ohioreef8000
New Member
Hello! I'm new to the forum and reef tanks though I'm a life long saltwater enthusiast. I have an issue with a disease or parasite I believe - mostly with one of my percula clownfish. I've researched and tried to follow and adapt as many protocols and solutions from this forum and others to deal with this issue as it has persisted for weeks. In an attempt to not waste time up to this point I've tried everything I could from research. I cannot figure out what I'm dealing with though. Sorry for the long post I just wonder if how much of this is involved or where it started.
I bought the reef tank rocks lights etc on craigslist w/ a CB angelfish and two blue yellow damsels. It's been up and running at my place a year and a half and was running couple years before that. Added two clowns from LFS in October so 10 months back(no QT) and the damsels bullied the smaller clown and I learned how territorial they are claiming the whole tank and then I set up 20 for the clowns to isolate. Eventually they went back in the tank without the damsels (tearing the tank apart to catch them - learned more the hard way) and did fine for many months mostly hanging out in the hammer coral - did not have luck with anemone twice so far.
Fast forward to a couple months ago. Mid July. Went back to LFS for first time in a long time got some snails and hermits I beilieve. 3 days later I notice a small white spot on larger clown's skin outside of gill. Day later I notice small white spot on side of smaller clown - assuming male - and the spot on the females gill area looks worse and a little pink and gooey. I ask LFS they say wait it out - tough to treat what I can't identify and they're eating fine etc ... SO few days later both look worse and I wake up one morning to the male looking all white and pale and sort of floating up from the coral or having trouble controlling buoyancy or seeming to doze off. So I get all panicked cuz he looks like he's going to die and this is the point he stopped eating for a while. I do FW dip after reading about it and crossing fingers - it works I see them shake and I swear he looks less pale and I swear there's some white tiny flakes in the bottom that weren't there and even some glowing stuff if I used UV light but I'm new to this and not sure what dipped from tank with net. The fish looked better after FWdip. I put in QT and starts looking worse after not much time. I talk to LFS again they say try Melafix. so I do QT with melafix and treat for several days and he looks a little better but then starts to look worse again and then I see he's got spots on each side and the females gill seems to be healing slowly in the melafix so IDK I just keep waiting and trying to figure out what to do.
Next I try paraguard convinced it's flukes because it doesn't seem to be deadly at least not very quickly, there are no tiny spots visible in the clear edges of the fins. LFS said paraguard. Didn't really do anything much for them and they started to look worse again.
Next I try Prazi Pro (changing almost all water) after reading about it and it seemed to do it. They shook all crazy when I first put it in and seemed to be trying to dislodge stuff. Followed directions on bottle, they looked good so I put them back in the DT.
3 days later male clown doesn't look so good. Swimming at the edge of tank at surface when lights are off. Looking pale and not eating well.
Next still convinced it's flukes - Did a bath for 8 hours in heavy prazi dose for clowns and they shook a lot. Next I followed this procedure on BRS about QT with 100% water change every 3 days 3x over with Prazi to kill all flukes(clowns in 10 gallon QT). Also figured I didn't leave the DT fallow because of the CB so flukes must still be in there. Got CB out too = tear tank apart(found who was anemone/coral killer). Tank had no fish for 16 days. On each dose of prazi over 9 day period they shook a bunch and I think I could see little things coming off. Thought I was clear.
Put clowns back in DT - looked good couple days - 3rd day the male is looking pale and swimming at the surface by glass at night. What do I do?! Thanks for any and all help...
55g
77.7 degrees. PH 8.4 - KH 8 - Nitrate ~5-15 Phosphate ~0.01-.05 (my tests seem to suck) I've been working nitrates down over last few months with carbon dosing, phosban reactor etc because of algae problems. My KH seems low but my calcium is high (480) after they are balanced I was going to start dosing all for reef... I've been having trouble with the temp rising this summer it's been so hot. I point a fan at it and open sump - has creeped up to 79.5 though despite efforts so temp not nearly as stable as I'd like this summer.
I bought the reef tank rocks lights etc on craigslist w/ a CB angelfish and two blue yellow damsels. It's been up and running at my place a year and a half and was running couple years before that. Added two clowns from LFS in October so 10 months back(no QT) and the damsels bullied the smaller clown and I learned how territorial they are claiming the whole tank and then I set up 20 for the clowns to isolate. Eventually they went back in the tank without the damsels (tearing the tank apart to catch them - learned more the hard way) and did fine for many months mostly hanging out in the hammer coral - did not have luck with anemone twice so far.
Fast forward to a couple months ago. Mid July. Went back to LFS for first time in a long time got some snails and hermits I beilieve. 3 days later I notice a small white spot on larger clown's skin outside of gill. Day later I notice small white spot on side of smaller clown - assuming male - and the spot on the females gill area looks worse and a little pink and gooey. I ask LFS they say wait it out - tough to treat what I can't identify and they're eating fine etc ... SO few days later both look worse and I wake up one morning to the male looking all white and pale and sort of floating up from the coral or having trouble controlling buoyancy or seeming to doze off. So I get all panicked cuz he looks like he's going to die and this is the point he stopped eating for a while. I do FW dip after reading about it and crossing fingers - it works I see them shake and I swear he looks less pale and I swear there's some white tiny flakes in the bottom that weren't there and even some glowing stuff if I used UV light but I'm new to this and not sure what dipped from tank with net. The fish looked better after FWdip. I put in QT and starts looking worse after not much time. I talk to LFS again they say try Melafix. so I do QT with melafix and treat for several days and he looks a little better but then starts to look worse again and then I see he's got spots on each side and the females gill seems to be healing slowly in the melafix so IDK I just keep waiting and trying to figure out what to do.
Next I try paraguard convinced it's flukes because it doesn't seem to be deadly at least not very quickly, there are no tiny spots visible in the clear edges of the fins. LFS said paraguard. Didn't really do anything much for them and they started to look worse again.
Next I try Prazi Pro (changing almost all water) after reading about it and it seemed to do it. They shook all crazy when I first put it in and seemed to be trying to dislodge stuff. Followed directions on bottle, they looked good so I put them back in the DT.
3 days later male clown doesn't look so good. Swimming at the edge of tank at surface when lights are off. Looking pale and not eating well.
Next still convinced it's flukes - Did a bath for 8 hours in heavy prazi dose for clowns and they shook a lot. Next I followed this procedure on BRS about QT with 100% water change every 3 days 3x over with Prazi to kill all flukes(clowns in 10 gallon QT). Also figured I didn't leave the DT fallow because of the CB so flukes must still be in there. Got CB out too = tear tank apart(found who was anemone/coral killer). Tank had no fish for 16 days. On each dose of prazi over 9 day period they shook a bunch and I think I could see little things coming off. Thought I was clear.
Put clowns back in DT - looked good couple days - 3rd day the male is looking pale and swimming at the surface by glass at night. What do I do?! Thanks for any and all help...
55g
77.7 degrees. PH 8.4 - KH 8 - Nitrate ~5-15 Phosphate ~0.01-.05 (my tests seem to suck) I've been working nitrates down over last few months with carbon dosing, phosban reactor etc because of algae problems. My KH seems low but my calcium is high (480) after they are balanced I was going to start dosing all for reef... I've been having trouble with the temp rising this summer it's been so hot. I point a fan at it and open sump - has creeped up to 79.5 though despite efforts so temp not nearly as stable as I'd like this summer.
