Hi nano reefers. I need your help. Two days ago I noticed my clown had a white dot on the edge of the tail fin. This dot turned into a little chunk missing with a little white edge to it. By day three (today) I noticed his fin looked worse and the chunk has grown with more of a white fuzzy edge to it. There is also a streak of white coming from the affected area towards the base of the tail. I beleive it is a bacterial infection and that I need to treat him. He is in a fully mature reef tank that has been running for around three years maybe more. Parameters are stable and all other occupants are doing great. He is also still behaving normally and eating fine. I have a 2 1/2 gallon tank I can use as a quarintine tank. I am currently brewing up a fresh 5 gallon bucket of saltwater. I was planning on setting the small tank up with a heater and small powerfilter turned down to its lowest flow- no media just for circulation. What should I use to treat him and any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Is it possible to treat him in the display tank?

Thanks-
Joe

Try Maracyn or Maracyn 2. You can get this stuff at petsmart and petco so no need to wait. Setup your hospital tank with a little HOB filter (for oxgenation and water movement) or an airpump and airstone, put in a heater, and throw in your fish. Add the maracyn or marycn 2 tablets as suggested. As to which one you should use, its hard to say. Of course you never want to add this to your coral tank (never dose your display tank with any meds...mainly because this stuff has a tendency to stick around).

Here is alink to the meds at petsmart:

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753392
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753391

From what it says, perhaps maracyn 2 is what you want to use. Also note that there is a freshwater and a saltwater version for these meds. Not sure what the difference is but Id go with the saltwater just in case their is a solubility or other issues. Also dont run carbon in the HOB. The carbon will most likely remove the meds..

Thanks for the quick reply. I am going to do a 5 g w.c. then use the water from the display to set up the quarintine. I am going to do a full set of tests too. I am heading out to the fish store in a few hours to pick up medication. I will update this thread with my results for others to learn from. Definitly no carbon in the filter just a bag of denitrate. thanks for the info and keep it coming.

wow a very informative reply.

Quarintine tank is ready. Did a full set of tests found nothing unusual. Could only get freshwater version of Maracyn 2 but was told there was not much difference between the fresh and salt versions except the salt version has B vitamins in it. Feed perky last night some Selcon enriched brine. Going to put the poor little bugger in purgatory in a little while after I do the W.C. Directions say to treat for five days and not to repeat the treatment so I am guessing after the treatment I can return him to the display. On a good note it seems his tail has not wosened since last night. Oh yeah, I am just going to run the sponge in the powerfilter.

You should give it a good two weeks to heal before you return your clown to the display. You don't want to treat the tail rot and then put him right back into the display it could just worsen the situation.

Yeah I would agree...also make sure you put in a piece of PVC pipe or a little elbow for your fish to rest in..so he doesnt feel so exposed. Keep the bottom bare. Plus having him in a small tank will allow you to better watch him and to make sure he is eating. Once you put him back in the tank, its unlikely that it will be as easy to net him the second time. Fish get smart

put something black (construction paper) whatever..on the bottom so he doesn't freak out on his reflection so much.

under the tank of course.. der

Awesome suggestions, thanks. My only question is whether using freshwater maraycin2 is bad. I called the number on the box and the person told me it is not recomended but gave no reason other than the dosage is reduced by half for the salwater version. Any experience?

Talked to LFS guru and he assured me the freshwater maracyn 2 was fine he did however state to DOUBLE the dosage. I didn't double but rounded up slightly. I added a piece of PVC,a branch of dead coral skeleton, and a large snail shell for cover. I also put black construction paer around three sidesand bottom. Going to add Perky now. Also have been watching my cleaner shrimp working overtime on Perkys tail- kinda cool to see him in action and my clown just letting him pick at his tail.

Just a quick update. Treated Perky for the five days and he is looking great! His tail still has the "chunk" missing but it seems to be smaller and there is NO white at all. It seems to be healing but it is hard to tell 100 percent. I did a 50 percent waterchange in the hospital tank right before I added day 3 's medicine to the tank. I have been checking ammonia and nitrates and have detected none (API). I have also fed Perky twice in the hospital tank and he ate like a champ. I am going to do another 1 gallon w.c. and am considering just leaving him in the hospital tank for a few more days before reintroducing him. The other option is to repeat the treatment for another 5 days cycle. What do you guys recomend?

Update: Treatment succesful!

Well, I decided to be safe and did a second round of medication (another five days of treatment). Perky spent a total of two weeks in the hospital tank. His tail is looking great, it has started to grow back and is clear of any white. It is "clean" looking again. So he is back in the main tank happily surfing the currents and nestling in his favorite hammer coral. Thanks guys for all the help and maybe this thread will help someone else with a similar problem.

Have to revive this thread again because litlle guy's tail is again infected with tail rot. Un fortunatly Perk is wise to the old "bait and switch" with the net. I have a hospital tank ready to go but catching him is proving near impossible. My question is for the wise folks of NR Is there a "reef safe" medication for treating a bacterial infection such as tail rot? Last time i used the Maracyn it cleared up but it looks like I am going to have to cross my fingers and medicate the tank with possible Furan or Furisome (or simialr)? Any suggestions appreciated

Just wanted to help with a friendly bump since I don't have an answer



hope the little guy pulls through

I am a newb and can't help you out, but, I have a similar problem with my maroon clown, and was wondering what size QT tank is acceptable? It seems to me like 2 1/2 gall. is way too small...??