Suspected Velvet on Trigger and Tang...

CarlCatalyst · Mar 20, 2021

Hi guys,
After losing my Flagfin to Uronoma, I woke up this morning to see a light coating on my Blue Chin Trigger and seems like velvet. Can you help confirm and offer ANY advice for treating in a reef tank (there's no way I can get him out). I have 0 invertibrates, 3 anemones, and a few corals.

I know I most likely about to lose my entire tank and am beyond sad. Is there ANYTHING I can treat the display tank w/ medication for the rest of the fish I have?
- Powder Brown Tang
- Naso Tang
- 3 clown
- 5 Chromis
- Squirrel

Other than the Brown Tang, I don't see signs yet in the other fish.

NOTE: the Trigger is swimming and voraciously hungry ... does that mean anything potentially positive? From what I'm learning, by the time you see it on the body, it's too late. Would he still be as hungry and full of energy if he had velvet?? I'm reaching here probably, but I have to ask.

Any and all help asap very much appreciated!

Jay Hemdal · Mar 20, 2021

The trigger has ich, velvet symptoms start with rapid breathing, before you see any skin symptoms.
I don’t have a good treatment for you in a reef tank, sorry! You might check into ruby reef rally pro, it has worked for some people.
Jay

CarlCatalyst · Mar 21, 2021

Day 2: no progression, don't see anything worse in any fish ... trigger high energy, appetite, tangs same ... medicating with metaplex/focus/garlic .... have uv sterilzer here in 24 hours to potentially handle phase where ick travels through the water.... thoughts/ideas?

TheDragonsReef · Mar 21, 2021

Needs to be treated with copper, its the only way. Best thing would be to set up a qt tank

Jay Hemdal · Mar 22, 2021

CarlCatalyst said:
Day 2: no progression, don't see anything worse in any fish ... trigger high energy, appetite, tangs same ... medicating with metaplex/focus/garlic .... have uv sterilzer here in 24 hours to potentially handle phase where ick travels through the water.... thoughts/ideas?

UV sterilizers won't cure ich once it reaches a certain level. UV sterilizers work pretty well sterilizing water moving from one tank to another (like on a big system) but when they put the water back into the same tank, the parasite find a way around them, and the disease continues.

Jay

CarlCatalyst · Mar 27, 2021

UPDATE: 3-27-21
Its been 1 week and the Trigger is the same with the milky/cloudy fins and his body. He seems unphased by it and see no irritation and has great energy and eating voraciously.

QUESTION: is it possible the Trigger also has something else? The white dots disappeared (though they do show on the Tang as you can see) but the milky appearance remains.

Also, is it true that waiting it out and if they survive they will build some immunity?

I DID purchase a "bubble trap" that seems like a brilliant way to catch fish.

I am setting up a 20 gallon hospital tank .... should I use FRESH saltwater or use the water and some gravel from the current DT tank so that IF I can get the fish out, they'll already be acclimated to the water?

Any and all advice MUCH appreciated!

Tamberav · Mar 27, 2021

Not sure the bubble trap will be big enough but never seen them in person. Your fish look pretty large!

I have seen people make DIY traps out of critter keepers or egg crate. I would go the trap and QT route (a big QT!). Powder type tangs often don't handle fighting off disease on their own too well.

Jay Hemdal · Mar 27, 2021

CarlCatalyst said:
UPDATE: 3-27-21
Its been 1 week and the Trigger is the same with the milky/cloudy fins and his body. He seems unphased by it and see no irritation and has great energy and eating voraciously.

QUESTION: is it possible the Trigger also has something else? The white dots disappeared (though they do show on the Tang as you can see) but the milky appearance remains.

Also, is it true that waiting it out and if they survive they will build some immunity?

I DID purchase a "bubble trap" that seems like a brilliant way to catch fish.

I am setting up a 20 gallon hospital tank .... should I use FRESH saltwater or use the water and some gravel from the current DT tank so that IF I can get the fish out, they'll already be acclimated to the water?

Any and all advice MUCH appreciated!

Both fish still appear to have Cryptocaryon, ich. However, that doesn't mean they don't also have a secondary bacterial infection, or even flukes. Multiple disease issues are unfortunately, fairly common.

Copper in a treatment tank with a good test kit would be the best course of action. You could give them a FW dip in order to dislodge any flukes. That won't cure them of flukes, but will buy you some time to get the ich under control.

Jay

CarlCatalyst · Mar 28, 2021

Thank you @Jay Hemdal and @Tamberav for your thoughts. The bubble trap is the largest (8" diam) and should handle the 5" Trigger and 3.5" Tang, which are still the only two infected in the whole tank. The Kole Tang, 6 Chromis, 3 Clown, Squirrel ... all look good. I am doing a 2nd 20% water change in the 135 display tank (first one was 2 days ago) hoping to improve overall environment for their immune systems.

Thoughts?

And lastly, I'm setting up a 20 g hospital (largest one that will fit my cramped space. I'm going to use:
- heater
- sponge filter
- media from DT for bacteria
- maybe small pump (120g/h) w/ air hose? or maybe power head toward top?
- 2 fake coral sculptures they can hide in.

QUESTION: do you recommend I put the DT water in the HT so the transition is smoothest for them or should I create fresh saltwater for the HT?

Thank you! SO grateful to have some help with this ... wow!

p.s. the bubble trap seems rather clever! 8" in diameter w/ a styrofoam lip to make it float. So you stick it inside the tank, squirt some food using the syringe and wait for the fish to enter at which point you simply push on the blue thing which blows air into the suction, the trap releases and quickly floats to the top. I'll let you guys know if it works!!