Clown fish sick?

Hagenjames · Jun 20, 2016

I have 2 clowns in a 20 gallon tank, canister filter and reef lighting. I'm only about 4 months into salt water tanks and it seems my clowns have some sort of white "growth" on them. What is it and how do I fix it. They are acting normal as they always have.

reeferfoxx · Jun 20, 2016

Get ready to add your parameters. Definitely check ammonia and nitrates as well as the rest of 'em.

jsker · Jun 20, 2016

Welcome to R2R, you need to do a dip in cupramine and then start treating with metroplex, focus Aminomegs, vitamarin-m in the food. I will also as the help of @Humblefish and @melypr1985

Hagenjames · Jun 20, 2016

Wow fast responses and please remember I am very new to salt water fish and tanks but I'll try to keep up.

Tahoe61 · Jun 20, 2016

Looks like a case of Brooklynella hostilis to me, not good. Please review the link posted below.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/fish-diseases-101.189284/

Hagenjames · Jun 20, 2016

Tahoe61 said:
Looks like a case of Brooklynella hostilis to me, not good. Please review the link posted below.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/fish-diseases-101.189284/

Thank you, what is the cause of this? Did I do some thing to cause it ?

Tahoe61 · Jun 20, 2016

No it's a common aliment of clowns, it's common name is clown fish disease. Quarantine and prophylactic treatment would have helped.

You need to research treatment and act quickly to save the clowns though.

Others will chime in and offer their assistance.

melypr1985 · Jun 20, 2016

That could very well be Brook and seems more likely than the other "bigs". Here is some good info on Brook and how to treat it.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/brooklynella.247938/

Is there any way we could get a better picture?

Humblefish · Jun 20, 2016

+2 to it being brook: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/brooklynella.247938/

You'll need a QT and any one of the following medications to treat this:

Formalin: Formalin-MS (preferred), Quick Cure, Aquarium Solutions Ich-X or Kordon Rid-Ich Plus.

Acriflavine: Acriflavine-MS (preferred) or Ruby Reef Rally.

Metronidazole: Seachem MetroPlex, Metro-MS or Hikari Metro+.

If none of those can be obtained quickly, doing a FW dip becomes your only option:

Freshwater Dip: Provides temporary relief for Brooklynella, Flukes & "Black Ich", Marine Velvet disease (Amyloodinium); possibly even Ich & Uronema marinum (both unproven). Can be used to confirm the presence of Flukes.

How To Treat - Fill a bucket with RODI water, and use a heater to match the temperature to the water the fish is coming from. Aerate the water heavily for at least 30 minutes prior to doing the dip, then discontinue aeration while performing the dip. Fish aren’t overly pH sensitive for short durations like this, but you can squirt a little tank water into the dip just before the fish goes in to help bring it up.

Place the fish in the freshwater (FW) dip and observe closely. It is not unusual for them to freak out a little at first. Also, tangs are notorious for “playing dead” during a FW dip. The important thing is to watch their gills; they should be breathing heavily at all times during the dip. If breathing slows, it’s time to exit the dip. Dip the fish for no longer than 5 minutes. Multiple dips may be done, but it’s important to give your fish a day to recuperate in-between dips.

For flukes, use a dark (preferably black) bucket so you can see if tiny white worms fall out of the fish (especially out of the gills) at around the 3-4 minute mark. The worms will settle to the bottom, so you can use a flashlight to look for them there as well.

Pros - Provides temporary relief for a wide range of diseases in a chemical free environment. Can “buy you more time” until a proper treatment can be done.

Cons/Side Effects - Not a permanent “fix” for any disease, as FW dips are not potent enough to eradicate all of the parasites/worms afflicting the fish. Some fish can have an adverse reaction to a FW dip by appearing unable to maintain their equilibrium once returned to the aquarium. If this happens, hold the fish upright (using latex, nitrile or rubber gloves), and gently glide him through the water (to get saltwater flowing through the gills again). It is also a good idea to place the fish in an acclimation box until he appears “normal”.

Hagenjames · Jun 20, 2016

melypr1985 said:
That could very well be Brook and seems more likely than the other "bigs". Here is some good info on Brook and how to treat it.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/brooklynella.247938/

Is there any way we could get a better picture?

melypr1985 · Jun 20, 2016

Hagenjames said:

Much better. I suggest reading the material we supplied and getting to treatment as quick as you can. Sorry hun, this sucks. :(

Hagenjames · Jun 22, 2016

An update on my clowns, they are doing much better after treatment, thanks much for the help. With out finding you guys I don't think I could have helped them. Member for life !

Fudsey · Jun 22, 2016

Great catch ! ! Keep a close eye on them and good job !

melypr1985 · Jun 22, 2016

Awesome! I agree, keep a close eye on them for the time being. Great job!

Humblefish · Jun 22, 2016

Indeed, do keep a close eye... If they were returned to the same DT they were taken from, reinfection is very possible. You have to go 6 weeks fallow to clear brook out of a tank.

Hagenjames · Jun 23, 2016

Humblefish said:
Indeed, do keep a close eye... If they were returned to the same DT they were taken from, reinfection is very possible. You have to go 6 weeks fallow to clear brook out of a tank.

I emptied the infected tank and am replacing all. I moved them to my other established tank.

Hagenjames · Jun 25, 2016

Update, my larger clown has died. The smaller clown has fully recovered. I bought these as a pair. Can I introduce a clown around the same size into the tank and then get along ?