kyley
Active Member
Hi All,
I just returned from a week vacation and everything in my tank looks great (coral growth, all other fish and inverts look great), except my BSJF that has spots (growths?) on its head and white splotches along its sides. I don't know how long it's been like this, but based on others' recent experiences and their fish dying a day later, I'm guessing it's been less than a day... My expectations are very low after reading about several others' experience with this situation and the first paragraph after the second picture in this article on BSJF. I'll get into the full information Lee usually asks for in a minute, but first the basics. I've had the fish just over 3 weeks now. It's been eating great (same with over vacation AFAIK) and acting very healthy (ate well tonight also). A week and a half ago I added my red firefish which had been in QT for 3 weeks (which could have stressed it out a bit?). "Spot" hasn't been breathing fast for the most part, but I noticed a little bit of that after swimming around for a bit. All in all, he doesn't act very differently, except for hanging out at different places than usual - but exploring and finding new places has kind of been the norm.
Here's what Spot looks like today - note it's not only the white splotches, but also small white spots and/or growths that are visible only on close inspection:
My questions:
1. Is this brooklynella (sp?) or BSJF disease? Whatever it is, is it contagious to the other fish?
2. Is there anything I can do to treat this fish? If so, what can I do, and how can I get it out of the DT?
Lee, the answers to the questions you usually ask are:
A. My tank was started Dec 18th, so almost 3 months old. It took awhile to cycle; Jan 7th it was completed.
B. Not sure on the dimensions (haven't been able to find them), but it's a 65 gallon Red Sea Max 250. I believe that does include the back panel water. No refugium yet, but planning on it. Stock skimmer, have CPE instead of the stock carbon and have about 72 lbs live rock and started with live sand.
C. Not sure on exact flow, but stock RSM pumps plus a Vortech MP20 running at about 85% and a Koralia 1.
D. All fish and inverts are listed in my sig (although a few corals have been added since). The clown is about 2-2.5" and so is the red firefish (the BSJF is about 3").
E. All live rock was purchased "cured" locally from 3 different LFS - mostly Caribbean with some Indonesia and likely others.
F. Yes, I use a QT but did not with the clown (first fish) or BSJF (didn't want to stress it in a no-sand QT that was questionable - and thought it would be best to let it get comfortable in the DT - which it seemed to have done).
G. All LR was added at the same time (on Dec 18th); no QT. 3 weeks after LR, the inverts were added. On 1/28, the clown was added (first fish).
H. Substrate was 1/2 live sand from a LFS and the other half is aragonite sand - total about 2.5" deep on average.
I. Food is frozen mysis shrimp and formula one in the evenings and that or Tetra MicroCrabs Cyclop-eeze Granules in the mornings (the Tetra was the first food recommended to me by an LFS - but I plan to phase it out soon).
J. Food was first added ~1/15 for our skunk cleaner, peppermint, and fire shrimp (1 of each) - that was the Tetra MicroCrabs.
K. I have 6 scarlet reef hermits and one emerald crab.
L. I've had the BSJF for 3 weeks now. I did no treatments when I got the fish (don't know anything about doing that yet). It was acclimated over about a half hour or more by slowly adding DT water to the bag (after previously floating the bag for 15 minutes).
M. No vitamins or fat additives (I'm open to recommendations on what to add and how to add it!). I dose Alk and Ca.
N. I test for NH3, NO2, NO3, PO4, Ca, Alk, pH quite often (at least right now) - almost daily on Ca, Alk, pH right now - the others every few days. Mg, only occasionally (but so far has always been 1250 or so). The first 4 have all been staying at 0 consistently. Ca between 390 and 460 (usually the higher end but it dropped a bit while I was on vacation). Alk 7-9 and pH around 8.2-8.4, sometimes as high as 8.5. I use API test kits (had been using pH meters but I've managed to break two of them already)
O. All are above but salinity which is generally 1.026 (with a refractometer). Also, temp has been consistent between 79-80.
P. Small amounts of hair algae, a lot of coralline, brown diatom is growing quite a bit and scraped off the glass every few days. Not sure what everything is (some red algae I'm unsure about, but it looks like a type of coralline?).
Q. Water changes are 10% or a bit more once a week.
R. 5-stage RO/DI unit in my home.
S. A lot of coral (see below) including a large toadstool mushroom and a few tiny free SPS frags (one of which died right away).
T. Clean mechanical (sponge) filters once a week, blue bonded filter above them cleaned once a week and replaced once a week. Protein skimmer is emptied and cleaned a couple times a week. I think that's about it. I don't do anything with the sand (Spot does that).
T. Lighting is stock T5 VHO run 9 hours a day.
U. A few colonial hydroids (not spreading; reducing), a few digitate hydroids, and one small crab I haven't seen in a long time.
Thanks,
--Kyle
I just returned from a week vacation and everything in my tank looks great (coral growth, all other fish and inverts look great), except my BSJF that has spots (growths?) on its head and white splotches along its sides. I don't know how long it's been like this, but based on others' recent experiences and their fish dying a day later, I'm guessing it's been less than a day... My expectations are very low after reading about several others' experience with this situation and the first paragraph after the second picture in this article on BSJF. I'll get into the full information Lee usually asks for in a minute, but first the basics. I've had the fish just over 3 weeks now. It's been eating great (same with over vacation AFAIK) and acting very healthy (ate well tonight also). A week and a half ago I added my red firefish which had been in QT for 3 weeks (which could have stressed it out a bit?). "Spot" hasn't been breathing fast for the most part, but I noticed a little bit of that after swimming around for a bit. All in all, he doesn't act very differently, except for hanging out at different places than usual - but exploring and finding new places has kind of been the norm.
Here's what Spot looks like today - note it's not only the white splotches, but also small white spots and/or growths that are visible only on close inspection:
My questions:
1. Is this brooklynella (sp?) or BSJF disease? Whatever it is, is it contagious to the other fish?
2. Is there anything I can do to treat this fish? If so, what can I do, and how can I get it out of the DT?
Lee, the answers to the questions you usually ask are:
A. My tank was started Dec 18th, so almost 3 months old. It took awhile to cycle; Jan 7th it was completed.
B. Not sure on the dimensions (haven't been able to find them), but it's a 65 gallon Red Sea Max 250. I believe that does include the back panel water. No refugium yet, but planning on it. Stock skimmer, have CPE instead of the stock carbon and have about 72 lbs live rock and started with live sand.
C. Not sure on exact flow, but stock RSM pumps plus a Vortech MP20 running at about 85% and a Koralia 1.
D. All fish and inverts are listed in my sig (although a few corals have been added since). The clown is about 2-2.5" and so is the red firefish (the BSJF is about 3").
E. All live rock was purchased "cured" locally from 3 different LFS - mostly Caribbean with some Indonesia and likely others.
F. Yes, I use a QT but did not with the clown (first fish) or BSJF (didn't want to stress it in a no-sand QT that was questionable - and thought it would be best to let it get comfortable in the DT - which it seemed to have done).
G. All LR was added at the same time (on Dec 18th); no QT. 3 weeks after LR, the inverts were added. On 1/28, the clown was added (first fish).
H. Substrate was 1/2 live sand from a LFS and the other half is aragonite sand - total about 2.5" deep on average.
I. Food is frozen mysis shrimp and formula one in the evenings and that or Tetra MicroCrabs Cyclop-eeze Granules in the mornings (the Tetra was the first food recommended to me by an LFS - but I plan to phase it out soon).
J. Food was first added ~1/15 for our skunk cleaner, peppermint, and fire shrimp (1 of each) - that was the Tetra MicroCrabs.
K. I have 6 scarlet reef hermits and one emerald crab.
L. I've had the BSJF for 3 weeks now. I did no treatments when I got the fish (don't know anything about doing that yet). It was acclimated over about a half hour or more by slowly adding DT water to the bag (after previously floating the bag for 15 minutes).
M. No vitamins or fat additives (I'm open to recommendations on what to add and how to add it!). I dose Alk and Ca.
N. I test for NH3, NO2, NO3, PO4, Ca, Alk, pH quite often (at least right now) - almost daily on Ca, Alk, pH right now - the others every few days. Mg, only occasionally (but so far has always been 1250 or so). The first 4 have all been staying at 0 consistently. Ca between 390 and 460 (usually the higher end but it dropped a bit while I was on vacation). Alk 7-9 and pH around 8.2-8.4, sometimes as high as 8.5. I use API test kits (had been using pH meters but I've managed to break two of them already)
O. All are above but salinity which is generally 1.026 (with a refractometer). Also, temp has been consistent between 79-80.
P. Small amounts of hair algae, a lot of coralline, brown diatom is growing quite a bit and scraped off the glass every few days. Not sure what everything is (some red algae I'm unsure about, but it looks like a type of coralline?).
Q. Water changes are 10% or a bit more once a week.
R. 5-stage RO/DI unit in my home.
S. A lot of coral (see below) including a large toadstool mushroom and a few tiny free SPS frags (one of which died right away).
T. Clean mechanical (sponge) filters once a week, blue bonded filter above them cleaned once a week and replaced once a week. Protein skimmer is emptied and cleaned a couple times a week. I think that's about it. I don't do anything with the sand (Spot does that).
T. Lighting is stock T5 VHO run 9 hours a day.
U. A few colonial hydroids (not spreading; reducing), a few digitate hydroids, and one small crab I haven't seen in a long time.
Thanks,
--Kyle
help with your thoughts on these courses of action with this fish? I'm trying some of the things you recommended as well as others (and read your Fish Medicine Cabinet post), but need clarification on some things: