Brooklynella

[Humblefish]

Brooklynella hostilis (updated 1-17-23)

What You Need To Know:

* This is most often seen with clownfish, but it can afflict other fish (usually in the gills) as well. When a clownfish has Brook, the skin will appear to be peeling or sloughing off. Which is actually excess white mucous coming off the fish.
* Treatment of choice is a 45-60 minute Formalin bath, followed by transfer into a new/sterile QT. (Metronidazole should be dosed every 48 hours for 10-14 days thereafter in the QT as follow-up treatment.)
* The fallow (fishless) period for starving Brook out of a Display Tank is 6 weeks.
* While copper and hyposalinity may suppress symptoms of Brook, neither will fully eliminate it.

Early stages:

More advanced stages:

Brook on a Naso Tang (notice how it presents differently on non-clownfish):

And on this Purple Tang:

Additional Information​

Brooklynella hostilis is a ciliate parasite with a direct life cycle: It lives, feeds and reproduces directly on the fish (no encysted stage). Transmission to other fish primarily occurs via direct contact with an infected specimen; or there always exists the possibility that parasites can drop off into the water column and infect other fish that way. Having no encysted stage makes this pathogen easier to eliminate, but do not underestimate how fast killing Brook can be. Especially with clownfish.

Treatment Options (in order of preference):

1. 45-60 minute Formalin Bath: Formalin
2. 90 minute bath using Ruby Reef Rally: Acriflavine
3. 2x H2O2 baths (6 days apart) via Hybrid TTM: Hybrid TTM to treat more parasites!
4. 5 minute freshwater dip: How To - Freshwater Dip

Post dip or bath, transfer the fish into a clean/sterile QT to prevent reinfection. It is a wise course of action to dose Metronidazole every 48 hours for 10-14 days thereafter. Or alternatively, you can dose Chloroquine Phosphate once @ 60 mg/gal. Both are designed to act as an “insurance policy” to ensure all of the parasites have been eliminated.

Brooklynella video:

 

[ichthyogeek]

Are there any other treatments that we can use nowadays, like hydrogen peroxide?

 

[Humblefish]

Are there any other treatments that we can use nowadays, like hydrogen peroxide?

Yes, although there was an apparent recent peroxide failure to clear Brook:

Hybrid TTM failed with brook

Not sure what’s going on, but somehow it seems brook made it through my hybrid ttm. i completed hybrid TTM for 9 redline anthias. I did the first peroxide dip the first day before they went into a 10g qt. Used 1 gal of water with 20ml of peroxide for 30 min. The fish handled the dip fine with no...

humble.fish

 

[Paradise_Reefer]

So, what is the recommended fallow period for a display to remove brook?

 

[Jessican]

So, what is the recommended fallow period for a display to remove brook?

6 weeks

 

[Paradise_Reefer]

6 weeks

Great! Thank you.

 

[awwinterfall54]

Can chloroquine be used for brook?

 

[Humblefish]

Can chloroquine be used for brook?

Yes; 60mg/gal for at least 2 weeks for good measure

 

[ichthyogeek]

Same question that I had in the Uronema thread: is there a source that I can read about treating Brooklynella with Metro? Like, why is Metro recommended for Brook?

 

[AndyR83]

I recently dealt with an unfortunate Brooklynella outbreak in a display tank. This was quite unexpected; this particular tank has been continuously dosed with H2O2 for quite some time now using the protocol that originated here on the HF forum and I follow a strict quarantine protocol with all new additions. That story, however, is probably a topic for another post.

I thought it may be helpful to share some additional pictures of Brooklynella infections in non-clownfish. As Humble mentioned in the OP, the presentation varies a bit between species. In fact, I didn’t even suspect Brook initially when attempting to treat these fish. I actually thought I was dealing with a nasty gram positive bacterial infection such as a streptococcus. I was quite surprised to find unmistakable Brooklynella upon performing microscopic exams of these and other specimens from the same tank. There were also no findings to support a bacterial infection when I attempted to perform cultures and gram staining.

This is an Arothron puffer with advanced Brooklynella. Note the mottled and washed out appearance, cloudy eyes, and discoloration of fins. I’ve noted about 75% of puffers to “puff” in the later stages of the disease process. Sadly, this has signaled imminent death within about 12 hours in every instance that I’ve observed.

This is Brooklynella in a Tomini tang. Note the mottled, blotchy discoloration and ragged fins.

Thankfully, I’ve found tangs to respond very well to treatment with Ruby Reef Rally. This fish actually made a complete recovery after about 5 days of treatment!

 

[awwinterfall54]

What treatment did you use? Metro or chloroquine? I recently had wild clownfish die from suspect brook or velvet

 

[AndyR83]

In the two cases I highlighted, daily Ruby Reef Rally and NFG baths for 5 days followed by chloroquine and erythromycin. Note that erythromycin was selected out of initial concern for possible gram positive infection. Hindsight being 20/20, I’d be more likely to use Cipro in the future based on the findings that later came to light.

I lost 4 puffers unfortunately, including the one pictured. Additional losses included 4 Bicunctus clownfish, a Princess Parrotfish, a Lemonpeel angel, a Blue angel, a Regal angel, and a Moorish Idol.

Survivors all returned to pre-infection level of health within about a week. These included the Tomini tang pictured above as well as a Sailfin tang, Gem tang, Niger Trigger, Koran angel, Three-stripe Damsel, and a Pajama Cardinal.

Five eels were also in the same tank and underwent the treatments listed as well, though none ever displayed any signs of infection.

 

[Humblefish]

Outbreaks of Brook among non-clownfish seems to be more common in the UK for some reason, and from what I've seen it can kill as quickly as Velvet if conditions are favorable.

 

[Hsal2283]

Help. Not sure if I have brook or something else. It started 3 days ago and the jawfish died.

 

[Vincelovesfish]

Help. Not sure if I have brook or something else. It started 3 days ago and the jawfish died.

Yes; I would start treatment right away. Peroxide bath at a bare minimum will help give temporary relief.

 

[Humblefish]

Help. Not sure if I have brook or something else. It started 3 days ago and the jawfish died.

That's Brook: Brooklynella

 

[Paul B]

Hey Humble, does that disease come from Brooklyn like I do? I never saw it and neither did my fish.

Hey Humble yesterday my wife and I went to a 6 hour class on Psychoneuroimmunology which is the longest word I ever typed.

In short, it is about stress and our immune system and not good for this forum because it goes against everything here so your fish would get that Brooklyn disease along with green ich if I explained the process which stress and medications totally diffuses the immune system.

Sounds like a good article for Reef Central. Maybe I will post it there because I haven't been there in 5 years and they all forgot me and I won't hear the yelling and arguments.

 

[Humblefish]

In short, it is about stress and our immune system and not good for this forum because it goes against everything here so your fish would get that Brooklyn disease along with green ich if I explained the process which stress and medications totally diffuses the immune system.

I agree that medication is a "necessary evil". But when a human (or fish) is up against a disease that is likely to overwhelm an immune system, you have to start making some hard choices.

 

[Paul B]

you have to start making some hard choices.

Of course I agree, but you have to agree that fish should never get that.

 

[Humblefish]

Of course I agree, but you have to agree that fish should never get that.

If fish never got sick, I would be out of a job. But seriously, even the healthiest people get diseases and need treatments. Fish health is not that much different than human health. Some ailments a healthy immune system can deal with, others need a helping hand (medications) to overcome, and still others are unfortunately terminal no matter what you do.