What is wrong with my clownfish? PIC included

[djheywood]

Over the last several weeks my maroon clown has developed a whitish color on his lower jaw and towards his gills. He is not scratching, eats perfectly healthy, and all other fish seem fine. Anyone know what this is?

 

[LeoR]

Looks like "Chilodonella" protozoan ciliate, check area size -- it usually measures 1 to 3 mm.

If so:
-- It is usually caused by overstocking / poor water quality (it may also come with live food).
-- It is parasitic, so other fish may be infected.
-- If it covers the gills it can be deadly.

Treatments (use one in QT, not in main tank):
-- Acriflavin, 3 to 5 ml per liter, 2 to 4 days.
-- Methylene blue, 1 to 3 ml / liter, 5 days.
-- Malachite green, 6 ml / liter, every 3 days.
NOTE:
All these medications are intensely colored and will stain silicone (and many other things) blue or green, so use them only in a bare tank.

LeoR

[ April 12, 2002: Message edited by: LeoR ]</p>

 

[djheywood]

How long should the treatment last if I use malachite green of methelyne blue? Just one cycle? I have a 5 gallon glass Q Tank with a new cheapo sponge filter, small powerhead, and heater. I will take water from the main tank. Will this be sufficient?

 

[LeoR]

Your QT plan sounds good.

-- Methylene blue:
As mentioned, treat for 5 days.
Start with 1 ml/liter, increase to to 3 ml/liter if there are no signs of improvement after 2 days.
After 5 days, filter out the medication with activated carbon.

-- Malachite green:
Treat for 12 days.
In a bare tank, start with 4 ml/liter.
If there are no signs of improvement after 3 days, switch to 6 ml/liter.
Either way, add new dose every 3 days.
After 12 days, filter out the medication with activated carbon.

NOTE:
Because the QT has no biological filter, monitor ammonia and change water (and replenish medication lost to water change) whenever you detect ammonia.
Otherwise, the treatment could be worse than the disease.

LeoR

 

[Terry B]

djheywood,
How is your clownfish doing? Chilodonella is actually a freshwater parasite. There is a similar parasite in saltwater called Brooklynella and wild caught clownfish are especially suceptible to it. The best treatment is a series of formalin dips. A series of three dips, one every two or three days at 20 drops per gallon of 37% formaldehyde in a dip only. The dip should last 45 minutes and it should be aerated. Sorry, I didn't see your post earlier because brooklynella can kill pretty quickly. Hopefully the fish is still alive and something that you treated it with helped. It is also possible for a bacterial infection to appear like what you see in the picture. It is very common for parasitic infections to lead to secondary bacterial infection. You might want to email me if you need further help.
Terry B

 

[Anonymous]

My tomato clown changes color when she is ready to lay eggs. Some clowns react poorly to the corals in which they live if it is not an anemone. It becomes something like a constant rash.

 

[Terry B]

You know I was focusing so closely on the clown that I didn't notice that wasn't an anemone in the photo. I think Anemonebuff is probably right. Clownfish will chose all sorts of strange bedfellows if a suitable host anemone is not present. The clown is getting stung. I do not suggest that anyone other than the most advanced aquarist keep anemones because their survival rate in captivity is horrid to say the least. I suggest that you either move the clown or its substitute host. Most clowns can do just fine without an anemone.
Terry B

 

[Anonymous]

It is not pretty but,she 's not showing any signs of real illness. Get a small BTA for her and see if it disapates. It may just be her showing signs of maturity. It is different for each clown. Like I said they also change colors when ready to spawn.

If it were Brooklynella she would surely be dead by now.

Also,some anemones are not difficult to keep. A BTA provided with a place to hide her foot will do just fine in your tank. As long as you keep her away from hard corals.