Marine Velvet

[m3xm3xm3x]

I'm hoping to share my recent experience and maybe experts here on board can give some advice. i was blindsided and got marine velvet hit my display tank. So far i lost a white tail BT tang, and clown fish.

I have been stressing just to keep all the fishes alive as best i can so really didnt have time to come to the forum until now where I can share this experience. I'm hoping at the minimum experts can:
1. - solve the mystery of who brought velvet to my tank.
2. - and where do i go from here in order to bring rest of fish back to DT.

my existing fish list that i transferred to new 200Gal
Blue hippo
Elbli tang
clownfish
Foxface
2 x leopard wrasse
possum wrasse
Melanarus wrasse
springer damsel
Midas Blenny
Gem tang
Green chromis


timeline of events:

5/17/25 - new tank fully cycled and transfer all my fat and healthy fish of 2-3 years into new 200 gallon tank
5/23/25 - added white tail bristle tooth tang from fellow reefer (disease free as per eye test and been at reefers house) * but he is on thin side
5/24/25 - added Mimic (from fellow reefer's tank). and Gem tang (from my other smaller display tank), all look fat and healthy
5/30/25 - added online order of clean up crew (snails, hermit crabs) about 30 of them
6/3/25 - *Blue hippo acting weird. noticed not eating but still swimming around, *White tail BT tang noticed also acting weird but eating. everyone else acting normal
6/4/25 - * noticed Elbli tang swimming into power head and not really interetsted in food, *Hippo tang still swimming around but not eating, *White tail noticed some white spots but still eating but swimming a little strange
6/5/25 - Hippo tang hides in cave all day still not eating or swimming around, white tail still eating and swimming weird as in when he gets too close to wave maker appears to get blown off balance. * Elbli tang still swimming around and swim in front of powerhead.
6/6/25 - Morning notice White tail missing, eventually found on side of back rock dying. after i pulled him out he died in container. * Hippo tang still hiding in cave. ** noticed clownfish covered in white dust on bottom of sandbed. At night pulled all the fish out into separate tanks.
-Hippo tang, Clownfish, Elbli tang went into 1 20 gal hospital tank treating with copper
- remainder of fish went into a 40 gal breeder hospital tank treating with copper
- all urchin, inverts snails /crabs went into 15 gal quarantine tank

6/9/25 - used Humble fish 30min hydrogen peroxide bath for clown fish, elbli tang and hippo tang. then back to tank with copper treatment, at night clownfish passed,
6/10/25 - separated Hippo tang and Elbli tang into different 5.5 gallon tanks and treating with copper power at 2.35ppm @ 80 degrees( hippo is very bad shape, laying on her side covered in ALOT of white dust appears velvet while Elbli tang have minimal spots acting normal but not eating)

6/11/25 - 6/12/25 onwards, - been tank transfer method with 100% water change in addition to 2.35ppm of copper power. (hippo tang appears to have less white dust, Elbli spots also decreasing to almost non existent but still not eating)

1. looking at this timeline, can anyone see which was the culprit of brining velvet to my display tank (from all the reading i've done, its possible the 1st fish to die or show signs is usually the carrier of the disease? or was it the hermit crabs and snails i've added and fish started acting weird within days of that?)

2. for my other fish in quarantine, everyone is acting normal swimming normal eating normal. but only my large leopard wrasse wont eat and fox face wont eat. Are they copper sensitive? do i need to separate them?

**want to note that the rest of fish in the 40gal do not have any symptoms at all. no spots, no white dust. can they all be asymptomatic?


I know this is a long post, but i wanted to get as much detail in as i could.

thanks in advance!

 

[JumboShrimp]

Marine Velvet is no joke. Back years ago when I was on a steep learning curve, I had to go fallow on the same tank three (3) times in a row before I learned my lesson(s). It was far from fun. I hope you can pull things out of a nose dive. Don't give up!

 

[edsbeaker]

So sorry! That is a devastating thing to happen.

 

[W31Olds]

No expert here , but I would suspect the WT. I would also ask the vendor of the Cleanup Crew if he keeps inverts in separate system.

 

[m3xm3xm3x]

No expert here , but I would suspect the WT. I would also ask the vendor of the Cleanup Crew if he keeps inverts in separate system.

Could the WT be a carrier of velvet? prior reefer had him for over 2 years in his system. And the first symptom happened 10 days after adding him to Display. (I am beginning to suspect this WT) but not 100%

Clean up crew vendor said he gets them from wholesaler. but in his system is in a "fishless" system. But parasites could still come from wholesaler. But what are the odds of hermit crabs and snails bring this velvet to my system. what kind of bad luck is this?

 

[vetteguy53081]

I'm hoping to share my recent experience and maybe experts here on board can give some advice. i was blindsided and got marine velvet hit my display tank. So far i lost a white tail BT tang, and clown fish.

I have been stressing just to keep all the fishes alive as best i can so really didnt have time to come to the forum until now where I can share this experience. I'm hoping at the minimum experts can:
1. - solve the mystery of who brought velvet to my tank.
2. - and where do i go from here in order to bring rest of fish back to DT.

my existing fish list that i transferred to new 200Gal
Blue hippo
Elbli tang
clownfish
Foxface
2 x leopard wrasse
possum wrasse
Melanarus wrasse
springer damsel
Midas Blenny
Gem tang
Green chromis


timeline of events:

5/17/25 - new tank fully cycled and transfer all my fat and healthy fish of 2-3 years into new 200 gallon tank
5/23/25 - added white tail bristle tooth tang from fellow reefer (disease free as per eye test and been at reefers house) * but he is on thin side
5/24/25 - added Mimic (from fellow reefer's tank). and Gem tang (from my other smaller display tank), all look fat and healthy
5/30/25 - added online order of clean up crew (snails, hermit crabs) about 30 of them
6/3/25 - *Blue hippo acting weird. noticed not eating but still swimming around, *White tail BT tang noticed also acting weird but eating. everyone else acting normal
6/4/25 - * noticed Elbli tang swimming into power head and not really interetsted in food, *Hippo tang still swimming around but not eating, *White tail noticed some white spots but still eating but swimming a little strange
6/5/25 - Hippo tang hides in cave all day still not eating or swimming around, white tail still eating and swimming weird as in when he gets too close to wave maker appears to get blown off balance. * Elbli tang still swimming around and swim in front of powerhead.
6/6/25 - Morning notice White tail missing, eventually found on side of back rock dying. after i pulled him out he died in container. * Hippo tang still hiding in cave. ** noticed clownfish covered in white dust on bottom of sandbed. At night pulled all the fish out into separate tanks.
-Hippo tang, Clownfish, Elbli tang went into 1 20 gal hospital tank treating with copper
- remainder of fish went into a 40 gal breeder hospital tank treating with copper
- all urchin, inverts snails /crabs went into 15 gal quarantine tank

6/9/25 - used Humble fish 30min hydrogen peroxide bath for clown fish, elbli tang and hippo tang. then back to tank with copper treatment, at night clownfish passed,
6/10/25 - separated Hippo tang and Elbli tang into different 5.5 gallon tanks and treating with copper power at 2.35ppm @ 80 degrees( hippo is very bad shape, laying on her side covered in ALOT of white dust appears velvet while Elbli tang have minimal spots acting normal but not eating)

6/11/25 - 6/12/25 onwards, - been tank transfer method with 100% water change in addition to 2.35ppm of copper power. (hippo tang appears to have less white dust, Elbli spots also decreasing to almost non existent but still not eating)

1. looking at this timeline, can anyone see which was the culprit of brining velvet to my display tank (from all the reading i've done, its possible the 1st fish to die or show signs is usually the carrier of the disease? or was it the hermit crabs and snails i've added and fish started acting weird within days of that?)

2. for my other fish in quarantine, everyone is acting normal swimming normal eating normal. but only my large leopard wrasse wont eat and fox face wont eat. Are they copper sensitive? do i need to separate them?

**want to note that the rest of fish in the 40gal do not have any symptoms at all. no spots, no white dust. can they all be asymptomatic?


I know this is a long post, but i wanted to get as much detail in as i could.

thanks in advance!

Peroxide will have little to no effect on this as its an oxidizer . TTM is slow to treat with velvet, if velvet
Leopard wrasse a little sensitive to copper and foxface does well with copper.
Coppersafe is best and safest and dosed at 2.25ppm for a full 3o days.
Can you post a video of about 30 seconds to confirm velvet?

 

[W31Olds]

The timeline looks off to me for the cleanup crew. I have a WT and when I Qt'd it along with a Purple Tang the Purple died of some sort of parasite while the WT showed nothing. The seem to one of the tougher tangs so he may have brought it in and being thin and stressed started the outbreak.

 

[m3xm3xm3x]

Peroxide will have little to no effect on this as its an oxidizer . TTM is slow to treat with velvet, if velvet
Leopard wrasse a little sensitive to copper and foxface does well with copper.
Coppersafe is best and safest and dosed at 2.25ppm for a full 3o days.
Can you post a video of about 30 seconds to confirm velvet?

The timeline looks off to me for the cleanup crew. I have a WT and when I Qt'd it along with a Purple Tang the Purple died of some sort of parasite while the WT showed nothing. The seem to one of the tougher tangs so he may have brought it in and being thin and stressed started the outbreak.

the WT for sure had velvet coating all over body the day i found him dead. Similar to Clownfish and Hippo tang. So you feel the timeline works for the WT, 10 days after introduction to display tank and then outbreak started?

but if its velvet how are all other fish unaffected meaning no visible signs, no white spots or white dusting on body. no cloudy eyes?

 

[m3xm3xm3x]

Peroxide will have little to no effect on this as its an oxidizer . TTM is slow to treat with velvet, if velvet
Leopard wrasse a little sensitive to copper and foxface does well with copper.
Coppersafe is best and safest and dosed at 2.25ppm for a full 3o days.
Can you post a video of about 30 seconds to confirm velvet?

from what i read, my understanding was the peroxide will make the velvet parasite come off of the fish? then once in copper treatment at 2.25ppm will prevent parasite from re-infecting the fish? which is why im also doing TTM to be 99% sure what has fallen off fish does not re-infect.

apologies but i did not get chance to take any worthy videos that i can share. but i did have reefer friends come to my house and also confirmed it is velvet.

 

[CHSUB]

from what i read, my understanding was the peroxide will make the velvet parasite come off of the fish? then once in copper treatment at 2.25ppm will prevent parasite from re-infecting the fish? which is why im also doing TTM to be 99% sure what has fallen off fish does not re-infect.

apologies but i did not get chance to take any worthy videos that i can share. but i did have reefer friends come to my house and also confirmed it is velvet.

If following Humble Fish, TTM with h2o2 will eliminate velvet…TTM is for ich only, but Humble claims that h2o2 dips twice will also treat velvet without copper. Display will need to be Fishless for 4 weeks.

 

[vetteguy53081]

from what i read, my understanding was the peroxide will make the velvet parasite come off of the fish? then once in copper treatment at 2.25ppm will prevent parasite from re-infecting the fish? which is why im also doing TTM to be 99% sure what has fallen off fish does not re-infect.

apologies but i did not get chance to take any worthy videos that i can share. but i did have reefer friends come to my house and also confirmed it is velvet.

As he mentions, the use of peroxide is for temporary relief and is not a treatment

 

[CHSUB]

As he mentions, the use of peroxide is for temporary relief and is not a treatment

No Humble states, h2o2, will cure many parasites including velvet.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

from what i read, my understanding was the peroxide will make the velvet parasite come off of the fish? then once in copper treatment at 2.25ppm will prevent parasite from re-infecting the fish? which is why im also doing TTM to be 99% sure what has fallen off fish does not re-infect.

apologies but i did not get chance to take any worthy videos that i can share. but i did have reefer friends come to my house and also confirmed it is velvet.

Velvet is pretty rare, and is very often misdiagnosed. The primary symptom will be very rapid breathing, then the fish stop feeding, hang in the water currents and die in a day or so. You usually won't see any changes to the fish's skin until the very end.

Peroxide and velvet all stem from a single paper written years ago on a food fish. The infected fish were given peroxide dips at 75 ppm, then moved to sterile tanks. This got over-extrapolated to adding peroxide to the tank itself as a constant bath...that doesn't work well, if at all.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

No Humble states, h2o2, will cure many parasites including velvet.

It doesn't work well as a bath in the DT itself. It gets over-recommended by many people.

Peroxide is tricky. It is popular because anyone can get it, not because it works well. Beware of any dose that has a "set dose", peroxide is an oxidant that reacts preferentially with organics in the water, and each tank is different in that regard. Also, as peroxide is applied, it burns off these oxidants, leaving more to react against the disease, but also to potentially harm invertebrates and then the fish. This means the dose changes over time. IMO, the only way to dose it is to have low dose peroxide test strips to use to measure the unreacted peroxide levels. If you go too low, the disease won't be controlled, and too high and first the shrimp will die, and then snails, fish and finally corals.

 

[vetteguy53081]

No Humble states, h2o2, will cure many parasites including velvet.

Let me know how that works out. Hydrogen peroxide decomposes when in water and water does not treat velvet. This mention is from year 2020 and many protocols have changed. Even at recommended double strength , is a mild antiseptic for humans. Another example is Polyp Lab Medic for ich which does not work- Its peroxide salts

 

[m3xm3xm3x]

Velvet is pretty rare, and is very often misdiagnosed. The primary symptom will be very rapid breathing, then the fish stop feeding, hang in the water currents and die in a day or so. You usually won't see any changes to the fish's skin until the very end.

Peroxide and velvet all stem from a single paper written years ago on a food fish. The infected fish were given peroxide dips at 75 ppm, then moved to sterile tanks. This got over-extrapolated to adding peroxide to the tank itself as a constant bath...that doesn't work well, if at all.

I am aware velvet is a rare disease and I am aware how fast velvet can kill. The fishes that showed symptoms check all the boxes for velvet. Swimming against power head, loss of appetite. Hide in cave to avoid light, body covered in white sand /dust coating & cloudy eyes.

But as of now the 10 fish in separate quarantine tank is not showing any signs or symptoms. If it’s velvet are they asymptomatic ? If it’s not velvet and they are fine, should I stop copper treatment? As mentioned foxface and large leopard wrasse is not eating while in copper and it’s almost 7 days.?

 

[MnFish1]

I'm hoping to share my recent experience and maybe experts here on board can give some advice. i was blindsided and got marine velvet hit my display tank. So far i lost a white tail BT tang, and clown fish.

I have been stressing just to keep all the fishes alive as best i can so really didnt have time to come to the forum until now where I can share this experience. I'm hoping at the minimum experts can:
1. - solve the mystery of who brought velvet to my tank.
2. - and where do i go from here in order to bring rest of fish back to DT.

my existing fish list that i transferred to new 200Gal
Blue hippo
Elbli tang
clownfish
Foxface
2 x leopard wrasse
possum wrasse
Melanarus wrasse
springer damsel
Midas Blenny
Gem tang
Green chromis


timeline of events:

5/17/25 - new tank fully cycled and transfer all my fat and healthy fish of 2-3 years into new 200 gallon tank

How did you document 'cycled'. Are you sure your tank was ready for as many new fish as you added?

5/23/25 - added white tail bristle tooth tang from fellow reefer (disease free as per eye test and been at reefers house) * but he is on thin side

The eye test - is not reliable - not to criticize - but - you said it is thin - that alone would be a reason not to take it. (you wanted to know what brought the problem in)

5/24/25 - added Mimic (from fellow reefer's tank). and Gem tang (from my other smaller display tank), all look fat and healthy

It it never a good idea to add fish from one tank to another - without quarantine (at least observation) - and never add 2 fish from different sources at the same time. You've so far switched a full tank of your own fish - and added 3 new fish. I think at the same time (again no criticism - just making sure,

5/30/25 - added online order of clean up crew (snails, hermit crabs) about 30 of them

This could have done it - but depending on the source, unlikely

6/3/25 - *Blue hippo acting weird. noticed not eating but still swimming around, *White tail BT tang noticed also acting weird but eating. everyone else acting normal

Would suggest it was the white tail that was the problem - as compared to the CUC - but still possible that it was the CUC

6/4/25 - * noticed Elbli tang swimming into power head and not really interetsted in food, *Hippo tang still swimming around but not eating, *White tail noticed some white spots but still eating but swimming a little strange

So Eibli suggests a velvet- type illness - the spots on the other fish do not

6/5/25 - Hippo tang hides in cave all day still not eating or swimming around, white tail still eating and swimming weird as in when he gets too close to wave maker appears to get blown off balance. * Elbli tang still swimming around and swim in front of powerhead.
6/6/25 - Morning notice White tail missing, eventually found on side of back rock dying. after i pulled him out he died in container. * Hippo tang still hiding in cave. ** noticed clownfish covered in white dust on bottom of sandbed. At night pulled all the fish out into separate tanks.

good

-Hippo tang, Clownfish, Elbli tang went into 1 20 gal hospital tank treating with copper
- remainder of fish went into a 40 gal breeder hospital tank treating with copper

Generally speaking I would treat all the fish in the same tank - only because its easier.

- all urchin, inverts snails /crabs went into 15 gal quarantine tank

I would have left them in the display tank - there is no reason to QT them

6/9/25 - used Humble fish 30min hydrogen peroxide bath for clown fish, elbli tang and hippo tang. then back to tank with copper treatment, at night clownfish passed,

H2O2 is problematic since it decomposes rapidly - if you're not going to buy a totally new bottle - you are unlikely to have success with H2O2 - In 3 months after opening without refrigeration - its likely to be mostly water.

6/10/25 - separated Hippo tang and Elbli tang into different 5.5 gallon tanks and treating with copper power at 2.35ppm @ 80 degrees( hippo is very bad shape, laying on her side covered in ALOT of white dust appears velvet while Elbli tang have minimal spots acting normal but not eating)

All of the fish should be treated with the same regimen in my opinion. White dust is not so much a symptom of velvet in marine fish - the breathing and swimming into flow are symptoms. One wonders about severe ich as compared to velvet

6/11/25 - 6/12/25 onwards, - been tank transfer method with 100% water change in addition to 2.35ppm of copper power. (hippo tang appears to have less white dust, Elbli spots also decreasing to almost non existent but still not eating)

Tank transfer method, while good for quarantine, is not a therapy - and with the rapidity in which velvet or ich etc - can overtake a fish - the time for TTM is too long IMHO

1. looking at this timeline, can anyone see which was the culprit of brining velvet to my display tank (from all the reading i've done, its possible the 1st fish to die or show signs is usually the carrier of the disease? or was it the hermit crabs and snails i've added and fish started acting weird within days of that?)

One of the new fish - or the CUC. There is no way to know. I would quarantine all fish from an established system - even though they appear healthy (since the one tang appeared thin - I would bet on that one)

2. for my other fish in quarantine, everyone is acting normal swimming normal eating normal. but only my large leopard wrasse wont eat and fox face wont eat. Are they copper sensitive? do i need to separate them?

When you say quarantine - are they in medicated quarantine- if not they should be - you can use chelated copper with minimal risk IMHO.

**want to note that the rest of fish in the 40gal do not have any symptoms at all. no spots, no white dust. can they all be asymptomatic?

Yes - and they should all be treated with copper.

I know this is a long post, but i wanted to get as much detail in as i could.

thanks in advance!

Can you update everyone as to how things are going with your fish - best wishes

 

[CHSUB]

Let me know how that works out. Hydrogen peroxide decomposes when in water and water does not treat velvet. This mention is from year 2020 and many protocols have changed. Even at recommended double strength , is a mild antiseptic for humans. Another example is Polyp Lab Medic for ich which does not work- Its peroxide salts

I do it as a bath, 4 gallons of saltwater to 80 ml of h2o2 for 30 minutes twice during TTM. In the past I used formalin but Humble says h2o2 is just as effective with velvet and flukes. I take his word and has worked for me, but have no actual proof. Just as I believe we live in a simulation, but have no proof of that either.

 

[CHSUB]

It doesn't work well as a bath in the DT itself

I would never put h2o2 in my DT, i use it for 30 minutes in a dip at 1 gallon per 20 ml for 30 minutes, per Humble. I don’t really put anything in my DT that could potentially have a negative impact on corals or algae. The last parasite in my DT was 2012 and since following TTM with formalin and now h2o2 have kept the DT parasite free. Maybe lucky but has worked.

 

[m3xm3xm3x]

How did you document 'cycled'. Are you sure your tank was ready for as many new fish as you added?

The eye test - is not reliable - not to criticize - but - you said it is thin - that alone would be a reason not to take it. (you wanted to know what brought the problem in)


It it never a good idea to add fish from one tank to another - without quarantine (at least observation) - and never add 2 fish from different sources at the same time. You've so far switched a full tank of your own fish - and added 3 new fish. I think at the same time (again no criticism - just making sure,

This could have done it - but depending on the source, unlikely

Would suggest it was the white tail that was the problem - as compared to the CUC - but still possible that it was the CUC

So Eibli suggests a velvet- type illness - the spots on the other fish do not

good

Generally speaking I would treat all the fish in the same tank - only because its easier.

I would have left them in the display tank - there is no reason to QT them

H2O2 is problematic since it decomposes rapidly - if you're not going to buy a totally new bottle - you are unlikely to have success with H2O2 - In 3 months after opening without refrigeration - its likely to be mostly water.

All of the fish should be treated with the same regimen in my opinion. White dust is not so much a symptom of velvet in marine fish - the breathing and swimming into flow are symptoms. One wonders about severe ich as compared to velvet

Tank transfer method, while good for quarantine, is not a therapy - and with the rapidity in which velvet or ich etc - can overtake a fish - the time for TTM is too long IMHO

One of the new fish - or the CUC. There is no way to know. I would quarantine all fish from an established system - even though they appear healthy (since the one tang appeared thin - I would bet on that one)

When you say quarantine - are they in medicated quarantine- if not they should be - you can use chelated copper with minimal risk IMHO.


Yes - and they should all be treated with copper.

Can you update everyone as to how things are going with your fish - best wishes

Thank everyone for their insight and expert advice.

My hippo tang is still recovering, I feel the cloudy eyes getting better, her breathing has improved compared to 3-4 days ago. She is upright 99% of times and flapping her fins instead is laying on her side compared to Monday. But still not eating. I’m trying to stay hopeful she will continue to improve.

Elbli tang - (one that swam against power head and had white dust on body but no cloudy eyes ) has nearly completely recovered. Barely any spots remaining in body. Started eating nori last night. I’m keeping my fingers crossed she is on her way to full recovery.

The other copper medicated hospital tank with 10 fish ( no visible sign of disease)

Foxface swims normal but not eating it’s been almost 7 days

Large leopard wrasse also not eating it’s been almost 7 days

The 8 other fish all behaving normal, eating normal and no visible sign of infection or parasites.