Ich or brooklynella

[thompson2224]

I have two clown fish that are covered in white salt looking specs. Im pretty sure it isn't ich and that it is brooklynella because I have a super small blue tang in the tank with them and she is spotless. They have been this way for at least a month. They're behavior is random, some days they eat like crazy and others they don't. Some days they have more spots and others they don't. Im adding a cleaner goby tomorrow to try and help and I have been soaking there food in garlic and adding vitamins to the tank. I can't do a QT tank, but I do have a reef safe treatment called chem marin that I haven't started yet. If they have had this for a month do you think they will fight it off naturally? Will the cleaner goby help? I am thinking of doing a freshwater dip at this point with some copper or some sort of medication. I also have 2 cleaner shrimp in the tank but the clowns don't allow them to clean. Whats the best course without a QT and what is the chances of them dying? Also can you tell if it is ich or brooklynella?

 

[snorvich]

I have two clown fish that are covered in white salt looking specs. Im pretty sure it isn't ich and that it is brooklynella because I have a super small blue tang in the tank with them and she is spotless.

salt looking would be ich; it is irrelevant if your other fish exhibit symptoms. If skin is peeling, it would be brook, if it looks like a golden sheen, it would be velvet. It would be best to read the ich stickies for better understanding of the parasite


They have been this way for at least a month.

If it were velvet or brook, all fish would be dead

They're behavior is random, some days they eat like crazy and others they don't. Some days they have more spots and others they don't.


Im adding a cleaner goby tomorrow to try and help and I have been soaking there food in garlic and adding vitamins to the tank.

garlic has no value (on ich, and long term has a negative effect on fish), cleaner goby and cleaner shrimp do not consume ich which is under the skin

I can't do a QT tank, but I do have a reef safe treatment called chem marin that I haven't started yet. If they have had this for a month do you think they will fight it off naturally? Will the cleaner goby help?

No. Even if clownfish would allow cleaning (they don't), they too have no value in treating ich

I am thinking of doing a freshwater dip at this point with some copper or some sort of medication.

fresh water dips have no effect on ich, although they temporarily help with velvet

I also have 2 cleaner shrimp in the tank but the clowns don't allow them to clean. Whats the best course without a QT and what is the chances of them dying? Also can you tell if it is ich or brooklynella?

 

[MrTuskfish]

Sorry,l but there are no reef-safe treatments for ich, velvet, or brook. None that work, anyway.

 

[snorvich]

By the way, since cryptocaryon irritans is a "confinement" parasite, it will like increase more quickly in a 20 gallon tank. Most likely introduced with your P. hepatus (even though it shows asymptomatic)

 

[MrTuskfish]

I re-read the opening post and the obvious sticks out (duh!). You probably have a contagious parasite in the tank and are ready to add a new fish? Why not get a QT/HT set up and never have to worry about parasites in your DT again? On the chance what you're seeing isn't a parasite (doubtful, but I I can't tell for sure) ; a new fish, without being quarantined, could easily give you the real thing.