Uronema becoming big problem these days? (Aside from chromis)

[Reefahholic]

Just a few years ago I performed TTM + Prazipro on all the fish for my personal tank: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/humblefishs-150-gal-mixed-reef.189950/

I was primarily only worried about ich + flukes. Nowadays I wouldn't even consider that passive of a QT protocol. Things have changed.

Same here. That's all I used to do just to try and eliminate ICH and Flukes. Then if Velvet or brook popped up I'd treat it with Copper or Formalin.

Now days all my fish are FW dipped on day 1 and I follow that up with a 90 min bath of Acriflavine or a 50 min dip of Formalin. This just depends on fish species and what I feel like they need.
Then they go into a sterile medicated tank (Copper or CP) and Day 1 of the Transfers begins. I'll try to run API GC or Praziquantel with it depending on the primary medication.
I typically stick to the 3 day 72 hr rule for Transfers unless there's Velvet present.
If Velvet is present... it drops from 72 to every 48 hrs and possibly every 24 hrs if needed, and sometimes it's definitely needed to reduce numbers.
I try to start them eating API GC on Day 1, but this is proving to be next to impossible for some fish. So I will now switch over to food soaked Metro "alone" and see how that goes.
Before each transfer...I continue to dip the fish or do baths 1-2 hours before the transfers with either Acriflavine or Formalin.
If a Bacterial infection pops up...I start to runs ABX's. Of course making sure what's all currently in the tank is compatible.
You get the idea...a lot of treatments going on at my house.

Even with all this...I have still not been successful at eliminating URONEMA. ;Rage

It's OK though. I'm testing several things right now. Hopefully something will work. It's not the external parasites that I'm concerned with. It's the internal parasites.

I'm pretty sure that injecting the fish is the best and quickest way to conquer it.

 

[Reefahholic]

@Reefahholic thanks for sharing this. Great info and video!

If you go back and look at this video...The two Uronema on the top of that brown string- are actually them sitting at the end of a piece of poop on one end. They came out of the opening, but were inside the poop-string itself just prior.

Just think how protected they are from all the medications. It's like being in your car getting a car wash. You never get wet!

 

[4FordFamily]

Why doesn't @Paul B have any of these problems?

No disrespect to Paul he’s a great guy and I have a lot of respect for him but he doesn’t add new fish often, and doesn’t keep any or many that are susceptible to the common parasites that cause these issues. He also does a lot of things other hobbyists are not willing to do with his tank and has zero tangs.

I don’t think what Paul suggests and does is mutually exclusive to what @Humblefish @HotRocks @Big G and others here suggest/practice. I think good nutrient export and good nutrition are paramount to long-term success.

Depending on your livestock selections, you will need to fight hard to get a fish live to feed good quality foods in clean water for any amount of time these days. It’s terrible out there. We’ve even been losing wrasse to diseases that didn’t traditionally seem to impact them such as uronema, recently. They’re usually quite resistant to ich and velvet, by and large — or are at least much better able to live in these non-QT environments comparatively to say tangs, angels, butterflies, puffers, and a myriad of other common fish choices.

 

[Reefahholic]

It's amazing how many people "pop and drop" fish right into their systems w/o any treatment whatsoever. I'm constantly hearing...."I don't know where my fish went, he just disappeared." They really don't have a clue.

Some people get lucky for a while, but now days....that luck will run out.

I just like to look at my fish and know they're as healthy as I can get them. What issues I do have will be minimal.

 

[Fastpitch]

It's amazing how many people "pop and drop" fish right into their systems w/o any treatment whatsoever. I'm constantly hearing...."I don't know where my fish went, he just disappeared." They really don't have a clue.

Some people get lucky for a while, but now days....that luck will run out.

I just like to look at my fish and know they're as healthy as I can get them. What issues I do have will be minimal.

I am really new and just barely smart enough not to even think about not QTing fish. Insane, crazy not to.

 

[Ppoeschl]

Haven't read all of the thread but uronema is ubiquitous. It isn't even a matter of being a "qm" thing.

 

[LovesDogs_CatsRokay]

My trio of resplendent anthias from DD arrived today. All 3 are doing great so far! They’ve only been in QT for a few hours now but they are all active and eating! And are feisty! Not shy at all! I dosed the water with metroplex and will start treating their food tomorrow also. I wish I knew if it was even necessary, but better safe than sorry. They’re so beautiful, I hope they make it!

 

[4FordFamily]

Haven't read all of the thread but uronema is ubiquitous. It isn't even a matter of being a "qm" thing.

As someone that’s moved through well over 100 fish from QM I cant speak to others as definitively. Fish have been ridden with bacterial infections and uronema right now in addition to the standard flukes, ich, and velvet. We have about 75 fish in 6 quarantine tanks as we speak, two 125G, 2 55G, a 40B, and a 20G.

Our unfinished portion of our basements look like an LFS. LOL

The smaller number of fish from other vendors have not been exhibiting these symptoms but admittedly this sample size is MUCH smaller.

Judging by the fish disease forum we monitor daily I would say you’re probably right— it’s everywhere. The distribution system. in its entirety, is in bad shape. I cannot say QM is comparatively worse or better than any other.

 

[4FordFamily]

My trio of resplendent anthias from DD arrived today. All 3 are doing great so far! They’ve only been in QT for a few hours now but they are all active and eating! And are feisty! Not shy at all! I dosed the water with metroplex and will start treating their food tomorrow also. I wish I knew if it was even necessary, but better safe than sorry. They’re so beautiful, I hope they make it!

I hope they do well. I would say it’s necessary. By the time you know you have an issue it’ll be too late.

@HotRocks and I are apparently considered “experts” and it took 3 days and 15 dead fish to figure it out. It hit like a hammer. Anthias seem to really be struggling recently in particular.

I don’t keep anthias, however.

 

[Bob Escher]

My LFS just tore down their entire saltwater tanks and rebuilt them all.
Said that they were not going to use copper anymore and not going to keep salinity lower as well.
They bought a huge UV sterilizer to use ( I believe 1500 watts) for approx 1500 gallons or more
Of tanks. This is a ruputable LFS but I’m concerned about them only using this.
I’ve never had any issues buying fish from them in the past

 

[4FordFamily]

My LFS just tore down their entire saltwater tanks and rebuilt them all.
Said that they were not going to use copper anymore and not going to keep salinity lower as well.
They bought a huge UV sterilizer to use ( I believe 1500 watts) for approx 1500 gallons or more
Of tanks. This is a ruputable LFS but I’m concerned about them only using this.
I’ve never had any issues buying fish from them in the past

This will not eradicate parasites. It will keep them from killing most fish while in the tanks perhaps but as soon as they go home they’ll infect the other fish. This strategy is about preserving the fish while they are in the store as long as possible and then selling them. What happens afterward, buyer beware.

By the way, this is really the way they all work.

 

[Bob Escher]

This will not eradicate parasites. It will keep them from killing most fish while in the tanks perhaps but as soon as they go home they’ll infect the other fish. This strategy is about preserving the fish while they are in the store as long as possible and then selling them. What happens afterward, buyer beware.

By the way, this is really the way they all work.

They just went to it

 

[Dan Snyder]

Would this be something it looks like?

 

[4FordFamily]

Would this be something it looks like?

I would say yes, could also be a bacterial infection but that sure looks like uronema to me. Did it die with its mouth open?

 

[Cruz Mc5]

If they were running sub-therapeutic levels of copper, isn’t this a step in a better direction? It sounds like before what they were doing was just masking the symptoms but not actually treating the fish. I could be wrong, cause I’m just a noob though.

 

[4FordFamily]

If they were running sub-therapeutic levels of copper, isn’t this a step in a better direction? It sounds like before what they were doing was just masking the symptoms but not actually treating the fish. I could be wrong, cause I’m just a noob though.

It weakens the immune system but keeps some parasites from “taking over”. This is really limited only to ich and velvet. Uronema, bacterial infections, brook, and flukes will remain largely unaffected or at least not “wiped out”.

So I guess that depends on your perspective. I would say that it’s good in that it buys the fish time before the parasites take over. It’s bad if it spends a lot of time in that water that’s not therapeutic— if they were just in therapeutic copper for 14 days (if transferred to fully sterile quarantine afterward) or 30 days (if kept in same tank) they’d not need any more exposure.

 

[JohnPeck]

Ive got 2 fish in my qt. A foxface and a blonde naso. Ive treated prophalactically with metro and prazi and 4 weeks of copper. Both fish look healthy and are eating hearty, although the naso was on a hunger strike for first 2 weeks. Do i now have to remove all copper from the system to see if they are healthy? How much longer should they be in QT?

 

[RtomKinMad]

The short answer is that they keep the fish in low level medications to keep it at bay. In this case it could be metroplex. I know they do this with copper. Then they send the fish in med-free water and the ailments worsen quickly.

It could also be that the fish move in and out so quickly that the week it can take for it to “take over” is almost up by the time the bags arrive.

Also according to my LFS they’ve been losing fish at a much higher rate recently. Another LFS told me that fish are arriving very unhealthy about 50% more than over the past several years. He’s the manager of our biggest LFS in Indianapolis (The Reef). They’ve started quarantine because they said they really had no choice. I asked about his procedures the only that concerns me is it’s primarily observation for wrasse. But it’s a move in the right direction.

Hi! 12/26 we went to our LFS to get supplies and I looked around the store and for the first time in 4 yrs the store was filled with ich and I even saw velvet. I was shocked because the owner is awesome. He said he was treating the fish and he cares about the animals and very knowledgeable but I was very surprised how many fish were infected. He runs copper on all fo tanks. And keeps wrasses and clowns separate. He was also doing Fw dips daily. Is very sad. I really wish Petco would stop selling saltwater all the tanks look awful and the fish all sick. Thank you for this information.

 

[brwaldbaum]

Depending on your livestock selections, you will need to fight hard to get a fish live to feed good quality foods in clean water for any amount of time these days. It’s terrible out there.

I didn't start having success until I stopped fighting (with copper).

My livestock choices are dwarf angels, a butterfly, and two halichoeres wrasses.

 

[Ferrell]

Thanks to all of you for your research, time and most of all sharing this information. It certainly made it possible to get my last two fish into my DT.
As I think back to the ones before that we lost Uronema was probably the culprit. Symptoms and physically appear to be what it was. Seriously appreciate this thread!