Suspected Velvet with Scott's Fairy Wrasse

[Lunchboxau]

Hi all,

fairly new to marine fish keeping but from what I have read through here and the Humble Fish the below photos look like possible velvet/ich?

He had similar looking markings a week ago that dissapated so I was guessing (hoping?!) that it might have been sand or something from the tank. He is eating like a pig twice a day both pellets and frozen and even acts like the foxface and picks at algae on the clip so has no outward signs of stress at this stage.

I currently have 2 tangs in my QT tank so can't move the wrasse here if it is what I suspect it is, I am contemplating filling one of my water change Brute trash cans with some tank water and my heater and power head that I use for water changes for a makeshift QT and dosing with some copper I bought when I started up.

Wouldnt mind someone else checking the photos and letting me know what they think of the strategy and also diagnosis (maybe its just Ich or even better nothing ?). Also if it is velvet how long should I take to reach therepeautic levels of copper? I read velvet should be done quicker than ich but cant seem to find out how much quicker.

Cheers!

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Hello,

The spots look like Cryptocaryon (ich). If the fish is eating well and not breathing fast, that is pretty definitive for that. Additionally, it is very common for ich trophonts to appear to "come and go" at first, just like you noticed. This is due to their life cycle being in sync when they first get started. later, their life cycles get spread out and the spots will be there all of the time and become more numerous. In my opinion, the number of spots on the wrasse are high enough that this will not go away on its own, or through treatment with "tonics". I think you need to get the fish into a full copper treatment, using Cupramine or Copper Power (not sure what products you have in Australia) and a good copper test kit. Wrasses don't like copper, but they like ich even less! You'll need to ramp up to a full dose of copper over 24 hours, don't take any longer than that. You'll need to consider that any other fish in with this one could (will?) develop the disease also.

Jay

 

[kkelly007]

Very interested in this post. I posted separately yesterday, but I’ll summarize here. I QT all my fish except wrasses I buy from a very reputable online dealer. Early last week, I put a LaBout’s fairy wrasse in my DT and a few days later noticed similar white dots to what you are presenting. I moved him to my QT. When I called the dealer and sent him pics he said that was not ich or velvet and that it looked to him like particulate matter attached to the mucus of the fish. See attached photo. He recommended that I give him a few blasts with a turkey baster, which I did. I have not been able to get another good pic, but it did look like some of the specks were gone, but very difficult to see 100%. Hopefully we’re both in the same “good” boat!!

 

[Lunchboxau]

Thanks KKelly I gave mine a hit with the turkey baster just then but its night time and he keeps going back to his sand bed which makes it a bit futile but will try doing the same thing tomorrow morning when he is out and about! If no joy hopefully by then I have the 2nd QT "tank" up and running and will move him in and commence copper treatment.

Thanks for the detailed post Jay! Its really helpful to have someone review with that level of detail