# Ocellaris clown sick or ???



## WateraDrop (Nov 16, 2008)

Hello. I bought 2 new clowns yesterday that seemed rather healthy in-store, but when brought home, did not eat and haven't eaten. I tried flake, mysis and brine shrimp, but to no avail. 

I checked water parameters and they're all in check. I know that it could be stress from travel and whatnot, BUT -- 

This morning, I checked up on them -- so I have one larger one and one medium sized one. The larger one had this white line coming from its anus. It was a sturdy thing, about 1cm long, not completely straight. I saw this about 3 hours ago and as of right now, it is still there. Any ideas on what this might be? The medium sized one seems fine but, as per what I said above, is not eating. 

Oh, and the bigger fish is not bullying the smaller one.

EDIT: So as of 5:15pm, the white string thing is still there. On closer look, the smaller one has a transparent string coming out of it too. Talk about bad luck picking up new livestock. Upon reading more on the net, it seems like this is a case of worms.


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## Tim (Dec 11, 2011)

Could be stress or a stomach/intestinal parasite.


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## WateraDrop (Nov 16, 2008)

I added some more info to the first post, but also -- I've noticed that the smaller one has starting breathing a bit faster. I'm not sure why this is happening. I checked water quality again just now and everything is fine and stable. 

Any tips on how to remedy this?


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## Tim (Dec 11, 2011)

I treat my wrasses with prazipro.

Keep an eye out for any white stuff on the rest of it's body. Clownfish get brooklynella too.

http://www.chucksaddiction.com/brookynella.html


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## WateraDrop (Nov 16, 2008)

I was just looking at prazipro on BA's website. It's expensive!!!! Where do you buy yours?


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## Tim (Dec 11, 2011)

I picked mine up at big als. There are different sized bottle though so get the smallest one. It wasn't that expensive.

My small bottle is 4oz. I did several treatments in my tank and barely put a dent in. I may have to get more wrasses 

Are your fish in quarantine since they are new?


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## WateraDrop (Nov 16, 2008)

Yes they're in quarantine right now. If my camera was functioning at the moment I'd try to grab a picture, but this is pretty much what it looks like on the bigger fish:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1918164

Look at the first post. The smaller fish has like, a medium length transparent thin string coming out of it.


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## Tim (Dec 11, 2011)

They are suggesting it is one of 2 things, worms or an infection, and each needs a different treatment. Prazipro for the worms or a gram negative antibiotic like Maracyn II or neomycin. 

I have no idea iof you can use those 2 together or not. You would have to ask the store.

One thing I wouldn't use is medicated food. The fish have to be eating and they aren't.

Prazi works well and is reef safe. I administered it in my tank and within a few hours one of my wrasses was expelling weird stuff which I assume was some intestinal or stomach worm. Do as big a water change possible before adding it to the tank.

I have used maracin II on goldfish and it too worked well.


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## WateraDrop (Nov 16, 2008)

Alright. I'm going to head over to BA tomorrow and grab a bottle. Some people on the net say Prazi works within hours of dosing so here's hoping I can save these little guys.

EDIT: Breathing rate seems a bit rapid for the smaller fish. Unsure why.


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## Tim (Dec 11, 2011)

WateraDrop said:


> Alright. I'm going to head over to BA tomorrow and grab a bottle. Some people on the net say Prazi works within hours of dosing so here's hoping I can save these little guys.


If it isn't worms, flukes, flatworm or turbellarians and it is an infection, prazi won't work, so if the store says it is fine to use both, and they aren't sure which one it is (worms or infection) then I would use both.

See if you can bring in a picture to show them and maybe they will know?


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## Tim (Dec 11, 2011)

WateraDrop said:


> Alright. I'm going to head over to BA tomorrow and grab a bottle. Some people on the net say Prazi works within hours of dosing so here's hoping I can save these little guys.
> 
> EDIT: Breathing rate seems a bit rapid for the smaller fish. Unsure why.


rapid breathing can be a sign of a few things, poor oxygen, a gill parasite or poor water. If you have a pump and a diffuser, you could drop it in and see how that does.

A questrion for you, did you give your fish a freshwater dip before adding them to the tank?


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## WateraDrop (Nov 16, 2008)

I did do a fw dip yes.


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## WateraDrop (Nov 16, 2008)

So just another update -- I went to take a look just now and the larger fish who had the stranger protrusion coming out of it -- that thing is now shorter. I don't know if a bit of it broke off or something, but it is no longer as long as it was before.

EDIT: PS, Tim: Thanks a lot for your help! I really appreciate it 

EDIT2: Just called Ken. He says he has all of this in stock. Thank God for SUM!


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## Tim (Dec 11, 2011)

WateraDrop said:


> So just another update -- I went to take a look just now and the larger fish who had the stranger protrusion coming out of it -- that thing is now shorter. I don't know if a bit of it broke off or something, but it is no longer as long as it was before.
> 
> EDIT: PS, Tim: Thanks a lot for your help! I really appreciate it


No problem.

If the white string isn't in the tank, could it have sucked it back in? lol. I would get over to SUM now and get treatment going as fast as you can. Make sure to tell Ken the symptoms.


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## WateraDrop (Nov 16, 2008)

Tim said:


> No problem.
> 
> If the white string isn't in the tank, could it have sucked it back in? lol.


I'm not sure .. I remember working with horsehair worms in the field before and those just get flat out expelled ... I was wondering if it could get sucked back in too lol.


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## Tim (Dec 11, 2011)

a reverse fart? LOL

Can fish do that?


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## WateraDrop (Nov 16, 2008)

LOL I hope not! Oh lordy. I need to sap up more knowledge on diseases. I'm doing my doctorate on ocellaris clowns. What's happening now will be a helpful lesson. 

The larger one seems a tad more active now. The smaller one is still clowning around in the clown corner where they slept last night.


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## Tim (Dec 11, 2011)

Don't forget since they are new they may be a bit freaked out. To calm them down maybe wrap the tank and put in some PVC pipe for them to hide in. I have seen weird white stringy poop in freshwater fish just due to stress.


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## WateraDrop (Nov 16, 2008)

The thing is completely gone from the larger one. Smaller one has a bit of a longer string trailing it now. Maybe it's just poop? I feel like dosing a bit of Prazi just in case.

You said prazi is reef safe. Does that include inverts?


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## Tim (Dec 11, 2011)

I used in in my DT for my leopard wrasse, with corals, fish, snails (trochus,tectus,mexican turbos and ceriths) and crabs with no ill effects on anything.

It is however bad for feather dusters (Prazi kills worms and it mentions these specifically on the bottle)

I moved all my feather dusters to a separate tank until treatment was done and I also moved some spaghetti worms and bristle worms to it just in case it affected them. I didn't see any of the ones left in my DT die but that isn't to say some didn't.

It also says on the bottle that it SHOULD NOT be used with other disease treatments so I assume it would not be safe to use with Maracyn II or neomycin?


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## WateraDrop (Nov 16, 2008)

So this is day 3 since I began the PraziPro treatment and they look a bit healthier. Fins are extended and everything and there are no more white things coming out of them. 

I've looked carefully for any signs of ich or brooklynella and there is nothing visible after a few long looks. 

The issue now is that they haven't eaten since I brought them home. I acclimated using drip as I always do, water parameters and chemistry is safe and stable. I've tried quite a number of different foods and they've ignored all of them.

Tips? Thoughts? Banana?


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## Tim (Dec 11, 2011)

are they tank bred or wild caught? 

Maybe some live food like live brine shrimp or try some cyclopeeze?

btw did Ken say anything about using other medications or did he think it was something in like worms?


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## WateraDrop (Nov 16, 2008)

They were purchased from the Vaughan BA during this past weekend's tent sale. I don't recall whether they said it was tank-bred or wild. 

I tried brine shrimp and cyclopeeze already and no response from either fish at all.


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## Tim (Dec 11, 2011)

anything come out of the fish at all?


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## WateraDrop (Nov 16, 2008)

During Prazipro treatment? Bunch of weird white mass. It looked wormy. Same as the other one.


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## Tim (Dec 11, 2011)

ew lol. Sounds like what I saw with my wrasses.

Some people see their fish refusing or cutting back on their food with prazi. I didn't see it with my wrasses but they are pigs.

You can repeat treatment minimum 3 days later but the bottle says you can do a treatment in 5-7 days as well. Need to do a good water change prior to the second treatment (as big as possible as per directions). I did a second treatment 3 days after and my wrasses needed it by seeing what else came out.

Keep an eye on the PH.

And ummm you aren't running carbon or skimming are you?


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## WateraDrop (Nov 16, 2008)

Skimmer's off and carbon was taken out. Water change tonight and perhaps another treatment tomorrow.


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## WateraDrop (Nov 16, 2008)

So the smaller one died -- after it died, a BIG worm came out of it and died as well (probably because of Prazi in the water). 

The larger one looks a lot healthier but the problem now is that it's not eating. It's active, but not taking anything I give it. I've tried flake with garlic juice, cyclopeeze, brine shrimp, live brine shrimp.


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