PLEASE HELP ASAP!! VELVET INFECTED FISH

[Coral Keeper]

Please help! Stupid me added a powerder blue tang that looked absolutely stunning and spotless to my 125 gal DT and after a week he started showing signs to what looked to be ich which very quickly turned for the worse for all of my fish which is velvet. I dont have a current running hospital tank but will be setting up an emergency QT in the morning, have been doing crazy amounts of research and have decided to go with a 40 gallon breeder as the QT. From what I've researched, here is a list of things ill be needing to set it up, if you notice that ive missed something, please let me know!!!
I'm currently putting this list together at 4am in the morning and will be getting all of the supplies as soon as the fishstores open up which will be at 9/10am...

Which copper should i use? I currently have Seachem Cupramine, should i use this or get something else??
*Edit* at furthure investigation, looks like chelated copper, Copper Power, would be my best bet for the fish that I have?

40 gallon breeder with water from DT
1 heater
2 x thermometer
1 air bubbler /air stone/sponge filter
1+ powerheads/water movers
1 filter (Aquaclear or some hang on back filter with sponge/ceramic rings?
Fluval BioMax Media (ceramic rings for bacteria to grow in)
1 bottle of nitrifying bacteria - MicrōBacter7? Seachem Stability?
2+ filter media; sponges
Sponge from my DT sump for the bacteria
lid or covering/Egg crate
2"+ PVC pipe parts
2 ammonia alert badge
Aquarium test kits for pH, ammonia, nitrite, copper

Separate set of miscellaneous equipment JUST for the quarantine tank (nets, cups, food, buckets, test vials, etc.)

Have had most of these fish for a long while especially my leopard wrasses :'( :'( :'(
Here is a list of all of my fish:
Will a 40 breeder be big enough?

Female Spotbreast Angelfish (Genicanthus melanospilos)
Flame Angelfish
Yellow Tang
L Powder Blue Tang
XXL Male Dusky Wrasse (Halichoeres annularis)
Female Leopard Wrasse (Macropharyngodon meleagris)
Male Blue Star Leopard Wrasse (Macropharyngodon bipartitus)
Mandarine Fish
Neon Goby
5 x Carberryi Anthias (Nemanthias carberryi)
4 x Clownfish
2 x Firefish, Purple (Nemateleotris decora)

 

[Coral Keeper]

@eatbreakfast
@melypr1985
@Humblefish
@Randy Holmes-Farley
@HotRocks
@Brew12
@4FordFamily
@evolved

 

[HotRocks]

@eatbreakfast
@melypr1985
@Humblefish
@Randy Holmes-Farley
@HotRocks
@Brew12

Sounds like you have a good plan. I have a few concerns.

Major concern will be bioload on a 40b. Especially with newly setup tank. Best case scenario would be 2x 40b for that many fish. It can be done just going to require alot of WCs.
Feed lightly.

I like copper power better than cupramine. That is my preference.

Order a Hanna checker to monitor your Cu level. It will come in handy with the amount of WCs I suspect you will be doing.

I would try to get Biospiria for seeding the tank. You will definitely want bacteria in a bottle.

Good luck, velvet stinks. Also as you move fish from DT to QT a 5 min FW dip on each fish will provide temporary relief.

A 90 minute bath in acriflavine will also help prevent infection.

I would make sure you have antibiotics on hand as secondary bacterial infections are common with a velvet affliction. Kanaplex, Metroplex, and Furan-2. Also NFG

 

[doctormark]

I would consider having multiple tanks set up, not just the one 40 gallon. The wrasses may be the most sensitive to copper medications. We will wait for others to chime in on that, but copper will have to be raised slowly with them.
I would consider placing the tangs and angels in the 40, but that is even tight quarters.
I have used Cupramine, Coppersafe and CopperPower. I have had the most luck with Coppersafe, but in your position you have to start something.

 

[Coral Keeper]

What about one large QT tank? like a 75 gallon?

 

[Brew12]

What about one large QT tank? like a 75 gallon?

You could go that route.

One advantage of 2 separate tanks is that you can raise copper in them at different rates. For instance you could put the wrasses in one of them and raise copper levels more slowly in it.

 

[4FordFamily]

You’ll need a second QT because you’re likely to have a fish that needs antibiotics that you won’t want to pay to treat an entire 75 gallon, etc.

55-75G is a good size but the larger they get the more expensive the meds will be and water changes.

@HotRocks has you in good hands here!

 

[miyags]

You need to ask your LFS if they have any seeded filter material/sponges. Ammonia is going to be hard to keep down.You will need a lot of salt for many water changes.You need to get them in copper now,velvets a fast killer.Your battle to keep ammonia down for 76 days in QT is going to be hard.

 

[Captain Quint]

What about one large QT tank? like a 75 gallon?

I use a 75g for my QT with positive results and I agree with members posts for treatment plans already posted.

 

[Big G]

Fritz Turbo Start 900 has shown in a recent study by our forum member Dr Reef to be far superior to the other bacteria in a bottle. That being said time is not your friend.

 

[Coral Keeper]

How slowly should I raise copper levels using chelated copper, Copper Power, with the wrasses/anthias/sensitive fish since velvet is such a fast acting disease???

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

if you do have velvet I would do half one day and raise to full strength the next.

 

[cancun]

Hi! I was following along! I am so sorry for you and your fish! I hope all goes well. I have six Leopard Wrasses myself. I was curious....do your leopards show signs of velvet also? Were you able to get all of your supplies this morning? Are you going to go with two tanks?

 

[HotRocks]

How slowly should I raise copper levels using chelated copper, Copper Power, with the wrasses/anthias/sensitive fish since velvet is such a fast acting disease???

Acclimate them directly into 1.0ppm. then raise the Cu level .25ppm per day for 3 days to reach a total of 1.75ppm.
(I dose am and pm to spread out the raising of the Cu level).

This will also follow the guideline of being therapeutic in 48hours.

This is what I have been doing with prophylactic treatment on new arrivals. It has been working great. Even on leopard Wrasse.

 

[Coral Keeper]

Can I use the same RO/DI freshwater to dip other fish after eachother? Or should I change it out after every fish? And what about multiple fish at once in the same bucket with eachother such as anthias?

 

[dwest]

I would do multiple fish at a time. See link.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/freshwater-dip.248898/

 

[WallyB]

Following along. I had Velvet in a tank few years ago and didn't react as fast as you are. End result was all fish got wiped out in my 90 Gallon tank with fish I had for years..

Since then I've been doing QT many times over and have learned many things so will chime in only if I can help.
All I know is I'm now very weary of getting Powder Blue, Powder Brown tangs, and to some degree clowns (since they are prone to getting disease, and ICH)
If this were Ich I could help, but Velvet I've only had once too many.

Here to support you with encouragement.....I feel you pain, and how much you must be worried, upset.
Seeing fish get sick is tough, seeing them slowly die is really hard, especially the "special fish" you have.

Hope things go as best as they can.

 

[Big G]

Acclimate them directly into 1.0ppm. then raise the Cu level .25ppm per day for 3 days to reach a total of 1.75ppm.
(I dose am and pm to spread out the raising of the Cu level).

This will also follow the guideline of being therapeutic in 48hours.

This is what I have been doing with prophylactic treatment on new arrivals. It has been working great. Even on leopard Wrasse.

+ 1 ^^^ Exactly. Works well on copper sensitive fish: puffers, wrasses, anthias, etc. Small regular doses and the Hanna Checker works wonders. As usual, great advice from @HotRocks

 

[Coral Keeper]

Acclimate them directly into 1.0ppm. then raise the Cu level .25ppm per day for 3 days to reach a total of 1.75ppm.
(I dose am and pm to spread out the raising of the Cu level).

This will also follow the guideline of being therapeutic in 48hours.

This is what I have been doing with prophylactic treatment on new arrivals. It has been working great. Even on leopard Wrasse.

Okay, how exactly do i acclimate them to the copper filled QT? They are currently in the Acriflavine MS bath.. do i just start a drip line from copper filled QT into the Acriflavine bath bucket? How long should I acclimate them for? Line drip for an hour? 30 min?
@HotRocks

 

[Coral Keeper]

Also, for Copper Power, How much exactly do I dose per 5 or 10 gallons or whatever to get it to 1.0ppm?