Dying Fish!

[RevJames]

Think it was 2ml/gallon followed the velvet post here.... I can get a pic of test in just a few minutes... and dosed the recommended level to the gallon at beginning for a benchmark color.

 

[HotRocks]

Did the spots on the Hippo from the original velvet infestation ever go away? Now they are back? The reason I ask Is because I had an Achilles that looked exactly like that after copper poisoning. My fish never had any spots on it until then though.
Coppersafe Rec. Dose is 1.25ml Per gallon.
I am thinking you may be overdosed.

 

[RevJames]

Here is a pic with and without flash. Neither one capture the color very well...

 

[RevJames]

Never fully went away... but got better. Got dosing directions from a Humblefish post...

Dosing Coppersafe at 1.63mL/gal will achieve 1.5 ppm, 1.9mL/gal = 1.75 ppm, and 2.17mL/gal = 2.0 ppm.

I would just make life easy on yourself and dose 2mL/gal, which will land you somewhere between 1.75-2.0 ppm (therapeutic range).

 

[HotRocks]

Man hopefully some others will be online soon, to make sure I am looking at this correctly. It could just be the lighting or camera. But to me, it looks way dark (Closer to 4, than 2). If you are sure you dosed 2ml per gallon, it very well could be. Id start mixing water for a WC.
@Big G
@melypr1985
@4FordFamily

 

[RevJames]

Man hopefully some others will be online soon, to make sure I am looking at this correctly. It could just be the lighting or camera. But to me, it looks way dark (Closer to 4, than 2). If you are sure you dosed 2ml per gallon, it very well could be. Id start mixing water for a WC.
@Big G
@melypr1985
@4FordFamily

It’s the picture... it is a bit darker than 2 but def not 4... thank you for your help!

 

[Big G]

Are you holding the test tube a bit above the color card. If you hold it against the card it will show darker than it truly is.

 

[RevJames]

Yes roughly half inch

 

[Big G]

By the time velvet is visible, it's really tough to get ahead of it. Remember the copper doesn't kill the velvet; it only kills the free swimming phase of the parasites. Plus it has a rather quick life cycle, expanding their numbers almost exponentially. So the fish has to weather the attacks to its gills and skin. And then there is the frequent secondary bacterial infection that can occur because of the velvet's damage to the fish's immune system. Very few fish can survive once heavily infected. Sorry for your loss.

 

[RevJames]

So in your opinion is that still velvet on the fish?

 

[Big G]

The spots you see are not the velvet parasite; rather they are the mucus spots that appear at each location of the velvet parasite's attachment to your fish. The mucus can take days to fall off the fish. And all the while the fish is still being attacked until the cycles have been stopped by the copper in the free swimming stage. Nasty little buggers velvet. Relentless.

 

[RevJames]

The spots you see are not the velvet parasite; rather they are the mucus spots that appear at each location of the velvet parasite's attachment to your fish. The mucus can take days to fall off the fish. And all the while the fish is still being attacked until the cycles have been stopped by the copper in the free swimming stage. Nasty little buggers velvet. Relentless.

I’m 15 days in now... at what point could I expect to see improvement? Or will the skin not heal until the fish reccovers from the copper stress?

 

[Big G]

The wounds will slowly heal. This is where the bath in Ruby Reef Rally can help prevent a secondary infection in the fish's weakened condition. It has both antiseptic and antibiotic qualities that really help. Do you have the antibiotics Kanaplex, Metroplex and Furan2? It's the go to for bacterial infections. I'd dose either Kanaplex or Furan2 for a week or so while still soaking in copper, and if necessary go to the all three as a last measure.

 

[melypr1985]

The wounds will slowly heal. This is where the bath in Ruby Reef Rally can help prevent a secondary infection in the fish's weakened condition. It has both antiseptic and antibiotic qualities that really help. Do you have the antibiotics Kanaplex, Metroplex and Furan2? It's the go to for bacterial infections. I'd dose either Kanaplex or Furan2 for a week or so while still soaking in copper, and if necessary go to the all three as a last measure.

This is what I suspect as well. Unless you let the copper level drop (even for a minute during a water change or whatever) during those 15 days, the fish should be clear of the actual parasite at this point. Bacterial infections are one of the most dangerous parts of velvet though. If can, I'd suggest doing a tank transfer into a sterile QT with no copper in it and all new, clean equipment. Then you can start dosing the antibiotics as suggested above.

 

[RevJames]

This is what I suspect as well. Unless you let the copper level drop (even for a minute during a water change or whatever) during those 15 days, the fish should be clear of the actual parasite at this point. Bacterial infections are one of the most dangerous parts of velvet though. If can, I'd suggest doing a tank transfer into a sterile QT with no copper in it and all new, clean equipment. Then you can start dosing the antibiotics as suggested above.

Thanks to you both! Kannaplex and furan 2 should arrive tomorrow. Copper level has never dropped. Have done one water changed but dosed the jug with copper. I’ll start antibiotics as soon as they arrive. Manufacturers suggestion or alternate? And I do have metroplex in the form of general cure on hand.

 

[melypr1985]

Thanks to you both! Kannaplex and furan 2 should arrive tomorrow. Copper level has never dropped. Have done one water changed but dosed the jug with copper. I’ll start antibiotics as soon as they arrive. Manufacturers suggestion or alternate? And I do have metroplex in the form of general cure on hand.

You'll follow the directions on how much to dose per gallon, but you'll repeat the dose every other day after a water change for ten days straight... it could take a bit longer.