Bacterial Infection?

One of our clownfish isn't looking too hot. Just a few days after the Bannerfish's death, the clown looks... well dusty. He's breathing hard and his fins are also looking frayed. (I'll see if I can't get a pic when the lights come on) Seemed fine two days ago. I didn't see him yesterday because we were in Chicago.

Bacterial infection?

Brooklynella?

How do I treat him?


I know that water quality is a big factor in bacterial infection. Could the Bannerfish dying muck up the water enough? We removed him from the tank when we found him probably within two hours of when he died so there couldn't have been that much decay can there?

Salinity is pretty high atm at 1.028 but we've been working to bring that down.

Ammonia/Nitrite 0
Nitrates 20
PH 7.8
Phosphates are high somewhere between .5 and 1.0 (holy crap...) as far as I can tell with the droppers.
Alk between 180 and 300 (we only have a dip test for Alk)


So how can I fix what needs to be fixed and treat my fish? Do all the fish have to be treated? The other clown and the foxface don't show any signs of whatever the first clown has.

Need a pic but it sounds like a fungal infection to me. Id QT the and treat him with an anti fungal. Ive always had great succsess with Mela-Fix even though alot of people seem to think it is garbage

Whatever it is, it looks pretty severe. :(

I don't know if I'll be able to save him. His fins are pretty ragged. Poor little guy.

I think it is brooklynella,he needs a formalin bath..good luck

I think its Brooklynella to.
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Should I treat the Foxface as well? and will the two clowns be fine together in a 10 gal QT?

Yes on both those questions.

I assume the Foxface should need a separate QT then?

Really depends on how big your foxface is.If he's 4 or 5 inches,then you'd probably want to bigger QT for him.But if he's small ( under 3 inches ) then I think he'd be fine with the clowns.

Well the poor little guy didn't make it. Just found him up against the powerhead. Just have the one clown and the foxface left.

Good to come out of this, we're QTing the other two fish and getting rid of everything bad in the system and QTing new arrivals. Should have done that from the beginning.

I guess I just assumed it was like freshwater fish. I kept a FW tank for years and never saw even the slightest hint of parasites or disease. Guess that's the difference between tank bred and wild caught fish.

Awe poor little guy. Sorry about you loss. :( Sounds like you're on the right track now.

Sorry to hear that Kw.

kwsm said:

Well the poor little guy didn't make it. Just found him up against the powerhead. Just have the one clown and the foxface left.

Good to come out of this, we're QTing the other two fish and getting rid of everything bad in the system and QTing new arrivals. Should have done that from the beginning.

I guess I just assumed it was like freshwater fish. I kept a FW tank for years and never saw even the slightest hint of parasites or disease. Guess that's the difference between tank bred and wild caught fish.

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Sorry to hear he didn't make it.Unfortunatly this is how so many of us learn the value of QT.There are few people who don't do it and have 0 problems,but i believe they are the exception not the rule,and i hope they continue to be lucky :mrgreen: Good luck with the other 2.