Now I have ich, uronema, and severe flukes in QT

[lba4590]

I’m so sorry for all the posts, I’m freaking out over here! Feeling super defeated.

All of my fish came in with ich and have been in 2.0ppm copper power for a few days. Spots are gone but that was the least of my worries.

My royal gramma died from uronema. Now my anthias has 2 small red spots and my wrasse has a lesion in the same place on his side. Attempting to treat that with Kanaplex and Metroplex but not hopeful at all, fully expecting to lose those two.

So my bicolor blenny has been flashing for a few days but hoped it would go away with all the meds in the tank. Now the others are flashing. Did a FW dip on the blenny and he had flukes galore. Some would not drop off and the blenny was getting very stressed after 5 min dip. He’s doing better now.

So I don’t think I can use copper power, Kanaplex, metroplex, and prazipro all at once with any hope of my fish surviving can I? I can’t get general cure, I’ve called every store around, no one has it, so I’d have to order online and wait for it to come.. but I’m already using metroplex.

And let’s say all my fish die.. I’m assuming I’ll need to bleach the whole tank and start over? Is that a safe bet to get rid of the uronema? In all my years of keeping FW fish I’ve never dealt with anything a fraction as bad as this, and I just started!!

This blows!!!

 

[fishguy242]

sorry to see,lets get some expert help here,best wishes @Jay Hemdal #reefsquad

 

[SaltyT]

First of all don't feel defeated! This is why QT is important... look at what you avoided going into your DT!

Flukes are the least of your worries so wait to treat those. If there is ich, which it looks like on your flasher wrasse pic, that can wait too - uronema is the main concern. It's difficult to treat, but I used the trifecta = metro, kanaplex and furan-2. It's no guarantee, but I managed to save 2 out of 5 chromis with this regiment after the red lesions showed which usually means it's too late. Even if it's not uronema and ends up being bacterial, the trifecta should knock it out.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Sorry folks - I'm seeing Uronema on all of these fish except the blenny. This is terrible! Usually, Uronema just kills off the susceptible fish and leaves the resistant ones in ok shape. If the blenny just had flukes, you may have bought some time for it with the FW dip. I hate to admit defeat, but this might just be a case where, if the last fish dies, you DO need to sterilize and move on.

Jay

 

[rkpetersen]

Oh that sucks, really sorry to see it.
If it helps, lots of us have had similar experiences.
Less than a year ago, every fish I put into qt would die within a week. It was ridiculous. Finally discovered that the tank was massively infested with flukes. Cleaned out the tank, changed the equipment a bit to make the interior 'cleaner', and since then everything has sailed through qt. You can beat this too, but perhaps not with your current group of fish, unfortunately.
I don't entirely agree that treating flukes can wait. If you have massive flukes, they can kill a fish quickly, and you'll never cure those other infections if the fish is debilitated with flukes as well. Give everyone a freshwater dip at least. If any fish are too ill to tolerate a freshwater dip, maybe a formalin dip if you can get it. Unfortunately formalin has gotten hard to find in general.

 

[SaltyT]

Sorry let me clarify my last post, I meant the trifecta will treat a bacterial infection. It's just a Hail Mary for uronema. As Jay said, the QT tank and equipment will need to be sterilized after treatment as uronema doesn't need a host to live.

 

[lba4590]

First of all don't feel defeated! This is why QT is important... look at what you avoided going into your DT!

Flukes are the least of your worries so wait to treat those. If there is ich, which it looks like on your flasher wrasse pic, that can wait too - uronema is the main concern. It's difficult to treat, but I used the trifecta = metro, kanaplex and furan-2. It's no guarantee, but I managed to save 2 out of 5 chromis with this regiment after the red lesions showed which usually means it's too late. Even if it's not uronema and ends up being bacterial, the trifecta should knock it out.

Thank you so much and you’re right, I’m so thankful these fish are not in my DT.

I’ve read about uronema in chromis and specifically avoided them for that reason.. and here I am! I will be buying some Furan-2 tomorrow, I do have Neoplex now - is that a possible alternative?

That’s amazing that you were able to save some fish even after the lesions showed up, can I ask exactly how you dosed? I’m using about a level scoop of both metro and kana with focus in their food once daily, adding a few extra scoops of metro to dose the water column every 2 days. I still have one wrasse that I’m hopeful I can save... so I’m focusing all my efforts on that one and the blenny at this point, but of course if I can save the linespot wrasse that would make me incredibly happy (he’s my favorite!) but I know he’s more than likely not going to fare well.

 

[lba4590]

Sorry folks - I'm seeing Uronema on all of these fish except the blenny. This is terrible! Usually, Uronema just kills off the susceptible fish and leaves the resistant ones in ok shape. If the blenny just had flukes, you may have bought some time for it with the FW dip. I hate to admit defeat, but this might just be a case where, if the last fish dies, you DO need to sterilize and move on.

Jay

Thank you, I’m going to throw everything I have at them and hope for the best but definitely expect the worse. I’m thinking these guys are just ultra stressed, low immune system, who knows. But they seemed to be doing so well, eating really well and not in hiding at all.

Do you have any advice on how to completely sterilize this tank? I do have a HOB filter with a bio wheel I’m concerned on how to sterilize. The rest is glass and plastic and biomedia I’ll just throw out.

Also, if one happens to survive (I have my fingers crossed for another wrasse and maybe the blenny) how can I ensure I won’t introduce uronema to my DT? I do have an anthias in there as well, haven’t had good luck with them and the one I have is thriving so I would hate to lose it after a lengthy quarantine.

 

[SaltyT]

Thank you so much and you’re right, I’m so thankful these fish are not in my DT.

I’ve read about uronema in chromis and specifically avoided them for that reason.. and here I am! I will be buying some Furan-2 tomorrow, I do have Neoplex now - is that a possible alternative?

That’s amazing that you were able to save some fish even after the lesions showed up, can I ask exactly how you dosed? I’m using about a level scoop of both metro and kana with focus in their food once daily, adding a few extra scoops of metro to dose the water column every 2 days. I still have one wrasse that I’m hopeful I can save... so I’m focusing all my efforts on that one and the blenny at this point, but of course if I can save the linespot wrasse that would make me incredibly happy (he’s my favorite!) but I know he’s more than likely not going to fare well.

I’ve read that nitrofurazone, the main ingredient in furan-2, has some anti-parasitic properties as well as being an antibiotic. I dosed all 3 meds in the water column according to the instructions but I also feed them metro and focus laced food. I treated them for 30 days even though the red lesions healed before that. I then transferred them into a sterile QT and observed them for 6 months. After the observation period, I dipped them then transferred them into another sterile tank, then finally into my DT.
May have been overkill but uronema is no joke. To this day my chromis are doing well but still have some missing scales where the lesions were.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Ruby Rally Pro should do well but question is how far has this gotten to the fish ?
Freshwater dip befor treating and assure water quality is good. Jay makes some good points in his reply.

 

[lba4590]

Ruby Rally Pro should do well but question is how far has this gotten to the fish ?
Freshwater dip befor treating and assure water quality is good. Jay makes some good points in his reply.

Do you think a ruby rally pro bath would help at all? I do have this on hand as well. I’ve read 90mins but that seems to be a long time in a stressful bath with stressed fish

Everyone is still alive, wrasse looks slightly worse but is still actively swimming around and eating. Blenny has changed colors to more stress coloration for whatever reason. Treating the water column with metroplex and Kanaplex, treating food with both meds as well...

 

[vetteguy53081]

Do you think a ruby rally pro bath would help at all? I do have this on hand as well. I’ve read 90mins but that seems to be a long time in a stressful bath with stressed fish

Everyone is still alive, wrasse looks slightly worse but is still actively swimming around and eating. Blenny has changed colors to more stress coloration for whatever reason. Treating the water column with metroplex and Kanaplex, treating food with both meds as well...

Worked for me. Nothing to lose

 

[lba4590]

Update: now medicating with Furan-2, wrasse is doing ok, eating some but not as much, anthias has stopped eating and definitely has uronema too as suspected

 

[lba4590]

Quick update: wrasse and anthias have both died as expected The other wrasse and blenny are still hanging in there. I bought a second 10g tank today - I have no room for it, but I’ll make it work.. My plan is to give these guys a formalin bath, hope it doesn’t kill them, and move them to a sterile tank, and sterilize the current tank. Ugh. Fingers crossed.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Quick update: wrasse and anthias have both died as expected The other wrasse and blenny are still hanging in there. I bought a second 10g tank today - I have no room for it, but I’ll make it work.. My plan is to give these guys a formalin bath, hope it doesn’t kill them, and move them to a sterile tank, and sterilize the current tank. Ugh. Fingers crossed.

What dose/time are you going to use on the formalin bath? Be sure to aerate it well, and keep the container dark and covered.

Jay

 

[cmoore806]

I think you need to find another LFS or source to buy your livestock.

 

[lba4590]

What dose/time are you going to use on the formalin bath? Be sure to aerate it well, and keep the container dark and covered.

Jay

I couldn’t find it, so I’ll be trying Ruby Reef Rally for 90 mins per Humblefish (2/3 tsp per gallon) and going into a sterile tank.

 

[lba4590]

I think you need to find another LFS or source to buy your livestock.

So.. I bought these fish from 3 different stores. I think that was a big mistake on my part, but will definitely be avoiding the LFS I bought the gramma at.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I couldn’t find it, so I’ll be trying Ruby Reef Rally for 90 mins per Humblefish (2/3 tsp per gallon) and going into a sterile tank.

It’s possible the blenny will be ok, since it has different scales. Ruby Reef probably won’t help in severe infections.
Jay

 

[lba4590]

So far the blenny and longfin fairy wrasse are still alive!! I can’t believe it. They are in their new sterile tank, stressed but I don’t see any uronema - old tank has bleach running though it. Uronema sucks!! I’m hoping this will be my last encounter with it... fingers and toes and everything else crossed