Sick Clownfish

[gmerek2]

I bought 2 clownfish and got them in the mail a few days ago. One is eating like a pig. the other ate 1-2 brine shrimp the first couple days and did not eat yesterday. When the sick one came in the mail, had good color, swimming normal but had a red spot near mouth. I attached pictures of the sick fish when first arrived. I placed them in my 10g quarantine tank immediatly and emailed fish store. Of course they emailed me back and said ORA diagnosed this as an abrasion and to do nothing. That made me angry because I knew darn well it wasnt and expressed that in my email. Today I did a bunch of research. Googled red spot lower jaw etc. Pretty much the reefcentral fourms all lead to dead fish or fourm with no ending. Luckily today I found a very good blog on brooklynella. This morning I woke up for work and checked on the clowns. Healthy fish still healthy and sick fish is starting to get slightly white or cyanotic lips with first signs of minor trouble breathing. Fish still has energy and not lethargic yet. My wife is not a fish person so I didnt trust her with doing a Formalin bath. Im at work for 24hours and need to buy time so I very kindly asked her if she felt comfortable doing a freshwater dip. She did it and stated that the red spot detached itself and sunk to the bottom of the container. This is good news. Ill keep yall updated. I will also have to treat the healthy clown and QT water for swimmers so it will be a long journey before they see their tank. Im going to follow the directions to this blog and consider any advice you all may have. Im also looking for some live food to feed fish. I live in frederick. http://www.chucksaddiction.com/brookynella.html

[gmerek2]

Pictures

[flooddc]

Sorry! I don't have much experience with SW fish. Looks like you're on the right track. Where did you order it? I know Liveaquaria is pretty good with their customer service. Hope it pull through! GL

 

Thanks for your service! 

[Cliff Puckstable]

Can you seperate the two fish in qt? I'm not a fan of medicine dips for fish. I've never done it and probably never will. I don't like stressing fish more than they already are. Try feeding frozen cyclops. It always works for stubborn eaters, IME.

[gmerek2]

I have two 10g QT tanks. The fish came in the mail in the same water bag so both have to be treated now and both have to be considered infected. Im not a fan of any kind of dip but if you see a poor helpless fish not eat and begin to gasp for air its time to try something other than feeding live food and taking away stressors to boost immune system. I copy and pasted this "TREATMENT METHODS: Formalin is the only treatment that is effective against this parasite and it can be used with scaleless fish also, but at half the recommended dosage. ALL fish should be placed into a quarantine tank for no less than 6 weeks, never added straight to your show tank. The same can be said of anything that is "wet"." Although I am going to research more on hyposalinity as the treatment. This blogger reccomends the formalin dip then hyposalinity to kill off the swimmers still in QT. That sounds like an aggressive way to handle the disease. It looks like hyposalinity will be an easier, but longer more healthy way for the fish to recover. It looks like he may be wrong and that hyposalinity alone can be the cure. Thanks for that cyclops idea ill give that a try!! Thanks chuck this will be my last order off saltwaterfish com their customer services is terrible

[Tracy G]

Also try to feed http://www.quantumreefs.com/Nutramar-Ova-Fish-Food-100g_p_45923.html. Quantum Reefs stock it and fish go nuts for it. Will help keep them strong during QT

 

 

[dbartco]

Good food and water conditions. Don't let ammonia etc. build up in the qt tank.  Can be quick if this was a bare tank.

 

Not sure if I would say brook for that spot. Brook treatments are harsh on the fish. Maybe it was some parasite, but brook not that large. Scab? Designer clowns captive raised typically not having "wild" parasitic infections such as brook

 

Keep us updated.

[gmerek2]

Healthy clownfish still eating like a pig sick clown still not eating and still not as active. color seems better. also don't think it's brook now. Red spot looks much better but still there. Breathing rate more rapid than healthy fish. Ill be suprised if he is alive in the morning. I'm starting slow process of hypo salinity now. I read that hypo only cures MI so I'm just shooting in the dark at this point.

[Der ABT]

id be looking at internal parasits

try a prazi treatment and probably some erythromycin since they are both farily easy on the fish and easy to do.

 

i know its probably hard being in fredrrick with no good LFS that i know about, hopefully one of our locals can help with some possibilities, i know many of the owners/operators are VERY good with fish issues.

[Cliff Puckstable]

I have prazipro, paraguard, and cupramine all brand new never opened. I bought them to have on hand when I was really into designer clowns last year. I am never going to use them. I also have different types of frozen that you could try. PM if interested.

[gmerek2]

Thanks for the offer. I might try some prazi even though its probably too late. I'm just going to pick some up at LFS.

[dbartco]

Say Hi to Rick (if that is where you go), we met him down in FL at MACNA!

[gmerek2]

The fish just ate 20-30 live brine shrimp! I'm going to diagnose him as acclimation and shipping shock along with being picky eater. I won't lie though I did dip him in formalin and it may have helped. It nearly killed him too though so no more dips I'm going to fatten him up and boost immune with live shrimp. One question can I boost ph safely with this 8.4 stuff. My ph for the quarantine tank tested 7.6 ammonia was fine. I am going through with hyposalinity and slowly lower it every day.

[gmerek2]

Oh and thanks Tracy for recommending different food. He won't touch frozen brine.

[gmerek2]

Here is the 8.4 stuff not sure if its safe for QT during hypo

[Der ABT]

if he is going for live bring you can put the brine in water with meds for a while prior to feeding that way he can get some prazi or whatever...

[gmerek2]

Ok not a bad idea. That way I can try something other than hypo. Looks like he will pull through. Eating like a horse all the sudden

[Mattiejay6]

I would not do hypo.. I would def. try prazi because this definately looks like something more internal then external.. Make sure your water params are all good to go before you start any meds.. Want to keep the clown stress down. If you can put your QT in a less traveled area that will help too.. Or wrap the tank sides so he really can't see anything to get scared...

 

Paragaurd and cupramine are both awesome products but not for internal problems either..

 

If he is eating good now make sure you supplement his food with garlic and Selcon :-)

 

Do you see any other signs other than the red dot? Is he acting weird or doing anything weird? Breathing heavy? See anything else on him? Has the spots got worse since your original post? Gotten any bigger spread any?

[Mattiejay6]

The fish just ate 20-30 live brine shrimp! I'm going to diagnose him as acclimation and shipping shock along with being picky eater. I won't lie though I did dip him in formalin and it may have helped. It nearly killed him too though so no more dips I'm going to fatten him up and boost immune with live shrimp. One question can I boost ph safely with this 8.4 stuff. My ph for the quarantine tank tested 7.6 ammonia was fine. I am going through with hyposalinity and slowly lower it every day.

How long did you dip him for/how did you prepare the dip? What do you mean it nearly killed him?

 

Formalin is very stressful on fish.. It's poison. But this it is great.. There is a new product called safety stop which has formalin and malachite blue but it isn't as harsh.. Diluted down some.. For 2 45 minute baths.

 

And also if the was a big Ph difference between what he was shipped in and your water and the dip that could play another role in this.

Edited September 13, 2013 by Mattiejay6

[gmerek2]

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nzMO4XaYmnc

[smallreef]

I had a VERY dumb trigger once...for 2 years the only thing it would eat was shrimp heads... And I had to ho,d them for her...I couldn't just drop them in the tank...she LOVED my locline....weird...

 

Hopefully you just have a dumb fish,lol

[Cliff Puckstable]

That's one handsome sf. My sf sometimes isn't interested in eating for a day, but then will go ham the next. Proceed with normal feedings. I'm sure he'll be just fine.

[gmerek2]

That is a YouTube video of the sick clown. He is doing much better but still acting weird. Itching gills on bottom of tank (in video) coughing/yawning, Less appetite. Possibly red gills. I think the brine shrimp have boosted his immune system to where he is somewhat better. Previous symptoms : increased respiration rate, less active. I started prazipro today canceled hyposalinity.

[s2nhle]

He seems to be fine. I bought two cardinals at the same time at pet store. One eat everything flake, pellets, frozen food, nori, etc.  the other just purely frozed food. I rotate the kind of food every day. and the picky eater just not eating other food beside frozen ones.  It has been like that for year and half now. 

[flooddc]

Glad to see it getting better.