clownfish with a cloudy buldge out of side HELP PLEASE

[lbaier]

No really new additions to the tank, i do have a yellow tank and a purple lobster, and big sally lightfoot crab, and a pink tip hatian anenome.

Heres a pic, i'm still trying to get a better one... I'm worried it may have been too late to notice.

Unfortunately I don't have a quarantine tank yet, I have to pick it up in Rochester hopefully this weekend.

The clown did eat and is moving around and wiggling as normal

it's on his first stripe by his head

* ph is 8.4, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 0 nitrate. We do weekly 20% water changes with RO/DI water. Weekly because we had a green algae problem that you could watch grow under the lighting. salt is 1.021

What can I DO? I was thinking of slowly increasing salt level to get it to 1.024... Any medications that are okay with the leather and polyps?

 

[melosu58]

Could you get a clearer pic. It almost looks like some type of fungal growth. I think you would be wise to QT and treat with pimafix which I believe is for fungal problems. But I`m just guessing till I can see a clearer pic

 

[lbaier]

it says pimafix is reef safe, could i start treating him today and quarentine when i get my other tank Sunday? I don' t know if waiting till sunday to treat is going to kill him.

it doesn't look worse today

heres some better pics

 

[melosu58]

Yes I was reading the directions on the pimafix and it says it`s for white cottony fugal growths. But I still would treat in a QT

 

[Sadielynn]

Treat in a bucket with PHs and a filter if you have to , then move him to QT . I agree he has something fungal going on . In QT keep the water perameters pristine keep him well fed so he can fight this off ...

 

[roka64]

I agree with the others. I wold also soak your frozen in garlic guard and maybe selcon and zoe. The garlic will help to boost the immune systems of the fish.

 

[macman7010]

Hmmm... I'm not so sure about that being a fungal growth. Most fungal growths manifest themselves more subtly then what is pictured there. That appears to me to be a severe Lymphocyst growth, which in that case is un-treatable since it is a virus. I am not sure how succeptable to Lymphocysts clownfish are. I know marine angels are often infected with the virus but clownfish, not so sure.

In any case I would assume that a qt is necessary. If you do think the fish has a fungal infection treating it with Maracyn 2 will be far more effective then Pima or Mela fix. The suggestion Roka made is spot on and if you are dealing with Lymphocysts boosting the immune system is the only way to really help.

 

[roka64]

I'm still interested in how long that growth has been ther. If it is, in fact, Lymphocyst that would not have poped up overnight.

 

[lbaier]

It could have been maybe 4 days tops, we did have a big algae problem and they were the least of our worries because the polyps were sucked in, I've been watching it closely since I saw it and it hasn't grown, his patterns haven't changed. I'm giong to the fish store now and will buy a bunch of everything and try one at a time! I'll keep posting pictures, I took so many I killed both batteries.

I think first i'm going to try Maracyn 2, and garlic guard soaked food!

 

[melosu58]

If it is a fungal infection someone just gave me this link

http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/general.cfm?general_pagesid=75

 

[lbaier]

Thank you, it looks like (based on the instructions) maracyn two is for other secondary and internal infections where pimafix references the cotton fungus.

which do you think we should try first? With that link above it describes it exactly, I even am starting to see little red dots on the white cotton like clump.

I had shaving brushes that the tang would pick at, the clowns have been hosting them. While it was really cute, I was curious because all the tests say our water is fine...

So... I took one of the shaving brushes that was lighter then the others and it had black roots and smelled when I took it out. I'm guessing that couldn't have been giving off any good chemicals and the clowns are always in them.

I'm leaning towards the pimafix and I also bought the melafix to use with it. what do you guys think?

Also, is there anything else that I should test for in the water?

I have calcium, alkalinty, phosphates, nitrite,nitrate, ammonia, ph

 

[melosu58]

I really think the pimafix would be best as I like the tea tree oil that is in it. But I think also that you should QT the fish and treat. It dont have to be a tank it can be a bucket with some flow and heater if needed.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

I've had two experiences with both Pimafix/Melafix and Maracyn2, both with different fish. Unfortunately, neither worked out, but thought I'd pass along the experience.

I obviously was not meant to have a Royal Gramma as the first one had something that I thought was fungal at the time (now realize it was probably bacterial). Treated with Melafix and Pimafix at the recommended doses. Smells real good, but clouded my water. Even though it's "reef safe" I wouldn't use it in my main tank after my experience with it. While it seemed to do a little good to start with, eventually the infection overtook the fish's immune system and the fish died.

Second Royal Gramma came home with something else. This time, I went the Maracyn route, with both Maracyn and Maracyn2. (Make sure you get the saltwater version. There is a freshwater and saltwater version of both meds.) While it supposedly isn't supposed to mess up the bacterial filtration, I think it did. Hard to tell really. Either way, after a week of Maracyn treatment, that fish died.

Soooo... I can't really vouch one way or the other. But after talking with some other folks, the herbal route (Pimafix and Melafix) seems to do the best with very very mild cases of disease. Not real good with full-blown issues - which you obviously appear to have. Personally, if I had to choose between the two with my previous experience, it would be the Maracyn route. HOWEVER... your issue appears fungal, and if I remember correctly, Maracyn is strictly an antibiotic. Check me on that though.

Either way though, I'd do it in a QT... for sure.

 

[Innovator]

This appears to be Lymphocyctis. I will heed caution that it is highly irresponsible to purchase numerous medications when you do not know what you are medicating for. Secondly, this virus seems to be based on water quality, which you stated you had a problem with, so there is no absolute medication available. At best, you can net the fish and rub off excess cell-mass, but keeping up on proper water quality and nutrition will be your best bet.

 

[macman7010]

I agree, creating a chemical soup of medications causes more problems that it can solve. I have used PimaFix a number of times with a 0% chance of recovery in the fish species it was used on. I used it primarily when I kept Discus again with little or no success. A fungal and bacterial infection walk hand in hand and antibiotics are typically what you want to use to treat them. Maracyn 2 contains several antibiotics while PimaFix doesn't contain any that I am aware of.

Like Innovator though I think netting the fish and removing the growth by wiping it away with a saturated cloth would work best. Since I am not certain you have a fungal infection I can't say for certain what medication to tell you to add.

 

[Innovator]

The growth seems to have a very structured pattern, unlike a fungal infection. If you have ever left food inside of a tank and let it mold over, this mold or film is what a fungal infection looks like on a fish.

 

[melosu58]

Well if it is lympho than here is a link with it on there about halfway down. I`m not a big fan of FW dips as I have never seen them do any good. I do agree that excellent water conditions will be key here

http://www.seasky.org/aquarium/aquarium_diseases.html

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=7

 

[Nikkiheartsfish]

It appears like a big chunk of lympho to me too, although resolution is sort of low. Where I am, we usually treat lympho with a peroxide-water solution. If you're interested I will ask my medicator tomorrow for her specific formula. She has removed the cysts from a number of angels with the most severe lympho I have ever seen in this manner. According to her it "softens" the lymph and she can try to gently peel some of it off-- this is a slow process and can take weeks or months. But if you are interested, and you are sure this is lympho, I will ask her tomorrow. Also, considering it is a virus, and in some literature I have read, it's wholly possible for the virus to go into "remission" and the cyst to disappear-- doesn't mean the fish doesn't have the virus anymore though-- that's uncurable, only treatable. HTH.

 

[lbaier]

Is it spreadable to other fish? We have stopped using pima fix after the responses leaned towards lympho. When the fish brushed against me when I was feeding it the garlic soaked shrimp it was hard.

I treated with pima for about 6 days and didn't see improvments. I've been researching both and trying to get better pics, so far i'm still stuck. I would love the information on the peroxide-water to soften it if it is lympho.

It is now (it could be the light difference) looks a little reddish, and there is a white speck on his fin, only a little dot. Does this help pick which one to treat for? with the pima he was eating his normal amount, but last night after 2 days off pima, he didn't eat.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated, I will try anything, I went to the store and bought all the meds mentioned not to treat the poor guy with them all, but to make it while they were still open and decide what to use later!

THanks for all your help so far, I'm glad he's still alive!!!

 

[Nikkiheartsfish]

I work tomorrow, so I will ask my medicator tomorrow for her exact formula. I'll get it to you ASAP!