Amyloodinium (Velvet) advice?

SMaggart · May 21, 2017

I'm in a panic to save whats left of my aquatic kids! My new 180g has somehow got Amyloodinium (velvet) & the only thing I know to do is copper treatment. Suggestions?

saltyfilmfolks · May 21, 2017

#reefsquad

Maritimer · May 21, 2017

A freshwater dip will bring some quick relief to the remaining fish, but won't cure the disease. How to get it done, courtesy of @melypr1985 :https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/video-how-to-do-a-freshwater-dip.214/

Following that, a chemical dip in Acriflavine may also help considerably, and then into a quarantine tank to bring copper (most folks use Mardel's "CopperSafe) up - and get it to therapeutic levels within 12 hours or so. (Alternatively, use Chloroquine phosphate - but you'll need a veterinarian's prescription to get it.) Velvet is a bear, and not to be trifled with!

@Humblefish has a great writeup on the protocol here: https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/tank-terror-identifying-and-treating-marine-velvet.26/

~Bruce

P.S. - Sorry that it had to be on such a sour note, but welcome to Reef2Reef!

Flippers4pups · May 21, 2017

Act fast!

http://fritzaquatics.com/fish-diseases/velvet-oodinium/

Humblefish · May 21, 2017

I've had the highest success rate saving fish from velvet by following this treatment protocol: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/velvet-amyloodinium-ocellatum.217570/#post-2499437

Sabellafella · May 21, 2017

SMaggart said:
I'm in a panic to save whats left of my aquatic kids! My new 180g has somehow got Amyloodinium (velvet) & the only thing I know to do is copper treatment. Suggestions?

Welcome to the forum! Check the treatment thread (listed above) and fish disease forum for hobbiest experiences. Hope the little guys take a turn for the best!

melypr1985 · May 21, 2017

Agreed with great advice already given. Best of luck and welcome to R2R!

SMaggart · May 22, 2017

Thank you Everyone for your advice and welcomes! Greatly appreciated. So far I've not lost another, but yesterday was not fun fishing out all my crabs, snails, shrimps & starfish. Everyone is where they're gonna be for the next 2 weeks.
Thank you for the links, all great advice. I'm using all I can through this. I'll be in touch & have a great week! Hopefully next time I'll be here on a social note

SMaggart · May 23, 2017

Update... still no losses yet, got the Cupromine (copper) in the tank. Bought a test kit & checking 2x a day. Level at 0.5ml. Lights on moonlight.
Question: Do I still risk loss during treatment time? Or am I running greater chances of survival for the remaining?
Hope everyone is having a nice week! Anyone in Missouri?

melypr1985 · May 23, 2017

SMaggart said:
Question: Do I still risk loss during treatment time? Or am I running greater chances of survival for the remaining?

There is still plenty of risk of losing the fish during and after treatment. Velvet, and any parasite, carries with it the risk of infection as well as suffocation. At this point, those two things and lack of appetite are what you will be looking for. Suffocation shouldn't be an issue at this point, but it's still important to watch for.

4FordFamily · May 23, 2017

Are you treating the display tank?? If so you're going to need A LOT of copper as it's going to absorb. By the time it's done absorbing your fish will probably be dead, unfortunately. The absorbtion will keep it from reaching and remaining in the therapeutic range long enough :/

Good luck though, and welcome home to R2R -- you will love it here!

Maritimer · May 23, 2017

Sounds good so far ...

There's never zero risk of losses, but you're in better shape than you were. Cupramine (as with all meds for ich & velvet) only kills the parasite in its free-swimming stage (though it's not gentle with encysted parasites - and I'm OK with that). The parasites that are currently feeding on your fish won't be vulnerable until they leave, so your fish are still under some level of stress. The feeding parasites are also creating microscopic wounds on the fish, through which bacteria can enter - watch for secondary infections.

~Bruce

SMaggart · May 30, 2017

TY all for your responses! Greatly appreciated. Ok, one week so far into treatment with Cupramine. I'm stocked for next week to pull the copper out & have stress coat & Stress Guard to help my babies along the transition. No losses since first treatment, so only 6 fish left

There are no signs of velvet now, at least to the eye... but I do understand this is not the end & to be watchful. I'm unsure though how long to wait after the treatment is finished next week, to put my invertebrates back in from the quarantine tank? Should I try a couple hermits & see? Hate to think that way, they are my favs! But dread loosing stars & shrimps & everyone... suggestions? Also, when would anyone suggest it safe to start restocking my fish family? Thank you again, you all are so helpful & I'm excited to make new friends here that share my love for the aqua world!

saltyfilmfolks · May 30, 2017

Right on!

melypr1985 · May 30, 2017

You'll want to keep the fish in therapeutic levels of copper (daily testing is needed here) for 30 days before pulling the copper out of the tank. You won't want to put any inverts in the tank until you are no longer detecting copper in the tank via test kit.

4FordFamily · May 30, 2017

melypr1985 said:
You'll want to keep the fish in therapeutic levels of copper (daily testing is needed here) for 30 days before pulling the copper out of the tank. You won't want to put any inverts in the tank until you are no longer detecting copper in the tank via test kit.

X2

Maritimer · May 30, 2017

X3...

Copper, sadly, will take more than two weeks to eradicate velvet from the tank. It's going to be a month - 30 days - and that's without ever once allowing it to slip below therapeutic levels. Not even for a few minutes during a water-change. Velvet's a tough son-of-a-gun, and you can't take chances with it.

You can use water changes, carbon, Poly-Filter, and CupriSorb to help remove it at the end of the one-month treatment, but as Melypr1985 mentioned, don't try to add any invertebrates until your copper test reads completely clear. (You might consider keeping a fresh Poly-Filter or CupriSorb packet in your system for a while, to catch any copper leaching from the rock or sand.)

~Bruce

SMaggart · May 31, 2017

You guys are amazing! TY! Ok 30 + days it is. I'll pick up an extra Cupri-Sorb afterwards to be safe, & keep it in my sump... great advice. Yes I have liverock & fine Oolight sand @ 1" deep to cover 4'x2' tank. Probably going to need a few CupriSorbs and time & patience. It did get rid of those pesky redworms! Really appreciate ur detail explanations Bruce & Melypr1985! Have a great day everyone!

SMaggart · Jun 12, 2017

Hello fellow Aquatic loving forum! Update; This Saturday marks 4 weeks of treatment with Copper. Still No fish loss The test levels are very close & I'm not sure what to do? Too little is ineffective, too much can kill. The color spot test is 0.25 / 0.50 / 1.0 all very close. UGH! I'm same color for .25 & .50 using API test. Suggestions? Keep treating longer than 4 weeks?

Also, my Nitrate levels have spiked to 40PPM having taken my socks out of sump during treatment. All other levels are perfect. Can I add Prime during Copper treatment? I thought I've read somewhere not to add other chemicals during treatment, but not sure if that's specific to certain tests? I'm using Seachem Cupramine. Pic is pre- treatment... Your suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Humblefish · Jun 12, 2017

@SMaggart I would switch to a Seachem or Salifert copper test kit for more accurate readings when using Cupramine. Especially since you are treating with rock & sand in the tank; rock in particular will absorb copper.

Maintaining a therapeutic range (0.35-0.5ppm) is essential to eradicating the parasites.

DO NOT use Prime (or any other ammonia reducer) with copper. Also, the presence of copper is likely throwing off your nitrate and any other liquid test reading.