Will velvet die off?

[HankstankXXL750]

So November 21, 2021 I had this purple tang, a lipstick or mask tang and a white tailed bristletooth tang get what I believe was velvet. I didn’t have any meds and live over two hours from any reliable lfs. So I found an article I believe by humble fish and dosed H2O2 in the DT. Lost the white tail within a day of this showing up and the naso at some time also don’t remember when and dont Purple Tang came through with flying colors. Now 8 months later I am planning to move this tang to another tank. I now know more than I did at the time about velvet.
The tank has not gone fallow. I have added a number of fish since then and none have shown any signs of velvet.
Does this mean that the velvet is just dormant and the fish are healthy enough not to break out, or is the velvet gone?

Knowing what I think I know now, I cannot believe that I haven’t had another outbreak. In the tank are two clowns, a exquisite wrasse who I know were in the tank before I added the tangs. I have added or it was also already there a blue spotted puffer and a lawn mower blenny. I have added since that outbreak a big eyed cardinal, a Cuban hog fish and a melanarus wrasse. None have gotten sick.

If it possible that the velvet has died off I will ,out of an abundance of caution, propylactically treat any of the fish I wish to move out of the tank.
If there is zero chance that the parasite has died off, then I will have to remove everyone and treat, leaving the tank fallow.
Thanks.

 

[blaxsun]

Do you run a UV on your system?

 

[Lavey29]

I speculate it will only die off if there are no hosts for it hence the fallow recommendation. Fish have immune systems that can defend against disease and parasites but that doesn't mean your tank is clean. Perhaps the environment is providing a stress free level of protection currently but anything that changes and causes fish stress may cause their immune system to weaken and the parasites to gain the advantage.

 

[HankstankXXL750]

Do you run a UV on your system?

Yes.

Do you run a UV on your system?

An Aquatop 9W I think with around 500 gph pump, but the top hose has a little kink so I believe it runs slower.

 

[Tired]

Velvet will die off if it has no fish to infect, but won't die off if there are still fish in the tank. Velvet is really nasty, and will pop up and start wiping things out if it gets the chance. Background velvet is where those "my entire tank died of velvet" threads come from.

The best thing to do here would be to remove and treat the fish, and let the tank run fallow until the velvet dies off. A UV light may help a little against it, but won't wipe it out.

 

[HankstankXXL750]

I speculate it will only die off if there are no hosts for it hence the fallow recommendation. Fish have immune systems that can defend against disease and parasites but that doesn't mean your tank is clean. Perhaps the environment is providing a stress free level of protection currently but anything that changes and causes fish stress may cause their immune system to weaken and the parasites to gain the advantage.

That is my question as that is what I have read. However when I added the squirrel fish and the Cuban hog, the purple tang and exquisite wrasse hassled them like crazy. I was afraid I was going to have to take them out as their fins were getting pretty ragged, but I held out for about three days and then everyone started getting along. So either the were super healthy or didn’t get too stressed. It had been so long that I had kinda forgotten about the velvet, but remembered it when discussing moving the tang tonight with my wife. Tanks only a 70 and he has positioned himself as king of the tank. Doesn’t really cause problems yet, but when I put him in it was supposed to only be temporary and then move him to my 210 reef. Didn’t do that in February when I set up the reef because at the time I went through a velvet run in my QT and a 90 and lost around $1500 in fish.
Obviously don’t want to do that again so I will definitely be treating him before moving him.
Probably ought to cycle them all through treatment and then into my back up system while I let the tank go fallow.

 

[HankstankXXL750]

Velvet will die off if it has no fish to infect, but won't die off if there are still fish in the tank. Velvet is really nasty, and will pop up and start wiping things out if it gets the chance. Background velvet is where those "my entire tank died of velvet" threads come from.

The best thing to do here would be to remove and treat the fish, and let the tank run fallow until the velvet dies off. A UV light may help a little against it, but won't wipe it out.

That’s kinda what I thought, and what I’ve read. Odd part is 8 months with no new outbreak, and I’ve added fish etc. Had it reinfect fish in my 90 after going fallow (I think 6-7 weeks) and read an article about some Texas university study that showed needed to go 11 weeks for velvet. Next day my Ausie Harlequin Tuskfish was covered.
Used TTM to save the puffer and Lion, had an eel who was doing ok, but slipped out of one of the transfer tanks and died on the floor.

 

[HankstankXXL750]

This is the humble.fish article that I read and how I dosed the tank.

How To - Peroxide (H2O2) dosing for parasites in reef tank

***Current dosing recommendation for active outbreaks, using 3% hydrogen peroxide*** (a TLDR for people who just need to know how to get started) Week 1: 1mL/8g, 3x per day Week 2: 1mL/5g, 3x per day Week 3: 1mL/5g, 3x per day, plus overnight dosing. Continue the week 3 dosing regimen for a...

humble.fish

 

[blaxsun]

I speculate it will only die off if there are no hosts for it hence the fallow recommendation. Fish have immune systems that can defend against disease and parasites but that doesn't mean your tank is clean. Perhaps the environment is providing a stress free level of protection currently but anything that changes and causes fish stress may cause their immune system to weaken and the parasites to gain the advantage.

I had velvet just over a year ago, and it's entirely possible it's still in my tank - just being kept at minimal amounts by UV exposure. It's also equally possible that I'm velvet-free just based on the sheer number of fish (24+) that were added since then which have shown zero traces of velvet.

 

[Lavey29]

I had velvet just over a year ago, and it's entirely possible it's still in my tank - just being kept at minimal amounts by UV exposure. It's also equally possible that I'm velvet-free just based on the sheer number of fish (24+) that were added since then which have shown zero traces of velvet.

To bad Hanna doesn't have a tester huh

 

[blaxsun]

To bad Hanna doesn't have a tester huh

Yeah. I suppose I could send a water sample out for testing...

 

[Reefer_kano]

Following

 

[HankstankXXL750]

Yeah. I suppose I could send a water sample out for testing...

I assume your joking, but is there one?
Another thought, could you collect water sample from just over sand bed and put under microscope? Of course this would only work if you had lots of it.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Velvet is a flagellate and with no host can be eliminated after a fishless cycle of 4-8 weeks at 80.5 degrees
For fish, copper will battle them in quarantine but you must assure the treatment works for OODINUM

 

[Jay Hemdal]

So November 21, 2021 I had this purple tang, a lipstick or mask tang and a white tailed bristletooth tang get what I believe was velvet. I didn’t have any meds and live over two hours from any reliable lfs. So I found an article I believe by humble fish and dosed H2O2 in the DT. Lost the white tail within a day of this showing up and the naso at some time also don’t remember when and dont Purple Tang came through with flying colors. Now 8 months later I am planning to move this tang to another tank. I now know more than I did at the time about velvet.
The tank has not gone fallow. I have added a number of fish since then and none have shown any signs of velvet.
Does this mean that the velvet is just dormant and the fish are healthy enough not to break out, or is the velvet gone?

Knowing what I think I know now, I cannot believe that I haven’t had another outbreak. In the tank are two clowns, a exquisite wrasse who I know were in the tank before I added the tangs. I have added or it was also already there a blue spotted puffer and a lawn mower blenny. I have added since that outbreak a big eyed cardinal, a Cuban hog fish and a melanarus wrasse. None have gotten sick.

If it possible that the velvet has died off I will ,out of an abundance of caution, propylactically treat any of the fish I wish to move out of the tank.
If there is zero chance that the parasite has died off, then I will have to remove everyone and treat, leaving the tank fallow.
Thanks.

That’s ich, not velvet. The fallow period for ich is temperature dependent and ranges from 45 days in warm water to 75 days in cool water.
Jay

 

[blaxsun]

I assume your joking, but is there one?
Another thought, could you collect water sample from just over sand bed and put under microscope? Of course this would only work if you had lots of it.

Yes, Aquabiomics tankDNA testing. I've never tried it myself - just heard of it.

 

[Tired]

I think the problem with that sort of testing would be that a negative result could mean either "no velvet present" or "you didn't catch any of the velvet in your sample".

 

[HankstankXXL750]

That’s ich, not velvet. The fallow period for ich is temperature dependent and ranges from 45 days in warm water to 75 days in cool water.
Jay

Ok thanks. When it occurred it came on and covered so fast that I sent these pic to my lfs in Omaha and they said velvet because of coverage. Probably why the fish survived.
I’ll treat accordingly. Appreciate it, I added the picture as I thought you would be able to identify as such.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Ok thanks. When it occurred it came on and covered so fast that I sent these pic to my lfs in Omaha and they said velvet because of coverage. Probably why the fish survived.
I’ll treat accordingly. Appreciate it, I added the picture as I thought you would be able to identify as such.

It isn't unheard of to have both infections at the same time though! Velvet gives the first symptom of rapid breathing, then not eating, then death. If spots are presentl, they are very small and at the end of the infection. If a fish has larger spots, for more than say, 3 days, and isn't breathing fast and is still feeding, it isn't velvet.

Jay

 

[HankstankXXL750]

It isn't unheard of to have both infections at the same time though! Velvet gives the first symptom of rapid breathing, then not eating, then death. If spots are presentl, they are very small and at the end of the infection. If a fish has larger spots, for more than say, 3 days, and isn't breathing fast and is still feeding, it isn't velvet.

Jay

Thanks. Maybe I have misdiagnosed my parasites lol. I was told that ich didn’t cover the entire fish (at least not rapidly) but would develop a few spots and left unchecked could then overwhelm. The times that I have gotten this type of coverage it has been the first visible signs and happens in less than a day. That is why I and my lfs thought it was more likely velvet. I appreciate the input.