Cloudy clownfish

[jeffmr4]

I recently set up a mini reef tank and have two ocellaris clownfish hosting in a long tentacle anemone. I've only had them for a few days but I did have some bad parameters one day and after doing a couple of water changes corrected them. The water changes I did with two different kinds of water so there was some fluctuation there. I'm guessing they're stressed from the move, the ammonia and nitrites that were there for a short time and the fluctuation in parameters.

 

The tank started at and then fluctuated to and then to

 

salinity 1.025 1.023

pH 8.2 7.8 8.0

ammonia 0 .25 to .50 0

nitrites 0 a little 0

nitrates 0 somewhere between 5 and 20 0 - 5

alkalinity 14 12.5

calcium 440

phosphates 0

temperature 76-77

 

This is approximately what happened. I did one 50% water change with petco's seawater which has a salinity of 1.025 and hardness of 14 and one 25% water change with a fish store's water which has a salinity of 1.022 and hardness of 5. Unfortunately, I don't have the ability to mix my own water or get it from any other place right now.

 

Since those changes, they haven't seemed very active. One of them has lost some of its coloring and rests in the anemone from time to time. I mean rests as in lays in it. I'm not sure if its my light but they look like they have some greyness in them. Their fins are not up and they are not eating very much. (I feed them ocean nutrition 2 flakes in the morning and mysis shrimp and bloodworms in the evening.) The one that has lost its color seems like it has more of the greyness than the other one.

 

Are they just stressed and will bounce back or do I need to be worried about a parasite or bacterial infection? I wondered if maybe they lost some of their slime protection.

 

Thanks.

[Squared]

I doubt it has to do with your saltwater, fish are for the most part not that sensitive to changes in salinity.

 

Can you get picks? From the cloudiness and listless behavior you described, sounds like it could be brook or velvet. If that is the case these clowns need treatment ASAP.

 

Reference google images to help in your diagnosis.

[jeffmr4]

Here they are,

 

https://goo.gl/photos/AZQWnai77fDEk5up7

[jeffmr4]

I think it might be velvet. It is progressing very rapidly. From what little I've read, there's not a lot that can be done. All pet stores around me are closed now and I don't have the resources to properly treat them. I'll be surprised if they last the night.

[ReefWeeds]

I think the ammonia spike most likely stressed them and brought about whatever is going on. Sorry for the rapid decline

[Squared]

That is most definitely brookynella. Yep sorry to say but without treatment they are goners.

 

If they do survive the night however (hopefully you read the threads I linked you) get ready for a struggle.

 

Or if you end up having to start over, I would not set anything up until you are able to mix your own saltwater. alk of 14 and 5 is a bit extreme..

 

good luck

[jeffmr4]

Thank you for the identification and support. I don't know if it will work but I have some old Kordon Ich Attack ich treatment. It says it treats ich, protozoans, dinoflagellates and ciliates of which brooklynella is the last. I haven't been able to find anywhere online where someone has used this specific treatment but they did use Kordon Rid-Ich Plus which seems like its an extension of this. Maybe it will work. The active ingredient is herbal ingredients containing Naphthoquinone. It does says that if I have any anemones or polyps, if they are not in good health they may not survive. I have a green star polyps and a long tentacle anemone but I think they are in good health.

[jeffmr4]

That picture with the fish next to the pump. The pump is not on. Right now one fish is swimming by the anemone and the sicker one is swimming around the surface. I'm not sure if that is because he is deprived of oxygen from his gills being infected or one of the illnesses was light affected. I have a moonlight.

[jeffmr4]

Both dead.

[Tamberav]

Both dead.

Sorry to hear... Velvet and brook are such fast killers that you basically need to already own the right meds and have them on hand as pet stores don't really carry the right thing or are never open when we need them. Not much you could have done probably.

 

Be sure not to add any fish for 8 to 12 weeks.