Is this Brooklynella?

[Ben jammin]

So my kids and I just started a new tank, Innovative Marine Fusion 30L. We're doing a shallow reef and just added our first corals and a cleanup crew about 9 days ago. Saturday we added our first fish - a small, captive-bred occelaris clown from a new LFS nearby that generally has really good husbandry. We saw that he was eating before we took him home.

Got home in less than 10 minutes, acclimated him, and in he went. We fed him that night and picked at a couple pieces of brine. Sunday he wouldn't eat at all, nor this morning. He's just been swimming in place constantly, but not a relaxed, explore the new environment swim, more like a nervous, something isn't quite right swim. I brought home some live brine after work to try to get him feeding. He ignored it, and I noticed he has some white patches or slime on his sides. See attached pic:

Doing some searches it seems like it could be Brooklynella? I'm not seeing any white spots, just slime. I don't know why he would have developed it since he was apparently healthy at the shop and has no one to worry as the only fish in his new tank. I'd suspect poor water quality, but our corals, hermits, snails and blood red shrimp are all doing fine.

If it is Brooklynella, the store says they'll take him back and they can treat him, but is this like with ich where now we have to leave the tank fallow of fish for 2 months?

 

[nicodim55]

It sure is I lost a few of my clowns due to that good luck treating him brook is super deadly

 

[Ben jammin]

****. What a way to start a tank. Do I need to keep it fallow now for a long time, like with ich?

 

[Humblefish]

That is Brook. Fallow period is 6 weeks: https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/fish-disease-treatment-diagnosis/190324-fallow-periods.html

If you do end up having to treat yourself, your best bet would be to administer a formalin bath and then move the clowns into a QT for further observation afterwards. DO NOT use water (or anything) from the DT when setting up the QT.

Formalin: Treats Brooklynella and provides temporary relief for Marine Velvet disease (Amyloodinium). Also may be used as temporary relief, or even as an alternative treatment, for worms such as flukes and black ich.

How To Treat - Formalin is very interesting because its potential is not fully known. It is best administered in a bath solution for 30-45 minutes, following the dosage instructions on whatever bottle you use; or at 150 ppm if using "100% formalin" (ex. Formalin-MS). The bath should be done in a large glass bowl or container, and temperature should match the tank the fish is coming from. A bucket is not advised as plastic may absorb some of the medication and then leach it back out during future use. It is imperative that you heavily aerate the bath solution for at least 30 minutes before and also during treatment to compensate for oxygen depletion. The fish should be placed in a premixed bath solution. DO NOT add more formalin after the fish is already in the bath.

For Brooklynella, multiple baths may be required (so long as symptoms persist), but it’s important to give the fish a day to recuperate in-between baths. Formalin has also been used as alternative treatment for external worms such as flukes and black ich. However, at least 2 baths are required (7 days apart) for the same reason described when using Prazipro. For all of the above, post treatment, the fish should not be returned to the same tank/water he came from to prevent reinfection.

You can dose formalin directly in a quarantine tank, but this can be risky due to the harshness of formalin and how quickly it can deplete the water of oxygen. Providing additional gas exchange to the QT is a must! A fish being treated must be monitored closely and should be removed if showing signs of distress - this applies when treating in QT or in the bath solution.

Pros - Treats or provides temporary relief for a wide range of diseases. In some cases, formalin can “buy you more time†until a proper treatment can be done.

Cons/Side Effects - Formalin contains formaldehyde, a known carcinogen. Therefore, precautions must be taken when using it. Preventing your skin from coming in contact with it by wearing water proof gloves and not breathing in any fumes by wearing a face mask is highly recommended. Formalin also can be harsh on the fish and will quickly deplete oxygen from the water. In some areas, the purchase of formalin is prohibited.

 

[Humblefish]

FW dip is better than nothing if you cannot locate formalin:

Freshwater Dip: Provides temporary relief for Brooklynella, Flukes, Marine Velvet disease (Amyloodinium); possibly even Ich & Uronema marinum (both unproven). Can be used to confirm the presence of Flukes.

How To Treat - Fill a bucket with RODI water, and use a heater to match the temperature to the water the fish is coming from. Aerate the water heavily for at least 30 minutes prior to doing the dip, then discontinue aeration while performing the dip. Fish aren’t overly pH sensitive for short durations like this, but you can squirt a little tank water into the dip just before the fish goes in to help bring it up.

Place the fish in the freshwater (FW) dip and observe closely. It is not unusual for them to freak out a little at first. Also, tangs are notorious for “playing dead” during a FW dip. The important thing is to watch their gills; they should be breathing heavily at all times during the dip. If breathing slows, it’s time to exit the dip. Dip the fish for no longer than 5 minutes. Multiple dips may be done, but it’s important to give your fish a day to recuperate in-between dips.

For flukes, use a dark (preferably black) bucket so you can see if tiny white worms fall out of the fish (especially out of the gills) at around the 3-4 minute mark. The worms will settle to the bottom, so you can use a flashlight to look for them there as well.

Pros - Provides temporary relief for a wide range of diseases in a chemical free environment. Can “buy you more time” until a proper treatment can be done.

Cons/Side Effects - Not a permanent “fix” for any disease, as FW dips are not potent enough to eradicate all of the parasites/worms afflicting the fish. Some fish can have an adverse reaction to a FW dip by appearing unable to maintain their equilibrium once returned to the aquarium. If this happens, hold the fish upright (using latex, nitrile or rubber gloves), and gently glide him through the water (to get saltwater flowing through the gills again). It is also a good idea to place the fish in an acclimation box until he appears “normal”.

 

[Ben jammin]

Very helpful information. Thanks Humblefish. Stinks for the clown, and for my kids who bought the tank themselves, just set it up, and were so excited to get their first fish and start stocking. :squigglemouth: I guess the good news is we can keep stocking corals, and it will give us a chance to get the refugium going and start growing some pods so when we do start adding fish again they'll have something to eat.

 

[Humblefish]

Very helpful information. Thanks Humblefish. Stinks for the clown, and for my kids who bought the tank themselves, just set it up, and were so excited to get their first fish and start stocking. :squigglemouth: I guess the good news is we can keep stocking corals, and it will give us a chance to get the refugium going and start growing some pods so when we do start adding fish again they'll have something to eat.

Moving forward, I suggest QT'ing all future fish purchases. In fact, you could buy another clownfish now, QT and by the time the fallow period in the DT was up he'd be ready to go in. This guide may help: https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/fish-disease-treatment-diagnosis/189815-how-quarantine.html

 

[Mike J.]

@Ben jammin I like your positive attitude. Your experience is a very common one among new aquarists. It's also a reason many people quit the hobby. Saltwater keeping is a very slow process especially when starting out. Many people say, I don't have a QT tank. When in actuality a QT tank can be set up very inexpensively and is an integral part of the hobby.

I wish you the best of luck and, in keeping with your positive attitude, six weeks is relatively a very short time in saltwater fish keeping.

 

[Macdaddynick1]

Uhghm as far as I'm concerned it's the only way to start a tank, I've lost at least 4 clowns to it . Until I got scared and only started buying my clowns from other peoples tanks.

 

[nicodim55]

Uhghm as far as I'm concerned it's the only way to start a tank, I've lost at least 4 clowns to it . Until I got scared and only started buying my clowns from other peoples tanks.

Yeah me too, btw do you have any clowns you want to sell?

 

[Ben jammin]

Thanks for the comment Mike J. I used to keep reefs many years ago in the 90s. I've had a large FOWLR now for over a year and the kids love it so much they wanted to start their own tank, and try a reef. This won't scare us off, but it is a learning experience, as is this whole hobby, which is why I am so glad they are so into it. I have never QT'd before because I never understood how to keep an empty tank cycled, or start a new tank without going through a cycle that would stress the fish in QT and make them get sick. I'll read Humblefish's link and see how to do it.

Meanwhile, sadly, the clown died this morning before I could get him out and take him to the store for treatment. Poor guy.

 

[nicodim55]

Thanks for the comment Mike J. I used to keep reefs many years ago in the 90s. I've had a large FOWLR now for over a year and the kids love it so much they wanted to start their own tank, and try a reef. This won't scare us off, but it is a learning experience, as is this whole hobby, which is why I am so glad they are so into it. I have never QT'd before because I never understood how to keep an empty tank cycled, or start a new tank without going through a cycle that would stress the fish in QT and make them get sick. I'll read Humblefish's link and see how to do it.

Meanwhile, sadly, the clown died this morning before I could get him out and take him to the store for treatment. Poor guy.

sorry about that

 

[hummer]

Aw..sry to hear

 

[Macdaddynick1]

No I don't , I'm not sure if you're in LA. If so, vivid usually has some nice clowns and they take care of their fish, also they give you a 7 day guarantee.

 

[nicodim55]

No I don't , I'm not sure if you're in LA. If so, vivid usually has some nice clowns and they take care of their fish, also they give you a 7 day guarantee.

Thanks, yes I'm in Socal got lucky today and I found some