Achilles And Gem Tang Ich!

Big G · Mar 17, 2018

Yes. The freshwater dip will buy you some time. It's amazing the number of attached parasites that drop off during the f/w dip. Amazing.

Big G · Mar 17, 2018

The follow up bath in the acriflavine products really make a difference. It helps prevent secondary bacterial infections that often result from Ich/velvet that usually finish off rather quickly a weakened fish.

Sounds like, from your first post, you are either at or near to minimum therapeutic levels with the Cupramine. So that is good. A big plus.

Daniel400G · Mar 17, 2018

Okay. Going to do the dip tonight .
Any special instructions? Just use RO water?
Stores are all closed around here to buy the second treatment bath.

Just to be clear.
Take fish out of QT that has been in copper for 24 hours.

Freshwater bath 5min from RO water

He goes back in QT

Tomorrow the store opens and buy the second acraflavlin

Then back in QT with copper .

Correct?

JaimeAdams · Mar 17, 2018

Velvet is a much finer spots than it. Ich is like table salt. Velvet is like powder sugar. Ich usually won't kill a healthy fish, velvet will kill them fast. The treatment is pretty much the same.

4FordFamily · Mar 17, 2018

That is DEFINITELY velvet, unfortunately. By the looks of it I would act yesterday or you’re going to lose them. Sorry, friend!

Daniel400G · Mar 17, 2018

Fresh dip all fish?
Only Achilles and purple tang showing signs.

Big G · Mar 17, 2018

Daniel225 said:
Fresh dip all fish?
Only Achilles and purple tang showing signs.

Velvet often attacks the gills, unseen to our eyes until it is too late. You'll be giving the fish easier breathing by removing some of the parasites attached to the gills. That's how the f/w dip buys you time. Untreated the fish rapidly suffocate.

Big G · Mar 17, 2018

The Display tank will need to be left fallow "fishless" for 76 days to starve out any parasites. Ok to leave inverts and to feed them a bit. Without a fish to feed upon the parasites will starve.

Daniel400G · Mar 17, 2018

Did the dip . Not good...

Daniel400G · Mar 17, 2018

Daniel400G · Mar 17, 2018

He on his side almost lifeless.

Daniel400G · Mar 17, 2018

Big G · Mar 17, 2018

Many with much more experience than me, would tell you that if it didn't make it through a freshwater dip, it probably wouldn't have made it anyway.

Did you aerate the fw and match temp. before the dip?
Here's Meredith's post on fw dip: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/video-how-to-do-a-freshwater-dip.286639/#post-3487082

Daniel400G · Mar 17, 2018

Yes, RO water that is already heated to same temp .the ro container also has an air stone in it 24-7 and a a wave maker fan. So angry right now .

Big G · Mar 17, 2018

Sorry for your loss.

Daniel400G · Mar 17, 2018

Well nothing can be done now.
Thanks for your help .
I'm going to start over with all new fish 3 months from now .
Leave tank fishless.
Purchase new fish in a month.
QT first for 2 months.
I don't want to go through this again .
Time, money, stress, killing fish, not what I was expecting getting into this hobby 1 year ago.
I hope that if anyone is reading this thread learns from my mistakes .
Always quarantine!

Big G · Mar 17, 2018

You did everything you could to try save your fish. Sometimes even when we do everything right, we still lose fish. So many unknowns: how the fish was collected - cyanide, blasting, etc., shipping trama, diseases exposed to during shipping, etc.
But here's the toughest part. Many collectors, shippers, and LFS are keeping fish at below therapeutic levels of copper to reduce losses and keep the fish looking sellable condition. Copper can be rough on a fish. It is after all poison. And most fish's colors fade from the exposure. So we buy from them and the sub therapeutic level wears off and the disease(s) comes roaring back, often without the visible symptoms because its attacking unseen in the gills. So by the time you finally see external symptoms, its often too late. The internal damage was too great and the fish's immune system has been compromised.

4FordFamily · Mar 17, 2018

Big G said:
You did everything you could to try save your fish. Sometimes even when we do everything right, we still lose fish. So many unknowns: how the fish was collected - cyanide, blasting, etc., shipping trama, diseases exposed to during shipping, etc.
But here's the toughest part. Many collectors, shippers, and LFS are keeping fish at below therapeutic levels of copper to reduce losses and keep the fish looking sellable condition. Copper can be rough on a fish. It is after all poison. And most fish's colors fade from the exposure. So we buy from them and the sub therapeutic level wears off and the disease(s) comes roaring back, often without the visible symptoms because its attacking unseen in the gills. So by the time you finally see external symptoms, its often too late. The internal damage was too great and the fish's immune system has been compromised.

Agree. To add to this, that Achilles was dead when I saw it in the first photos, unfortunately. A velvet infestation that bad only ends one way for them. Good on you for trying and I’m very sorry for your loss.

Daniel400G · Mar 17, 2018

Thanks for the help everyone!

HotRocks · Mar 17, 2018

Sorry I'm late to the party. Velvet sucks. Point blank. Very sorry for your losses. My only words of wisdom, can be if you like these high end hard to keep fish, IMO QT is a must. I don't have a gem tang, but I do have Achilles in my DT. But I put all my fish through prazi, and copper just to take no chances. Yes it's risky, but almost every batch of fish I get, there is ich or velvet present.