Brooklynella question

[jgiannini]

Hi All - I posted this in the fish disease section, but no one seems to be over there, so I figured I'd ask it here since there is more visibility here. I had a clownfish in my main tank come down, and eventually die from, what I think was brooklynella hostilis. As soon as I thought he was sick, I moved him to a QT tank and started treating him....he died in the QT. My main question is do I need to leave the main tank fishless for 6-8 weeks like you have to do with ick, or does the parasite not live that long? Thanks.

[WaterKeeper]

Brook is usually treated with formalin baths or in some cases with hyposalinity. It is a ciliated protozoa and I have heard the live span is about 2-4 weeks although I am not completely sure of that. I'll see if I can get a better idea as I am interested too.

[Avi]

Unfortunately, there is very scant information about the incubation period of the Brooklynella pathogen. So, chosing a specific period over which, if the tank remains fishless, is not easy or even really possible as far as I can tell. So, the longer the period of time, the better and 6 to 8 weeks would be about as long as you can reasonably do it. Because even doing that is, to some extent, "iffy," I would be a little more daring. I'd wait three weeks and attend to all conceivable water quality issues like nitrates, pH, alkalinity, etc. Make sure you buy healthy fish that are eating well in the fishstore and totally clear of any apparent signs of illness like discoloration or film on any part of its body. Watch the fish in the tank in the fish store and be certain that its swimming is totally normal and there is no "scratching" or jerkiness of any kind in its swimming, partciularly shaking its head, even once and even for a split second.

Brooklynella is a fish disease that most easily infects clownfish and damsels but other fish...like triggers...are very susceptible also. And, most fish are most susceptible when subject to stress, so making sure that your water conditions are optimal is critical to avoiding infection in the future. So....that and a reasonable period of acclimating your new fish to the water in your reef or fish-only is very important.

Well...take as long as you can but good luck with the next fish you get...Most likely, it will make it.

[WaterKeeper]

I agree Avi. I can't even find out it is an obligate parasite like ich or velvet. I've never had to deal with it so my knowledge, except knowing formalin is used to treat it, is lacking.

Oh-Obligate parasite=needing a host to survive, but of course, you newbies already knew that. ;)