I’m at a loss as to what I’m doing wrong, fish have white blotches

[MiniBukta]

So, things have not been going well lately, and I’m unsure what I’m doing wrong and I’m I. that maybe this isn’t for me level of frustration.

180 gallon DT, fuge with skimmer, socks, and cheato run opposite my Reef Breeders lights. Skimmer runs 16 hours a day because I’ve been trying to pick my phosphates up a bit in the past 4 weeks.

My lyretail recently died, 4 days ago. Was previously looking perfectly healthy as far as I could see. Jewel damsel had tail damage, but no spots I could see and was swimming roughly last night. As of when I got home, I can no longer find it, checked everywhere. No clue what happened, doubt my CUC hit it that quickly.

Recently had a brown algae breakout, I don’t know what’s causing it. Tank is on an auto water changer, about 12 gallons in and out a week.

Levels are in the pic, salt is at 1.024, I’m working on slowly getting it up to 1.026.

Saw some spots on my Caribbean tang a couple days ago, now it appears to have gone to my black clowns with some abrasion on the smaller on. I don’t want to lose anymore fish, I feel terrible. I have another tank and can set up a QT, but HAVE to go on a trip for 4 days Thursday morning, so I’m freaking out right now everything is going to hell right now.

I’m at a loss, I need help please! And thank you so much for any helpful replies.

 

[Grumblez]

Looks like ICH to me
Look around at the "reef safe" treatments those can help manage it, also put in a UV Filter. Also research how to do a "freshwater dip" that can help hold over your sickest fish. Make sure you do it right you have to buffer the PH etc.

To completely eliminate it it you would have to remove all fish and put them through Copper treatment and leave that tank empty for 70 days. So when you get back you can go that route or do what a lot of reefers do "ich management" which is basically the reef safe treatments, UV filter, etc.

 

[Grumblez]

Oh also the Brown Algae is unrelated thats Dino, normal if your tank is only a few months old. Increasing flow will help, but it should go away on its own.

 

[Gtinnel]

I'm not great with fish disease but I did notice that one of your clownfish has a red sore on its side. It could possibly be uronema.

 

[LaloJ]

I'm almost sure that what we see here is brooklynella, she must remove all the cattle and put them in a hospital tank with copper, the clowns look pretty bad and also observe what seems to be a wound on the left side of one of them, I'm not sure if it is uronema but it's possible that it can cause a bacterial infection (or maybe I already have it), the fact is that you must medicate all your fish and you must do it quickly, it sucks to have a commitment at the door and that a problem like this appears out of nowhere, it happened to me so I wish you good luck and encouragement.

 

[DrZoidburg]

I think this also compare to brooklynella pictures. If white spots keep coming up other than like a slime look you could have something else too.

 

[Dbichler]

I think you have ich and neo. @Jay Hemdal is your best bet for treatment advice.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

So, things have not been going well lately, and I’m unsure what I’m doing wrong and I’m I. that maybe this isn’t for me level of frustration.

180 gallon DT, fuge with skimmer, socks, and cheato run opposite my Reef Breeders lights. Skimmer runs 16 hours a day because I’ve been trying to pick my phosphates up a bit in the past 4 weeks.

My lyretail recently died, 4 days ago. Was previously looking perfectly healthy as far as I could see. Jewel damsel had tail damage, but no spots I could see and was swimming roughly last night. As of when I got home, I can no longer find it, checked everywhere. No clue what happened, doubt my CUC hit it that quickly.

Recently had a brown algae breakout, I don’t know what’s causing it. Tank is on an auto water changer, about 12 gallons in and out a week.

Levels are in the pic, salt is at 1.024, I’m working on slowly getting it up to 1.026.

Saw some spots on my Caribbean tang a couple days ago, now it appears to have gone to my black clowns with some abrasion on the smaller on. I don’t want to lose anymore fish, I feel terrible. I have another tank and can set up a QT, but HAVE to go on a trip for 4 days Thursday morning, so I’m freaking out right now everything is going to hell right now.

I’m at a loss, I need help please! And thank you so much for any helpful replies.

There seems to be multiple issues. One thing - if you are turning off your skimmer, but sure that you turn it off at times when your lights are on. Skimmers help de-gas the water, and if you turn them off at night, with an algae bloom going on, you might get into a low dissolved oxygen/high CO2 issue.

Can you post a short video of some of the fish?
The black clown looks like it has been getting attacked by something in the tank - possibly the gold damsel. Try watching the tank from a darkened room to see what might be going on there.
I don't see signs of Brooklynella or Uronema. I might see some spots of ich, but not enough to outright kill the fish (at least not yet).

Jay

 

[MiniBukta]

Oh also the Brown Algae is unrelated thats Dino, normal if your tank is only a few months old. Increasing flow will help, but it should go away on its own.

Tank is over a year old, and I just added a couple new power heads because my flow wasn’t as good as I thought it needed to be.

There seems to be multiple issues. One thing - if you are turning off your skimmer, but sure that you turn it off at times when your lights are on. Skimmers help de-gas the water, and if you turn them off at night, with an algae bloom going on, you might get into a low dissolved oxygen/high CO2 issue.

Can you post a short video of some of the fish?
The black clown looks like it has been getting attacked by something in the tank - possibly the gold damsel. Try watching the tank from a darkened room to see what might be going on there.
I don't see signs of Brooklynella or Uronema. I might see some spots of ich, but not enough to outright kill the fish (at least not yet).

Jay

Thank you very much for your reply, I will get a vid of the tank once I’m home from work.

The skimmer turns off for about 6 hours, from 4pm to 10pm, when the lights are still on as that’s when I feed corals twice a week.

I’ve never seen anything go after the Black Clowns, they’ve typically run their section of the tank. What I’ve always thought were Yellow Chromis (my LFS isn’t the greatest), hang out on the clowns side of the tank, but I’ve never seen them be aggressive to the clown. Usually the other way around.

I did treat some Ruby kick ich last night that I didn’t realize I had in the basement.

 

[Grumblez]

Yellow Chromis

Chromis are damsels's, and most damsels seem to have 29 different names.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Tank is over a year old, and I just added a couple new power heads because my flow wasn’t as good as I thought it needed to be.

Thank you very much for your reply, I will get a vid of the tank once I’m home from work.

The skimmer turns off for about 6 hours, from 4pm to 10pm, when the lights are still on as that’s when I feed corals twice a week.

I’ve never seen anything go after the Black Clowns, they’ve typically run their section of the tank. What I’ve always thought were Yellow Chromis (my LFS isn’t the greatest), hang out on the clowns side of the tank, but I’ve never seen them be aggressive to the clown. Usually the other way around.

I did treat some Ruby kick ich last night that I didn’t realize I had in the basement.

It could also be the larger clown being aggressive, they can be pretty sly and not cause issues while you are watching. I’m trying to account for the shredded pectoral fins on the smaller clown.
If your damsel is Chormis analis, it is pretty peaceful. I thought it was Amblyglyphidodon aureus and those get mean.
Jay

 

[MiniBukta]

It could also be the larger clown being aggressive, they can be pretty sly and not cause issues while you are watching. I’m trying to account for the shredded pectoral fins on the smaller clown.
If your damsel is Chormis analis, it is pretty peaceful. I thought it was Amblyglyphidodon aureus and those get mean.
Jay

I treated Rally Pro, and Kick Ich pro according to the directions last night. Fish appear to have more white spots, and corals are not happy and mostly closed up. Attached is a current video of the clowns.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I treated Rally Pro, and Kick Ich pro according to the directions last night. Fish appear to have more white spots, and corals are not happy and mostly closed up. Attached is a current video of the clowns.

In the video it is a lot more clear to me - both fish have mucus that could be Brooklynella. That doesn't account for the fin damage and fish can have Brooklynella and ich at the same time.

Trouble is, there really isn't a good Brooklynella treatment to use on clownfish in the display tank like they are in. One treatment would be to set up a new aquarium (with nothing from this tank) and then give the clownfish a 45 minute formalin dip at 100 ppm with good aeration and then move the fish over. Then, you can dose that tank with 25 ppm formalin daily. Trouble is, clownfish aren't the only fish that can get Brooklnella, so some of your remaining fish will also be at risk.

Rally Pro can be used as a dip I hear, maybe that would be an option in conjunction with using it in your display?

Jay

 

[MiniBukta]

In the video it is a lot more clear to me - both fish have mucus that could be Brooklynella. That doesn't account for the fin damage and fish can have Brooklynella and ich at the same time.

Trouble is, there really isn't a good Brooklynella treatment to use on clownfish in the display tank like they are in. One treatment would be to set up a new aquarium (with nothing from this tank) and then give the clownfish a 45 minute formalin dip at 100 ppm with good aeration and then move the fish over. Then, you can dose that tank with 25 ppm formalin daily. Trouble is, clownfish aren't the only fish that can get Brooklnella, so some of your remaining fish will also be at risk.

Rally Pro can be used as a dip I hear, maybe that would be an option in conjunction with using it in your display?

Jay

Thank you very much for the help, I have them in a rally dip right now, but sadly have to put them back in the DT. Hopefully that gets them through the weekend, and I can then set my QT back up. I don’t have the time to make enough water today and get the tank going, ensuring it’s running fine and parameters are good before I go on work trip for the weekend.

Would I be best to redip upon returning home and then get in the QT? Depending on other fish, I may also just fallow the tank for both brook and ich. If I’m doing it, may as well cover my bases.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Thank you very much for the help, I have them in a rally dip right now, but sadly have to put them back in the DT. Hopefully that gets them through the weekend, and I can then set my QT back up. I don’t have the time to make enough water today and get the tank going, ensuring it’s running fine and parameters are good before I go on work trip for the weekend.

Would I be best to redip upon returning home and then get in the QT? Depending on other fish, I may also just fallow the tank for both brook and ich. If I’m doing it, may as well cover my bases.

I haven’t used rally pro as a dip, so I can’t tell you about the time interval for that - does the bottle offer any instruction? @vetteguy53081
Jay

 

[vetteguy53081]

I haven’t used rally pro as a dip, so I can’t tell you about the time interval for that - does the bottle offer any instruction? @vetteguy53081
Jay

Time interval is 3-5 days
Bottle describes what it treats but very little regarding dosages . I believe their website does expand that a little more

 

[MiniBukta]

I haven’t used rally pro as a dip, so I can’t tell you about the time interval for that - does the bottle offer any instruction? @vetteguy53081
Jay

Just wanted to update, lost those two clowns, and one more as well. Also lost 3 shrimp. I /think/ that my lawnmower blenny which usually hung out, out of sight died and started spiking ammonia, which stressed everything and allowed parasites to take over. None of the chromis had any signs of uronema, so I don’t think it’s that as I know they’re particularly susceptible.

All tangs were okay, and all remaining fish (Caribbean, fox face, hippo, 4 yellow tailed chromis, one snowflake clown, one benggai cardinal, and one starry eyed blenny) are now in a 55 gallon QT tank under copper treatment and will remain in that tank for 3 months to properly fallow my DT. I’m considering trading the yellow chromis to my LFS because of their high uronema susceptibility.

Any other advice is much appreciated, and thank you for the help you provided.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Just wanted to update, lost those two clowns, and one more as well. Also lost 3 shrimp. I /think/ that my lawnmower blenny which usually hung out, out of sight died and started spiking ammonia, which stressed everything and allowed parasites to take over. None of the chromis had any signs of uronema, so I don’t think it’s that as I know they’re particularly susceptible.

All tangs were okay, and all remaining fish (Caribbean, fox face, hippo, 4 yellow tailed chromis, one snowflake clown, one benggai cardinal, and one starry eyed blenny) are now in a 55 gallon QT tank under copper treatment and will remain in that tank for 3 months to properly fallow my DT. I’m considering trading the yellow chromis to my LFS because of their high uronema susceptibility.

Any other advice is much appreciated, and thank you for the help you provided.

Sorry to hear.
As far as Uronema is concerned, it doesn’t spread to a lot of species, so other than affecting new anthias, wrasse and chromis, it usually goes away on its own (once the infected fish die).
Losing the shrimp means some toxin in the water as they don’t get fish diseases; maybe ammonia, or one of the meds you added?
Jay