Fully QT Clownfish with stringy poop and translucent spots

[zalick]

I have a clownfish that just arrived from a very reputable QT vendor and went through the full humbelfish protocol. It has some fin damage that’s likely from shipping. No fast breathing or apparent distress. It does have cloudy eyes, some stringy white poop and translucent patches on skin.

it has not eaten which is a bit odd for a clownfish IME

seems it’s either all damage from shipping or possibly a bacterial infection.

out of an abundance of caution it did not go in my DT and is my permanent established observation tank.

I took about 50 pics and these were the best I could get.

 

[Jekyl]

Thanks for the very helpful diagnosis.

Sorry, trust me if I had some advice I would give it. If anything my post would help bump it along. I wasn't trying to be mean.

 

[Jekyl]

Best I can do for advice is try to bring in @vetteguy53081 and @Jay Hemdal

 

[vetteguy53081]

Oh no. Likely brooklynella which is common infection for clownfish. How long has this been progressing ?
Stringy poop can be either internal infection or even as simple as the foods they are eating being mysis and brine shrimp which will also cause this.
As for brooklynella, it primarily attacks the gills first. At the onset, fish may scrape up against objects, rapid respiration develops, and fish often gasp for air at the surface as the gills become clogged with mucus. Very quickly the fish will become lethargic, refuse to eat, and its colors will fade. The most noticeable sign of brook is the heavy amount of slime that is produced by a fish that has contracted this parasite. As the disease progresses, a thick whitish mucus covers the body. This will usually start at the head and spread outward across the entire body. Skin lesions appear and it is not uncommon for signs of secondary bacterial infections as you can see with the cloudy eyes.
Typically a standard formalin solution is mixed with either fresh or saltwater in a separate treatment container. Initially, the fish is given a quick dip in the formalin at a higher concentration, followed by continued treatment in a prolonged bath of formalin at a lower concentration in a quarantine tank (QT). Of course, the longer the fish are exposed to the formalin treatment, the more effective it will be at eliminating this disease. Quick cure is a good form of formalin.

If a formalin solution is not available for immediate use, temporary relief may be provided by giving fish a FW dip or bath. 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. This should be done in a quarantine tank or separate container. Aerate the tank during treatment.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I have a clownfish that just arrived from a very reputable QT vendor and went through the full humbelfish protocol. It has some fin damage that’s likely from shipping. No fast breathing or apparent distress. It does have cloudy eyes, some stringy white poop and translucent patches on skin.

it has not eaten which is a bit odd for a clownfish IME

seems it’s either all damage from shipping or possibly a bacterial infection.

out of an abundance of caution it did not go in my DT and is my permanent established observation tank.

I took about 50 pics and these were the best I could get.

First thing to rule out is shipping damage. How long before the picture was taken was it shipped? Any idea as to the transit time? How did you acclimate it?
Jay

 

[zalick]

First thing to rule out is shipping damage. How long before the picture was taken was it shipped? Any idea as to the transit time? How did you acclimate it?
Jay

22hrs door to door. Pic taken at 23hrs. It looked like this in bag. Salinity matched so floated to match temp. Maybe 1hr floating.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

22hrs door to door. Pic taken at 23hrs. It looked like this in bag. Salinity matched so floated to match temp. Maybe 1hr floating.

Ok, that’s all fine, I just wanted to rule out ammonia burns. People drip acclimate shipped in fish and it can really mess them up.
I don’t know anything about the company you used, but 23 hours shipping and a good acclimation makes me wonder how the fish could end up looking like this? It should have been packed in a bag by itself, the fin damage wouldn’t be from shipping. I think you need to contact the vendor to ask their advice and to let them know the fish has issues.
As far as how to treat it: could be bacterial, could be Brooklynella, could be both. As said; FW dips and formalin dips would be a course of action for Brook. Antibiotics for bacteria.
Jay

 

[zalick]

@vetteguy53081 @Jay Hemdal
Thank you both.

I’m going to contact the vendor and keep it under observation to see if it gets better or worse overnight.

I’ve got antibiotics and formalin on hand. My wife is a vet so luckily I also have access to just about anything.

 

[zalick]

I’m leaning more towards bacterial infection. I believe one if it’s eyes is swollen and my wife and I both think it’s not seeing very well.

I’ve never had a fish with a bacterial infection but I would describe this as mild or early stages.
Should I treat with antibiotics tomorrow or just observe to see if it stablizes or improves? I’ve got maracyn two and metro on hand. I can get anything I need tomorrow at my wife’s office.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I’m leaning more towards bacterial infection. I believe one if it’s eyes is swollen and my wife and I both think it’s not seeing very well.

I’ve never had a fish with a bacterial infection but I would describe this as mild or early stages.
Should I treat with antibiotics tomorrow or just observe to see if it stablizes or improves? I’ve got maracyn two and metro on hand. I can get anything I need tomorrow at my wife’s office.

Maracyn 1 (Erythromycin) is often suggested for fish eye infections. Maracyn 2 is Minocycline, and it may help with external eye issues, as well as other gram negative bacteria. Some people dose both at the same time and as I recall, the company says that is ok to do.

Jay

 

[zalick]

Maracyn 1 (Erythromycin) is often suggested for fish eye infections. Maracyn 2 is Minocycline, and it may help with external eye issues, as well as other gram negative bacteria. Some people dose both at the same time and as I recall, the company says that is ok to do.

Jay

Thanks Jay. Both eyes are protruding a bit. One eye worse than the other. My wife said that bad eye looks like is sloughing off a layer. Here’s a video. (Which doesn’t appear to work for me). Here is a still from the video.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

The eyes do look like a bacterial issue, but in the video, I can see some white mucus on the body - I can't rule out Brooklynella with that. For sure you need to start antibiotics - with both eyes affected, it may not be able to see food to eat it, and then will spiral downward in health pretty quickly. If the body slime spreads, you may need to treat for Brook - perhaps formalin dips.

Jay

 

[zalick]

The eyes do look like a bacterial issue, but in the video, I can see some white mucus on the body - I can't rule out Brooklynella with that. For sure you need to start antibiotics - with both eyes affected, it may not be able to see food to eat it, and then will spiral downward in health pretty quickly. If the body slime spreads, you may need to treat for Brook - perhaps formalin dips.

Jay

Thanks!

the vendor recommended metro, furan 2 and Kanaplex all together. Do you think that’s a good plan?

Should I do a formalin dip to start?

also, if it is brook, will that clear a fallow tank? Unfortunately I have some coral in the observation tank....

I’m going to setup a new hospital tank for the clown.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Thanks!

the vendor recommended metro, furan 2 and Kanaplex all together. Do you think that’s a good plan?

Should I do a formalin dip to start?

also, if it is brook, will that clear a fallow tank? Unfortunately I have some coral in the observation tank....

I’m going to setup a new hospital tank for the clown.

Yes, those three in combination sounds good. I would hold off on the formalin dip, those can be stressful and we aren’t positive there is Brook going on. Yes, Brook will go away in a fishless tank. I’m not sure any true study has been made though, on how long it takes. 45 days for sure, but you should probably go longer to be safe...76 days is one option that people use for ich. I’ve never heard of a valid argument for going longer than that.
Jay

 

[zalick]

Yes, those three in combination sounds good. I would hold off on the formalin dip, those can be stressful and we aren’t positive there is Brook going on. Yes, Brook will go away in a fishless tank. I’m not sure any true study has been made though, on how long it takes. 45 days for sure, but you should probably go longer to be safe...76 days is one option that people use for ich. I’ve never heard of a valid argument for going longer than that.
Jay

Thanks again Jay! If anything the skin looks a little better today. The eyes it’s tough to tell if they’re better equal or worse.

Would you recommend a series of daily baths with the antibiotics or should I run it in the water every day on a schedule?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Thanks again Jay! If anything the skin looks a little better today. The eyes it’s tough to tell if they’re better equal or worse.

Would you recommend a series of daily baths with the antibiotics or should I run it in the water every day on a schedule?

As long as it is in a treatment tank, 24 baths are always better than dips. Trouble is, I think those 3 meds have different requirements regarding water changes and redosing - you will need to plan things out on paper first I think.
Jay

 

[zalick]

I observed last night as it seemed to “slightly” improve visually. Late last night it had a big piece of tissue sloughing off it’s right eye. This morning the tissue is gone and the eyes look better although still terrible. It’s breathing a bit rapid now. I put it in an acclimation box to reduce its energy expenditure. I’m going to setup a 10g hospital tank and start antibiotics.

 

[zalick]

@Jay Hemdal @vetteguy53081
Thanks for the help to you both. The clown died today.
I started the metro, kanaplex and furan 2 yesterday afternoon. The eyes and skin showed signs of improvement after just a few hours. This morning it’s eyes had shed another layer of tissue and looked better. Then a few hours later it died.

I assume the bacterial infection was too far along to save it.

 

[vetteguy53081]

@Jay Hemdal @vetteguy53081
Thanks for the help to you both. The clown died today.
I started the metro, kanaplex and furan 2 yesterday afternoon. The eyes and skin showed signs of improvement after just a few hours. This morning it’s eyes had shed another layer of tissue and looked better. Then a few hours later it died.

I assume the bacterial infection was too far along to save it.

Looking at the pics, the tail was partially shredded. was there another clown bullying/stressing it ?
You mentioned film over the eys. Was there also film/mucus on its skin ?
Sorry to hear of loss- was a pretty clown

 

[zalick]

Looking at the pics, the tail was partially shredded. was there another clown bullying/stressing it ?
You mentioned film over the eys. Was there also film/mucus on its skin ?
Sorry to hear of loss- was a pretty clown

I don’t know the history prior to receiving it on Thursday. I was told it looked great when it was bagged. It looked like the pics above in the bag when I received it 22hrs later.
Possibly mucus on the skin. Not excessive. My wife says the body did not look healthy with a dilute loss of coloring even after the white patches went away.

The film on the eyes was pretty thick. Maybe protruding up to 1/8” to 1/16” from where the eye normal is.

You could not see the pupil well. This tissue eventually sloughed off.

once I received it, it was in an isolation tank by itself.