Clownfish infection/disease

gbru316

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Clown has an unknown lesion/infection.

It’s been in the tank 3 months now, eating fine, no scratching/flashing. Poop looks normal.

About to set up a qt but not sure what to treat with. At first I thought it was lympho but now I'm not so sure.

#fishmedic


A569796F-8CCB-4E19-A5C3-CE01E45B1B9F.jpeg BC48370B-0932-44B8-BC18-6C563E05905F.jpeg 0DA8D6ED-AAFF-4606-8298-F4BECE821293.jpeg 1204751C-E889-4E1F-BE5F-6D7A9756BFA1.jpeg


Aquarium Parameters:
Aquarium type: Reef
Aquarium water volume: 40 breeder, 20L sump (approx. 40g total volume)
Filtration type: AF-1 filter roller, ozone (20 mg/hr), skimmer, marinepure block, Aquaforest Pro Bio S and -NP Pro, 30-40 lbs liverock (live, not dry)
Lighting: 1x Neptune Sky
How long has the aquarium been established?: 4 months


Water quality (be sure to indicate what measurement units you are using)
Temperature: 77ºF
pH: 7.9-8.1
Salinity / specific gravity: 35 ppt
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 15
Phosphorus: 0.03
Copper: 0


In-depth information:
Have you lost any fish to this problem yet? (see below) - no
Are any invertebrates affected? - no
Respiration rate of affected fish (in gill beats per minutes, count for 15 seconds and multiply by 4)
Are the affected fish still feeding? - yes
What remedies have you tried so far? - none


Food

All fed at some point throughout the week

Aquaforest Tiny Fish Feed
NLS pellets
LRS Reef Frenzy
Aquaforest Liquid Artemia
Aquaforest Liquid Vege
Aquaforest Liquid Mysis
Aquaforest Plankton Elixir
Avast Reef Jerky
Easy Reefs Masstick
Marine Fusion Cube
Aquaforest Fish V vitamins
Kent Garlic Elixir
 
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fishguy242

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Do you see anything other than the injury that is new or unusual?

Does the injury appear to have any bacterial growth or does it appear clean?

Ditto to link provided by @fishguy242 for more info
 
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gbru316

gbru316

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How long has the injury been there? How fast did it appear?

Probably about 2 months, appeared slowly. I initially thought it was lympho because the LFS I purchased it from has fish with lympho and the fish was/is feeding fine so I wasn't too concerned. But it seems to be getting worse and now I'm not so sure.
 

vetteguy53081

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I have a hard time making out what clown truly has due to the heavy blue lighting (best under white lights. Clown appears to have brooklynella with secondarty bacterial issue developing.
The most significant sign is the amount of slime on its body. The thick mucus on its body is a second sign which is noticeable on the fish. This mucus generally starts at the facial area as well as gills and spreads across the body producing lesions as it progresses often confused with ich and can turn into secondary bacteria. Other symptoms will be lethargic behavior, refusing to eat and heavy breathing from the mucus.
Typical treatment is a formalin solution is mixed with in a separate container with either fresh or saltwater. Start with a quick dip in the formalin at a higher concentration then performing treatment in a prolonged bath of formalin base at a lower concentration in a quarantine tank. The longer the fish are exposed to the formalin treatment the more effective it will be at eliminating this issue.
If a formalin solution is not available for immediate use, temporary relief can be achieved by giving the fish a FW bath or dip in water same temperature as display tank. Even though this treatment will not cure the disease, it can help to remove some of the parasites, as well as reduce the amount of mucus in the gills to assist with respiration problems.
Treatment is best done in a QT tank using either quick cure (more effective) or Ruby Rally Pro. Ruby takes a little longer and initial treatment generally takes 2-3 days to really start going to work.
 
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gbru316

gbru316

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I have a hard time making out what clown truly has due to the heavy blue lighting (best under white lights. Clown appears to have brooklynella with secondarty bacterial issue developing.
The most significant sign is the amount of slime on its body. The thick mucus on its body is a second sign which is noticeable on the fish. This mucus generally starts at the facial area as well as gills and spreads across the body producing lesions as it progresses often confused with ich and can turn into secondary bacteria. Other symptoms will be lethargic behavior, refusing to eat and heavy breathing from the mucus.
Typical treatment is a formalin solution is mixed with in a separate container with either fresh or saltwater. Start with a quick dip in the formalin at a higher concentration then performing treatment in a prolonged bath of formalin base at a lower concentration in a quarantine tank. The longer the fish are exposed to the formalin treatment the more effective it will be at eliminating this issue.
If a formalin solution is not available for immediate use, temporary relief can be achieved by giving the fish a FW bath or dip in water same temperature as display tank. Even though this treatment will not cure the disease, it can help to remove some of the parasites, as well as reduce the amount of mucus in the gills to assist with respiration problems.
Treatment is best done in a QT tank using either quick cure (more effective) or Ruby Rally Pro. Ruby takes a little longer and initial treatment generally takes 2-3 days to really start going to work.

Thanks. I put the Sky in photo mode, I'll switch to white only and post some photos in a bit. I'll also get a respiration count.
 

Jay Hemdal

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Probably about 2 months, appeared slowly. I initially thought it was lympho because the LFS I purchased it from has fish with lympho and the fish was/is feeding fine so I wasn't too concerned. But it seems to be getting worse and now I'm not so sure.

That isn't Lymphocystis and it isn't head and lateral line erosion. I presume it is only on the left side?

Bacterial infection generally don't proceed so slowly, but it isn't impossible. External fungal diseases are really rare in marine fishes.

Do you have a treatment tank available?

Jay
 
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gbru316

gbru316

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Respiration rate is about 160
5FCF30FE-58EA-4CE3-906F-BB03183D80AC.jpeg


BB36726B-1D0D-4866-BB52-43559E3084D0.jpeg

 
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gbru316

gbru316

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That isn't Lymphocystis and it isn't head and lateral line erosion. I presume it is only on the left side?

Bacterial infection generally don't proceed so slowly, but it isn't impossible. External fungal diseases are really rare in marine fishes.

Do you have a treatment tank available?

Jay

yes, left side only

im heading out today to pick up a treatment tank.

I have the other equipment necessary, just trying to figure out what I should treat with.
 
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gbru316

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forgot to mention I also have a 15w UV sterilizer running 24/7 at about 100 gph.
 

Jay Hemdal

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forgot to mention I also have a 15w UV sterilizer running 24/7 at about 100 gph.

That won't help in this case, as the bacterial (or infectious agent) is growing on the fish, and doesn't need to leave the fish, and thus, never gets exposed to the UV.

I would say treating with a broad spectrum, gram negative antibiotic is the best course of action - Neoplex for example.

Jay
 
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gbru316

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That won't help in this case, as the bacterial (or infectious agent) is growing on the fish, and doesn't need to leave the fish, and thus, never gets exposed to the UV.

I would say treating with a broad spectrum, gram negative antibiotic is the best course of action - Neoplex for example.

Jay
Thanks Jay!

I’ll start treatment as soon as I can source it.
 
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gbru316

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That won't help in this case, as the bacterial (or infectious agent) is growing on the fish, and doesn't need to leave the fish, and thus, never gets exposed to the UV.

I would say treating with a broad spectrum, gram negative antibiotic is the best course of action - Neoplex for example.

Jay

Couldn't find Neoplex, but I found Kanaplex and Metroplex locally.

Fish is sitting in a 10g QT with a dose of each. I was hoping to find Furan-2 but it seems like that's hard to get these days.

While I was at the LFS, I picked up Copper Power, Prazi, Rally, and Focus. With a planned upgrade to a 200ish gallon tank next year comes the ability to house large, expensive fish. I should probably have this stuff on-hand. And I should probably start quarantining new additions, too.
 
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gbru316

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I'm on day 9 of the Metroplex/Kanaplex combo. I've noticed some improvement but the lesion is still present.


I have Neoplex, Sulfaplex and Erythromycin coming on Thursday. Should I switch to a different antibiotic this weekend?
 

Jay Hemdal

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I'm on day 9 of the Metroplex/Kanaplex combo. I've noticed some improvement but the lesion is still present.


I have Neoplex, Sulfaplex and Erythromycin coming on Thursday. Should I switch to a different antibiotic this weekend?
Nine days is plenty long to see if an antibiotic will work. I would try Neoplex and erythromycin next. Monitor the ammonia level closely as antibiotics can kill your beneficial bacteria.
Jay
 

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Enrofloxacin is my marine fish antibiotic of choice.

It works much faster (5-7 days) vs the old Kanaplex/Neoplex combo which can take 10-14 days to work.
The dosing for kanaplex/Neoplex never made much sense to me either. Seems if you follow the directions, then there is a good chance you are way under the recommended dose.
 
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gbru316

gbru316

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Nine days is plenty long to see if an antibiotic will work. I would try Neoplex and erythromycin next. Monitor the ammonia level closely as antibiotics can kill your beneficial bacteria.
Jay

I'll keep treating until Friday, then throw in some carbon, do a 50% water change and replace bio media with some from my display on Saturday, and start the Neo/Erythromycin.
 
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gbru316

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On day 4 of EM + neoplex treatment, I don’t think it’s improving:

E2DBDB3A-1F37-4B25-9B11-94D7AF7AA907.jpeg


Should I do a 25% water change tomorrow and another EM cycle?

or should I splurge for the newer antibiotics?

Or is it soon time to euthanize?

it’s still eating and behaving appropriately.
 

Jay Hemdal

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On day 4 of EM + neoplex treatment, I don’t think it’s improving:

E2DBDB3A-1F37-4B25-9B11-94D7AF7AA907.jpeg


Should I do a 25% water change tomorrow and another EM cycle?

or should I splurge for the newer antibiotics?

Or is it soon time to euthanize?

it’s still eating and behaving appropriately.

Tough to say - I usually give antibiotics 5 to 7 days to at least stop the progression of the infection. Since it isn't showing any secondary symptoms (not eating, etc.) I wouldn't euthanize it.

Is the respiration rate still at 160 though? That seemed high, and would count as a secondary symptom IMO.


It's tough to see - is there a margin around the lesion? If so, the bacteria may have been halted, but it will take time for the tissue to regrow, and there may well always be a scar there.

Jay
 

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