Anthias - Is this Uronema?

[Voltaire81]

Similar topic as another thread going on right now but didnt want to hi-jack that.

I had an Anthias that perished this weekend. (see pic attached).

Is this Uronema?

The fish was in a 55g QT with other fish (Blue Hippo, Kole, a couple of wrasses, and other lyretail Anthias. No chromis.) These fish are being treated with copper, cupramine 0.5ppm.

If this is Uronema, do I need to remove copper and treat with CP? I hope not.

 

[Humblefish]

That does not look like Uronema to me; more likely a bacterial infection.

 

[Voltaire81]

Thanks Dr Fish. I was worried for my other fish.

 

[Voltaire81]

Hi - Is this also a bacterial infection?

If so, could i add Kanaplex to the QT although it has about 0.5ppm of cupramine copper? (i think i asked you this before )

This Anthias was in the same QT with the other anthias that perished.

 

[Humblefish]

Yes, you can mix Kanaplex with copper and I would do so immediately. If the infection doesn't respond to Kanaplex, you can also add Furan-2 and metronidazole to the mix.

 

[Voltaire81]

Thanks again. Ill add it as soon as i get home.

FWIW, the anthias is still swimming/eating well so hopefully she can recover.

Yes, you can mix Kanaplex with copper and I would do so immediately. If the infection doesn't respond to Kanaplex, you can also add Furan-2 and metronidazole to the mix.

 

[FarmerTy]

I had the same thing happen with 7 anthias in my QT. They all looked like yours. I treated with Kanaplex with no success. I then moved on to Furan and Metro and still nothing. I was stumped and even tried a methylene blue dip to no avail. Only two that never showed symptoms survived. I'm still purplexed as to what that disease was. My antibiotic bomb did nothing to it.

 

[Voltaire81]

Dang - Did they eventually stop eating then perished?

 

[Humblefish]

I'm finding that anthias are also prone to Uronema marinum and that can look similar to a bacterial infection sometimes. Metro should treat it (see below), but it might be a good idea to first administer a bath using formalin or acriflavine due to the severity of this disease.

Uronema marinum:

Symptoms - These are the red sores often seen on chromis damsels. The disease seems mostly confined to damsels and clownfish, but I have seen some exceptions to that.

Treatment options - This is a very difficult disease to treat. Possible treatment options include: Metronidazole (ex. Seachem MetroPlex), acriflavine (ex. Acriflavine-MS), Chloroquine phosphate and copper. The problem is the fish can never be returned to the infected tank from which it came. Uronema is a “free living” parasite which does not require a fish host. So, going fallow will not eradicate it. Most fish seem protected from it via their natural immune system; but for some reason, chromis and some other fish are not always afforded this protection. Once a tank has Uronema, it must be assumed that the disease can survive in there almost indefinitely.

Formalin bath or freshwater dip may provide temporary relief for Uronema.

 

[Voltaire81]

So luckily, they are in QT so i can sanitize the tank after treatment if it is Uronema.

Now, I can take the anthias and give them all a formalin bath or acriflavine, but i have a couple of questions:

- Do I need to take give ALL fish in QT the bath or just Anthias?
- All fish are already in copper, could i add Metroplex or do i need to remove copper first before i can treat with metroplex?

 

[Humblefish]

- Do I need to take give ALL fish in QT the bath or just Anthias?

The bath only provides temporary relief, so I would just treat the ones showing symptoms.

- All fish are already in copper, could i add Metroplex or do i need to remove copper first before i can treat with metroplex?

You can mix metro with copper. I also would treat with Kanaplex just in case it is, in fact, a bacterial infection. Uronema is just another possibility to consider.

 

[FarmerTy]

Dang - Did they eventually stop eating then perished?

That's exactly what happened but they looked like zombies before they stopped eating so you could tell which ones weren't going to make it. Their color was super faded and looked like the pictures you posted.

 

[Voltaire81]

The bath only provides temporary relief, so I would just treat the ones showing symptoms.



You can mix metro with copper. I also would treat with Kanaplex just in case it is, in fact, a bacterial infection. Uronema is just another possibility to consider.

Ok - I dosed metro a couple of hours ago. Ill see how this goes for a day or so before adding Kanaplex. I figured take it slow with mixing meds?

 

[Humblefish]

Ok - I dosed metro a couple of hours ago. Ill see how this goes for a day or so before adding Kanaplex. I figured take it slow with mixing meds?

Yes, typically adding more meds = less available oxygen + increased appetite supression. You have to weigh the risks vs. how in need the fish is of multiple medications. Ideally, you only want to dose one med at a time when treating.

 

[Voltaire81]

Thanks again. Fish eating fine so far so hopefully that doesnt change. I have two HOB filters running in this QT. Ill add another airstone just to be safe.

Also another question on metroplex directions. Per the container, "Use 1-2 measures (included) for every 40 L (10 US gallons). Repeat every 2 days for up to 3 weeks or until symptoms disappear."

Dosing every 2 days seems excessive? Do I need to change some water before each dose?

 

[Humblefish]

Also another question on metroplex directions. Per the container, "Use 1-2 measures (included) for every 40 L (10 US gallons). Repeat every 2 days for up to 3 weeks or until symptoms disappear."

Dosing every 2 days seems excessive? Do I need to change some water before each dose?

You can if you like, but metronidazole doesn't last long in the water which is why you can redose so frequently.

 

[Voltaire81]

Update: Yesterday was the last scheduled dose for metroplex. Theres has been much improvement on the fish but theres still some infection left. Also no symptoms were observed on the other fish that shares the QT.

Could I keep dosing metroplex until its all gone? is it safe to keep going?
Directions say upto 3 weeks.

Side note: I never added Kanaplex.

 

[Humblefish]

Update: Yesterday was the last scheduled dose for metroplex. Theres has been much improvement on the fish but theres still some infection left. Also no symptoms were observed on the other fish that shares the QT.

Could I keep dosing metroplex until its all gone? is it safe to keep going?
Directions say upto 3 weeks.

Side note: I never added Kanaplex.

Yes, you can keep dosing Metroplex. However, if you suspect a bacterial infection has now set in (happens a lot as a "secondary complication" when parasites are in play), then I would add Kanaplex to the mix to deal with that.