How do you differentiate between Velvet and Brook?

[SourAngelfish]

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

Thanks for the advice, I have been feeding frozen food with vitachem and garlic daily, I can’t get the French angel to eat Nori...

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thanks for the advice, I have been feeding frozen food with vitachem and garlic daily, I can’t get the French angel to eat Nori...

Don’t worry about nori although you could try to baste it with garlic which may entice it to eat it
It needs sponge in its diet. These foods should work:
Angel formula
LRS herbivore diet
Formula 2 flake and frozen
Spirulina brine shrimp
Mysis shrimp
Plankton
Beef heart

 

[SourAngelfish]

Don’t worry about nori although you could try to baste it with garlic which may entice it to eat it
It needs sponge in its diet. These foods should work:
Angel formula
LRS herbivore diet
Formula 2 flake and frozen
Spirulina brine shrimp
Mysis shrimp
Plankton
Beef heart

Thank you, I’m currently feeding angel formula, mysis, and scallops

 

[SourAngelfish]

Okay so this is strange but within an hour the fish are now all appearing to be dusted with powder... I’m starting to lean back towards velvet... why is this happening so fast and in the copper??? @vetteguy53081 @Jay Hemdal

 

[SourAngelfish]

Also forgot to mention that the puffer is sitting and breathing heavy... freshwater dip?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Also forgot to mention that the puffer is sitting and breathing heavy... freshwater dip?

Yes

 

[SourAngelfish]

Prepping the the fw bath, should I also be preparing a formalin bath??

 

[SourAngelfish]

Also did an ammonia test... Cupramine does mess with that correct? It’s reading at .5

 

[vetteguy53081]

This is without doubt flagellate outbreak... Oodinum or velvet. FW bath only offers temporary relief. These guys will need to be treated in a quarantine tank using Chloroquine phosphate or Copper. A .... 5 minute freshwater dip, and 90 minute acriflavine bath or 45 minute formalin bath can provide temporary relief before the fish begins quarantine. Once velvet is discovered, treat ASAP
The Velvet life cycle is typically faster in attacking the fish and free swimmers are more numerous than ich. The Velvet dinospores can remain infective for up to 15 days.
To treat, use of Chloroquine phosphate is effective for velvet, but copper also works if symptoms are caught early on. This also work on ich, so if in doubt treating, this will work for both.
Formal treatment is:
- 90 minute bath using Ruby Reef Rally (wide range and reef safe. . Maintain safe temperature range and provide lots of oxygen.
- Treat for 30 days in a quarantine tank using either Chloroquine phosphate at 60 mg/gal or use chelated copper such as Copper Power @ 1.75 ppm.
WHENEVER TREATING WITH COPPER, be sure to have a copper test kit

 

[vetteguy53081]

Also did an ammonia test... Cupramine does mess with that correct? It’s reading at .5

Yes and can curb appetite and affect oxygen levels

 

[vetteguy53081]

Also did an ammonia test... Cupramine does mess with that correct? It’s reading at .5

.5 slightly high but not dangerous range

 

[SourAngelfish]

.5 slightly high but not dangerous range

Should I do a water change?? My confusion is stemming from the fact that I’m running copper in the display, I’ve been testing twice daily with consistent results to the picture I sent earlier..

 

[vetteguy53081]

You’re on this. You have good details above as what you need to do. I have an early flight in morning so signing off. I believe aircraft has WiFi and internet and will check back when I get up

 

[vetteguy53081]

Should I do a water change?? My confusion is stemming from the fact that I’m running copper in the display, I’ve been testing twice daily with consistent results to the picture I sent earlier..

Yes do water change to reduce ammonia and increase oxygen

 

[SourAngelfish]

Thank you for the help, hopefully others can chime in

 

[SourAngelfish]

Current tank Parameters before water change:

Amm. - .5 (probably inaccurate because of Cupramine) ammonia alert badge says .05

Nitri. - 0-.25 (was an odd color)

Nitra. - 15

kH - 10

pH - 8.2-8.4

sal - 1.021

copper - .4+ (ionic)

Tank has been up for almost two months, was an upgrade from a previous tank, all live rock was moved over and bioload has pretty much stayed the same (lessened actually) it is a fish only so I have decided to treat the display, have been testing copper twice daily and have seem to get it stable

 

[SourAngelfish]

Okay I 5 min freshwater dipped everyone and did a 15gal water change while redosing copper... still confused how this happened so fast if the copper is at therapeutic, unless the test kit is just completely wrong, it does match to the photo I saved to the reference test that is also .5

 

[SourAngelfish]

Is this poor guy a goner?

 

[Reef and Dive]

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

+1 on ich as more probable.

Puffers have some hard time with copper but they tolerate cupramine better. Chloroquine is another option.

 

[Reef and Dive]

Is this poor guy a goner?

Probably yes.