white stringy stuff on clown??

[kevin21]

ok i need some help!

i bought a pair of clowns on monday. one of them looks great, active...nice coloration and eating.

the other was hesitant to eat and has blotches of white stringy stuff hanging off of him from the sides and fins???

what is that??

im not sure what to do...should i bring them both back to LFS?

they are alone in the tank...nothing else is in there. just them, LR and snails.

please any suggestions?

will this contaminate my water??

 

[billsreef]

Hi Kevin,

I answered your post in th LIRA forum, but I'll copy my reply here also

Sounds like Brooklynella, very commons in clowns, especially if they are wild caught.

Treatment is 45 minute to one hour (no more) baths in 1ml formalin per gallon of SW. Temp of bath should not exceed 80F and needs to be well aerated during the treatment. Bath should be administered every other day till cured. I'd suggest treating both fish as it is very contagious and odds are high the other clown has it as well. While treating the fish it is best to keep them in a quarantine tank (QT) with nitrofuran (antibiotic) to ward off secondary bacterial infections.

After you get through this, take up the practice of quarantining all new fish before putting them in your reef. This will prevent infecting your fish with diseases that newcomers might be carrying.

 

[kevin21]

thanks bill, i have no way of getting supplies until 6pm!?!?!

im not sure if the one will make it until then, i cant believe my LFS sells me sick fish and then wont take them back!

 

[billsreef]

Not unusual for most LFS out there. In a pinch a FW dip using aerated, dechlorinated water (warmed to temp of course) might provide them some relief till you can get supplies.

 

[kevin21]

hey bill,

country critters said they will take them and put them in QT.

i think they will have a better chance that way, since i cant get them any help until late tonight.

thanks guys. lets hope there ok

 

[kevin21]

hey,

i returned them to the store...is my water now contaminated that i cant add anything to the tank for a while???

 

[billsreef]

I'd let the tank sit fishless for at least 4 weeks.

 

[kevin21]

WOW! 4 weeks!

what about coral and such?

 

[billsreef]

Inverts are fine