Clown w/Brook and yellow tang in QT need advice please

dmschiff

Member
I purchased a false perc clown and a yellow tang at Christmas. Placed them in a 10 gallon QT that has been running for months.
The clown looked fine at time of purchase the tang was skinny and had a very slight white spots on fin. Clown started t eat the 2nd day and the tang took a few days. Once he started eating ist was as though he couldn't take a whole piece of food. He tried but kept spitting it out. Finally started eating well after about a week . 2 1/2 weeks out he looked great (filling out good color) Last week I noticed the tang looked kind of white... thought it was just the camo that occurs with the lights off. Next day he has spots all over him. I assumed it was ich and was gearing up to start hypo. Noticed that the tank was a little low so topped off tank with about 1 gallon of water. Later that day the tang look much better. So I watched him for a few days to see if the ick returned or if it was just due to poor water conditions.
Yesterday I noticed the tang getting whitish again and today the Clown is breathing fast and has co
eb like stuff on him which I believe is Brooknella (sP)? I don't get it the clown seemed fine all along.
Unless someone here tell me otherwise I plan on Formalin baths for the clown.
I'm a bit confused. I know I dip the clown in a separate bath each day using new water each time, but what about the water in his existing QT. Won't that still be infested with the parasite? Also, should I treat the tang too?
Any advice is most appreciated!!!!
 

beth

Administrator
Staff member
Can you post a picture of the fish? You can do hypo and do the formalin bathes. Have you looked at the examples of brook in the Diseased Fish topic (top of this forum)?
 

dmschiff

Member
Beth, thanks for your quick reply!
Unfortunately my camera is not working at this time. I will try to figure out how to use my 10 y/o sons camera, but I doubt the quality will be worth it.
Yes I did look at the photos on this site, and honestly believe that the clown looks most like the Brooknella photos. However, I'm not cretain about the tang. Also clowns breathing is rapid.
The tang was whitish almost as though it was dusted with powder or velvet not salt, but the following day it looked as though it was definitely ich with raised saltlike spots all over. Today he look more like the clown. However breathing was normal on the tang. Actually even has some white string hanging fromhis eye at this time.
I planned on mixing salt tonight for a water change in the next day or 2, but when I found this today, I removed about 1 1/2 gallons from QT and replaced it with water from DT.
The clown looks a little better in that there is not as much of the co
eb like substance on him, but he is still breathing rapidly.
So, you say it is safe to give them a formalin bath and start hypo at the same time. I assume I have to adjust the baths with the salinity changes and ph. Is ther any other alternative? Copper is not an option correct?
Thanks for any help you can give.
 

dmschiff

Member
Also, forgot to mention that I won't be able to get the formalin for about another 3 hours. Should I do anything in the meantime? Freshwater dip?
 

beth

Administrator
Staff member
Yes, you can do both safely, as long as you follow the directions in the FAQ Thread for both hypo and formalin bath.
What are the water conditions in your QT?
 

dmschiff

Member
Ok. The local store only had something called Quick Cure. The active ingredients are Formalin and Malachite Green. Nowhere does it state the amount or % of Formalin. The package states that it is for freshwater or saltwater and that it is for "fast relief for ick and Protozoan parasites".
However the directions for marine aquariums is to add 1 drop per gallon daily in a bare aquarium until cured.(up to 3 days) Nowhere does it state the directions for a bath. IS this what I should be using? Sadly the local stores that sold me the fish does not carry Formalin nor do they know the difference between ick and Brook. What would you advise me to do?
OK, sorry to be so long winded, but I want to completely understand. Once I "Bath" the clown I then place him back into the same QT that he came out of correct? Won't that reinfect him? Or does the hypo also rid the QT of the Brook too, but just not fast enough therefore the need for the bath.
Sorry to be so dense! What to do? What to do?
Thanks for any help you can give.
 

dmschiff

Member
water conditions:
ammonia = 0
nitrites = 0
nitrates = 40
ph = I believe is 8.0 So difficult to tell maybe between 7.8-8.0
phosphate = 0
temp = 78 (Constant heater or else I would increase it a little)
 

beth

Administrator
Staff member
Without knowing the % of formaldehyde, I'd have to say follow the instructions in the FAQ Thread. Those instructions include the maximum amt of formalin sold in the hobby.
Yes, you bath the clown in an aerated container, using QT water. Yes return the fish to the QT after the bath. You'll be treating the fish which will break the cycle of the parasite. What about the tang? No brook?
 

dmschiff

Member
Earlier I did place the clown in 1 gallon water from the QT in a separate bath and only added 2 drops of Quick Cure for an hour. Not sure that it did anything. He definitely won't eat. Ate like a champ yesterday.
The tang has me sooo confused. First he presented with a white-ish powder/velvet appearance , then definite ick like spots, then after a large water topoff he looked great for a few days. now the white-ish color is back with small spots on his fins possibly even a few extremely small black dots(black ick?) ( I don't know maybe I'm becoming paranoid they are extremely small and few)on his body too, but breathing is good.
I guess everything points to treatment of Formalin and Hypo. So, I can bath with the FAQ recommended dose of the formalin . But I just want to double check with you... you realize that the "Quick Cure" also has malachite green in it. It does not state the amounts of either. Could this possibly be an overdose of malachite green if I follow the FAQ recommendation for Formalin?
Sorry, don't mean to be a pain, just paranoid.
 

crimzy

Active Member
It's unfortunate that you are having problems. I would venture to say that the diseases on your fish are not the problem, but merely a symptom of the problem. Keeping a tang in a 10 gallon tank for several weeks is generally going to lead to problems. Calling it a QT really does not help the fish. I think you will have a difficult, if not impossible time keeping any tangs if you are forcing them into such an unsuitable environment for any length of time. Not trying to be insensitive but I'm just trying to help.
 

dmschiff

Member
I understand your concern, you may be completely correct. But actually until a few days ago he looked a lot better than when I attempted to rescue him from the local fish store in no more that a 5 gallon space. He is eating like a champ, comes to see me at the glass and actually doing better than the clown which I believe are common is a smaller tank. I've been watching him for signs of stress and thought that may be the case the other day and therefore did a semi water change ( changed out with DT water)
I know it is not the optimal situation, but had hoped to place him in my 120 sometime next week.
I figured the lesser of the 2 evils was to QT and risk one fish rather that risk the whole DT.
Too bad I can't QT my children too, my son has given us all a terrible sore throat and head cold. So, I'll be up tonight with all the kids, those with and with out fins.
Sincerely, thanks! However, at this point I'm trying to not cry over spilled milk and attempting to clean it up with the few tools available.
 

beth

Administrator
Staff member
You know I can say with certainty that there is not more than 37% formalin in that product, but its really guessing about the malachite green. And both these medications are toxic. I tried to find info on the amts on the internet, but could not find anything.
In light of this, then follow the instructions on the bottle, and give the bathes daily.
I'm not real convinced that this is brooklynella anyway.
Also, its best when purchasing new fish, unless they are a pair, or schooling fish, that you pretty much get one fish at a time. This avoids the problem you are now having trying to treat 2 different fish with two different problems or cross contaminating fish. I know, hindsight.
The spots you describe on the tang could be lymphocystis , not ich. Is it only on the fins?
No chance of borrowing a digital camera so we can have a look see?
 
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