Is this brooklynella? / Is this treatment plan a good idea?

[bradv123]

Hi everyone, I got two clownfish 2 weeks, and about a week ago I noticed that only one of them had a white line (attached image). After some research, I think it might be brook but I'm not 100% sure. She has had this line of her side for about a week now and it hasn't changed much if at all, the other clownfish is showing zero signs of anything similar. She's been eating well and acting normal. I was going to do a fw dip but when I tried to catch her she bolted and was impossible to catch, I didn't want to stress her out more and possibly make things worse so I stopped trying (I have larger nets on order that should make it easier, but if anyone has tips for catching fish it would be much appreciated). I also have Ruby Reef Rally Pro on the way and was planning on setting up a qt/hospital tank. I was planning on doing a freshwater dip, and then putting them (both clownfish (only fish I have currently because it just recently finished cycling)) in the hospital tank and treating them with rally.
Is this the right course of action?
Since those are my only two fish and rally claims to be reef safe should I leave them in the main tank and treat that tank? (I couldn't find much on reef2reef about people adding rally directly to their tank)
How long should I keep them in the hospital tank before re-adding them to my main system? (I've seen that brook will live in water from 3-6 weeks)
While I have them out of the tank I was also thinking about treating them with prazipro just as a precaution. That says not to use with any other other treatments so where in this treatment timeline should I do that (if its even necessary)?

Thank you

 

[762pmcs]

Here's a good source for diagnosis and treatment.

Brooklynella

Brooklynella hostilis What You Need To Know: * 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 of choice is a 45 minute...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Hi everyone, I got two clownfish 2 weeks, and about a week ago I noticed that only one of them had a white line (attached image). After some research, I think it might be brook but I'm not 100% sure. She has had this line of her side for about a week now and it hasn't changed much if at all, the other clownfish is showing zero signs of anything similar. She's been eating well and acting normal. I was going to do a fw dip but when I tried to catch her she bolted and was impossible to catch, I didn't want to stress her out more and possibly make things worse so I stopped trying (I have larger nets on order that should make it easier, but if anyone has tips for catching fish it would be much appreciated). I also have Ruby Reef Rally Pro on the way and was planning on setting up a qt/hospital tank. I was planning on doing a freshwater dip, and then putting them (both clownfish (only fish I have currently because it just recently finished cycling)) in the hospital tank and treating them with rally.
Is this the right course of action?
Since those are my only two fish and rally claims to be reef safe should I leave them in the main tank and treat that tank? (I couldn't find much on reef2reef about people adding rally directly to their tank)
How long should I keep them in the hospital tank before re-adding them to my main system? (I've seen that brook will live in water from 3-6 weeks)
While I have them out of the tank I was also thinking about treating them with prazipro just as a precaution. That says not to use with any other other treatments so where in this treatment timeline should I do that (if its even necessary)?

Thank you

While that sure does look like Brooklynella, the long timeline and the fact that the fish is still feeding leads me away from that diagnosis. Ruby Reef does have components that are documented to help with issues like this (acriflavine, aminoacridine and formalin), but my concern is that they reduce the concentration in order to ensure it is then "reef safe", but it also helps make it "parasite safe" as well.

I don't see any indication that a FW dip would be useful in this case. Prazipro won't hurt, but I don't see any indication that these fish have flukes. It is either a bacterial infection, or a "mild" case of Brooklynella. I wouldn't dose them in your main tank, I would set up a QT and then keep it running in order to quarantine new fish you get. You could use the Ruby Reef, just be aware that it may not work. Be VERY careful to manage the ammonia level in your new QT, you'll need to use bacteria supplements or inoculation from your DT (that that tank isn't very old, right?).

FWIW - if you want a little light reading (grin) here is an excerpt from my upcoming book on Brooklynella:

Brooklynellosis

Cause
Brooklynellosis is caused by a ciliated protozoan, Brooklynella hostilis. It commonly affects wild-caught clownfish, thus its common name “clownfish disease.” Entire shipments of wild-caught clownfish have been lost to this infection. It is also seen commonly in angelfish and anthias and sometimes in butterflyfish and tangs.


Symptoms
Aquarists often miss the early symptoms of this malady in their fish, so by the time it’s identified, it’s often too late to save the specimen. The first signs of this disease may be limited to slightly folded fins combined with lethargy. Soon, skin mucus production increases, as does the fish’s breathing rate. The fish will then lose color, stop feeding, and hang in one location, with death following in a matter of hours.

Uronema often has similar symptoms, but a reddish underlying lesion is usually associated with that disease. Bacterial infections can produce similarly cloudy skin, but they typically do not result in rapid breathing. End-stage Cryptocaryon can sometimes be mistaken for Brooklynellosis, as well. Positive identification requires microscopic examination of a skin scraping. Look for medium-sized, barely motile protozoans that are ventrally flattened with a slightly domed dorsal side and have cilia mostly at one end.

Treatment

Few treatments are effective against Brooklynellosis, although two options include a 14-day chloroquine treatment at 15 mg/l or daily formalin dips at 150-167 ppm for 45 minutes with good aeration. Reducing the specific gravity of the treatment tank may assist the fish in balancing the electrolytes lost due to skin and gill damage. A target specific gravity of 1.018 should be maintained during treatment.

Prevention
Acquiring captive-raised clownfish as opposed to wild-caught ones is a good way to help prevent outbreaks of this disease. Also, Brooklynellosis is much easier to manage in a quarantine aquarium than in your main display tank.


Jay

 

[4FordFamily]

In addition, metroplex can treat it as well in a 14 day period following the instructions on the package.

 

[vetteguy53081]

It us brook and rally works well especially with the scarcity of formalin. Start with a freshwater dip before treatment which you can even do now while you await delivery if your rally

 

[ssunthar]

While that sure does look like Brooklynella, the long timeline and the fact that the fish is still feeding leads me away from that diagnosis. Ruby Reef does have components that are documented to help with issues like this (acriflavine, aminoacridine and formalin), but my concern is that they reduce the concentration in order to ensure it is then "reef safe", but it also helps make it "parasite safe" as well.

I don't see any indication that a FW dip would be useful in this case. Prazipro won't hurt, but I don't see any indication that these fish have flukes. It is either a bacterial infection, or a "mild" case of Brooklynella. I wouldn't dose them in your main tank, I would set up a QT and then keep it running in order to quarantine new fish you get. You could use the Ruby Reef, just be aware that it may not work. Be VERY careful to manage the ammonia level in your new QT, you'll need to use bacteria supplements or inoculation from your DT (that that tank isn't very old, right?).

FWIW - if you want a little light reading (grin) here is an excerpt from my upcoming book on Brooklynella:

Brooklynellosis

Cause
Brooklynellosis is caused by a ciliated protozoan, Brooklynella hostilis. It commonly affects wild-caught clownfish, thus its common name “clownfish disease.” Entire shipments of wild-caught clownfish have been lost to this infection. It is also seen commonly in angelfish and anthias and sometimes in butterflyfish and tangs.


Symptoms
Aquarists often miss the early symptoms of this malady in their fish, so by the time it’s identified, it’s often too late to save the specimen. The first signs of this disease may be limited to slightly folded fins combined with lethargy. Soon, skin mucus production increases, as does the fish’s breathing rate. The fish will then lose color, stop feeding, and hang in one location, with death following in a matter of hours.

Uronema often has similar symptoms, but a reddish underlying lesion is usually associated with that disease. Bacterial infections can produce similarly cloudy skin, but they typically do not result in rapid breathing. End-stage Cryptocaryon can sometimes be mistaken for Brooklynellosis, as well. Positive identification requires microscopic examination of a skin scraping. Look for medium-sized, barely motile protozoans that are ventrally flattened with a slightly domed dorsal side and have cilia mostly at one end.

Treatment

Few treatments are effective against Brooklynellosis, although two options include a 14-day chloroquine treatment at 15 mg/l or daily formalin dips at 150-167 ppm for 45 minutes with good aeration. Reducing the specific gravity of the treatment tank may assist the fish in balancing the electrolytes lost due to skin and gill damage. A target specific gravity of 1.018 should be maintained during treatment.

Prevention
Acquiring captive-raised clownfish as opposed to wild-caught ones is a good way to help prevent outbreaks of this disease. Also, Brooklynellosis is much easier to manage in a quarantine aquarium than in your main display tank.


Jay

Thanks Jay