Do these two young clownfish look sick?

[julianvd2003]

Hi everyone,

I recently purchased these two young clownfish, and I’m concerned that they may have some kind of illness or infection.

I noticed some unusual-looking areas around their fins and body, and I’m not sure whether this is normal coloration/development, physical damage, or something I should be treating.

I live in the Netherlands, and these fish were purchased locally.

I’ve attached several photos of both fish. What do you think could be going on, and would you recommend any treatment or further observation?

Any advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Fish Fan]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

#WelcometoR2R

I'm sorry you're having some trouble with your fish. To me, the one in the first couple of pics looks like it may have Brooklynella, but please wait for the R2R Fish Medic team to confirm. The lower fish has some stringy feces that can sometimes just be its diet, but could be a symptom of something else.

Can you tell us the history of these fish, were they wild caught do you know?

#fishmedic

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hi everyone,

I recently purchased these two young clownfish, and I’m concerned that they may have some kind of illness or infection.

I noticed some unusual-looking areas around their fins and body, and I’m not sure whether this is normal coloration/development, physical damage, or something I should be treating.

I live in the Netherlands, and these fish were purchased locally.

I’ve attached several photos of both fish. What do you think could be going on, and would you recommend any treatment or further observation?

Any advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

I agree, this could be Brooklynella. One of the fish also has stringy white feces - that can be a sign of an internal infection.

What is the water testing? Especially ammonia.
Are the fish eating well?
How long have you had these two fish?

 

[julianvd2003]

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[julianvd2003]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

#WelcometoR2R

I'm sorry you're having some trouble with your fish. To me, the one in the first couple of pics looks like it may have Brooklynella, but please wait for the R2R Fish Medic team to confirm. The lower fish has some stringy feces that can sometimes just be its diet, but could be a symptom of something else.

Can you tell us the history of these fish, were they wild caught do you know?

#fishmedic

Thanks for the response.

I bought these fish a few days ago through a Dutch marketplace called Marktplaats, which is somewhat similar to Craigslist. The seller handed the fish to me at my front door in a simple zip-lock bag, so unfortunately I wasn't able to properly inspect them before buying them.

The fish are quite small, so I would assume they are captive-bred rather than wild-caught, although I obviously can't be certain.

I've read online that Brooklynella is particularly associated with wild-caught clownfish. Is there a reason for this correlation, and would it still be likely in small, possibly captive-bred clownfish?

Unfortunately, I also made the mistake of putting several newly purchased clownfish together in the same system without quarantining them separately first. I had recently finished cycling my clownfish setup and, since it was finally ready, I picked up several fish that same day and put them all together. In hindsight, I realize this wasn't a good idea.

If this does turn out to be Brooklynella, what would be the best way to handle the situation now that all the fish have already been in contact with each other? Should I remove and treat all of them, and should the display system be left fishless?

I'm based in the Netherlands, so some medications commonly mentioned on US forums may be difficult for me to obtain.

I'd really appreciate any advice on how to proceed.

 

[julianvd2003]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

I agree, this could be Brooklynella. One of the fish also has stringy white feces - that can be a sign of an internal infection.

What is the water testing? Especially ammonia.
Are the fish eating well?
How long have you had these two fish?

Thank you!

The ammonia is currently 0, and the other water parameters also appear to be fine. Both fish are eating normally and have a good appetite.

I've only had these two fish for a few days. I bought them through a Dutch marketplace called Marktplaats, which is somewhat similar to Craigslist. The seller handed the fish to me at my front door in a simple zip-lock bag, so unfortunately I wasn't able to properly inspect them before purchasing them.

They are quite small, so I assume they are captive-bred rather than wild-caught, although I can't know this for certain.

Unfortunately, I also made the mistake of putting several newly purchased clownfish together in the same system without quarantining them separately first. I had recently finished cycling my clownfish setup, and because it was finally ready, I picked up several fish that same day and put them all together.

In hindsight, I realize this wasn't the best decision. If this is Brooklynella, I assume all of the fish may have been exposed by now.

I'm also located in the Netherlands, so some of the medications commonly recommended in the US may be difficult for me to obtain.

What would you recommend as the best course of action at this point? Should I treat all of the fish, and should I move them all to a separate hospital/QT system?