Brooklynella Hostilis (Clownfish Disease) Article

Creation Reef & Aquatics · May 13, 2008

Due to recent threads I have seen, we have put together an article that addresses Clownfish Disease. This article as well as many other articles we have developed will be posted on our website (to be announced) that is being developed right now! I hope you find this article helpful, if anybody has anything to add (or corrections) just post, pm, or email me!

The best cure for a disease is prevention. Please quarantine your fish, and always purchase your fish from a trusted source, remember you will have these guys for a long time.

Thanks! Look foward to serving you.

Creation Reef & Aquatics · May 13, 2008

Brooklynella hostilis

A ciliated protozoan, Brooklynella hostilis is a common parasite found in many wild-caught clownfish and other marine species. This parasite is so common in clownfish that an infection is often called Clownfish Disease. However, since this species is an opportunistic protozoan, any marine species displaying signs such as a thick coat of mucus, skin lesions, and/or rapid breathing may very well be infected with Brooklynella hostilis. The parasite reproduces very rapidly by conjugation, a form of binary fission often seen in bacteria. This is a swift form of reproduction, and the numbers increase so quickly that a fish may easily go from a state of parasite infection to infestation in less than thirty-six hours. 
There are many documented signs of Brooklynella hostilis including those stated earlier. Along with a thick coat of mucus, skin lesions, and rapid breathing other symptoms of infection include but are not limited to the following: color loss, refusal to eat, lethargy, opaque and brittle fins, and dehydrated appearance. Death from a Brooklynella hostilis infection is generally caused by osmoregulation problems, dehydration, and gill damage. Osmoregulation is how the fish involuntarily controls how much water flows in and out of the body; water flows from areas of high concentration to low concentration. Diffusion is the transport of solutes such as salts and their dissolved ions from locations of high concentration to low concentration. In a marine environment, the saltwater surrounding a fish contains less water and more solutes in a given area than the body of the fish. Therefore, water wants to flow from the fish to the aquatic environment and the salts want to flow from the surrounding environment into the body of the fish. These passive processes are following natural laws to achieve equilibrium, but would eventually cause death by dehydration; water wants to continually flow out of the fish and salts pass inside the body. God has however, designed special mechanisms’ to actively pump salts out of the body; thus even though the fish intake saltwater, special epithelial cells filter and shuttle out excess ions such as chloride and sodium to allow proper physiological function. Also the fish has been designed with a special mucus and skin barrier making it more difficult for water to escape from the body, helping to prevent dehydration. However, Brooklynella damages this protective barrier leading to excess water escape, dehydration, and unfortunately death. Furthermore, the gills have been noted as a target area for this parasite, and gill infection quickly leads to labored breathing and exhaustion. 
Loss of color and rapid breathing are often the first signs of infection, and by this time infection has likely spread to other fish in a tank. Even if one removes the sick fish from the tank at first signs of infection, Brooklynella can swim to find a new host if an existing host is removed. These parasites can live in the water without a host for several weeks, and it is recommended that a fish infected with Brooklynella be quarantined for at least four weeks after treatment before being re-introduced into the main tank. 
Unfortunately, there does not appear to be a guaranteed treatment for survival of fish infected with Brooklynella hostilis. Although excellent for other protozoan infections, copper has been an ineffective treatment for this parasite. Listed below are a few methods of treatment whose authors reported positive results.

<ul>
<li>Formalin <ul>
<li></li>
<li>37% composition; 1 cc/ gallon; 15-30 minutes (make sure to observe fish for signs of distress and remove if necessary); add an air stone or some form of mechanical aeration – Bob Fenner</li>
<li>Toxic, carcinogenic, and irritant; can be used as effective treatment but dangerous to delicate fish (<a href=\"http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/www.ultimatereef.com\">www.ultimatereef.com</a> – see more detailed paragraph below)</li>
</ul></li>
</ul>“Cheap, cheerful and effective: sounds perfect, so what’s the catch? Well it’s toxic, carcinogenic and an irritant. It is, however, one of the best treatments for Brooklynella hostilis and Uronema marinum. It can be purchased readily from your chemist and some off-the-shelf cures contain it or a related chemical (paraformaldehyde or gluteraldehyde) so a read of the labels or data sheets of some products is essential if you want to use it. The best way to use this chemical for Brooklynella hostilis and Uronema marinum is as a formalin dip followed by a long term formalin bath (see environmental treatments). To use it as a short dip in seawater, make up a bath in seawater at 200 to 250ppm for 1 hour. The dip component of this treatment regime should be carried out on days 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 & 11 after each dip the fish should be returned to a quarantine tank to which formalin has been added (see below). For the long term long term bath component of this treatment, add 25ppm of formalin to your quarantine tank (it’s toxic to some invertebrates and algae, including most coralline algae species, so cannot be used in a reef situation after 10 days. Remember liquid formalin (which is how you will get it from the chemists) is 37 to 40% formaldehyde and you want 25ppm so you need to add 0.0625ml formalin per litre rather than 0.02ml to get the correct dose.”
<ul>
<li>Acriflavin</li>
</ul>a. (http://www.ultimatereef.com/">www.ultimatereef.com</a> -see detailed paragraph below)
[I]“In my opinion, Acriflavin is one of the most under-used treatments available to marine fish keepers. It has a broad range of effect, being effective against protozoans, bacterial infections and external fungal diseases. It is as “reef safe” as any other “reef safe” treatment and is easily obtained. It can be bought in several formulations from the LFS but make sure it isn’t combined with malachite green or methylene blue which have toxicity issues in marine systems. It is effective at a concentration of 6 ppm against many ciliates (Paperna, 1984) and this dose should be added to the aquarium on days 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, & 11. Your skimmer should be turned off and any activated charcoal removed. It dyes the water a greenish yellow colour which will change the light spectrum reaching your corals (if you decide to use it in a reef tank - personally I believe all medications are best kept out of a reef aquarium and used in a quarantine tank) and this colour is a bit of a pig to get rid of, but after treatment turning your skimmer back on and adding activated charcoal helps remove the coloration (as do water changes)”.
<ul>
<li>Freshwater dip</li>
</ul>a. Parasites fall off fish quickly; recommended about 3-5 minutes; do not place in original tank because fish will become re-infected; make sure freshwater is temperature and pH adjusted to reduce stress; do not use this method for fish whose skin barrier is very damaged because osmoregulation is difficult ([IMG]http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/www.ultimatereef.com">www.ultimatereef.com</a>)
<ul>
<li>Hyposalinity<ul>
<li></li>
<li>Although this method is not a cure, it will help to reduce stress and increase chance for fish survival. Slightly lowering the salinity (having less salt in the surrounding water) will decrease the rate at which salts want to flow into the fish and water wants to flow out. Since the osmoregulatory cells of [I]Brooklynella infected fish are probably damaged, hyposalinity may decrease physiological stress. (<a href=\"http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2007/6/fish#h5\">http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2007/6/fish#h5</a>)</li>
</ul></li>
<li>Metronidazole 
<ul>
<li>Oral medication added to diet; prescription (full-strength obtained from veterinarian); 34 mg/kg; reef safe, but will kill anaerobic bacteria (<a href=\"http://www.ultimatereef.com/\">www.ultimatereef.com</a>)</li>
</ul></li>
<li>Quarantine
<ul>
<li>Regardless of treatment method, establishing a quarantine tank is crucial. Quarantining fish is vital to prevent spread of [I]Brooklynella to other fish, and also to help minimize stress among those already infected. </li>
</ul></li>
<li>Antibacterial Agent
<ul>
<li>Use of some kind of antibacterial agent to prevent secondary infections (<a href=\"http://www.fishvet.com)\">www.fishvet.com)</a></li>
</ul></li>
</ul>
Preventing [I]Brooklynella hostilis infection is actually easy, because it is found in wild-caught clownfish and other marine species. One could be much more confident that they are purchasing a [I]Brooklynella free fish if the animal has been tank raised. Clownfish are now commonly seen in the tank-raised variety, and prices compared to wild-caught are similar enough to justify almost eliminating the threat of [I]Brooklynella. Still, there is always a small chance that infection can be introduced into one’s beautiful home aquarium. Therefore, one should always quarantine a newly purchased fish for a couple of weeks, feed it immunostimulants, and observe it for any abnormal behavior. With proper prevention, one will hopefully never face the hassle and destruction caused by [I]Brooklynella hostilis. 

Sources:
[IMG]http://www.wetwebmedia.com/brooklynellosisart.htm">www.wetwebmedia.com/brooklynellosisart.htm</a>
[IMG]http://www.ultimatereef.com/">www.ultimatereef.com</a>
[IMG]http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2007/6/fish#h5">http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2007/6/fish#h5</a>
[IMG]http://www.wonbrothers.com/product/DrAqua/parasitic_diseases.htm">http://www.wonbrothers.com/product/DrAqua/parasitic_diseases.htm </a>
[IMG]http://www.fishvet.com/">www.fishvet.com</a>

Creation Reef & Aquatics · May 13, 2008

Bump,
Did anybody find this helpful?:fish:

Creation Reef & Aquatics · May 13, 2008

Great,
Their are more articles on our website at Creationpet.com. We will continue to add new articles as they are written. Thanks!

xyzpdq0121 · May 13, 2008

Hey Matt, I do not know how I missed this thread... When I find the time, I will PM you with a list of more information. When and If we get our Wiki back up, I would like this to go in it.

linda lee · May 13, 2008

What a great idea and a terrific service offered by a LFS. I hope this idea takes off.

It's refreshing to see a store with this kind of focus and I look forward to the opening!!

Creation Reef & Aquatics · May 13, 2008

Thank Linda! We are working hard towards the opening, lots to do. Closer every day.

hn1 · May 13, 2008

ccombs;282771 wrote: We recently set up a new tank. Its has been going for two months. We have crabs, snails, and shrimp living in it. We purchased two pink skunk fish. They were quarantined for 2 weeks with no sign of disease. We moved to the main tank. Within 24 hours white spots appeared. One was moved back to QT and the other remained in main tank (he couldn't be caught). By the next day, neither showed any white spots. Both were placed in main tank. Next day, both had white spots, larger. They were moved back to QT, with new water and QT had been cleaned. The salinity was dropped and the temperature slowing raised to about 80. Next day all white spots gone again. After 5 days with no spots reappearing they were moved back into main tank. Within 24 hours white spots reappeared and in 48 they had died. We thought the problem was Ich, but how the spots disappeared in QT we thought maybe it was stress. Has this happened to anyone else? Or can someone tell me if this is normal with a parasite? What recommendations are there for the main tank. There are no other fish in it now, but we have a Flame Angel in the QT.

Any help would be appreciated. We are new at this.

Salinity 1.025
Nitrite .05ppm
Amonia .025ppm
Nitrate 2.5 - 12.55ppm
PH 8.2
Alkalinity 1.7-2.8
Tank is 90 Gallons

What test kits are you using? I'm going on the assumption that you are adding a zero (.025 vs .25) so please forgive me if I'm wrong. I'm just a newb, but based on your parameters I'd say the fish are stressed because the tank is not cycled. Ammonia and Nitrite will cause stress and reduce their immune responses leading to increased parasitic vulnerability. Wait for someone more experienced to chime in though.

On another note... thanks for bumping this. This is a great article that I had not read before.

ster · May 13, 2008

ccombs;282771 wrote: We recently set up a new tank. Its has been going for two months. We have crabs, snails, and shrimp living in it. We purchased two pink skunk fish. They were quarantined for 2 weeks with no sign of disease. We moved to the main tank. Within 24 hours white spots appeared. One was moved back to QT and the other remained in main tank (he couldn't be caught). By the next day, neither showed any white spots. Both were placed in main tank. Next day, both had white spots, larger. They were moved back to QT, with new water and QT had been cleaned. The salinity was dropped and the temperature slowing raised to about 80. Next day all white spots gone again. After 5 days with no spots reappearing they were moved back into main tank. Within 24 hours white spots reappeared and in 48 they had died. We thought the problem was Ich, but how the spots disappeared in QT we thought maybe it was stress. Has this happened to anyone else? Or can someone tell me if this is normal with a parasite? What recommendations are there for the main tank. There are no other fish in it now, but we have a Flame Angel in the QT.

Any help would be appreciated. We are new at this.

Salinity 1.025
Nitrite .05ppm
Amonia .025ppm
Nitrate 2.5 - 12.55ppm
PH 8.2
Alkalinity 1.7-2.8
Tank is 90 Gallons

The presence of any detectable amounts of Ammonia or Nitrites means that your tank is not yet ready for fish. Your alkalinity is also extremely low and should be closer to the 6-15 range (assuming you're measuring in dKH). Both of these could have caused stress on your fish. Also, what's your temperature?

ster · May 13, 2008

The only real issue I see is that your ammonia is high. A fully cycled tank should never have detectable levels of ammonia. Have any of your crabs or snails died lately that could be creating a source?

fish scales2 · May 13, 2008

ccombs;282771 wrote: We recently set up a new tank. Its has been going for two months. We have crabs, snails, and shrimp living in it. We purchased two pink skunk fish. They were quarantined for 2 weeks with no sign of disease. We moved to the main tank. Within 24 hours white spots appeared. One was moved back to QT and the other remained in main tank (he couldn't be caught). By the next day, neither showed any white spots. Both were placed in main tank. Next day, both had white spots, larger. They were moved back to QT, with new water and QT had been cleaned. The salinity was dropped and the temperature slowing raised to about 80. Next day all white spots gone again. After 5 days with no spots reappearing they were moved back into main tank. Within 24 hours white spots reappeared and in 48 they had died. We thought the problem was Ich, but how the spots disappeared in QT we thought maybe it was stress. Has this happened to anyone else? Or can someone tell me if this is normal with a parasite? What recommendations are there for the main tank. There are no other fish in it now, but we have a Flame Angel in the QT.

Any help would be appreciated. We are new at this.

Salinity 1.025
Nitrite .05ppm
Ammonia .025ppm
Nitrate 2.5 - 12.55ppm
PH 8.2
Alkalinity 1.7-2.8
Tank is 90 Gallons

Quarantine for 2 Weeks is not enough, the life stages of most parasites last about 23 days, if you introduce into DT before then you have defeated the purpose of even placing in qt. I find it easy to avoid clown fish disease by obtaining only captive bred clowns.

fish scales2 · May 13, 2008

It probably is not Brook at all, the white spots could have disapeared due to hypo salinity. You are probably running your QT at 1.017 or around there right? Parasites do not exist very well in those types of conditions.

Sorry Creation, I did not notice this was in your thread until now.

Brooklynella Hostilis (Clownfish Disease) Article

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