Velvet or brook?

[codenfx]

So I’m losing about 1 fish per day. 5 already dead within a week. Trying to find out what parasite. I only have pictures of the clownfish. So far 2 clown, 1 Midas, 1 tang and 1 helfrichi died one after another. Thinking it’s brook. And can it spread to other fish? I thought it only affects clownfish. Their colors started getting light, I sometimes see them scratching against the back glass, rock or sand. They still eat but after couple days passed they stay in a spot and gone the next day. There’s this mucus on them like their skin is peeling, fins started rotting. It last couple days before they died, I’d say a week or so.

 

[czoolander]

Have to get them out of the display into a hospital tank into copper treatment. You are probably too late sadly .

But copper treatment will be their best chance at survival !

 

[codenfx]

Have to get them out of the display into a hospital tank into copper treatment. You are probably too late sadly .

But copper treatment will be their best chance at survival !

Yeah I’m too late now. Wanted to see what outbreak is this.

 

[Sharkbait19]

Are the fish breathing fast or swimming into the flow? Is it a thick coat or individual spots?
Looks like brook to me but more info is needed to be 100%. It affects a lot of fish, but is most common in clowns.
You will want to treat fish with formalin in this case.

 

[czoolander]

Yeah I’m too late now. Wanted to see what outbreak is this.

Sorry to hear that. I am not a disease expert i just know velvet and brook are brutal tank killers. need to get them into copper treatment in a hospital tank at the first signs of disease. which sometimes is too late already as well.

The worst part of the hobby........ fish disease its awful sorry for your loss

 

[Lavey29]

If it looks like they are covered in powder dust it's brook. Which will infect all fish. Your tank will need to fallow for at least 45 days or longer.

 

[codenfx]

Are the fish breathing fast or swimming into the flow? Is it a thick coat or individual spots?
Looks like brook to me but more info is needed to be 100%. It affects a lot of fish, but is most common in clowns.
You will want to treat fish with formalin in this case.

They were breathing fast. Did not swim in overflow, usually stays in a spot. Looks like a coat. They’re hard to see individually.

 

[codenfx]

If it looks like they are covered in powder dust it's brook. Which will infect all fish. Your tank will need to fallow for at least 45 days or longer.

They do look like powdered dust. As if they were painted on and colors pale. Do these affect corals and inverts?

 

[czoolander]

They do look like powdered dust. As if they were painted on and colors pale. Do these affect corals and inverts?

brook and velvet only affect fish

But you need to treat the surviving fish in copper in a seperate tank because copper is death for corals and inverts

 

[codenfx]

brook and velvet only affect fish

But you need to treat the surviving fish in copper in a seperate tank because copper is death for corals and inverts

Got it.

 

[MnFish1]

So I’m losing about 1 fish per day. 5 already dead within a week. Trying to find out what parasite. I only have pictures of the clownfish. So far 2 clown, 1 Midas, 1 tang and 1 helfrichi died one after another. Thinking it’s brook. And can it spread to other fish? I thought it only affects clownfish. Their colors started getting light, I sometimes see them scratching against the back glass, rock or sand. They still eat but after couple days passed they stay in a spot and gone the next day. There’s this mucus on them like their skin is peeling, fins started rotting. It last couple days before they died, I’d say a week or so.

Without reading the read - I doubt its Brook. My guess its velvet - I would remove ALL of your fish to a hospital tank - and treat with copper. If someone else has said this all good - assuming you haven't followed a 30 day Qt program - with copper and Prazipro?

 

[MnFish1]

OK I read the rest - the fish - all of them - need to be treated - the knee-jerk reaction is 'if it's a clown - its brooklynella'. In this case - with multiple fish dead quickly - I am betting on velvet - in any case - copper per whatever protocol you want to follow (there is one at the top of the forum) - followed by Prazipro - would be my recommendation

 

[MnFish1]

If it looks like they are covered in powder dust it's brook. Which will infect all fish. Your tank will need to fallow for at least 45 days or longer.

Actually - I'm going to disagree with you. Velvet appears as a fine dusting over all the fishes surfaces - and Brook starts usually at the head - and spreads backwards. It does not tend to infect ALL fish quickly - unless they are in extremely poor health - though certain species - esp - clowns seem more susceptible. IMHO - this should be treated like velvet - not brooklynella - unless both are present in the tank - in which case they are both a huge problem

 

[Lavey29]

Actually - I'm going to disagree with you. Velvet appears as a fine dusting over all the fishes surfaces - and Brook starts usually at the head - and spreads backwards. It does not tend to infect ALL fish quickly - unless they are in extremely poor health - though certain species - esp - clowns seem more susceptible. IMHO - this should be treated like velvet - not brooklynella - unless both are present in the tank - in which case they are both a huge problem

Not in my tank

 

[Lavey29]

Actually - I'm going to disagree with you. Velvet appears as a fine dusting over all the fishes surfaces - and Brook starts usually at the head - and spreads backwards. It does not tend to infect ALL fish quickly - unless they are in extremely poor health - though certain species - esp - clowns seem more susceptible. IMHO - this should be treated like velvet - not brooklynella - unless both are present in the tank - in which case they are both a huge problem

Velvet symptoms

Symptoms

• Scratching against hard objects.
• Lethargy.
• Loss of appetite and weight.
• Loss of color.
• Rapid, labored breathing.
• Fins clamped against the body.
• Fine yellow or rusty colored film on the skin.
• In advanced stages, skin peels off.

His fish pics clearly show the clown covered in white mucous which is indicative of brook.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Agree with MnFish. . . This is brooklynella along with a secondary bacterial infection which occurs when Brook has become accelarated. The dots too large for velvet. Skin lesions appear and it is not uncommon for signs of secondary bacterial infections.
The most significant sign is the amount of slime on its body. The thick mucus on its body is a second sign which is noticeable on the fish. This mucus generally starts at the facial area as well as gills and spreads across the body producing lesions as it progresses often confused with ich and can turn into secondary bacteria. Other symptoms will be lethargic behavior, refusing to eat and heavy breathing from the mucus.
Typical treatment is a formalin solution is mixed with in a separate container with either fresh or saltwater. Start with a quick dip in the formalin at a higher concentration then performing treatment in a prolonged bath of formalin base at a lower concentration in a quarantine tank. The longer the fish are exposed to the formalin treatment the more effective it will be at eliminating this issue.
If a formalin solution is not available for immediate use, temporary relief can be achieved by giving the fish a FW bath or dip in water same temperature as display tank. 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.
Treatment is best done in a QT tank using either quick cure (more effective) or Ruby Rally Pro. Ruby takes a little longer and initial treatment generally takes 2-3 days to really start going to work.

 

[Lavey29]

Agree with MnFish. . . This is brooklynella along with a secondary bacterial infection which occurs when Brook has become accelarated. The dots too large for velvet. Skin lesions appear and it is not uncommon for signs of secondary bacterial infections.
The most significant sign is the amount of slime on its body. The thick mucus on its body is a second sign which is noticeable on the fish. This mucus generally starts at the facial area as well as gills and spreads across the body producing lesions as it progresses often confused with ich and can turn into secondary bacteria. Other symptoms will be lethargic behavior, refusing to eat and heavy breathing from the mucus.
Typical treatment is a formalin solution is mixed with in a separate container with either fresh or saltwater. Start with a quick dip in the formalin at a higher concentration then performing treatment in a prolonged bath of formalin base at a lower concentration in a quarantine tank. The longer the fish are exposed to the formalin treatment the more effective it will be at eliminating this issue.
If a formalin solution is not available for immediate use, temporary relief can be achieved by giving the fish a FW bath or dip in water same temperature as display tank. 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.
Treatment is best done in a QT tank using either quick cure (more effective) or Ruby Rally Pro. Ruby takes a little longer and initial treatment generally takes 2-3 days to really start going to work.

But he said it's velvet not brook?

 

[vetteguy53081]

But he said it's velvet not brook?

Oops- meant to say Disagree.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

So I’m losing about 1 fish per day. 5 already dead within a week. Trying to find out what parasite. I only have pictures of the clownfish. So far 2 clown, 1 Midas, 1 tang and 1 helfrichi died one after another. Thinking it’s brook. And can it spread to other fish? I thought it only affects clownfish. Their colors started getting light, I sometimes see them scratching against the back glass, rock or sand. They still eat but after couple days passed they stay in a spot and gone the next day. There’s this mucus on them like their skin is peeling, fins started rotting. It last couple days before they died, I’d say a week or so.

A short video might help, but the timeline points to brooklynella to me. Copper isn’t effective against that. Formalin is best, but hard to find. People have used ruby reef rally pro dips with mixed results. I hate to say it, but once fish loss has started with protozoan disease it is often difficult to stop it.
Jay

 

[Sebastiancrab]

Your fish might have a fighting chance if you also do a 10 minute saltwater dip with Ruby Reef Hydroplex. It's low stress and will kill the bugs on them. It saved 3 of mine.