde), F&S has it---but you would have to Fed-ex overnight it. There are a couple of products that contain formalin, Rid-Ich which doesn't work on ich, is one of them. With the info we have, all we can do is guess. Brooks is probably the fastest acting, velvet a close second, and ich 3rd. Brook appearances really vary; if the skin is really getting worse around the affected area, that would indicate brook also. My gut feeling is that's what it is, wild clowns are, by far, the most likely fish to carry it. b0bab0ey could be right on it too; tough call. I'll add, 'possibly none of the above"; just because there isn't much info.

 

[snorvich]

While it is difficult to diagnose with just a verbal description, given it is a wild caught clown, I would guess Brook. If so, time is of the essence.

 

[jonathansruelas]

I will take a pic tonight so you guys can better help me. My formulin just arrived today so I can treat right away if brook .. I also got some coppertoday cupermine.. Thanks everyone. His scratching wasn't noticeable today he looked better but that was just me observing

 

[jonathansruelas]

Once the copper treatment is done, should I remove the carbon as fast as possible?or take out slowly? I bought cuprisorrb

 

[jonathansruelas]

Ok I realized it os ich bc my flame just exploded with little white salt looking things on his body, he had like glitter real hard to see, only when light reflected right on him was it visible also on his fins . So I'm going to reat as ich? It weird cus he is showing no signs of rapid breathing nor scratching. The clown is now way better, not scratching and both are still eating and swimming.. Should I treat or wait for more visible symptoms to show to make sure it is ich and not just sand ?

 

[b0bab0ey]

Once you're sure it's not just sand, I would QT all the fish and treat with Cupramine. You can always do Formalin dips later on if you discover it's actually Brook. Ich is sometimes described as looking like "salt/sugar sprinkled all over the fish's body" which is similar to your description: "little white salt looking things".

 

[MrTuskfish]

If its ich, all of your fish need to be treated. This is a problem because Flame Angels are extremely sensitive to copper. They are one of the very few fish that i wouldn't treat with copper. I think a Flame has less than a 50/50 chance of surviving even the minimal effective dose of Cupramine. You can take your chances with the Flame and treat with Cupramine at 30-35 ppm (added slowly); or use hypo or tank-transfer. If you don't want to risk losing the flame, tank transfer would be my choice, if you have the stuff to do it. BTW, if this is brook, you won't have time to try copper first, then something else; so be sure of your diagnosis---it sounds like you are. Whatever the treatment, it has to be done in a QT and the DT must stay fishless for 8+ weeks. when done; use a good QT routine on everything wet and never go through this again.

 

[jonathansruelas]

Ok so it is ich. My flame just got worse over night. Salt looks sprinkled all over his body and fins.. I'm going to take out all the dt residents and treat them with cupermine. One spot fox, pinstripped wrasse, and flame.. Sucks 50 50 chance for the flame doesn't sound good :'(
Man I hope he can make it. Its going to be hard to catch him

 

[jonathansruelas]

Ok I got my plan. The clown, foxface, and wrasse are going in my 50 gallon qt where I am going to use copper.. And my flame is going in my 10 gallon qt that I just set up today, where I am going to apply hypo.. Anyone have any suggestions on what I can do for the flame since I know he likes to pick at rocks.. Should I replace rocks every other day from my dt so he can pick at it

 

[b0bab0ey]

If its ich, all of your fish need to be treated. This is a problem because Flame Angels are extremely sensitive to copper. They are one of the very few fish that i wouldn't treat with copper. I think a Flame has less than a 50/50 chance of surviving even the minimal effective dose of Cupramine. You can take your chances with the Flame and treat with Cupramine at 30-35 ppm (added slowly); or use hypo or tank-transfer. If you don't want to risk losing the flame, tank transfer would be my choice, if you have the stuff to do it. BTW, if this is brook, you won't have time to try copper first, then something else; so be sure of your diagnosis---it sounds like you are. Whatever the treatment, it has to be done in a QT and the DT must stay fishless for 8+ weeks. when done; use a good QT routine on everything wet and never go through this again.

Good catch on the Flame... I had forgotten about Flames and copper.

To the OP: Sounds like you've got a plan, although I would be a little nervous putting a Flame in a 10 gal. Hopefully you've got a HOB power filter you can put on it. If you do decide to stick with the 10 gal, be prepared to do frequent WCs to keep the ammonia in check and buy one of those Seachem ammonia badges. The Flame will be fine feeding flake, formula, mysis, etc.