Brooklynella

Humblefish

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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 formalin bath (e.g. Quick Cure), followed by transfer into a new/sterile QT.
* The fallow (fishless) period for starving Brook out of a Display Tank is 6 weeks.


Early stages:
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More advanced stages:
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Brooklynella2.jpg
IMG_1481606295.261911.jpg

Additional Information

Brooklynella hostilis is a ciliate parasite with a direct life cycle: It lives, feeds and reproduces directly on the fish (no encysted stage). However, there always exists the possibility that parasites can drop off into the water column and infect other fish. Having no encysted stage makes this pathogen easier to eliminate, but do not underestimate how fast killing Brook can be. Especially with clownfish.

Treatment OptionsFormalin is the most effective treatment for Brook, but using Ruby Reef Rally is another good option. Both are best applied via bath treatment, and more information on this can be found in the links below.

Formalin (45 min bath) https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/formalin.290925/

Rally (90 min bath) https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/acriflavine.282887/

Post bath, transfer the fish into a clean/sterile QT to prevent reinfection. It is a wise course of action to dose Chloroquine Phosphate once (60 mg/gal) or metronidazole every 48 hours for 10-14 days thereafter. This is an “insurance policy” to ensure all of the parasites have been eliminated.

A 5 minute freshwater dip may provide temporary relief if you are unable to locate any of the aforementioned medications right away. Some even claim total eradication of the disease is possible just by performing multiple freshwater dips on the fish. Again, transfer the fish into a new/sterile QT following each freshwater dip to prevent reinfection.
 
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melypr1985

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i need to see about getting acriflavine for the store. We could use it.
 
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i need to see about getting acriflavine for the store. We could use it.

Very useful for temporary relief of velvet; permanent eradication of brook. A LFS I advise has used it repeatedly to clear clownfish of brook. Acriflavine is not a carcinogen and even has some anti-bacterial properties (two advantages over formalin.) However, it's probably not as "strong" as formalin for treating external protozoa, and I've never tested it on worms (formalin will eradicate flukes, black ich, etc.)
 

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How long should fishes with a suspected brook infection remain in QT after symptoms disappear? I have 3 blue damsels who showed signs of brook and have responded to API General Cure, but I worry that such hardy fishes could still be carrying it asymptomatically. How do I know it's safe to move them over to the DT?
 
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How long should fishes with a suspected brook infection remain in QT after symptoms disappear? I have 3 blue damsels who showed signs of brook and have responded to API General Cure, but I worry that such hardy fishes could still be carrying it asymptomatically. How do I know it's safe to move them over to the DT?

This is a problem with brook, as I have seen clownfish treated with formalin (bath) and then put right back into the same DT they came out of. They appear asymptomatic for months/years, but then brook comes back following a "stressor event". :confused: If I were in your shoes, I would give all 3 damsels a formalin or acriflavine bath just prior to placing in a DT. Brook is a surface parasite, and 60 minutes in either one of those chemicals should eradicate all traces of it.
 

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This is a problem with brook, as I have seen clownfish treated with formalin (bath) and then put right back into the same DT they came out of. They appear asymptomatic for months/years, but then brook comes back following a "stressor event". :confused: If I were in your shoes, I would give all 3 damsels a formalin or acriflavine bath just prior to placing in a DT. Brook is a surface parasite, and 60 minutes in either one of those chemicals should eradicate all traces of it.

Thanks. As an afterthought... do you think I am correct in diagnosing brook if I saw very fast respiration, decreased appetite, and sloughing white mucous (all over the fish's body, without noticeable distinct spots)?
 
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Thanks. As an afterthought... do you think I am correct in diagnosing brook if I saw very fast respiration, decreased appetite, and sloughing white mucous (all over the fish's body, without noticeable distinct spots)?

The last thing in particular (sloughing white mucous) sounds exactly like brook. Damsels & clownfish are in the same family, so it's logical to conclude damsels are susceptible to brook as well.
 
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@LetItReef Rid Ich Plus is a formalin based medication, so it will treat brook. However, being it only contains 11.52% formaldehyde more than one bath treatment may be required to completely rid a fish of the parasites. I prefer 37% formaldehyde (as found in this product) for a "one & done" bath treatment.

Formalin-MS is hard to find at most LFS, but it can be purchased online (look here). In a brook emergency, however, I would use the first readily available formalin (or acriflavine) based product.
 

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@LetItReef Rid Ich Plus is a formalin based medication, so it will treat brook. However, being it only contains 11.52% formaldehyde more than one bath treatment may be required to completely rid a fish of the parasites. I prefer 37% formaldehyde (as found in this product) for a "one & done" bath treatment.

Formalin-MS is hard to find at most LFS, but it can be purchased online (look here). In a brook emergency, however, I would use the first readily available formalin (or acriflavine) based product.

The fastest I can get treatment will be this Thursday. My best bet will be FW dip for 5 minutes, correct? Thanks again!
 

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Hello! I wanted to ask you about the procedure of doing a Acriflavine bath, Ruby reef Rally in particular. How much of it should I put vs cups of tank water for their bath and for how long! (I see 60 minutes and probably 2 baths to be sure?)

Thanks!
@Humblefish
 
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Humblefish

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@blank For Ruby Reef Rally, I use roughly 2/3 teaspoon per gallon of bath water to be treated. You can safely overdose acriflavine so exact dosage is not needed.

One 90 minute bath is normally sufficient for temporary relief of velvet or eradication of brook. However, in some cases fish with the latter may require a second bath.
 

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@blank For Ruby Reef Rally, I use roughly 2/3 teaspoon per gallon of bath water to be treated. You can safely overdose acriflavine so exact dosage is not needed.
Sounds good! For 60-70 minutes right?
Let me just say the plans.
1) Take saltwater from tank into bucket, add aerator, add about 2/3 teaspoon per gallon.
2)leave for 60-70 minutes.
3)Put into qt and feed them some vitamin enriched food (selcon in my case)
4) wait a week or so and do a bath again.
5) put into dt?

This sound good or should I leave my tank fallow a bit longer?
 
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Humblefish

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@blank Your plan sounds fine except for the fallow period. Which disease are you trying to treat? I WOULD NOT use Rally/acriflavine in a reef. Even a FOWLR would be dicey IMHO.
 
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Alright, it seems to be like early signs of brook, I won't dose into the tank .
D'oh! I forgot you were asking in the Brooklynella thread. :oops:

Unfortunately, you will need to go fallow for 6 weeks in the DT to starve brook out of there.
 

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