Ich, Brook, Flukes, or Velvet?

[jadwv2210]

I just got a couple of new clownfish on Saturday. These are my first saltwater fish. They are both currently in a QT tank but one of them has a white streak on his side and two bumps on his head. He is also hiding when the lights are on and has been swimming in my powerheads flow. I also noticed him scratching his head against the pvc pipe and twitching sometimes.

Here is a picture.

I read through the fish disease thread but I can't figure out which one it is. I'm doing a freshwater dip as soon as the water is ready and I have prazipro and cupramine on hand. I can get any other medications as needed.

Thanks for any help hopefully I can save the little guy.

 

[jadwv2210]

The glass is kind of dirty in the picture I just noticed. There is no spot on his left (your right) fin. That's only a spot on the glass .

 

[melypr1985]

When you do the FW dip, make sure to use a dark container so you can see if the flukes fall out. They should turn white and be easier to see in the dark colored container. < If it's flukes of course.

 

[jadwv2210]

I got a dark blue bucket. I think it should be dark enough to see anything falling off. Any ideas what it may be from my description and the picture?

 

[Tahoe61]

If you live next to a Walmart or Petco go get a Formalin product, like Quick Cure. There are other products, but the active ingredient should be Formalin. Remember to aerate the water.

 

[jadwv2210]

I just finished with a 5 minute fresh water dip. No flukes fell off and I'm not sure if it did anything to help his labored breathing yet. I'm thinking it's either ich, brook, or maybe velvet. I don't think he'd still be alive if it were velvet though. I'll see if Walmart has a formalin product of some type but I have my doubts. I live in a rural area. They stopped carrying all aquatic related products a while back.

 

[jadwv2210]

He was darting around the bucket so fast that he kept hitting his head on it during the freshwater dip and he continues to do the same in the QT tank now. The white streak on his side cleared up some after the dip and his eyes are starting to cloud up. I looked pretty hard on the bucket and didn't see any worms or anything else but I'm thinking maybe it was still flukes.

 

[melypr1985]

If it was flukes you should have see some fall off of him. They turn white and fall away after like 3 minutes. I would bet on the others. Cloudy eyes are usually a baterial infection set on as a result of the other parasites. I've used kanaplex with success for baterial infections. Copper treats both ich and velvet so you could hedge your bets by going that direction. I'm sorry but I can't diagnose anything for you. I would rather leave that to @Humblefish who must be busy at the moment. When he's free he will definitely be able to help better than I can. I'm learning as much as i can, but I'm no expert.

At this point, without a diagnosis, my advice is to use the kanaplex first to rid him of the infection, get him eating well, then start the copper slowly. I'm sure humblefish will be along before you are even able to start those, so he can correct me if i'm wrong.

Also, Tahoe is right about the formalin, but my understanding is that is a last ditch effort since it is a carcinogen.

 

[Humblefish]

From the pic, it looks like there is a white spot on his eye and two larger white "things" near the lateral line? Is this correct, or am I just seeing stuff on the glass?

The spots look too big to be ich or velvet. Did all the white spots fall off after the FW dip? That could mean flukes or possibly Brooklynella. Formalin treats both if you can get your hands on that. The cloudy eyes could be a (secondary) bacterial infection setting it.

 

[jadwv2210]

From the pic, it looks like there is a white spot on his eye and two larger white "things" near the lateral line? Is this correct, or am I just seeing stuff on the glass?

The spots look too big to be ich or velvet. Did all the white spots fall off after the FW dip? That could mean flukes or possibly Brooklynella. Formalin treats both if you can get your hands on that. The cloudy eyes could be a (secondary) bacterial infection setting it.

Yes that's correct. There was a white "streak" above the lateral line and a white spot right below and above his eye. The freshwater dip removed these white things. I had some prazipro on hand and dosed that for now since the Walmart did not have a formalin product and I couldn't have gotten to the pet store before they closed. I'm leaning more towards flukes at this point but I couldn't see any in the bucket for some reason. I even used a flashlight and looked for quite some time. He's doing much better after the freshwater dip.

Thanks for the help everyone. I will get my hands on some formalin and treat with that after the prazipro is done. Or is it ok to do a formalin bath and then return the fish to the QT treated with prazipro?

 

[jcdeng]

instead of prazi, try general cure, which contains both prazi and metro in it. I like general cure better when you don't know what exactly is on your fish.

 

[jadwv2210]

instead of prazi, try general cure, which contains both prazi and metro in it. I like general cure better when you don't know what exactly is on your fish.

I will definitely look for it. Since I already dosed the prazipro is it ok to add metro to the QT as well? Then I can be sure it will treat both flukes and brook correct?

 

[Humblefish]

Thanks for the help everyone. I will get my hands on some formalin and treat with that after the prazipro is done. Or is it ok to do a formalin bath and then return the fish to the QT treated with prazipro?

Wait at least 72 hrs before doing the formalin bath (if needed); praziquantel will have dissipated from the water by then. Do look for formalin, as you might need it down the road, but I would be hesitant to use it unless absolutely necessary i.e. you are sure this is brook. See below for more info.

Formalin: Treats Brooklynella and provides temporary relief for Marine Velvet disease (Amyloodinium). Also may be used as temporary relief, or even as an alternative treatment, for worms such as flukes and black ich.

How To Treat - Formalin is very interesting because its potential is not fully known. It is best administered in a bath solution for 30-45 minutes, following the dosage instructions on whatever bottle you use; or at 150 ppm if using "100% formalin" (ex. Formalin-MS). The bath should be done in a large glass bowl or container, and temperature should match the tank the fish is coming from. A bucket is not advised as plastic may absorb some of the medication and then leach it back out during future use. It is imperative that you heavily aerate the bath solution for at least 30 minutes before and also during treatment to compensate for oxygen depletion. The fish should be placed in a premixed bath solution. DO NOT add more formalin after the fish is already in the bath.

For Brooklynella, multiple baths may be required (so long as symptoms persist), but it’s important to give the fish a day to recuperate in-between baths. Formalin has also been used as alternative treatment for external worms such as flukes and black ich. However, at least 2 baths are required (7 days apart) for the same reason described when using Prazipro. For all of the above, post treatment, the fish should not be returned to the same tank/water he came from to prevent reinfection.

You can dose formalin directly in a quarantine tank, but this can be risky due to the harshness of formalin and how quickly it can deplete the water of oxygen. Providing additional gas exchange to the QT is a must! A fish being treated must be monitored closely and should be removed if showing signs of distress - this applies when treating in QT or in the bath solution.

Pros - Treats or provides temporary relief for a wide range of diseases. In some cases, formalin can “buy you more time” until a proper treatment can be done.

Cons/Side Effects - Formalin contains formaldehyde, a known carcinogen. Therefore, precautions must be taken when using it. Preventing your skin from coming in contact with it by wearing water proof gloves and not breathing in any fumes by wearing a face mask is highly recommended. Formalin also can be harsh on the fish and will quickly deplete oxygen from the water. In some areas, the purchase of formalin is prohibited.

 

[jadwv2210]

Unfortunately he didn't make it. He died some time last night and I found him this morning. I'm going to continue to monitor and treat the clownfish still in QT and try and get a credit from Live Aquaria for the smaller one who perished. Hopefully I can get another fish after the larger one completes QT and they will still get along.

 

[Humblefish]

Unfortunately he didn't make it. He died some time last night and I found him this morning. I'm going to continue to monitor and treat the clownfish still in QT and try and get a credit from Live Aquaria for the smaller one who perished. Hopefully I can get another fish after the larger one completes QT and they will still get along.

 

[jadwv2210]

I know. I was pretty fond of the two. They slept in the same corner together every night. And they never even nipped at each other. Hopefully I'll be as lucky with the next clowns personality.

Do you think this was brooklynella then? The white spots fell off after the freshwater dip. They were almost gone completely last night when I went to bed. This morning when I found him they were gone completely. I assume the fish still in there has the same sickness so he still needs to be treated.

 

[Humblefish]

Do you think this was brooklynella then? The white spots fell off after the freshwater dip. They were almost gone completely last night when I went to bed. This morning when I found him they were gone completely. I assume the fish still in there has the same sickness so he still needs to be treated.

Typically, flukes will not kill quickly but brook will. So there's a good chance he succumbed to the latter. Of course, it's also possible he had both flukes and brook. I would treat the other clownfish for brook just to be on the safe side.

Brooklynella:

Symptoms – This is most often seen in clownfish, but it can afflict any fish. The fish’s skin will appear to be peeling or sloughing off, oftentimes causing excessive white mucous to form around the affected area(s).

Treatment options - Formalin bath, followed by additional formalin baths (as needed - but give the fish a day to recuperate in-between baths). You can use formalin in a QT (at a much lower concentration than the bath), but great care must be taken to provide plenty of gas exchange as formalin will quickly deplete the water of oxygen. For this reason, doing baths is the safer option as the fish can be pulled from the formalin if showing signs of distress. Formalin-MS is preferred, as that contains 37% formaldehyde. However, in a bind, any medication containing formalin (ex. Quick Cure) is better than nothing. Alternative treatments for brook include metronidazole (ex. Seachem MetroPlex) and acriflavine (ex. Acriflavine-MS). A freshwater dip may provide temporary relief if you are unable to locate any of the aforementioned medications right away.

 

[maidia]

Yes that's correct. There was a white "streak" above the lateral line and a white spot right below and above his eye. The freshwater dip removed these white things. I had some prazipro on hand and dosed that for now since the Walmart did not have a formalin product and I couldn't have gotten to the pet store before they closed. I'm leaning more towards flukes at this point but I couldn't see any in the bucket for some reason. I even used a flashlight and looked for quite some time. He's doing much better after the freshwater dip.

Thanks for the help everyone. I will get my hands on some formalin and treat with that after the prazipro is done. Or is it ok to do a formalin bath and then return the fish to the QT treated with prazipro?

You can try soak the food with little Prazipro and feed the fish..will help a litle..my 2 cents.