Clownfish disease

[Fry1992]

Hi all, new to saltwater (had my tank approx 5 months) generally going OK however 3-4 days ago my clowns started doing downhil. I spoke to my LFS who advised it was Itch and gave me some reef safe medication. I've been dosing it for the last few days and doesn't seem to do much. Unfortunately this morning my small clownfish died. The large clownfish doesn't seem as bad as the small one was but he still looks kinda battered. I am not 100% sure I agree with the Itch diagnosis so was wondering what you guys thought ? I dont want to keep dosing the wrong medication. It also messes with my skimmer the medication and I've had a nitrate spike so I really want the skimmer on all the time.

Tank is a 35L nanotank with
1 clown (was 2)
1 firefish
1 valentini puffer
1 halloween hermit crab (very small)
2 turban snails (very small)
Toadstool coral
Torch coral
Bubble coral
Finger coral
Mushroom coral

Ammonia - 0.25
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 50 (aware this is bad I am trying to reduce it)
Salt - 1.021
PH - 8

Photographs of fish are very difficult

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

What medication did you use?

Tough to see if the fish has ich from the picture, but it does seem to have a lot of fin damage, any idea what happened? I wonder if the puffer has been attacking them?

Jay

 

[Fry1992]

Hi Jay it was a marine parazoryne medication from maidenhead aquatics England. Unfortunately big clown didn't make it. Would you continue dosing the medication or stop ? The puffer and firefish have never showed any signs of itch and still not 100% that was what they had. I don't think it was the puffer as although they looked battered they also had whitish spots/marks on them. Sad to lose my clowns really added a lot to the tank

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I've never used that product, but from what I can tell, it is just one of those plant extract tonics. That class of compounds have a very poor track record for treating moderate to severe infections.

It is VERY common to have multiple issues at the same time - for example, the clowns could have been sick, perhaps with Brooklynella and then because they were vulnerable, the puffer tagged their fins.

I would discontinue the tonic as long as the filefish and firefish do not show any symptoms.

Jay

 

[Fry1992]

Thanks for the help Jay, have stopped using the medicine so hopefully the tank levels can settle and in a few weeks I can get another addition to keep the puffer and firefish company

 

[Uncle99]

Looks like brook to me.

 

[Fry1992]

Thanks Uncle99. Does the disease hang about after the fish have died or does it die with the fish ?

Looks like brook to me.

 

[Uncle99]

Highly contagious if Brook.
It would die with the fish, but, would have infected the tank itself.
Fish can be treated separately in formalin bath 45 minutes.
Review information as this med can easily kill.
Fallow for brook is 6 weeks following HumbleFish approach.

Fallow is easy and if go 10 weeks, you can be virtually certain you rid your DT of Brook, Ick or Velvet.

 

[bherbold8]

Salinity is also low !