Whats wrong with my clowns?

[nas19320]

I think my Tomato and my skunk clown are sick. They both have a real light dusting on them that is especially noticeable on the fins. It doesn't seem to be on any of my other fish yet. It doesn't look like ich because it is not really noticeable and does not look like granuals of salt. Their fins also seem to be a little tattered also. What is this and how can I treat them.

 

[beth]

It could well be a bacterial infection. How long have you had these fish? How are the eating, swiming and behaving? Notice any reddened gills or rapid breathing? What are you water readings?

 

[nas19320]

Well I have had my clowns for about a year. There has been no change in their appetite and I haven't really noticed much change in their swimming habits. Gills look fine and breathing seems normal. They seem to be acting normalbut do ocasionaly rub on something. I haven't checked my water in the last two days but two days ago everything was zero with the exception of nitrates being at about 10. Salinity at 1.024 and temp 80-82. So what would you suggest would be the best way to go about treating these guys. The biggest thing I can see on them is their fins are slowly getting frayed and they have always had perfect fins. I do have a 20 gallon QT that has been cycling for about 3-4 weeks. Should I put them in there and medicate them?

 

[beth]

Have you added any new fish or anything "live" to your tank recently??
What are you feeding the fish?

 

[nas19320]

I have been feeding them flake food, garlic soaked frozen brine and seaweed selects. As far as new additons I recently added a LMB and a Royal Gramma about a week ago. But they had been quarintined and still show no signs of any illness. I did add a Scarlet cleaner shrimp about a week ago and during acclimation the bag may have leaked into the tank. Could this be where the problem came from?

 

[beth]

Do you have a QT? If so, can you move them over to it?
Is there skin pealing off at all? Or do they appear like they have a grayish-white film on them with the ragged fins? When did this start? Have you noticed any harrassment??

 

[nas19320]

Yeah the grayish white film with tattered fins is pretty much exactly what it looks like. Its kinda like a real thin mucus layer that is covering them with a little light dusting on the tattered fins. And mostly my Tomato does all the harrassing but he doesn't bother my skunk only my clarkii which appears fine. I do have a 20 gallon QT that I will move them to but how should I treat them? Will hypo work? Or should I do hypo in conjunction with a medication? I would say the symptons started within the past week or two. No skin peeling off that I can see.

 

[beth]

It sounds like a bacterial infection. But what do you mean by "dusting".
Are the fins frayed, or are there pieces cut off....like chomped off?
When is the last time you did a water change?

 

[nas19320]

I did a water change about 2-3 days ago. The fins are definetly frayed. The fleshy section in between each filament in the tail is slowly erroding away. The dusting is especially noticeable on the skunk clowns tail and I also notice it easily on the Tomato clown's head. It has some slightly larger spots but for the most part is extremly fine and close together. The spots can only really be seen close up.