Hello, I have a true percula that appears to be growing some type of fungus or other parasite in patches around his body. It's difficult to describe, and I'm sure near impossible to photograph. Does anybody have any ideas on what it could be or how to treat it? It seems to be getting worse. I've noticed it progressing over the last week and a half or so. In some patches it's a darker color than his natural orange. On his white spots it's slightly bubbly but still white.
Please help, my clown has a disease
- Thread starter Methuse
- Start date
Help Support Reef Aquarium & Tank Building Forum:
wrightme43
Well-known member
LOL brooklynella, is also called clownfish disease. Have you studied up on freshwater dips, or formallin dips, or some of the other dips. If it is brook, it can be real trouble. I understand it is hard to get out of a tank. Quarenteen is really the only answer when you start investing the kind of money to do a reef tank. Just my opinon. Terry is the man when it comes to fish. Do what he tells you to do and you have the best chance available. HTH Steve
So what should I do Terry? I just finished reading up on formalin dips, etc and am not sure if it's better to just drop my Yellow Tang, 2 X Percs, 2X Firefish into my 50gallon QT tank or just dip the clown that has the problem. It seems that some sites indicate that if they haven't had the affliction they could be robust enough to not succumb to the condition or are maybe immune to it. What's better let my affect perc sit in the 50gallon at lower dosage for a month, or put him through additional stress by pulling him out three times over three weeks to dip him in greater concentration of the formalin?
The first step is to identify the problem before treatment. If the fish has brooklynella then you probably do not need to treat the other fish. A series of three formalin dips, one every third day, is the best treatment. Read this link about how to use formalin correctly.
http://www.marineaquariumadvice.com/formaldehyde_friend_or_foe.html
HTH,
Terry B
http://www.marineaquariumadvice.com/formaldehyde_friend_or_foe.html
HTH,
Terry B
Terry thanks so much. That does help, but identification is not my forte. Neither is photography. I've tried taking pictures of the fish, but they all turn out either very dark or very blurry with him moving around all over the place. I've only got an old 2.1mp elph. I understand what you're saying about the dips, but is that more stressful on the fish to be fetching him in and out of the tank numerous times only to be put in less than hospitipal conditions with a moderately high concentration of formalin? Right now he is swimming merrily in a 50gallon QT tank in my garage with the recommended dosage on the bottle. I figure this way I'll leave him in there longer, but at a lower concentration. In my mind this was put the fish through less stress. Wouldn't you agree? Maybe at best what I can do is at some point take him out of the QT tank into a dip bath to then finally be placed back into the main tank? I'm still not really sure if it's brooklynella or not though. It started out looking more like abrasions on him, the on his orange sections it kinda of darkened up a bit. On his white areas the scales have kind of bubbled up, but it's staying white. Does that help at all in diagnosing?
Formalin in your tank will kill the biological filter. Your fish is swimming in in embalming fluid. I do not recommend using formalin (formaldehyde) as a long term treatment. I only use it in 45 minute baths. If you want to know more about stress in fish then I have several articles in the library on my Website about the subject. I do not agree that keeping the fish in a tank that contains formaldehyde is less stressful than a 45 minute dip every third day for a total of three treatment. I also find the dips to be more effective.
How is the fish doing right now? Is it eating? Does it seem to be lethargic?
There are other possible causes than brooklynella such as uronema or bacterial infection (vibrio in particular with clowns and damsels), but I don't have enough info on your fish to make a guess.
Terry B
How is the fish doing right now? Is it eating? Does it seem to be lethargic?
There are other possible causes than brooklynella such as uronema or bacterial infection (vibrio in particular with clowns and damsels), but I don't have enough info on your fish to make a guess.
Terry B
Okay duly(sp?) noted. Right now the fish is doing better than I had anticipated. Not to say that his visual blemishes have gotten noticeably better but his behavior seems unchanged from the main tank, and that behavior was normal. Normal respiration, normal balance, normal appetite. I'll try to get some pictures today of him. I should be able to get 1 or 2 out of the 128 my memory card holds that should show you something. thanks for your help on this.
Okay, first of all these pictures suck. However maybe there is a slight chance that they are better than no pictures at all. Have a look at him here, believe it or not these are the best pictures of him I could get. I've tried the macro setting on the camera and everything, but I just can't get a decent pic from this distance away from the subject.
http://bcraig.isa-geek.com:8080/Fis...lery=SickNemo&submitted=1&Submit1=View+Photos
http://bcraig.isa-geek.com:8080/Fis...lery=SickNemo&submitted=1&Submit1=View+Photos
Similar threads
