Velvet in reef tank

[Radon]

I’ve had the tank for about a year, I’m relatively new to saltwater. Recently purchased some fish to finalize my fish stocking in my current tank and apparently didn’t qt long enough.

It started out with my scopas tang breathing rapidly. I thought it could be flukes, did a fw dip and it helped for a few days. Overnight the fish became covered in a dusting and other fish have started flashing. I’m seeing specs on some of the fish I recently purchased. (Dottyback and wrasses)

Full fish list:
Blue Mandarin Dragonet (juvenile) x2, Blue Velvet Damsel, Ocellaris Clownfish x2, Orchid Dottyback, Randall's Anthias, Red Fin Fairy Wrasse, Scopas Tang, Six Line Wrasse, Yellow Watchman Goby

I plan on purchasing a large bin and adding pvc hides to treat with copper. I have a copper checker and copper power.

Any advice on how to handle this with the fewest amount of casualties? I’m concerned about the mandarins surviving out of the reef tank.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I’ve had the tank for about a year, I’m relatively new to saltwater. Recently purchased some fish to finalize my fish stocking in my current tank and apparently didn’t qt long enough.

It started out with my scopas tang breathing rapidly. I thought it could be flukes, did a fw dip and it helped for a few days. Overnight the fish became covered in a dusting and other fish have started flashing. I’m seeing specs on some of the fish I recently purchased. (Dottyback and wrasses)

Full fish list:
Blue Mandarin Dragonet (juvenile) x2, Blue Velvet Damsel, Ocellaris Clownfish x2, Orchid Dottyback, Randall's Anthias, Red Fin Fairy Wrasse, Scopas Tang, Six Line Wrasse, Yellow Watchman Goby

I plan on purchasing a large bin and adding pvc hides to treat with copper. I have a copper checker and copper power.

Any advice on how to handle this with the fewest amount of casualties? I’m concerned about the mandarins surviving out of the reef tank.

No copper for the Mandarin. Observe in separate tank or apply chloroquine Phosphate for mandarin if it has ich which must be applied precisely.
Also please post pics and even video of fish under white light, no blue to confirm velvet . With velvet, you will see
fish will scratch body against hard objects, lethargic behavior, Loss of appetite and weight loss, Rapid, labored breathing, Fins clamped against the body, and typically stay at the surface of the water, or remain in a position where a steady flow of water is present in the aquarium.
Ich always shows spots at first. They are less visible in some species, and long term, the spots coalesce into mucus, but it is never seen in just the gills.
Treat with coppersafe or copper power for a full 30 days at 2.25ppm monitored withHanna Brand copper test kit, No API brand. Also monitor Ammonia levels while in quarantine with a reliable test kit and add aeration during treatment using an air stone.
The display tank will have to be kept fishless (FALLOW) for 6-8 weeks to assure the existing parasites go through their life cycle without a host fish and die off

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I’ve had the tank for about a year, I’m relatively new to saltwater. Recently purchased some fish to finalize my fish stocking in my current tank and apparently didn’t qt long enough.

It started out with my scopas tang breathing rapidly. I thought it could be flukes, did a fw dip and it helped for a few days. Overnight the fish became covered in a dusting and other fish have started flashing. I’m seeing specs on some of the fish I recently purchased. (Dottyback and wrasses)

Full fish list:
Blue Mandarin Dragonet (juvenile) x2, Blue Velvet Damsel, Ocellaris Clownfish x2, Orchid Dottyback, Randall's Anthias, Red Fin Fairy Wrasse, Scopas Tang, Six Line Wrasse, Yellow Watchman Goby

I plan on purchasing a large bin and adding pvc hides to treat with copper. I have a copper checker and copper power.

Any advice on how to handle this with the fewest amount of casualties? I’m concerned about the mandarins surviving out of the reef tank.

Have you lost any fish yet? True velvet causes fish loss within a few days.

The fish temporarily improving after a freshwater dip points to flukes. So does scratching.

How do they look this morning, can you post a video?

 

[Radon]

Last night I set up a hospital tank and moved the two worst fish (tang and fairy wrasse). I dosed copper power to 1.0 ppm and have been gradually increasing. I’ll try to get a video or pictures later when I’m off of work. The tang seems to be doing ok, wrasse is not looking too hot.

 

[Radon]

This was the best pic I could get last night. I’ll get better

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Last night I set up a hospital tank and moved the two worst fish (tang and fairy wrasse). I dosed copper power to 1.0 ppm and have been gradually increasing. I’ll try to get a video or pictures later when I’m off of work. The tang seems to be doing ok, wrasse is not looking too hot.

If it is velvet, you'll want to get the copper power dose above 2.0 ASAP. Target 2.25 to 2.5

However, with velvet, the primary symptoms would be rapid breathing, hanging in water currents and not eating. This is followed by fish losses after a day or so.

Flukes will cause a fish to scratch and sometimes breath fast, over a course of a week or so, but they will continue to feed until the final few days.

 

[Radon]

Have you lost any fish yet? True velvet causes fish loss within a few days.

The fish temporarily improving after a freshwater dip points to flukes. So does scratching.

How do they look this morning, can you post a video?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

The tang has ich and possibly flukes, I don't see any indication of velvet.

Hyposalinity would be a good option:

Hyposalinity

Hyposalinity Jay Hemdal 2024 This term refers to a long-term bath treatment for marine fishes in which the salt content of the water is lowered and held below the point that certain parasites can survive. The salt level reached, and the time of the treatment are the two variables...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Radon]

The tang has ich and possibly flukes, I don't see any indication of velvet.

Hyposalinity would be a good option:

Hyposalinity

Hyposalinity Jay Hemdal 2024 This term refers to a long-term bath treatment for marine fishes in which the salt content of the water is lowered and held below the point that certain parasites can survive. The salt level reached, and the time of the treatment are the two variables...

www.reef2reef.com

Is the fallow duration the same?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Is the fallow duration the same?

No - a fallow tank will be cleared of flukes in less than 30 days, while ich often takes longer - you'll commonly see "76 days", but that stems from a scientific paper in which the ich parasite was found to survive in a petri dish at lower temperatures, with no bacteria. In real world cases, 45 days days can work, but 60 days is safest.

 

[Radon]

Thanks for all of the advice. I have all the supplies to set up a proper hospital tank. I’ll get some photos/videos of other fish as well just to get confirmation on the ID. I do think you are correct with the combination of ich and flukes (fish swimming in front of power head). The dottyback looks like it’s velvet, but I’m more familiar with freshwater ich. The fact that I haven’t lost any fish seems like ich is the likely parasite if velvet kills very quickly.

 

[ReefED!]

How did everything work out @Radon ?

 

[Radon]

4 fish ended up dying. Both of my mandarins, a dotty back, and an Anthias. The rest are still in their hospital tank with copper. I’m going to follow up with prazi treatment after the copper. They don’t show any signs of infection

 

[backbayreef]

So sorry to hear - I got hit with velvet a year ago and lost almost all the fish within a week so I understand what you're going through. Just make sure you got a good copper test kit (I used Hanna) and watch out for ammonia.

I would continue the treatment and let your DT go fallow for 60d as recommended.

Good luck!