How do you differentiate between Velvet and Brook?

[SourAngelfish]

I am just a bit scared as I raised the copper over a few days and is now been at therapeutic for 4-5? The fish keep getting new spots, some of the fish look like spots and some have a dust coating, I did have to lower from therapeutic once as one fish went copper sensitive but ended up dying. Did I let some velvet reattach? Should I refrain from freshwater dipping? It 100% looks better than it did before, I’m afraid I’m still sub therapeutic even though the test looks .5, was thinking it could even be brook if the copper isn’t working... feeding food with GC and kana bonded with focus along with vitachem and garlic. Fish in question are a French angel, Cuban Hogfish, green scat, and porcupine puff

 

[Jonify]

I am just a bit scared as I raised the copper over a few days and is now been at therapeutic for 4-5? The fish keep getting new spots, some of the fish look like spots and some have a dust coating, I did have to lower from therapeutic once as one fish went copper sensitive but ended up dying. Did I let some velvet reattach? Should I refrain from freshwater dipping? It 100% looks better than it did before, I’m afraid I’m still sub therapeutic even though the test looks .5, was thinking it could even be brook if the copper isn’t working... feeding food with GC and kana bonded with focus along with vitachem and garlic. Fish in question are a French angel, Cuban Hogfish, green scat, and porcupine puff

You may need @ReefSquad to help you here. But in their absence, I have always dosed Ruby Reef Rally at 1.5X the given dose for temporary relief from both velvet and brooks. That should give you about a day or two of time to react further. Any time I've done Rally at 1.5X, fish return to normal, even wrasses.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Can you post a picture? There is a lot of confusion between these two diseases, as well as confusing them with late term ich. A microscope skin scrape is the only definitive way to tell, but sometimes, with a clear photo I can tell visually.

Copper takes time to work. What brand are you using and what test kit?

Jay

 

[SourAngelfish]

Can you post a picture? There is a lot of confusion between these two diseases, as well as confusing them with late term ich. A microscope skin scrape is the only definitive way to tell, but sometimes, with a clear photo I can tell visually.

Copper takes time to work. What brand are you using and what test kit?

Jay

I’ll try and get some pictures as the lights come on, it almost seems like the fish have cleared up again. The test is seachem multi test and I’m using cupramine

 

[SourAngelfish]

Can you post a picture? There is a lot of confusion between these two diseases, as well as confusing them with late term ich. A microscope skin scrape is the only definitive way to tell, but sometimes, with a clear photo I can tell visually.

Copper takes time to work. What brand are you using and what test kit?

Jay

Sorry the photos aren’t the best, as of this morning no signs of spots are present but the fish still have cloudy skin/fins. The hogfish is itching still but no visible symptoms

 

[Redfoxtang]

Considering your .5 reading of copper I believe your using Cupramine for copper. I would really try and maintain that reading. If you can grab a Hanna checker for copper to really dial in your readings and dosing. As for the fish maybe @Jay Hemdal has a better eye but I’m not really seeing anything abnormal. Just keep an eye on them and make sure that are still eating.

 

[SourAngelfish]

Considering your .5 reading of copper I believe your using Cupramine for copper. I would really try and maintain that reading. If you can grab a Hanna checker for copper to really dial in your readings and dosing. As for the fish maybe @Jay Hemdal has a better eye but I’m not really seeing anything abnormal. Just keep an eye on them and make sure that are still eating.

Yea it was very odd cause yesterday they looked pretty bad, maybe it’s working, it kinda goes away and comes back though so no clue

 

[Redfoxtang]

Yea just keep your copper at therapeutic levels and they should be fine. Also keep up there eating habits as the copper may suppress eating.

 

[SourAngelfish]

Appreciate the help, everyone has been eating like pigs, curious if it’s okay to be adding the rest of the stock I planned during this time since I’m already doing copper?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Appreciate the help, everyone has been eating like pigs, curious if it’s okay to be adding the rest of the stock I planned during this time since I’m already doing copper?

I don’t see any signs of Brooklynella in those photos. If the fish aren’t breathing hard, then you can rule out velvet. Porcupines often show mucus on the fins for no real reason but also when they have ich.

As @Redfoxtang said, keep the copper level at full dose for now.

Personally, I don’t add new fish to a system with active disease, or with an unidentified problem....that just tends to complicate things. If have to do it for some reason, I reset the quarantine clock to zero.

Jay

 

[SourAngelfish]

I don’t see any signs of Brooklynella in those photos. If the fish aren’t breathing hard, then you can rule out velvet. Porcupines often show mucus on the fins for no real reason but also when they have ich.

As @Redfoxtang said, keep the copper level at full dose for now.

Personally, I don’t add new fish to a system with active disease, or with an unidentified problem....that just tends to complicate things. If have to do it for some reason, I reset the quarantine clock to zero.

Jay

Sounds good, I may have been over paranoid and it may have just been ich that got out of hand, the French has been breathing pretty heavy though. I wish I had taken pictures when they were at their worst a few days back. I got the French in a pretty direct supply chain, almost direct from a diver in the keys, is it common for Angels to carry velvet? She 100% brought it in whatever it is

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Sounds good, I may have been over paranoid and it may have just been ich that got out of hand, the French has been breathing pretty heavy though. I wish I had taken pictures when they were at their worst a few days back. I got the French in a pretty direct supply chain, almost direct from a diver in the keys, is it common for Angels to carry velvet? She 100% brought it in whatever it is

Angels are prone to velvet. Short supply chain is good, but not if the holding tanks have something percolating in them.
Jay

 

[SourAngelfish]

Okay copper is still therapeutic and it’s happened again... I got a good pic of the porcupine for reference... velvet I guess? Cupramine is 100% above .4 but not sure how close to .5, I’m getting a little concerned with all this.

 

[SourAngelfish]

@Jay Hemdal hate to be a bother but any idea?

 

[SourAngelfish]

Can also send a copper test if that helps, I may be reading it wrong

 

[SourAngelfish]

Here’s the test

 

[haitian_reefer]

I'm not expert, but that looks like ich to me. Tagging along to educate myself.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Agree I see nothing too in form of brook or velvet. With velvet, one giveaway is reduced or complete loss of appetite, heavy breathing, scratching, flashing, head twitching, erratic swimming behavior and mainly . . . fish swimming into the flow of the powerhead.
Brook can infect angelfish, tangs, wrasses,and others which are kidney-bean shaped microscopic parasites covered in cilia.
Looking at puffers tail. I see a maybe and saying Maybe Cryptocaryon and rather than seek any treatment, I would focus on water quality and a healthy diet. DO ADD SELCON VITAMINS TO THE FOODS FOR THE FISH AND ALSO GARLIC EXTRACT 2-3X PER WEEK

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

@Jay Hemdal hate to be a bother but any idea?

That looks like ich for sure. I am not familiar with that copper test, but it looks like close to 0.40 to me. Copper takes time to work of course, and it often gets worse before it gets better.
Jay

 

[SourAngelfish]

Thanks guys, I am seeing head twitching and flashing btw, I’m just shocked with how it comes in waves but I’ll let the copper do it’s magic, will be doing updates, wish I had a microscope... they had nothing on them yesterday and then it all showed up