Caring for new clownfish with ich... Not likely... reading...   3/6/08
Hi there,
<Shelley>
Help! My husband and I are new to this - we set up our first reef tank over the past few months. Did it slowly and meticulously to make sure everything survived. We added two clownfish (Percs) and a potter angel
<Yikes... this species of Centropyge is not easily kept... needs large, stable, well-established quarters...>
this weekend. As soon as we got them in the tank (we did not quarantine since they were the first fish to ever go in
<...>
- but we know better now) the clownfish exhibited signs of ich.
>Mmmm, maybe<
Long story short,
we gave a freshwater bath to both, one survived (the larger one), the other didn't. We left the larger one in the main tank - as we are sure the ich is there now, so we wouldn't stress the fish. We are treating with No-Ich and keeping the water as pristine as possible.
<Mmm, doesn't always work: http://www.fishvet.com/no-ich.htm for browsers. See WWM re.>
While the white spots are going away, I was wondering how long it takes to get rid of the ich?
<... may not be Crypt... is likely just cycling... will be back...>
Why didn't the potter angel get ich?
<A clue... likely IS Brooklynellosis, another protozoan... Read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/brooklynellosisart.htm
and the linked files above>
Also, as the surviving clownfish is being treated, he seems to be fine except he eats all the time. I feed 3x per day, just the tiniest bit of flakes twice a day and frozen brine shrimp once. Is a big appetite a sign of stress?
<Mmm, no; not generally with marine life>
We have colt coral and hammer coral and a seabae -
<... these are not compatible... See WWM re: http://wetwebmedia.com/sebaeSelfaqs.htm>
the clownfish has no interest in hiding in them, it seems.
She swims up to the glass when I come near and seems very active; but she also rests at times, just swaying mid-level behind some rock. Is my fish stressed? I'm trying to make the recovery from ich as stress- free as possible. Will she make it? Still wondering how this escaped the angel.
Water stats are: ph 8.2, temp 79F, SG 1.020,
<Too low...>
no ammonia or nitrites,
20ppm nitrates.
Any help would be appreciated! Shelley
<Please... use the search tool, try to find what you need to know before writing us... Time is of the essence. Read where you are referred to, the linked files where you lead yourself... and soon... Your system is in dire danger, your livestock... Bob Fenner>

Clarkii Clownfish Acting Strange - Possibly Stung by his Anemone?
Injured Clarkii or Brooklynellosis? – 12/13/07
Hi from Fort Walton Beach FL!
<Hello Dawn! Brenda here, suffering through the bitter cold!>
First of all I just want to thank you for such an awesome web-site!
<You’re Welcome! Thank you for the positive feedback!>
My SW friend turned me onto it and I have passed it along to another SW friend.
<Great!>
The site is absolutely invaluable to any experienced or novice marine aquarist (like myself).
Here's my stats:
125 gal.
SG: In between 1.023-1.024
Nitrate 10
Nitrite 0
Alkalinity 300
PH 8.0
Phos 0.1
Calcium 400
Iodine .06
Magnesium 1400
<Temperature?>
Setup: Proclear Aquatic wet/dry, Proclear Aquatic Protein Skimmer, Fluval FX5 w/nitrate & phosphate sponge, and charcoal, and 2 Maxi-Jet 1200's, VHO lighting. The 125 is an All Glass Megaflow with 2 overflows.
Stock: Orange Spotted Goby, A mated pair of Firefish, 1 blue green reef Chromis, 2 Clarkii clowns, 1 Domino damsel, 1 Bi-Color Pseudochromis, 1 Brittle Starfish, 1 Anemone,
<What species is the anemone?>
1 Mexican feather duster, 1 Atlantic feather duster, 3 Mexican Turbo Snails, 5 Nassarius Snails, Zoanthids, Xenia, Glove Polyp, Hammer Coral, Torch Coral, 2 Frogspawn, Candy Cane Coral, Bubble Coral, 110 lbs. of live rock and several pounds of Tonga branch. Back to the larger of the two Clarkii clowns. "Clark" took to the anemone right away and has been really tank mates with it since I bought it (about 4 weeks ago).
<It is a pleasure to witness!>
Yesterday, I noticed Clark was sucking the tips of the anemone, sometimes more than one tip at a time; and, acting out of character. I
understand it is completely normal for clown fish to suck anemones (through reading articles on your site) however, when he was doing it he was laying sideways and panting heavily. Now today, I see some type of lesion (kind of looks like burn marks) on the top of his head and he is acting even more out of character. He has his mouth open the entire time with a more labored breathing and now he is hiding out, which he (she, you get the drift) has never done in the past. Could it be possible that the anemone stung him?
<It is not likely for this to happen after 4 weeks. It is hard to say without a picture. I suspect one of two things, an aggressive Domino Damsel or Brooklynellosis. My guess is that it is Brooklynellosis. More information on Brooklynellosis here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/brooklynellosisart.htm >
If so, will they typically recover from such an event? I'm at a loss what to do here.
<It can recover from injury and Brooklynellosis. However, it sounds like the Clarkii may be in the final stages of the disease.>
Since I'm new at the hobby (less than a year), I still freak out when I notice something not right and test everything; but all is fine.
<Did you quarantine this fish and how?>
I have searched your site the past couple of hours and can't figure out what to do, if anything. I do have a QT tank if I need to use it.
<I would remove the clownfish and place in quarantine. Read up on Brooklynellosis, and know how to treat. If it is Brooklynellosis, the chance of this fish being alive by morning, are slim. However, you may have more fish to treat. I would also keep a close eye on the Damsel’s behavior. This fish can be very aggressive and harmful. Anemones do best in a higher salinity. I recommend slowly bringing your salinity up to 1.026 and reducing nitrates and phosphates to zero. Also, your lighting may not be enough to support an anemone long term. Can you give me more detailed information on this? How long has this tank been up and running?>
All of the other fish seem perfectly content and normal. I appreciate your assistance in advance.
Dawn
<Good luck to you Dawn! Brenda>

Re: Injured Clarkii or Brooklynellosis? – 12/13/07
Hi Brenda,
<Hello Dawn!>
Thank you for your response.
<You’re welcome!>
Wow, hoping it isn't the latter of the two. I did read the article and it sounds like what he has.
<Unfortunate, but it is not uncommon for wild caught clownfish.>
Expect he is gasping for air at the bottom of the tank, not top. It's hard to tell with the lesions, but in any case, he looks worse this morning. At this point, he won't make it, I can tell. It's making me feel so bad.
<I’m sorry!>
Even though we probably both suspect Brooklynellosis at this point, it was odd that the Domino (yesterday) was swimming in front of Clark and fanning his tail at his face. Hmmmm, why would he be doing that behavior?
<Domino Damsels can be evil! I have witnessed this myself many times. They are not welcome in my tanks.>
I'm not sure what species my anemone is. If I had to guess, I would say maybe a carpet.
<It is important to know which species, so that you can provide the appropriate care.>
It is at the bottom of the tank and has burrowed his foot into the sand bed. He has situated himself under a ledge of live rock so only has minimal lighting and current in that location.
<This is not good. It will not last long under these conditions.>
I have not moved him because my experience is that they will just move themselves back where they want to.
<Correct! It will move looking for a suitable environment. If there is not one available, it will deteriorate.>
It is a kind of dirty pink color, around 1" short tentacles that have a green tip on them. Not the bubble tip shape.
<The Bubble Tip anemone does not always have bubbles. However in this case, I do not believe that you have a BTA. It is likely an LTA or a carpet.>
I did not QT Clark yesterday because I wasn't sure what to do. My QT tank is I'm sure, minimally acceptable. It is a tank on reserve that we don't use and keep for emergency purposes. It's a 5 gallon "eclipse type" tank (I can't remember name brand). It has a built in filter with removable media bag, no heater (though it would be easy for me to buy one) and just a compact florescent natural daylight tube. It doesn't have the ability to "cycle" as it doesn't have any type of biological capabilities.
<If the clownfish is still alive, I would still remove. Take water from the existing tank. I also recommend getting in the habit of quarantining all new species, coral included.>
I will work on raising salinity. Do all of the other corals/fish do fine at 1.026?
<Yes, and is closer to their natural environment.>
The lighting are 6' long VHO tubes. One is white, one is the blue light. We also have moon lights for night viewing. No halide lighting, etc.
<This is not nearly enough lighting for this anemone.>
My temperature fluctuates between about 77-80 degrees.
<I would keep closer to 80 degrees.>
How long has the tank been up and running. That's a loaded question that I'll explain. It was setup the end up July, 1st of August this year. I didn't have any inverts at this time. Everything was fine until October 4th middle of the night. We heard a loud "pop" and then an ensuing waterfall.
<Oh my!!!>
I knew what it was and I've been heartbroken ever since.
<I certainly would be too!>
That's right, the bottom of the tank cracked and all of the water, 125 gallons +, drained out in less than a minute.
<Ouch!!!! Do you know what caused the break? Was the tank not level?>
Our home looked like a beach with water and live sand. It actually ruined/flooded our entire home. I lost most of my fish. I actually started thinking once the wave of shock left me and reached into pick the fish up off of the sand bed and tossed them in the sump. I then over the next several days found temporary homes in my SW friends.
<Good!>
I tossed all of the live rock into a 55 gallon bucket with SW and a jet. I eventually got my hands on a borrowed 55 gallon aquarium that I set up in the garage (while we remodeled our home which we are still doing). With that being said, everything continued to be fine in the 55 gallon while we tiled our house and put up baseboards. We finally got the living area ready and moved back into the big tank, that was roughly a month ago.
<This is not long enough for an anemone. They need an established environment, 6 months to a year, with one year being best.>
At that time, we started adding corals, the anemone and the like. We also got our 2 fish that survived the disaster back; the goby and the blue-green reef Chromis. Sorry for the long winded explanation. We have all been through a lot lately.
<I certainly see that!>
This is another reason I'm hoping it isn't Brooklynellosis, because mentally, I'm still trying to recover from the above.
<I hate to be the one to bring you more bad news, but you will have more issues in the near future with the anemone. It is best to remove soon and find it a suitable home.>
Thank you in advance. Dawn
<You’re welcome Dawn! Good luck to you! Brenda>