Pbt Disease Progression

[salt-rookie]

I posted yesterday...here is what the pictures look like for 48 hours.


48 hours ago....


24 hours ago...


Now.....WHAT IS THIS?

Any help is GREATLY appreciated! He eats, he's swimming fine, but hovers in one area under a table coral. Fins are erect, eyes are clear. I'm just stumped! Please add any thoughts.

Thanks,
Phil

 

[billsreef]

Looks to be some kind of protozoan infection, such as brooklynella. I would remove the fish to a QT and treat with formalin dips every other day. In the QT, use a good antibiotic such as Nitrofuran to ward off secondary bacterial infections.

 

[salt-rookie]

TODAY'S SHOT OF THE PBT

TODAY'S SHOT OF THE PBT

He's still swimming and eating. Flesh appears to be shedding.

 

[billsreef]

That's only going to get worse if you don't pull him out and treat. Essentially the outer skin is shedding from the damage being down by the protozoans. Very typical for brooklynella. It gets just under the skin and eats the flesh, which loosens the skin and causes the peeling you are seeing.

 

[salt-rookie]

so...treat with what???

 

[paulamrein]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11396760#post11396760 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by billsreef
Looks to be some kind of protozoan infection, such as brooklynella. I would remove the fish to a QT and treat with formalin dips every other day. In the QT, use a good antibiotic such as Nitrofuran to ward off secondary bacterial infections.

 

[reefCrawler]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11402619#post11402619 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by salt-rookie
so...treat with what???

poor tang, read bill's answer under your first post.

 

[oct2274]

only thing that has really ever shown to work on brook is formalin

http://www.novalek.com/kordon/formalin/index.htm

you better act fast though. formalin typically kills in days.

try calling petco, petsmart, every local fish store around for this stuff

start with a dip as specified in the instructions then you can treat in a hospital tank. you can not dose this stuff in the display tank = it will kill every invert and the biological filtration.

 

[Spracklcat]

I'm going to bet against you, Bill . I think this is bacterial, and here's why: first, Brooklynella also hits the gills heavily, and this guy isn't having respiratory distress. Second, parasitic diseases tend to be more patchy, and this is one contiguous strip. Third, Brooklynella doesn't raise the skin the way this does. Per Untergasser's book:

(with Brooklynella) " the fish swims slowly, secretes mucus, and breathes heavily. Death occurs in several days if large skin areas are destroyed."

So--salt rookie. Perhaps you want to cover your bases and use a good broad spectrum antibiotic and formalin dips too?

(PS Bill I'll bet you some home brew against some homemade jam )

 

[billsreef]

Christine,

While it might not be brook, I'll still bet protozoan BTW with tangs lack of mucous coating, they tend not to present the same symptoms as a fish with a normally heavy mucous covering. In any event, a scraping examined under a scope would be needed to confirm. Lacking this, the shotgun approach is always good, especially since such advanced infections usually end up involving multiple pathogens.

(Homemade jam is always good, could always do a trade )