Sick Ocellaris Clown (filmy on one side)

[dmaister]

I've got a 4 week 30g with 30# LS and 25# LR (and LFS mixed water). I've tested the water and everything seems to be in normal range. Nitrates have started rising, and ammonia and nitrate are really low. I added a firefish and the clown last Thursday (I already had 3 cycling damsels in the tank).
Today, 4 days later, the clown has a filmy substance covering its left side, and the tail seems to be dragging a film as well. Can someone help me ID the disease and point me to a cure?
I don't have a hospital tank, either. I've just done a partial water change and mixed up the sand bed. Hopefully, the little guy will still be ok tomorrow so that I can get something setup and get some meds for it.
This tank is starting to be just as high maintenance as my 5 month old (Not that I haven't been expecting that...)

 

[beth]

A tank with a trace of ammonia or nitrite should be have fish added to it, let alone 2 additions. This is a sign that your tank is still in cycling conditions.
The film sounds very much like a bacteria infection but you will need to give more details. You will also need to setup a hospital tank because you can't medicate a tank that has LR and LS in it.

 

[dmaister]

Thanks, Beth. I was planning on setting up a quick Hospital Tank today. Possibly a 10g (that's all I can afford right now). The infection looks like filmy white drapery (slime secretions?) on one side of the fish. No spots or anything, also the tails seems to have trailing tissue or slime. Could it be Clownfish Disease? A book I'm reading recommends malachite green or formalin (obviously in a hospital tank).
My ammonia test actually was the same color as the lowest concentration color on the test kit. (Sorry the test kit didn't provide the actual numbers.) Same for nitrite. That is why I said low instead of 0 - because I can't be sure.
If it does have clownfish disease, do you have any recommendations? And what about setting up the Hospital Tank. (I've done searches, but the search sometimes is not reliable).
Thanks for your help!

 

[beth]

Yes, brooklynella is the "clownfish disease" and it is treated with formalin bathes or malichite green. This disease is the result of a parasite, not a bacterial infection. You usually see this in wild caught clowns, not tank raised. Do you know if your clown is wild caught? A fish with this disease will also usually have difficulty breathing and poor or no appetite.
However, the problem may also be a bacterial infection which requires a totally different course of treatment. The frayed fins are symptomatic of a bacterial infection, however, with a newly acquired fish and other damsels in the tank, the frayed fins may actually be torn fins from harassment. If the fins are actually stringy and frayed, as if worn out, then this is a symptom of a disease process. Is the white coat more of a grayish white color?
Why don't you try starting the fish off with Maracyn 2 for saltwater fish and see how that works out.

 

[kev]

I had this Black Percula that left us this morning . I think my tank may have that "clownfish disease" because he did not eat for 3 weeks and now he finally croaked... I also had a True Percula that died of the same thing, but all the other fish are doing just fine. Is it ok to try to get another clown, or do i need to do something to the tank before i attempt to get another clownfish... i think clownfish are soo cool and would love to be able to keep them without them passing away.

 

[kev]

Both of my clowns seemed to have that slimy coating on one side... and they both had rapid breathing and hardly and appetite (

 

[dmaister]

Sorry to say that my clown died the day I posted the message. It was only one day after I noticed the disease. I wish I already had the medications and QT, but trying to pull it all together around my work schedule was difficult.
It's sort of sad. My 5 month old really loved the clown.