Clownfish help

[zreuther]

Hey all. Im new to the saltwater hobbie but have been keeping freshwater tanks for a while now. I have a 55g that has been up and running a little over a month now. I have 2 percula clowns that i added about a week ago. They are eatting and acting fine so far that i cam tell, but one has a few white spots that im concerned about. Can anyone help me diagnosis this issue for me?

Parameters as of last night were 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, between 0 and 5 ppm nitrate and 8.2 ph. Salinity with reefractometer at 1.023-1.024. Temp constant at 78F

 

[BossGT911]

i would lower your nitrate just a hair, like down to 3pp, then raise your ph to 8.4.
i would use Seachem's 8.4

 

[zreuther]

Ive been using instant ocean sea buffer at the moment. Ill try getting it up higher though. Easiest way to reduce nitrate whould be a water change right?

 

[Duke4Life]

Ive been using instant ocean sea buffer at the moment. Ill try getting it up higher though. Easiest way to reduce nitrate whould be a water change right?

Yes

 

[Retro Reefer]

Looks like it might be ich by the pictures.. IMO 5. ppm nitrates should have zero effect on your fish, 8.2 PH is perfect and your salinity is fine.. I wouldn't mess with your tank parameters just focus on fish, lots of ways to treat ich if that's what it is, do you have a QT tank?

 

[zreuther]

I was curious about ich but its not on any other fish, yet that is. I have an extra 10g laying around so i could definitely make a qt

 

[Humblefish]

Can we get some closeup pics of the clownfish? Looks like Brooklynella to me.

 

[zreuther]

Yes i will try to get some closer shots of him/her when i get home.

 

[zreuther]

Reading up on the brooklynella, this may be possible unfortunately. I just added my clowns and a lawnmower blennie a week ago. However the one clown is the only fish with the spots. My other clown does not have them nor does the blennie or the 2 cardinal fish i have.

 

[DeniseAndy]

I'm thinking not ich. Looks either bacterial or maybe brook? I would certainly get fish out to a qt if you can to treat. Others will show symptoms shortly if this is contagious.

 

[zreuther]

Ok ill start my 10g as a qt tonight and put the one clown in it to start with. Thank you for all the responses. Hopefully my clown will pull through this and its nothing serious for the tank

 

[zreuther]

What is a good treatment if its bacterial?

 

[Humblefish]

@zreuther Kanaplex and/or Furan-2 are good options if it is a bacterial infection. You also can add metronidazole to the mix just in case this is brook. More info below.

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.

 

[zreuther]

Thank you humble fish. Unfortunately i cam e home two several firetrucks in my yard and driveway. My appartment building caught fire. Fortunately noone was hurt. My apartment was not burned but the two next to it were.
So with this being said, i am trying to keep what i have alive for the moment. My lfs is willing to take my livestock if my power isnt turned back on by this afternoon.

 

[Humblefish]

@zreuther Oh man, that sucks! Sounds like the best thing you can do is move all your livestock to the LFS. Just be upfront with them about the clownfish disease problem, so they can isolate all your livestock to a separate tank. If brook or even a bacterial infection got into their main retail system, it could wipe all their fish out.

 

[zreuther]

Oh i have been coincidentally its the one i bought it from and i bought the furan 2 as you recommended on the way home from work only to come home to no power and water from the fire. They have already quarantined all the fish that were in the same system mine was just to be safe.

 

[zreuther]

So i stopped by my house to pick up a few things last night. The power was back on and my tanks are still doing good. Got the qt set up with both clowns in. Will update more tonight when i get home. Thank you to everyone who has responded with tips and helpful suggestions.

 

[zreuther]

Here are both clowns in the qt i threw together. Theyre in 5g of the main tanks water. Gave a 1/2 dose of furan-2 since directions said one dose per 10g.
Both clowns have been eating and swimming just fine no signs of distress that i can tell so far.
Any pointers on the qt? This is the first time ive used one and had to medicate a fish.

 

[zreuther]

Here also is a closer shot of the white spots in question.

 

[Humblefish]

Furan-2 will help if this is a bacterial infection, but you also need to add metro to address the possibility of brook. Products which contain metronidazole include: Seachem Metroplex, Metro-MS, API General Cure.