Best way to treat Brooklynella- Please help!

[blueocean8]

I think my clowfish may have died from brooklynella, from an Anthias that was bought on-line =(. Does anyone have experience in treating Brooklynella?
What's the best way to go about doing this? We have a 55 gallon tank, two tangs, koran angelfish, one clown (now), three stripe damsel, wrasse, 3 coral, 2 anenomes, little green crab and a fire shrimp, with about 40 pounds of live rock.

And of course my fiance hasn't taken the dead clownfish out of the tank yet!

 

[finksmart]

Sorry for your loss. I just lost a royal gamma to ich and it sucks.

How do you know it's Brooklynella? For 55g your tank has a heavy bioload and 40lbs of live rock is too little. I would double that. I have a 90 gallon with more than 150lbs of live rock and less fish than you and my skimmer still pulls black gunk out of the water. Do you have a skimmer? I suspect water quality may be to blame. Also there are articles on diseases on wetwebmedia.com, reefkeeping.com, and reefcentral.com may lend you some knowledge.

 

[KathyC]

I would suggest you get that dead clown out of the tank immediately.
It is destroying your water quality even further by increasing ammonia in the tank which is about the worst thing you can do right now.
It sounds like a major water change is in order as fish treated for Brooklynella are returned to the display tank.

What kind of tangs are in this tank? Eight fish, inlcuding 2 tangs is major overload for a 55g tank and that causes stress.

One of the causes of Brooklynella is stress..see link & please follow the directions to the letter!
Brooklynella is extremely deadly and it kills fast, you have no time to waste in beginning treatment.

http://atj.net.au/marineaquaria/brooklynella.html

Good luck to you, please keep us updated.

 

[KathyC]

Also curious to know why you think it's Brooklynella?
How soon after you got the Anthias did it die and what symptoms did you see?
Did your clown show any signs of illness, if so, what were they?

It is very important to arrive at a proper diagnosis before beginning treatment as frequently the treatment itself can kill, especially if you are treating for the wrong illness.

Fish should always be QT'd before being added to a your tank.

 

[blueocean8]

Someone said it may be brooklynella. I have a Blue tang and a yellow tang.
We had the Anthias for maybe 4 days and it died. The symptoms of the Anthias was just that he didn't come out, didn't eat and hid under a rock, you could see it's gills rapidly moving compared to the other fish.
When we bought the two clown fish. They came from separate tanks the one that is alive is a vibrant orange the one that died wasn't as vibrant from the date of purchase the guy at the fish store said that could be from the different levels in salinity that they came from. He was fine until after the Anthias died. He started really hanging around the anenome more then normal, stayed in the back of the tank behind the live rock which for him wasn't normal. I didn't notice and white slime on him. Now that he is dead he looks to have a whitish tinge.
See we thought that amount of fish was ok as per what the guys at the fish store said.
So how many fish total would you all reccommend for a 55 gallon tank?
We don't have a skimmer. We have a wet/dry filter.

 

[KathyC]

Anthias are known for sudden death in fish tanks. I assume he also came from a LFS? Any idea how long they had the fish in their tank and did you ask them to feed it (so you could see whether it was actively eating) prior to purchase?

Both of the clowns should have been vibrant, different salinity levels or not. Did you acclimate any of these fish to your tank?

Just a heads up..fish need to be:
A- QT'd before adding them to your tank
B- acclimated properly to the salinity & temp of your tank
C- added slowly or your bioload cannot keep up with the additions and your ammonia level will go off the charts

Have you tested your water parameters? All of them? (Ammonia, Nitrate, nitrite, Ca, Alk, Mg....) What is your temp & salinity?

Not to be harsh but with no skimmer on this tank and only 40 pounds of live rock in there, you are heading for a total wipeout of your fish as you don't have much of a bio-filter going on. The load needs to be reduced asap so this doesn't happen.

How long has this tank been set up? Was it properly cycled?

I would not treat for Brooklynella at this point as you may well not have it. Just because the fish looks white-ish after death, doesn't signify Brooklynella. You may possibly be dealing with ich, but until you see clear symptoms of it, I would not treat at all.
I still believe you need to do a major water change (test your parameters before & after!) in the neighborhood of 50%.

IMO, I'd return or sell the 2 tangs to start, they product copius amounts of poop that your system cannot handle. The Koran Angel is also way too large a fish for your tank and should be re-homed too.
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=16&cat=1879&articleid=2008

What kind of wrasse do you have?

It's always best to research fish before you purchase them to be sure that you can provide the proper environment for them to be able to thrive. Many of the fish you have purchased are inappropriate for the size tank you have. Is the LFS giving you this advice?

 

[finksmart]

First of all change as much water as possible. Then,

1. Sounds like u don't have a test kit. Get a test kit.
2. Ditch the filter media in the wet/dry and throw a skimmer in there ASAP.
3. Get more live rock.
4. On the fish, for starter the tangs have to go. Minimum for them is 75g and some people would even say 100 - 120. It depends on the size. But 55g is no place for any tang to chill in. The blue tang especially since it's an open ocean swimmer as well. In addition, tangs poop like crazy and w/o a skimmer and proper amount of live rock your tank is not suitable for these high maintenance fish. Imagine yourself swimming in your own poop all day, it's not good.
5. I would stop going to the LFS guy for advice he's full of sh!t. The best advice comes from people on this forum.

Good luck.

 

[finksmart]

And yeah, whatever Kathy said as well. Lol.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Do not treat for anything yet. Post water parameters for your tank. Also please post info about your tank. Size and bioload and set up date are important. Pics as well. You also need to slow down with the adding of fish to your tank and make sure you acclimate them thoroughly I prefer drip acclimation. QT all new fish and observe them for a period of at least 2 weeks before adding them to your display tank.

Make sure you have good test kits as well.

 

[blueocean8]

Anthias are known for sudden death in fish tanks. I assume he also came from a LFS? Any idea how long they had the fish in their tank and did you ask them to feed it (so you could see whether it was actively eating) prior to purchase?

Both of the clowns should have been vibrant, different salinity levels or not. Did you acclimate any of these fish to your tank?

Just a heads up..fish need to be:
A- QT'd before adding them to your tank
B- acclimated properly to the salinity & temp of your tank
C- added slowly or your bioload cannot keep up with the additions and your ammonia level will go off the charts

Have you tested your water parameters? All of them? (Ammonia, Nitrate, nitrite, Ca, Alk, Mg....) What is your temp & salinity?

Not to be harsh but with no skimmer on this tank and only 40 pounds of live rock in there, you are heading for a total wipeout of your fish as you don't have much of a bio-filter going on. The load needs to be reduced asap so this doesn't happen.

How long has this tank been set up? Was it properly cycled?

I would not treat for Brooklynella at this point as you may well not have it. Just because the fish looks white-ish after death, doesn't signify Brooklynella. You may possibly be dealing with ich, but until you see clear symptoms of it, I would not treat at all.
I still believe you need to do a major water change (test your parameters before & after!) in the neighborhood of 50%.

IMO, I'd return or sell the 2 tangs to start, they product copius amounts of poop that your system cannot handle. The Koran Angel is also way too large a fish for your tank and should be re-homed too.
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=16&cat=1879&articleid=2008

What kind of wrasse do you have?

It's always best to research fish before you purchase them to be sure that you can provide the proper environment for them to be able to thrive. Many of the fish you have purchased are inappropriate for the size tank you have. Is the LFS giving you this advice?

We bought the Anthias and a clown fairy wrasse from nyaquatics.com. So I don't know how long they had either fish. My fiance acclimated fish to the tank by floating the bag in the tank to adjust to temperature, then after 10 minutes poked a holes in the bag so the water can mix. I have heard there is a drip method to doing this, but he didn't do it because the guy from the fish store made it sound confusing and of course I wasn't there to confirm what was said. He brought the water in to be tested this past monday and everything was fine. After leaving the fish in overnight he will have to get the water tested again.
The temperature of the water is 80-82. Salinity is fine. I just talked to my fiance and he said the is about 60 pounds of live rock not 40. Which is probably to little still. How do we switch over from the wet/dry filter to the skimmer? Does he have to take everything out in order to do this? Again he went with the wet/dry filter because that's what the stupid guy in the store told him to do. The tank total has been around for 2 1/2 months.
He let the tank cycle for a month before adding livestock.

The blue tang is very small maybe about an inch in length. Should we still get rid of him? The yellow tang on the other hand is an adult and the koran angerl is a juvenile but about 3 inches in length. So definitely getting rid of those two, maybe I should get rid of the clown fairy wrasse instead of the little blue tang? What do you think?

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Never let the dealers water mix with the water in your tank. Drip method is easy all you need is a bucket, some airline tubing and to be able to tie a granny knot.

 

[blueocean8]

Do not treat for anything yet. Post water parameters for your tank. Also please post info about your tank. Size and bioload and set up date are important. Pics as well. You also need to slow down with the adding of fish to your tank and make sure you acclimate them thoroughly I prefer drip acclimation. QT all new fish and observe them for a period of at least 2 weeks before adding them to your display tank.

Make sure you have good test kits as well.

I don't have water parameters because he takes the water to the store to get tested. The size of the tank is a 55 gallon. How do I know what my bioload is? The tank is been up and running for a total of about 2 1/2 months, the tank cycled for a month with no livestock. Had water tested everything looked good, algae was growing on the live rock so we bought the two clown fish and blue tang.
How do I set up a quarantine tank? Is this something that I should have running all the time in case I need to put a fish in it? I have to learn about the drip acclimation.
I am going to post pictures tonight when I get home this evening. So you guys can see what is going on.

To Everyone: I appreciate all of you helping me. I truly do.

 

[blueocean8]

What tester kit do you reccommend?

 

[georgelc86]

Hi, bio-load is AKA for what fish do you have. Sometimes we all get a little over zealous here and like to throw out technical terms for things. So with that said whats in the your tank? What kind of fish? Do you have rocks in the tank? Is there sand? Do you have hermit crabs? Etc etc... You should at least have a thermometer in or on your tank. If you do whats the temperature?

As for test kits, since you dont have live corals in the tank your really concerned with pH, Ammonia (especially this one) Nitrite and Nitrate. Those are you base test that should be conducted. There are test out there that people will say are the best while someone else with say its worthless. Salifert is a good brand of test but not readily available in most stores. Just try to buy the best quality test kit that your budget will allow. Personally I use Aquarium Pharmasucial test kits for the basic stuff I just listed.

Drip acclimation is basically this, get a 5 gallon bucket and airline tubing (the stuff you would use for air stones). What your going to do is take the tubeing and put a simple knot in it but dont completely tug on the knot to that you close the tube. Place one end of the tube in your fish tank and the other end into the bucket. Empty the bag into the bucket, make sure there is enough water to cover the fish, may have to tilt the bucket. Now get a flow of water through that airline tube, once you have a stream going go back to your knot that you made and either tighten or loosen it to the point where you get about 2 to 3 drops of water per second coming out of the tube. Once you got that going walk away for about an hour. Keep an eye on the bucket sure you dont overflow it. You may want to do that for anywhere between and hour to two hours. When time is up place the fish into the tank with a net. Try to keep the water in the bucket and your fish tank water seperate, you risk added disease to the tank. To make the transfer from the bucket to the tank easier for you and the fish, use a specimen container, its the same thing you see petstores use to hold fish in when they get the fish out of the tank for you. By using a net you will scrap the natural slime coat which as a a little protective barrier is missing, thus making it vulnerable to disease. It also protects the fish from getting any spines caught in the net and injuring the fish. Your blue tang has two spines on the back of its tail, those can get caught in the net and harm it. They can also cut you as well so if you can be as hands free as possible the better. Just remember all of us have made these type of mistakes before so its ok. This hobby of fish keeping is all about acquiring knowledge and maintaning patience. Goodluck to you guys.

I will let someone else chime in about quarantine tanks but I will say that even though you dont have to have it running all the time, its not a bad idea either.

 

[blueocean8]

Hi, bio-load is AKA for what fish do you have. Sometimes we all get a little over zealous here and like to throw out technical terms for things. So with that said whats in the your tank? What kind of fish? Do you have rocks in the tank? Is there sand? Do you have hermit crabs? Etc etc... You should at least have a thermometer in or on your tank. If you do whats the temperature?

As for test kits, since you dont have live corals in the tank your really concerned with pH, Ammonia (especially this one) Nitrite and Nitrate. Those are you base test that should be conducted. There are test out there that people will say are the best while someone else with say its worthless. Salifert is a good brand of test but not readily available in most stores. Just try to buy the best quality test kit that your budget will allow. Personally I use Aquarium Pharmasucial test kits for the basic stuff I just listed.

Drip acclimation is basically this, get a 5 gallon bucket and airline tubing (the stuff you would use for air stones). What your going to do is take the tubeing and put a simple knot in it but dont completely tug on the knot to that you close the tube. Place one end of the tube in your fish tank and the other end into the bucket. Empty the bag into the bucket, make sure there is enough water to cover the fish, may have to tilt the bucket. Now get a flow of water through that airline tube, once you have a stream going go back to your knot that you made and either tighten or loosen it to the point where you get about 2 to 3 drops of water per second coming out of the tube. Once you got that going walk away for about an hour. Keep an eye on the bucket sure you dont overflow it. You may want to do that for anywhere between and hour to two hours. When time is up place the fish into the tank with a net. Try to keep the water in the bucket and your fish tank water seperate, you risk added disease to the tank. To make the transfer from the bucket to the tank easier for you and the fish, use a specimen container, its the same thing you see petstores use to hold fish in when they get the fish out of the tank for you. By using a net you will scrap the natural slime coat which as a a little protective barrier is missing, thus making it vulnerable to disease. It also protects the fish from getting any spines caught in the net and injuring the fish. Your blue tang has two spines on the back of its tail, those can get caught in the net and harm it. They can also cut you as well so if you can be as hands free as possible the better. Just remember all of us have made these type of mistakes before so its ok. This hobby of fish keeping is all about acquiring knowledge and maintaning patience. Goodluck to you guys.

I will let someone else chime in about quarantine tanks but I will say that even though you dont have to have it running all the time, its not a bad idea either.

I do have three live corals in the tank. Polyp coral, somekind of mushroom coral and leather coral so thee test kits you recommended wouldn't be good then.

 

[caad3]

While you already broke the cardinal rule of not QTing new fish, it can be difficult to if you do not have the space or equipment.

I had a hell of time when I first got my black clown fish. While its difficult to tell if you have Brook, some immediate signs are rapid gill and slime coat breakdown. While there are different ways to treat, this is what worked for me.

Freshwater dip followed by a formalin and salt water dip. It really depends on the shape of the fish. But the formalin worked for me. That being said I still lost a couple of fish with the dip method. Brook is very nasty and the fish will die within 1-2 days, as well as infect others.

Hope that helps and good luck. I know it sucks.

 

[georgelc86]

You could still use those kits but with the live corals you will now need Magnesium, Alkalinity Calcium and maybe Hardness to compliment the other test kits. I would recommend getting all of your equipment together and just working with the fish and corals you have now. Give the tank a little bit of more time to mature, do some more research and then stock up again. New tanks tend to fluctuate in terms of water quality. How often have you guys been doing water changes?

 

[NYreefNoob]

hopefully you dont have corals in that tank nor plan to have them, if you put his water in your tank you now have copper in your system

 

[blueocean8]

When I got my water tested yesturday they tested for ammonia, nitrate and ph. The ammonia and nitrate tubes were clear and the ph tube turned purple. We have 65lbs of live rock. Our substrate is live sand. As far as animals we have percula clown, clown fairy wrasse, convict damsel, blue and yellow tang, koran angel, fire shrimp, emerald crab and 10 turbo snails. The clown, damsel and blue tang are all about an inch long. Wrasse and angel are 2-3" and the yellow tang is about 5". As for corals...green mushroom, xyanthia and a soft coral purple in color and green feather-like arms (always forget the name of that one). Long tentacle and bubble tip anemone.
We let the tank cycle for 7 weeks. We were told to thrown some damsels in while it cycled. We lost 5 of the 6. We did a 15% water change out and got water tested the water was in the same parameters as above. We then started adding fish, first were the two clowns and the blue hippo. I gave them a week or so then added koran angel. I did another 15% water change. Parameters were the same. I recently added the wrasse, yellow tang and anthais. This weekend I am going to do another water change out as well as change the particle filter in my wet/dry. I added corals yesturday.
We bought three fish online. Wrasse, anthais (which has passed) and a yellow tang that died from his bag being broke due to rough shipping. The anthais lasted about three days. About a week or two our clown passed. There was a difference in the way the two died. The anthias had rapid gill movement and hardly moved. The clown was still swimming around. I could tell something was up. He hung around anemone didn't eat much and stayed on the complete opposite end of the tank he usually stayed on. They both didn't have white spots or look too slimey.
We did not QT our fish. This is the first time I've heard of that. When we brought fish home we would float the bag in our water for 20 min and slice a small hole in the bag. After time was up we released the fish.
I now know that this is an incorrect method. I know this hobby is a lot of trial and error. You guys don't know how much help you are. Well I'm sure you do but thank you for being patient and informative.

 

[blueocean8]

Water temperature is 81 degrees and salinity is 1.024- 1.025