whats wrong with my fish?!

[wastememphis]

About two days ago my friend told me my bigger maroon clownfish had a little tiny, hair like scratch on it. Today I looked at it and the scratch is gone, but there is white stuff around it. I'm guessing its a fugus... but its not ich. I'm filing up a hospital type tank for tomorrow...my friend only has a 10gallon to lend me and the fish stores are closed... i made 5gallons of water and i'm putting in 5gallons from the tank hes in now. I'll post a picture and wait till morning to move him but i dont know whats wrong?! please help. The tank hasn't been up for too long and I've had the water tested every week and its been fine since week two. Its a 29gallon, 45lbs live rock, 35lbs sand. The clown has been in there for a little over a week, the smaller clown has been in there for a little under a week. I have a toadstool leather, xeina polyps and a long tenticle anemone. Everything else is doing fine. I have an extra power head in for circulation and 130watt coraline powercompacts. I have only added iodine and zooplankton. The fish has been eating both frozen brine shirmp and some flake foods. It has been in the back of the tank whenever i tryed to look at him this morning and right now.

[wastememphis]

change of wording: hes not hiding in the back of the tank, he is in the anemone whenever i walk in the room and watch him, but when i come right up to the tank to get a GOOD look at him he kinda goes into the back of the tank... he comes foward again.... i mean cuz i did get a picture of him. But i don't know whats wrong.

[wastememphis]

My friend who gave me the 10gallon tank says it doesn't look like a fungus on the fish. A few others have told me it looks like the fish may have been burned by the heater? Does that happen often, I wouldn't think my heater would be on all the time, or at least on that long to burn? But I have a 10 gallon "hospital tank" which isn't nearly as healthy as the tank the fish is in now, because I just got it today. But what should I do with this hospital tank... it only has a mini emperor filter and a heater... and 5gallons cycled water/5gallons new salt water. But how would I care for a fish if it was burned.

[OrionGirl]

Burns usually look like a white blister. Treatment isn't much--monitor for infection, provide a healthy tank and good food.

I can't really tell from the pic, but it looks somewhat similar to velvet--a parasite similar to marine ich. Compare to pics here:http://www.fishpalace.org/Disease.html#Velvet

[MonoSebaelover]

It almost looks to me like the deadly Clownfish disease which isn't so common these days due to all the captive raised clowns but I lost a Gold Stripe Maroon Clown pair to that disease 2 years ago. It was nasty. It started kinda like what yours looks like then within 2 days (the body stayed normal for those two days then it just sprung out of no where) the entire body was covered in it and the fish died quickly thereafter. Not sure that is what is wrong with your fish but it could be. Just my opinion. Hope this helps and hope he gets better.

[wastememphis]

I don't think its velvet... Heres a better picture, theres not a white dot on its face or fin, thats just zoo plankton and some flakes flyn' around I just fed my other things when I pulled out the camera again for another shot. Maybe this is a better one.

[wastememphis]

its only the area right around the left fin, i guess its a little hard to see, but when i look at him in the tank its hard to see on some angles... thats why i was hoping it wasn't too serious.

[OrionGirl]

The second pic looks more like a scrape. Does it stand out from his skin at all, or just across the scales?

[wastememphis]

It sticks out a little, I thought it was a scrape or a burn. I brought the pics to my friend at the lfs she said it looked like a muscus... from being stressed out. I don't know what to do still, she said it could be from bringing him to a store and then bringing him back... and putting the little fish in the tank. But he loves the other fish now, he feeds him flakes, its cute. But like in the second picture.. theres no noticible cut or anyhting, the link going in is on both sides, its where its fin is... but its weird how its surrounding an area where he had a very skinny little line about 4days ago, the cut went away unless its just covered. Is there anything I can put in the 29 hes in now to help out, rather than moving him?

[Guy W]

maybe this:

Clownfish Disease (Brooklynella hostilis) (SW)

Symptoms
Fish can have body legions, with sloughing off of mucus or the skin, increased breathing rates. The fish will become unnaturally pale.

Treatment
Treat with a proprietary medication. It can be treated with meds containing formalin or malachite green

Prognosis
If caught in time can be treated. Can reach fatal levels in 24 to 36 hours.

Comments
The name clownfish disease is a little deceiving as it can be found on many different types of fish.

[wastememphis]

thank you.

[wastememphis]

I took Guy W's reply to me to the lfs with the pictures and bought "Quick Cure" which has malachite Green and, Formalin in it... within hours the white stuff had come off of my fish. It says I can medicate it for 3days then I have to do a water change, I think i'm going to leave him in the hosipital tank for the three days ( and still medicate ) but the white stuff is gone, what was under it lookes like one small circular blister? I don't think paracite medicine will take care a blister... any ideas why she would have one? Thanks again everybody for posting you really really helped my fish out.