How to treat reef tank velvet??

[Pea Puffer 67]

Just got rid of my baby blue tang (2”) because it had velvet. It was stuck to my power head not moving so I sadly had to dispose of it.
Question is: what do I do now?

I feed all my fish a mix of foods with garlic drops to help their immune system. I don’t notice any fish with any signs of white spots or that they’re swimming funny. Should I act now and immediately move my fish to a QT set up? Or should I stop worrying? My tank is a 35g reef so I cannot do copper treatments. Any ideas? (Yes a tang in my tank was wrong, decided to add it there while I get some supplies for a 150 I’m building soon)

 

[blaxsun]

Yes, if your fish had velvet it means it's in your tank. So you need to remove your other fish, QT and treat as well as running your main DT fallow for the required period -or- try an in-tank remedy. I can't really advise which is the best course of action, but the resident experts can probably help.

#fishmedic

 

[Sharkbait19]

Just got rid of my baby blue tang (2”) because it had velvet. It was stuck to my power head not moving so I sadly had to dispose of it.
Question is: what do I do now?

I feed all my fish a mix of foods with garlic drops to help their immune system. I don’t notice any fish with any signs of white spots or that they’re swimming funny. Should I act now and immediately move my fish to a QT set up? Or should I stop worrying? My tank is a 35g reef so I cannot do copper treatments. Any ideas? (Yes a tang in my tank was wrong, decided to add it there while I get some supplies for a 150 I’m building soon)

You will definitely want to transfer your fish into a QT tank as soon as possible and begin treatment. Copper is used commonly, and chloroquine phosphate is preferred but rarely seen now in the hobby. Before transferring them, many people do a 5 minute freshwater dip and a 90 minute acriflavine or formalin dip to relieve the fish of some surface parasites. Run copper at 2.5 ppm for 30 days, longer if necessary. Also, limit the amount of light in the quarantine tank, as velvet tends to respond well to high lighting conditions.

More info about the disease and treatments can be found here.

Velvet (Amyloodinium ocellatum)

Marine Velvet Disease (Amyloodinium ocellatum) What You Need To Know: * Fast killing parasite capable of wiping out most of your fish in just a matter of days. Sometimes there are survivors, sometimes not. * Can be treated in a quarantine tank using Chloroquine phosphate or Copper. A 5...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[threebuoys]

Some more info would also be helpful. For example, what other fish do you have? How long have you had them? What led you to diagnose velvet?

QT is highly recommended for all new fish and fish requiring treatment before placement in the DT.

See the two links below for more info.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Just got rid of my baby blue tang (2”) because it had velvet. It was stuck to my power head not moving so I sadly had to dispose of it.
Question is: what do I do now?

I feed all my fish a mix of foods with garlic drops to help their immune system. I don’t notice any fish with any signs of white spots or that they’re swimming funny. Should I act now and immediately move my fish to a QT set up? Or should I stop worrying? My tank is a 35g reef so I cannot do copper treatments. Any ideas? (Yes a tang in my tank was wrong, decided to add it there while I get some supplies for a 150 I’m building soon)

Hi, I think some additional information is needed:

how did you diagnose this as velvet?
What ere the symptoms?
What fish remain in the tank?
hey have no symptoms?
How long has it been since the blue tang died?


Jay

 

[vetteguy53081]

Please post pics and/or video under white lighting for best and accurate assessment.

 

[Pea Puffer 67]

Some more info would also be helpful. For example, what other fish do you have? How long have you had them? What led you to diagnose velvet?

QT is highly recommended for all new fish and fish requiring treatment before placement in the DT.

See the two links below for more info.

I have a female carpenters flasher wrasse, watchman goby, PJ cardinal, and one blue/green chromis. Blue tang was bought then immediately acclimated and put in my display. Got velvet a day or two later and died. Other fish have no signs, it’s a 35g reef tank too. I think it’s velvet because I couldn’t count the number of spots. It also was going grey and almost decaying in some spots. Instead it was coated in almost little white powder/flakes. It also went from fine in the morning to swimming in barrel rolls at night.

 

[Pea Puffer 67]

Please post pics and/or video under white lighting for best and accurate assessment.

Sorry, don’t have that many pictures. But here’s the best one I have.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Pic is hard to see (sorry about that) but could very well be velvet. To best determine, With ich, you can generally count the dots whereas with velvet, it represents the solar system as in the case of your tang. velvet spots on the fish that are much finer than the spots seen in Ich making it harder to catch until in cases too late to treat.
Some behaviors associated with a fish with velvet are :
- Scratching body against hard objects
- Fish is lethargic
- Loss of appetite and weight loss
- Rapid, labored breathing
- Fins clamped against the body
- rapid breathing and mucus around the gills

Fish with velvet will typically stay at the surface of the water, or remain in a position where a steady flow of water is present in the aquarium. As the disease progresses outwards from the gills, the cysts then become visible on the fins and body. Although these cysts may appear as tiny white dots the size of a grain of salt, like the first sign of Saltwater Ich or White Spot Disease, what sets Oodinium apart from other types of ich is that at this point the fish have the appearance of being coated with what looks like a whitish or tan to golden colored, velvet-like film, thus the name Velvet Disease.
Remove fish from main tank and give them a FW dip or bath and then place them into a QT with vigorous aeration provided. Treat the fish in the QT with a copper-based medication. Although many over-the-counter remedies contain the general name as ich or ick treatments, carefully read the box to be sure it is specifically designed to target Oodinium.

 

[Pea Puffer 67]

Hi, I think some additional information is needed:

how did you diagnose this as velvet?
What ere the symptoms?
What fish remain in the tank?
hey have no symptoms?
How long has it been since the blue tang died?


Jay

Ok!
I replied to another person but to answer the first question it was hundreds of little white dots. While ich usually (in my experience) is usually a countable amount. It also was turning gray and decaying in some spots.
The symptoms for the blue tang were really harsh breathing, flashing, and swimming in barrel rolls. It went from being fine around lunch time to ^dead on the power head. The other fish have no symptoms and are acting fine.
The other fish consist of one female flasher, watchman goby, PJ cardinal, and one blue/green chromis. It’s also a reef tank. So softies, lps, sps, NPS, etc.
yes the other fish have 0 symptoms. I’ve been watching them like a hawk. Will keep everyone updated.
it’s been around 10ish hours. He’s been in the tank for 3ish days. Then just suddenly one night had this massive outbreak.

 

[Pea Puffer 67]

Pic is hard to see (sorry about that) but could very well be velvet. To best determine, With ich, you can generally count the dots whereas with velvet, it represents the solar system as in the case of your tang. velvet spots on the fish that are much finer than the spots seen in Ich making it harder to catch until in cases too late to treat.
Some behaviors associated with a fish with velvet are :
- Scratching body against hard objects
- Fish is lethargic
- Loss of appetite and weight loss
- Rapid, labored breathing
- Fins clamped against the body
- rapid breathing and mucus around the gills

Fish with velvet will typically stay at the surface of the water, or remain in a position where a steady flow of water is present in the aquarium. As the disease progresses outwards from the gills, the cysts then become visible on the fins and body. Although these cysts may appear as tiny white dots the size of a grain of salt, like the first sign of Saltwater Ich or White Spot Disease, what sets Oodinium apart from other types of ich is that at this point the fish have the appearance of being coated with what looks like a whitish or tan to golden colored, velvet-like film, thus the name Velvet Disease.
Remove fish from main tank and give them a FW dip or bath and then place them into a QT with vigorous aeration provided. Treat the fish in the QT with a copper-based medication. Although many over-the-counter remedies contain the general name as ich or ick treatments, carefully read the box to be sure it is specifically designed to target Oodinium.

Thank you for the reply. And yes, sadly my little “dory” had all those symptoms. And I apologize for the bad picture. Wasn’t thinking too straight last night while this was going down.

 

[Pea Puffer 67]

Pic is hard to see (sorry about that) but could very well be velvet. To best determine, With ich, you can generally count the dots whereas with velvet, it represents the solar system as in the case of your tang. velvet spots on the fish that are much finer than the spots seen in Ich making it harder to catch until in cases too late to treat.
Some behaviors associated with a fish with velvet are :
- Scratching body against hard objects
- Fish is lethargic
- Loss of appetite and weight loss
- Rapid, labored breathing
- Fins clamped against the body
- rapid breathing and mucus around the gills

Fish with velvet will typically stay at the surface of the water, or remain in a position where a steady flow of water is present in the aquarium. As the disease progresses outwards from the gills, the cysts then become visible on the fins and body. Although these cysts may appear as tiny white dots the size of a grain of salt, like the first sign of Saltwater Ich or White Spot Disease, what sets Oodinium apart from other types of ich is that at this point the fish have the appearance of being coated with what looks like a whitish or tan to golden colored, velvet-like film, thus the name Velvet Disease.
Remove fish from main tank and give them a FW dip or bath and then place them into a QT with vigorous aeration provided. Treat the fish in the QT with a copper-based medication. Although many over-the-counter remedies contain the general name as ich or ick treatments, carefully read the box to be sure it is specifically designed to target Oodinium.

Here is another picture. Sorry its still not the best.

 

[Dom]

It seems that the Tang was infected.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thank you for the reply. And yes, sadly my little “dory” had all those symptoms. And I apologize for the bad picture. Wasn’t thinking too straight last night while this was going down.

Coppersafe will be a good use treatment for a full 30 days and you will need to leave display tank Fishless for 45, preferably 60 days to allow any protozoan to die off. Therapeutic level will be 2.25-2.5 at 80 degrees monitored by a reliable copper test kit (avoid api brand).
Other option for treatment is copper power at therapeutic level 1.75.
If yiou have access to Ruby Rally Pro, you can start with a 90 minute bath in clean container for fish under good aeration at same temperature as display tank

 

[threebuoys]

Sorry for your loss. Thanks for providing the additional information and photos.

As others have indicated, and assuming it was velvet, you need to be on guard for your other fish. The parasite is still in your display tank and could infect the remaining fish.

@vetteguy53081 info for QT and fallow are spot on. Good luck.

 

[Pea Puffer 67]

Sorry for your loss. Thanks for providing the additional information and photos.

As others have indicated, and assuming it was velvet, you need to be on guard for your other fish. The parasite is still in your display tank and could infect the remaining fish.

@vetteguy53081 info for QT and fallow are spot on. Good luck.

Thank you. How would I go about going fishless in a reef tank? And since the fish was only infected in roughly a day. Do you think there’s a chance that my other fish may not catch it?

 

[threebuoys]

Unfortunately, the odds are high that the parasite remains in the tank. As long as it has hosts, AKA fish, in the tank, it can survive.

You will have to put the other fish in quarantine and treat them appropriately (copper treatment). With no fish in the DT, the parasites will eventually die (45 - 60 days) and the tank will become safe.

 

[Pea Puffer 67]

Unfortunately, the odds are high that the parasite remains in the tank. As long as it has hosts, AKA fish, in the tank, it can survive.

You will have to put the other fish in quarantine and treat them appropriately (copper treatment). With no fish in the DT, the parasites will eventually die (45 - 60 days) and the tank will become safe.

Awesome, thank you so much for the reply. Have you used cupramine? Should I follow the exact instructions are is that going to overdo it?

 

[threebuoys]

I have used cupramine, but I prefer either Copper Power or Copper Safe.

Follow the directions explicitly. Do not over dose, but do reach the recommended concentration and test regularly to be sure it doesn't drop.

The instructed concentration for Cupramine is much different than the concentration for the other two.