white patch on clown

[Hookemhorns_98]

can anyone tell me what's wrong?

[reefrunner69]

Looks like either the beginnings of a bacterial fungus, or brooklynells hostilis. Is the skin sloughing, or is the fish producing lots of slime?

[Hookemhorns_98]

as far as slime goes, no. No slime.

sloughing on the other hand...I have no idea what that is

[reefrunner69]

Believe me you'd know, basically the skin starts to peel off.

You need to move this fish to a QT tank and begin lowering the salinity, hyposalinity is the best cure for brooklynella and even though it might not be what it has....it is very fast acting and you shouldn't take the cance. In addition to the hypo, you should treat with an antibiotic like maracyn or maracyn 2.

[Hookemhorns_98]

the fish actually died yesterday. I have one other fish (a splendid dottyback) in the tank, but it doesn't look like that...yet. Is it a danger to my last fish?

thanks for the lightning quick responses btw.

[Hookemhorns_98]

the fish's skin did look funny before it died though.

[reefrunner69]

Brooklynella is contagious to other fish (technically), but I can't say that I've seen even one other species of fish (besides clowns) get it in the last 14 years. And I've seen plenty in the systems with clowns that were just ate up with brooklynella.

[Hookemhorns_98]

so will other clowns I introduce be at risk? Is there anything I can do to "clense" my system of this?

[reefrunner69]

so will other clowns I introduce be at risk? Is there anything I can do to "clense" my system of this?

Yes the clowns will be at risk unless you remove all the fish from the tank and leave it fallow for 4-6 weeks, that should be enough for the life cycle to end.

[Jim D]

I have 2 percula's and they have a white cotton wool on their fins.....just a little but they both have a small lump at gill cover, looks white. still seem healthy though...eating well and active. Been treating with Myxazin

[Chris]

I've just added 2 wild percula clowns to my system (week back) the larger one developed small white fluffy lumps down it's lateral line on 1 side + a rather large one by it's gill; been like that for 4 days hiding under the filter whilst the other protected it from rest of the inhabitants, it emerged yesterday, swims quite happy around tank, white fluffy bits - gone; but still has a few tiny little and I mean little marks down lateral line. Strange eh!