Ich/Velvet on Purple Tang

[SoCalVictor]

Hi Everyone

I have a purple tang that either has Ich of Velvet, I suspect Velvet based on the pattern of white spots but could use your help in ID. I started noticing both of my tangs in my DT had white spots on Wed. The other tang being a white tail bristletooth. I was observing and feeding better with garlic/selcon/general cure bound to the food for a few days as it would've been really difficult to get the fish out of the DT. I also have quite a few wrasses that don't seem to be observing any symptoms: leopard wrasse, blue star, potters leopard.

On Friday I lost the white tail bristletooth. Really sad to have lost him. He has such a great personality and it took quite a while to get him comfortable in the DT and eating well. Prior to the sickness, it was doing so great.

I hadn't introduced any new fish in the last 2 months. I have introduced some corals. Dipped them but I had just read that ich/velvet can travel on corals. The only other change that has happened in the tank was 1) starting vinegar dosing to bring down nitrates (slow ramp) 2) temperature has dipped to 75F at night because weather has been cooler. I didn't have a heater because in the summer, I was always trying to cool my tank down. I've since stopped the vinegar dosing and got my tank to closer to 77F.

I was finally able to get the purple tang out last night. Dipped him in FW for 5 minutes and transferred him to a temporarily holding tank. I added General Cure directly to that holding tank because that's the only medication I had on hand. Side question, I've read on this forum that metro does not help with Ich/Velvet. According to SeaChem's website they advertise metro as: "MetroPlex™ is an effective and safe treatment for several protozoan and anaerobic bacterial diseases of fish (Cryptocaryon, Hexamita, Ichthyophthirius". I'm a bit stuck as this holding tank is currently holding some corals that are under observation so I can't fully convert it into a hospital tank to treat with copper or CP. The purple tang didn't look great last night. The spots seems to have gotten more pronounced and he didn't have much energy.

This morning the purple tang actually looks better. The spots look better than last night and it seems to have more energy. Currently preparing some frozen foods to it. Also the wrasses in my DT continue to look normal.

Looking for help to ID what this can be, how could it have popped up, and next steps. Sorry for the non-ideal pictures. Some of spots are on the glass but hopefully you can make out the spots on the fish. Thank you in advance for the help.

Victor

 

[LAReefer4Life]

Definitely dealing with velvet here. Unfortunately GC doesn’t treat velvet. You need to administer copper medication to eradicate the parasite. In additional, your DT needs to run fallow for a minimum of 6 weeks to eradicate.

 

[LAReefer4Life]

Also sorry for your loss

 

[SoCalVictor]

My challenge with my DT is that it'll be near impossible to catch all my wrasses. Also because I have some corals I'm observing in the holding tank (where the tang is), I can't treat with copper there. Either I get another tank or find a LFS that can treat the tang for me.

What are the pros/cons for copper vs CP?

 

[gobble]

I think you need to run to Petco and get an extra tank and some copper treatment. With Velvet you don't really have time to be asking questions.

 

[Spar]

Definitely dealing with velvet here. Unfortunately GC doesn’t treat velvet. You need to administer copper medication to eradicate the parasite. In additional, your DT needs to run fallow for a minimum of 6 weeks to eradicate.

Agreed re: Velvet. 6 weeks is true for velvet, but may as well run it the full 11 weeks while at it, just to ensure that Ich runs its course as well.

Go with Copper Power as the copper choice if you can get your hands on it right away.

I went through this recently, introduced velvet through inverts (snails), lesson learned the hard way. You may have to pull out coral and rock to get to the fish. There is no point in continuing that tank, with fish, if velvet is present and will continue its life cycle with even a single remaining fish.

Sorry you are going through this! Hopefully you have more survivors than I did!

 

[Spar]

What are the pros/cons for copper vs CP?

Fish and Treatment Guidelines (with chart)

Fish and Treatment Guidelines (with chart) The following chart is a quick reference guide on what QT protocol should be used according to which type of fish you are running through QT. It will give you an idea of which methods are generally safest with certain species but is not meant to be...

www.reef2reef.com

The above thread is important to consider given some of your fish can handle copper and others not, and vice versa with CP. Very possible you are best to setup 2 QT's. Your wrasses likely won't handle CP well.

Many people cite that fish respond overall best to Copper Power compared to other copper choices or even CP. I have had marginal luck with CP in the past, and have since switched to Copper Power as my primary choice unless I must treat a fish with CP instead based on that chart. One benefit of CP is that you can transfer the fish instantly into max dosage, so it starts to work right away. With copper, you generally need to ramp up slowly*.

*But with velvet, you want to get to 2ppm (chelated copper) or 0.5ppm (ionic copper) within 2 days.

Good source for CP just in case you need it:
https://store.nationalfishpharm.com/items/view/616/chloroquine-phosphate

 

[SoCalVictor]

Thanks everyone

Got a hold of copper power yesterday and start ramping it up in a separate tank. Gave the purple tang a bath in the Ruby Reef Rally before putting him in the treatment tank.

He seems to be doing ok so far and eating well. The wrasses in the DT continue to not exhibit symptoms. Will observe them as I map out a plan to get them out.

Reading that Velvet has a gold tone to it. Is that always the case?

 

[Spar]

Reading that Velvet has a gold tone to it. Is that always the case?

I didn't notice that with my velvet outbreak

 

[SoCalVictor]

Day 4 into Copper Treatment, Purple Tang seems to be on the upswing. Much more energy and even better appetite.

In the DT, still no visible symptoms from the wrasses. No physical observations, normal appetite and activity. I've since added a UV Sterilizer to that tank as a preventive/management measure and feeding more nutritious food and more frequently.