QT infection. Please help with positive identification

[super stooge]

Hello.

I have two ocellaris clowns and a blue tang that have entered quarantine and are exhibiting signs of disease as of last night. The clowns have been in quarantine for a week while the blue tang was added two days ago. The clowns exhibited no symptoms until the tang was added leading me to believe that the tang (unsurprisingly) has introduced the pathogen.

Adding a blue tang to the quarantine tank, I had been anticipating an outbreak of ich and am prepared to begin hyposalinity treatment. I want to get a positive identification on what I am dealing with before I begin treatment however.

The tang is quite shy and hides behind the powerhead whenever I approach the tank making it difficult to get pictures, but its superficial symptopms are similar to those of the clowns. All of the fish display distinct patches of faded colour and I have found several small white spots. The knee jerk reaction is to assume that I am dealing with cryptocaryon, but I would appreciate a diagnosis from those more experienced than I to ensure that I choose and implement an effective treatment regime.

If these photos are insufficient, then let me know and I will get whatever you need.

Thank you

 

[Newsmyrna80]

Does it look like the skin is peeling off? How is their breathing? Eating?

 

[Sk8r]

Your alkalinity should be 8.3. If it has been off, that can affect the skin. It may be brooklynella, for which the treatment is a formalin dip, as in Kordon Formalin 3. If you can't get that you might try the oddly named Ich-X, which is a 3% formalin solution.

Mind, follow instructions, do not use this except in a bare glass box, ie, no rock, no sand, no copper, and FOLLOW BOX INSTRUCTIONS. [Triple underlined.] It's a pretty tough med, but I'd say these fish are in a bad state and it's a case of something needs to be done, win or lose.

 

[super stooge]

there is no visible sign of skin or scales peeling.

Breathing appears to be more rapid than normal.

The fish are eating but perhaps with suppressed vigour on the clowns. (The tang was actually surprisingly enthusiastic)

 

[super stooge]

I see. So it is not possible that the colour fading could be a symptom of ich? I am suspicious due to the rapid appearance of symptoms only after the tang was added, coupled with the visible white spots.

What is the likelihood of brooklynella affecting the tang as well and within two days of being placed with the clowns? The additional stress of a new fish could have been enough to cause the outward expression of symptoms of a pre-existing condition in the clowns. It just seems to have developed too quickly on all three fish at the same time to have been something the clowns were already harbouring in the tank.

 

[Sk8r]

Tangs can get brook.

 

[super stooge]

I defer to your experience sk8r. I will go out and find a formalin treatment product today and begin treatment of all three fish. Would it be helpful to lower the salinity in my QT slightly to reduce the energy needed to maintain osmotic balance? or should I begin to lower my salinity to hypo levels in order to treat the possible ich infection?

 

[super stooge]

also, would I be better of using a marine fish treatment containing formalin, or will a formalin solution from the chemist added to RO/DI water suffice?

 

[super stooge]

Should anyone else with similar issues come across this thread in future, I have come across a helpful article in outlining the treatment of brook.

http://www.chucksaddiction.com/brookynella.html

I'll post how things turn out with my fish.