Problems with New Perculas!?!

[roadrunner]

I bought a mated pair of true percula clowns yesterday...i acclimated them as followed:
20 minutes to temp, then i put them under a drip line for an hour...currently the male looks fine, but the female is still breathing heavily tonight and isn't very active...she is actually hovering in the same general area...
This isn't the worst of it though...i also believe that the clowns came with a disease...i believe that its the clownfish disease...i notice cloudy areas on the body of the male but i cant tell about the female...
I was suggested that the female could be breathing heavily b/c of a fish that was in my tank but isn't anymore...i was also told that it she could still be acclimating...but i dont know?
Now, onto the disease, i cant get a picture good enough for anyone to see. I was suggested either to preform a freshwater dip (but i dont think i want to do that b/c i am scared that they would die) or i could setup a QT tank and give them medications...i was told that this medication cant be given in a main tank b/c it will kill off all bacteria good and bad...
So what can i or should i do guys? I need help!
Thanks!

 

[supalupa]

It sounds like brooklynella. I've heard a formalin bath works. I once had a yellow striped maroon clown with this disease. All I did was get a long tentacle anemone which he took to right away. The brooklynella went away on it's own after I got the anemone. Not sure if the disease went away due to something with the anemone or if the clown was less stressed and fought it off on it's own. I eventually got rid of the clown and anemone because at the time I didn't have the lighting for the anemone and it moved around the tank all the time.

 

[roadrunner]

thanks supalupa...im not sure what to do at this point other then i am calling the LFS tomorrow b/c this wouldn't show up this quickly and they should do something about it!

 

[roadrunner]

i looked more closely at my female and i noticed that the scales that cover the gills aren't looking good either...

 

[sac10918]

roadrunner,
My clowns had brooklynella a few months ago and I quarantined them and treated with formalin baths. It was a lot of work (and a lot of tears on my behalf...gosh I love those fish), but they both lived. I want to show you a picture of what they look liked when I realized they had brook.

Now, it sounds like you acclimated the clowns right. Did you have the lights off in the tank when you added them? You should do that for future reference as it is much less stressful for the fish to have the lights off for several hours after adding them to the tank.
How did the fish look at the fish store? Were they active? Did they eat there (a good idea is to ask the LFS owner to feed the fish you are thinking about buying and see if they eat)? ALso, what are all your levels in your tank...ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, pH, temperature, kH, etc.
The females behavior sounds like relatively normal acclimating behavior to me. When I first added my clowns, they stayed in one spot on opposite sides of the tanks for a while before they found each other. Also, if you added the clowns and then were busy swinging your net around the tank to catch this other fish you probobly scared them real bad. I would give the clowns some time to get used to your tank....Try offering food (its a good sign if they eat it). Watch closely to see if this disease progresses but know that brooklynella is said to kill within 24-48 hours sometimes. IF it is brook, you will need to treat them with formaldehyde. THis process is detailed in the FAQ forum.
"Cloudy areas" doesnt convince me that it is brooklynella, when my fish had it it looked more like a peeling. Is there any way you can get a pic (dont use flash, it will scare them more).
I hope this helps

 

[roadrunner]

Yes i put the fish in my tank around 2 and my lights stayed off for 24 hrs...the next day when the lights came on was my first chance to see the sixline go after them...i have a trap and i set the trap in my tank...no net...
at the store the fish looked good...swimming around...i wish i would have looked even closer...i thought i did!
Sg - 1.025
am/trites/trates/po4 - 0 ppm
ca - 440 ppm
alk - 10 dkh
mag - 1400 ppm
i have fed the fish (tried to) the males eats and nothing from the female...
unfortunatly, i think my female got the worst case of whatever disease this maybe...i looked at he this morning and she is pale and cant hardly swim...she was stuck to the overflow...the pair right now is in a small floating container together...im calling the LFS b/c there is no way that this is from my tank...
Thanks for the help guys...i feel so bad for these little fish!