Pair of Ocellaris with white splotches

[TopNotch]

Ive had my tank set up for years now... For the past year I have been too busy to take care of it, so I've been only keeping inverts...

Parameters are near perfect. 10ppm nitrates.

So I figure I'll throw a pair of juv. Ocellaris in there for alittle excitement. I tried to pick out the most healthy looking pair. However when I got them home on saturday I noticed what appears to be a white raised 'scrape' on a white vertical bar. Do'H.

It hasnt spread at all. The fish appear healthy, and act normal... And are eating. If it is a disease, is it possible that in a stress-free environment.... that they will get better on their own with no medication? I do not want to add medication and I do not have a quarentine tank (I dont have a digital camera either)

Any disease ID? or other info or help... thanks in advance!

 

[elpescado]

Close-up photos please?

 

[Kevin1000]

Any symptoms other than the white scrape? Is the clown eating OK, no rapid breathing? Does the white scrape look anything like excess mucas?

Might be a slight injury from netting? With a clown my first concern would be to rule out brooklynella.

 

[TopNotch]

Well we are going on a week now.... They eat right out of my hand, happy as anything. The one has already become dominant, and the subordinate is doing the ol "transsexual" shake.

No rapid breathing, no darting, or scratching. The raised white areas certainly look 'fleshy'. The smaller fish appears to have some of the white area disapating. I dont know... I think its just a 'wait and see'. I wish I had a digital camera to show you guys.

The other group of Ocellaris in another tank at the store had numerous individuals with the white areas. But there were also like 25 per tank. So I opted for the healthier looking tank. Oh well, I hope they dont take a turn for the worse.

Is there a common illness for tank raised Ocellaris??? Thanks!

 

[Kevin1000]

Common illness for all clowns is brooklynella - doesn't matter is there tank raised since Brook spreads through the wholesaler distribution system and can infect both wild and tank raised.

 

[TopNotch]

Well they have definitely gotten better! Water quality is still exceptional, and im am trying to feed minimally to keep waste down until I can give more water changes on Sunday.

I feel it is definitely Brooklynella. Some areas have reduced in size. Have people had luck with ridding disease without medication?

 

[Kevin1000]

If you have brook you should definitely treat. Brook can kill fish quicker than any other disease I have encountered. Get some formalin and give the fish a bath.

Heres a link on brook
http://www.petsforum.com/personal/trevo ... nella.html

Heres a link on formalin bath
http://www.petsforum.com/personal/trevo ... baths.html

Good luck

 

[TopNotch]

This all looks like a simple dip... However, Im always scared to over-stress the fish...Since stress causes the infection to take hold.

Well nothing I can do until Sunday night... Any tips you have for me? IS ALL FORMALIN THE SAME? What brand should I get? Is there varying strengths? How long can expect the infection to last, after treatment (considering ideal conditions)?

Thanks for all the info. I hate losing fish so quickly after purchasing them, at least I may have a shot.

 

[Kevin1000]

Heres a link to a thread I started over at ReefCentral disease forum about formalin baths - might help.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthrea ... ost2732238

 

[TopNotch]

From what other articles say it hits hard and fast. Ive seen ich kill fish faster than what I have now...Especially since they are showing no adverse symptoms, and damage has diminished...I am planning two dips (one sunday evening and one monday evening). Then make a decision for Wed, Thurs, Friday for more dips. Definitely going to shoot for doing the dip in darkness and try to keep the stress at an absolute minimum.

Thanks for the link... The only product mentioned was "Dr. Fosters & Smith - just says Formalin made by Aquarium Products".

Are there other products that may be better?

 

[Kevin1000]

kordon's formalin 3 is a 3% solution and probably more available at LFS's - if you follow instructions it should work the same as the std. 37% solution.

 

[TopNotch]

So just dose proportionally.... Augh, Im scared.... Its not the dollar amount of the fish, its just the fact that I hate killing my fish. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks for all your help!

 

[TopNotch]

So I went away this weekend...

Bought 2 bottles of 37% Formalin. Came home after two days...And the blotches are diminishing even more. Some are still on the fin where the original blotch was, however it has really gotten smaller!

I am going to hold off on the Formalin dip... as to not stress out the fish while they are on the mend! I am going to do a water change bright and early tomorrow morning though before the lights come on, so the fish are still sleepy.

Good water quality, and a stress-free environment can fight off Brooklynella. I hope that this trend continues. Thanks for your help!

-TopNotch[/i]

 

[Kevin1000]

Well thats great news!

If the fish are not having trouble breathing (ie rapid breathing) you might be OK. Brook tends to kill quickly when it infects the gills - fish ends up sufficating.

I give all of my fish a mild prophilatic formalin bath prior to putting them in QT as a std. procedure. As such I am probably less concerned about formalin than most.

Good luck.

 

[TopNotch]

Is Formalin a cure-all type medication? What else can it treat?

 

[Kevin1000]

I suspect there is no "cure all" medication out there. I use because it is effective against brook and many parasitic worms (flatworms, flukes etc)

 

[Anonymous]

If your fish are eating fine... I wouldn't worry about it. When brook, crypto, or amyloodinium strikes, your fish stop eating. Don't dump stuff into your tank unless you absolutely have to. It will mess up other eco stuff.
~wings~

 

[Anonymous]

Feed food in garlic and selcon. A cleaner shrimp MAY help.

 

[Anonymous]

Yup...natural is always better.
~wings~