Clownfish laying down and breathing rapidly

[AWillroth]

What you just explained is exactly what has happened to the 2nd clown and the wrasse. The first one was the only one flipping around and all of that because he was in his last hours.

 

Guys, I really don't think it's brook. There are no spots, lesions or slime at all. These fish are SKINNY and all have stopped eating. I'm even noticing the clown perking up a bit just 30 minutes after the prazi was introduced.

[Tamberav]

What you just explained is exactly what has happened to the 2nd clown and the wrasse. The first one was the only one flipping around and all of that because he was in his last hours.

 

Guys, I really don't think it's brook. There are no spots, lesions or slime at all. These fish are SKINNY and all have stopped eating. I'm even noticing the clown perking up a bit just 30 minutes after the prazi was introduced.

 

Them perishing so quickly and the wrasse being sick so fast doesn't sound like any internal parasite I have had to deal with. I hope you are right and this works for you though. It sucks to lose fish

[AWillroth]

The wrasse has been in the tank with the clown for a week now. Stayed looking skinny 3 days ago and speed eating today. I don't have any experience with parasites, but if there is a worm sucking up all its nutrition, that seems likea reasonable timeline.

[tibbsy07]

I still think brooklynella. They are skinny because any small lesion is causing them to lose water. The stringy poop you see may actually be increased mucus production and not poop. They don't necessarily have to be spots either, they can just sort of look opaque like they are covered in mucus or something. http://www.ultimatereef.com/articles/brooklynella/ Intestinal parasites usually don't cause such rapid weight loss as they don't grow that quickly, AND it's in their best interest to remain inside the living fish so they can get a constant food source. I'm betting brooklynella, especially as it seems to be hammering the clowns at your LFS mainly. Damselfish, notably clowns, are a natural reservoir in the wild.

 

Good luck!

[AWillroth]

It seems to be isolated to 3 if the 4 snowflakes the lfs got and bite my wrasse. Nothing else at the lfs has been symptomatic to this point and they have about 80 clowns at the moment. I have formalin. Should I give the clown a bath and see if it helps his breathing?

[AWillroth]

Damn, after reading that particular link, I think it may be. Still definitely not seeing any mucus or anything at all, but the clown does have the ragged fins.

[tibbsy07]

Here is some more info and treatment stuff http://www.fishchannel.com/fish-health/saltwater-conditions/brooklynellosis.aspx

[AWillroth]

Gonna give him a formalin bath and se if that helps. Unfortunately, I won't be able to set up any kind of long term qt tank any time soon ( like probably a Minh from now.)

[AWillroth]

Whelp, formalin offered him no relief and I lost him a couple hours later. Haven't seen the wrasse since morning. No idea what happened, but I guess I'm going fish less for a couple months and investing in a quarantine. Damn this sucks.

[Tamberav]

Sorry for the loss Brook is a quick killer. It prob took them out so fast that they didn't show a lot of outward symptoms. It can kill in just hours from the time it gets noticed

[AWillroth]

It's definitely brook. Guess I learned my lesson about quarantining but sucks hat it had to be with brook and not something more benign.

[AWillroth]

Haven't seen the wrasse in a bit. I dunno if he died in the rocks or if he's just hanging out dying somewhere. Is it worth tearing the aqua scape apart trying to find and possibly treat him, or should I just consider him lost and let my crabs take care of it?

[ragtimewilly]

I would find him, if he isn't dead start treating him. Sorry about the clowns try not to get too bummed out man, I've learned in a short time that in this hobby problems are inevitable if you decide to go on with the hobby you'll only get better at dealing with them.

[AWillroth]

I don't have much hope that the wrasse is even still alive. The clowns were gone within 24 hours after they stopped eating and it's been much longer than that for the wrasse. Beyond that, I don't have a qt to move the wrasse to after treatment, and with it being thanksgiving, I don't wanna spend my day trying to rescue a fish that deep down I know is too late. I guess, at least I learned a good lesson here, got some experience with trying to treat sick fish, and now I have formalin and prazipro on hand for any future problems.

[gulfsurfer101]

Yeah I'd just let nature take it's course and wait it out a few months tho let the parasite run its course and starve itself out before adding fish. I found excessive water changes help speed up this process. I had brook take out four of five of my clownfish. I treated formalin I'm a ten gallon with simple hob and was able to save my darwin clown and sixline so it wasn't a total loss. Hyposalinity also is another major factor to keep in mind when treating.

[AWillroth]

Just saw the wrasse. Still not eating and the wrasse looks super small but he's not having any of the breathing problems the clowns were. I feel bad not treating he wrasse, but as I said I'm not really equipped to, especially not today. How come major disasters always seem to happen during e worst times of year? Lol.

[kmaintl]

Sorry to hear you experience the worst... which is tank wipe out. My flight got cancelled and I've been trying to get home last 2 days, so haven't check your thread until now.

 

I spoke to some Bay Area Reefer (SF local reef club) and they received a SA Onyx donated by Aquatic Collection to the reef club swap meet. That fish almost wiped out all the other fishes in QT with him. Last I heard was it wiped more than a dozen clownfishes and not sure what else.

 

I just got back and Thanksgiving dinner, so will come back on forum tomorrow to read the rest of the thread more carefully.

[kmaintl]

still need to figure out what caused the deaths. was it brook or velvet as they both kills FAST. if brook, farrow for 2 months and if velvet farrow for 3 months minimum as i have seen velvet reoccur within a 3 month period. many breeders who has seen velvet would suggest the same, a 3 month minimum with no fishes in display tank.

 

my suggestion is to keep chloroquine phosphate, API general cure and PraziPro on your shelf for future quarantine. your 2.5gal tank will be perfect for it and you don't need much in terms of filtration. put a sponge filter in your sump or display and have it running all the time and if need for QT, you are ready with a piece of live rock from your sump or display tank and a heater.

 

CP is hard to get is why i carry it and sell it when people ask. you don't know how many people have bought this from me already.

 

http://kmaintl.com/p...t-category/misc

 

CP takes the guesswork on incoming fishes on whether it is ich, brook or velvet as it cures all 3 if caught early. i get fishes coming with ich and brook all the time, velvet not so often, but with CP, extremely minimal loss if any. Again, sorry for your loss, you know what to do next time on any new incoming fishes.

 

 

[AWillroth]

Ok, I would be ready to call this brook or marine velvet if it werent for the fact that zero other fish that are all in the same system at the fish store have been symptomatic to this point. Just my 2 clowns, and that one other snowflake at the store. My Wrasse's decline went a little differently from my clowns, and may have began before I even got the clowns, he always looked kind of skinny. So my question is, can anyone think of anything that wouldve taken down these fish that fast, yet not affected any of the other 80 clowns in the system?

[AWillroth]

Now Im having a bacteria bloom. This almost definitely means the wrasse is dead in the tank somewhere, right?

[AWillroth]

found the wrasse.....alive. currently investigating the possibility of stray voltage. Don't have a meter but switched my heater. We'll see.

[ninjamyst]

do you have a few pictures of your tank? maybe some of the folks here can find a clue by looking at your tank inhabitants and setup.

[Roshan8768]

Tough luck man... live and learn. Stuff like this can happen to anyone... just remember to QT next time and you should have better luck.

[AWillroth]

Today the Wrasse is 100% back to normal. Swimming around, hunting, and eating, after a steady week of doing nothing but hiding and not eating. I guess something was just stressing him.