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?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

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?

The safest medication to use is Ruby Reef’s Rally Pro, but that is not likely available to you. Formalin works, but it is NOT safe to use in homes.

Can you get eSHA Oodinex? I’ve not used it, but its ingredients are similar to that of Rally Pro.

 

[julianvd2003]

The safest medication to use is Ruby Reef’s Rally Pro, but that is not likely available to you. Formalin works, but it is NOT safe to use in homes.

Can you get eSHA Oodinex? I’ve not used it, but its ingredients are similar to that of Rally Pro.

Thank you for getting back to me and for the advice.

Unfortunately, you are correct that I cannot get Ruby Reef Rally PRO here in Europe, at least not through any suppliers I have been able to find.

I have actually already purchased 37% formaldehyde because I understood that formalin is one of the most effective treatments for Brooklynella. However, from your message I understand that you would not consider this safe to use in a home environment. Is that correct? If so, I will obviously not use it without taking the appropriate safety precautions.

I can get eSHa Oodinex quite easily here in the Netherlands.

What makes you recommend Oodinex as an option over using formalin, considering that formalin has a much more established track record against Brooklynella? Or is your recommendation mainly because Oodinex would be a safer and more practical option for home use?

I also currently don't have chloroquine phosphate or metronidazole. These medications are not available without a prescription here in the Netherlands, so I cannot simply purchase them. I have read that they are sometimes recommended after a formalin treatment as a follow-up treatment.

What would you recommend I do in my situation? What treatment protocol would you personally follow from this point onward?

I really appreciate your help. I'm trying to make sure I treat these fish properly rather than just throwing different medications at them.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Thank you for getting back to me and for the advice.

Unfortunately, you are correct that I cannot get Ruby Reef Rally PRO here in Europe, at least not through any suppliers I have been able to find.

I have actually already purchased 37% formaldehyde because I understood that formalin is one of the most effective treatments for Brooklynella. However, from your message I understand that you would not consider this safe to use in a home environment. Is that correct? If so, I will obviously not use it without taking the appropriate safety precautions.

I can get eSHa Oodinex quite easily here in the Netherlands.

What makes you recommend Oodinex as an option over using formalin, considering that formalin has a much more established track record against Brooklynella? Or is your recommendation mainly because Oodinex would be a safer and more practical option for home use?

I also currently don't have chloroquine phosphate or metronidazole. These medications are not available without a prescription here in the Netherlands, so I cannot simply purchase them. I have read that they are sometimes recommended after a formalin treatment as a follow-up treatment.

What would you recommend I do in my situation? What treatment protocol would you personally follow from this point onward?

I really appreciate your help. I'm trying to make sure I treat these fish properly rather than just throwing different medications at them.

Formalin is the best option, but it de-gasses into the air and that is not advised in homes. Will one course of treatment cause human health issues? No - but it just isn’t good practice. Can you ventilate the room with the tank in it to the outdoors? Do that if you can.

The two ways to administer formalin is as a 24 hour dip at 25 ppm or a 1 hour bath with good aeration at 150 ppm. You may find a reference to using 250 ppm on the Internet - that is incorrect! That dose is for coldwater marine fish, not tropicals. Tropical species should not be dosed higher than 167 ppm