Fish might have velvet

[jayden kolonne]

I just noticed my fish today acting strange. Anthais are breathing heavy I think. The cbb is also is on the sand bed in a corner. I may have saw 1 dot on a anthia. Not sure.

 

[jayden kolonne]

Here's some pictures.

 

[threebuoys]

Please provide a video using white light and some history on your tank, how long have you had the fish?, did you QT?, other fish in the system?

 

[threebuoys]

The video should allow us to view the breathing pattern and speed.

 

[stewy14]

can we also have a video of water agitation please?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Here's some pictures.

The pics provided do not offer a clue but I see copperband is a little thin. With velvet, beside the fine dust like appearance, you will notice heavy breathing, swimming in the path of flow fins flickering, swimming at surface, loss of appetite as examples.
Dont need a video of agitation but one under white light intensity showing also other occupants in the tank

 

[jayden kolonne]

The pics provided do not offer a clue but I see copperband is a little thin. With velvet, beside the fine dust like appearance, you will notice heavy breathing, swimming in the path of flow fins flickering, swimming at surface, loss of appetite as examples.
Dont need a video of agitation but one under white light intensity showing also other occupants in the tank

I'm away right now I am away. I will take a photo under white light.

 

[jayden kolonne]

I got them on Friday. This was one shipment other than the damsal that is doing fine. No point in qt since I didn't have any other fish in the system.

 

[AetherealKnight]

I got them on Friday. This was one shipment other than the damsal that is doing fine. No point in qt since I didn't have any other fish in the system.

No, you need to QT new fish as well. Bringing in new fish without treating will introduce diseases to your tank.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I got them on Friday. This was one shipment other than the damsal that is doing fine. No point in qt since I didn't have any other fish in the system.

Always an advantage to quarantining = prevention and health

 

[jayden kolonne]

But I don't have another tank set up and it's pretty much just a large qt rank since there was nothing else. I don't understand the point of qt on the first fish. The next ones and coral I have a qt being set up but for these ones I just don't understand. Can someone explain.

 

[threebuoys]

I got them on Friday. This was one shipment other than the damsal that is doing fine. No point in qt since I didn't have any other fish in the system.

Since you just added the fish Friday, they could also be experiencing issues related to acclimation. The video will still be helpful.

Please also describe the acclimation process you followed.

Did you check the salinity of the shipment compared to your tank? Often, vendors will ship using salinity of 1.020 while most hobbyists keep their tanks at 1.026. Moving up that much in one day can be very stressful to fish.

 

[AetherealKnight]

But I don't have another tank set up and it's pretty much just a large qt rank since there was nothing else. I don't understand the point of qt on the first fish. The next ones and coral I have a qt being set up but for these ones I just don't understand. Can someone explain.

To quarantine and treat fish, they preferably need to be in a tank that has no rock or live sand. They can then be treated with Copper to ensure that they are free from velvet and ich. Meaning if you want ensure that all your fish are nice and healthy they should be quarantined and treated in copper regardless if they show any symptoms of illness as a preventative measure before being added to your display tank.

 

[threebuoys]

The QT protocol is designed to eliminate visible as well as hidden parasites. You are correct that your tank is essentially a large QT. However, it you have calcium-based sand or rock, you will have difficulty maintaining the correct concentration of medications. Also, is the tank cycled? High ammonia levels common with new tanks may also stress new fish. Finally, damsels can be quite aggressive. Monitor the tank to insure the damsel isnt hitting on the others.

 

[AetherealKnight]

As ThreeBuoys said it’s hard to maintain medication levels in a tank with live sand and rock since they can absorb medication. A separate bare bottom tank with pvc pipes is preferable for quarantining and treatment.

 

[Tamberav]

But I don't have another tank set up and it's pretty much just a large qt rank since there was nothing else. I don't understand the point of qt on the first fish. The next ones and coral I have a qt being set up but for these ones I just don't understand. Can someone explain.

It is easier to treat fish in a QT since you would have to stress them out catching them since most medication isn't reef safe. Some fish do not survive this extra stress of being moved when already struggling.

Sometimes catching them means removing your rock scape which is a hassle. Sometimes it means draining the tank down to almost no water in order to catch them which takes large brute containers.

Also if they have disease, after they are removed or die, you would need to increase the temp to 81 and wait 45 days to add any fish as the parasite needs to "exhaust" itself and die off.

Some disease like ich can hang around for weeks or months before there is a problem. By then you may have a larger fish load and corals which could get damaged when catching the fish.

Mostly it is just a huge headache.

 

[vetteguy53081]

But I don't have another tank set up and it's pretty much just a large qt rank since there was nothing else. I don't understand the point of qt on the first fish. The next ones and coral I have a qt being set up but for these ones I just don't understand. Can someone explain.

A quarantine tank can be as simple as a tank from a second hand store, a rubbermaid type tub or a starter kit from Walmart which most of the needed essentials. QT makes it easier to observe the fish, and requiring less need for volume of medication and water for water changes

 

[jayden kolonne]

Here's the cbb, other fish are away.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

The CBB is very thin and has glassy eyes. That is a bad sign with these. The thinness indicates that it wasn't cared for well prior to shipment and the glassy eyes can be due to flukes or some other parasite. With CBB, quality is everything - when they arrive in poor condition, it is very difficult to bring them back from that point.

 

[jayden kolonne]

The CBB is very thin and has glassy eyes. That is a bad sign with these. The thinness indicates that it wasn't cared for well prior to shipment and the glassy eyes can be due to flukes or some other parasite. With CBB, quality is everything - when they arrive in poor condition, it is very difficult to bring them back from that point.

He eats