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Here is more info I found on velvet if that is what is going on.....And you do have to leave the tank sit fallow to make sure it is gone from your display.....but hopefully it is just ammonia...look carefully at the symptoms the fish displayed before they died.....
Marine Ich, Velvet or Coral Fish Disease
Learn to Diagnose and Treat Oodinium
BY STAN & DEBBIE HAUTER
Updated 06/01/18
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What is Oodinium?
Marine Ich, Velvet or Coral Fish Disease is caused from an infestation of the flagellation Amyloodinium ocellatum. A member of a large group of flagellate protists that are traditionally subdivided into two groups, the animal-like protozoa and the plant-like algae, Amyloodinium ocellatum belongs to the same group of single-cell alga organisms that cause red tides in marine waters.
Although this organism does not cause red tides, it is parasitic on fish at onestage in its life cycle, which depending on the temperature of the water can be completed in 6 to 12 days.
Due to the fact that this organism is able to reproduce so rapidly, when an Oodinium outbreak occurs in an aquarium and it is not immediately diagnosed and treated, being in a closed saltwater system it can reach overwhelming and disastrous numbers in a very short period of time. This type of ich is one of the most common causes of a wipeout, or an abrupt loss of all the fish in a saltwater aquarium.
The Life Cycle of Amyloodinium ocellatum
Free-swimming cells called dinospores are released from a mature cyst and go in search of a host fish. Typically these cells can survive seven to eight days without a host, but in lower tank temperatures at around 75-80 degrees, some strains may last up to 30+ days.
Once a host is found, typically heading for the soft tissue inside the gills first, the dinospores lose their swimming capabilities and become non-motile parasitic trophozoites. At this stage they turn parasitic, as each attaches to the host fish by sending out a filament for feeding.
After deriving nutrition for 3 days to a week the trophozoites become mature and drop off into the substrate, may remain hidden in the mucus membrane, or sometimes be deeply embedded in the tissue of a host fish, where at this point each forms a type of hard shell covering.
Inside each encrusted cyst the cells, now called tomonts, reproduce internally by non-sexual division. Upon reaching maturity in about five days, each cyst ruptures and releases hundreds of new free-swimming dinospores to start the cycle all over again, but in much large numbers.
Symptoms
Most similarly symptomatic to Brooklynella, Oodinium organisms primarily attack the gills first. At the onset of this ich infestation fish often scrap up against objects in the aquarium, lethargy sets in, and rapid respiration develops, which is the result of excess mucus in the gills due to the invasion of the parasites. This is typically noticed as fish staying at the surface of the water, or remaining in a position where a steady flow of water is present in the aquarium.
As the disease progresses outwards from the gills, the cysts then become visible on the fins and body. Although these cysts may appear as tiny white dots the size of a grain of salt, like the first sign of Saltwater Ich or White Spot Disease, what sets Oodinium apart from other types of ich is that at this point the fish have the appearance of being coated with what looks like a whitish or tan to golden colored, velvet-like film, thus the name Velvet Disease.
Now in the advanced stage of the disease the production of gill and body mucus increases, the fish becomes listless, refuses to eat, and it's not unusual for a secondary infection to develop. For fish that reach this end stage of the disease, it's typically too late.
They usually do not respond to treatment, and most often will die.
Most Effective Treatments for Oodinium
Remove all fish from the main aquarium, give them a freshwater dip or bath, and then place them into a QT with vigorous aeration provided. Treat the fish in the QT with a copper-based medication per the manufacturer's product instructions. To address complications from secondary infections, also treat the fish with an appropriate antibiotic or anti-bacterial medication. Continue treating the fish in the QT until the ich appears to be gone, and then keep treating for another week after that.
Marine Ich, Velvet or Coral Fish Disease
Learn to Diagnose and Treat Oodinium
BY STAN & DEBBIE HAUTER
Updated 06/01/18
SHARE Share
PIN Pin
EMAIL Email
What is Oodinium?
Marine Ich, Velvet or Coral Fish Disease is caused from an infestation of the flagellation Amyloodinium ocellatum. A member of a large group of flagellate protists that are traditionally subdivided into two groups, the animal-like protozoa and the plant-like algae, Amyloodinium ocellatum belongs to the same group of single-cell alga organisms that cause red tides in marine waters.
Although this organism does not cause red tides, it is parasitic on fish at onestage in its life cycle, which depending on the temperature of the water can be completed in 6 to 12 days.
Due to the fact that this organism is able to reproduce so rapidly, when an Oodinium outbreak occurs in an aquarium and it is not immediately diagnosed and treated, being in a closed saltwater system it can reach overwhelming and disastrous numbers in a very short period of time. This type of ich is one of the most common causes of a wipeout, or an abrupt loss of all the fish in a saltwater aquarium.
The Life Cycle of Amyloodinium ocellatum
Free-swimming cells called dinospores are released from a mature cyst and go in search of a host fish. Typically these cells can survive seven to eight days without a host, but in lower tank temperatures at around 75-80 degrees, some strains may last up to 30+ days.
Once a host is found, typically heading for the soft tissue inside the gills first, the dinospores lose their swimming capabilities and become non-motile parasitic trophozoites. At this stage they turn parasitic, as each attaches to the host fish by sending out a filament for feeding.
After deriving nutrition for 3 days to a week the trophozoites become mature and drop off into the substrate, may remain hidden in the mucus membrane, or sometimes be deeply embedded in the tissue of a host fish, where at this point each forms a type of hard shell covering.
Inside each encrusted cyst the cells, now called tomonts, reproduce internally by non-sexual division. Upon reaching maturity in about five days, each cyst ruptures and releases hundreds of new free-swimming dinospores to start the cycle all over again, but in much large numbers.
Symptoms
Most similarly symptomatic to Brooklynella, Oodinium organisms primarily attack the gills first. At the onset of this ich infestation fish often scrap up against objects in the aquarium, lethargy sets in, and rapid respiration develops, which is the result of excess mucus in the gills due to the invasion of the parasites. This is typically noticed as fish staying at the surface of the water, or remaining in a position where a steady flow of water is present in the aquarium.
As the disease progresses outwards from the gills, the cysts then become visible on the fins and body. Although these cysts may appear as tiny white dots the size of a grain of salt, like the first sign of Saltwater Ich or White Spot Disease, what sets Oodinium apart from other types of ich is that at this point the fish have the appearance of being coated with what looks like a whitish or tan to golden colored, velvet-like film, thus the name Velvet Disease.
Now in the advanced stage of the disease the production of gill and body mucus increases, the fish becomes listless, refuses to eat, and it's not unusual for a secondary infection to develop. For fish that reach this end stage of the disease, it's typically too late.
They usually do not respond to treatment, and most often will die.
Most Effective Treatments for Oodinium
Remove all fish from the main aquarium, give them a freshwater dip or bath, and then place them into a QT with vigorous aeration provided. Treat the fish in the QT with a copper-based medication per the manufacturer's product instructions. To address complications from secondary infections, also treat the fish with an appropriate antibiotic or anti-bacterial medication. Continue treating the fish in the QT until the ich appears to be gone, and then keep treating for another week after that.
