I Feel Like I’m Doomed!

[AydenLincoln]

I actually think my dottyback has velvet because he has a white spots/film, less color, he’s not eating, and was scratching against the rock. I just got him (he was a replacement) I thought he looked good but I was wrong. He was in my main tank for a day which just recently finished it’s cycle about two months ago and has a shrimp, coral, 2 clownfish, and a damsel. I don’t have a qt set up and my little guy is in a bowl floating in the tank. I feel like I’m doomed right now and it’s late at night so stores don’t open until morning and I am just hoping for the best. Does anyone have experience with Polyp Lab’s Medic Parasite Treatment something you add right to the main tank? Or any other reef safe parasite/disease treatments that may possibly avoid having to setup an emergency quarantine? Definitely something I’ll do from now on it’s just hard to do in a pinch.

 

[charles7]

My clowns didn’t eat for a few days after I got them and one kept scraping against rocks and sands. I thought I had gill flukes, but someone with experience with velvet will definitely chime in!

 

[AydenLincoln]

My clowns didn’t eat for a few days after I got them and one kept scraping against rocks and sands. I thought I had gill flukes, but someone with experience with velvet will definitely chime in!

I should add he has white spots/a white film.

 

[charles7]

I should add he has white spots/a white film.

That sounds like ich to be honest, nasty stuff but if it’s healthy and was eating prior to purchase. There’s plenty of meds you can pick up for it! I dealt with it in freshwater but I’ve been lucky. All my fish have been quarantined for me in a separate system for a month prior to me buying. I dip everything I put in my tank now and new tank mates. Make sure they are quarantined. It’ll save you many headaches. I learned from people in the forums and so far I’m happy with the extra work and results

 

[Projects with Sam]

I've used Medic. Its reef safe. not sure I had anything but flukes and sand stuck to the fish but I'd give it a go if it gives you piece of mind and allows you to enjoy the hobby.

 

[AydenLincoln]

That sounds like ich to be honest, nasty stuff but if it’s healthy and was eating prior to purchase. There’s plenty of meds you can pick up for it! I dealt with it in freshwater but I’ve been lucky. All my fish have been quarantined for me in a separate system for a month prior to me buying. I dip everything I put in my tank now and new tank mates. Make sure they are quarantined. It’ll save you many headaches. I learned from people in the forums and so far I’m happy with the extra work and results

I do dip corals but one thing I did not count on was my fish having parasites. Coral I know has hitchhikers and I do know fish have diseases but it wasn’t a top concern but now it is.

 

[charles7]

I do dip corals but one thing I did not count on was my fish having parasites. Coral I know has hitchhikers and I do know fish have diseases but it wasn’t a top concern but now it is.

Well if it makes you feel better I’m sure you’re other fish are fine. When I had it, I separated the infected fish and nothing else caught it because they were healthy and eating. I treated it in a separate tank. I forgot what it was but it was blue and would kill invertebrates so I’m assuming a form of copper and maybe other stuff. It worked in 2 days and in a week I added it back in. So some simple google searches would help ya (other threads and such). I’m surprised no one who is way more experienced has chimed in yet with the ich. I’m definitely no expert haha

 

[AydenLincoln]

Well if it makes you feel better I’m sure you’re other fish are fine. When I had it, I separated the infected fish and nothing else caught it because they were healthy and eating. I treated it in a separate tank. I forgot what it was but it was blue and would kill invertebrates so I’m assuming a form of copper and maybe other stuff. It worked in 2 days and in a week I added it back in. So some simple google searches would help ya (other threads and such). I’m surprised no one who is way more experienced has chimed in yet with the ich. I’m definitely no expert haha

I know it’s probably because most of the world at least North America is sleeping right now lol.

 

[Projects with Sam]

If he is new and you have a lot of rocks he may have just been exploring. Don't worry about it. get some sleep and attack it in the morning. If its velvet it'll sort itself out despite what you do.
You could do a 5 minute freshwater dip I suppose.
It doesn't cure the fish but I've heard it offers relief from some external parasites.

That is basically rodi water same temp, & Ph(if possible) as tank water. Use a dark bowl so you can see any parasites that drop off. Do it for about 5 minutes - stop if the fish seems overly irritated. Dottybacks are pretty smart, curious little buggers, I've found they seem into the experience and don't panic too much.
Some people prefer to aerate the water because if the fish has many gill parasites, the damage they caused isn't immediately healed by them being gone. Some fish bleed out once the parasites are removed...

 

[charles7]

I know it’s probably because most of the world at least North America is sleeping right now lol.

Oh yeah tell me about it. As I’m writing a speech because I forgot I have to present tomorrow

 

[charles7]

If he is new and you have a lot of rocks he may have just been exploring. Don't worry about it. get some sleep and attack it in the morning. If its velvet it'll sort itself out despite what you do.
You could do a 5 minute freshwater dip I suppose.
It doesn't cure the fish but I've heard it offers relief from some external parasites.

That is basically rodi water same temp, & Ph(if possible) as tank water. Use a dark bowl so you can see any parasites that drop off. Do it for about 5 minutes - stop if the fish seems overly irritated. Dottybacks are pretty smart, curious little buggers, I've found they seem into the experience and don't panic too much.
Some people prefer to aerate the water because if the fish has many gill parasites, the damage they caused isn't immediately healed by them being gone. Some fish bleed out once the parasites are removed...

There was a thread before this with a pic, it looks like it’s definitely ich. Don’t want to say 100% though

 

[AydenLincoln]

There was a thread before this with a pic, it looks like it’s definitely ich. Don’t want to say 100% though

Yes it was me and now I can’t attach a video but the photos don’t truly show it.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

I actually think my dottyback has velvet because he has a white spots/film, less color, he’s not eating, and was scratching against the rock. I just got him (he was a replacement) I thought he looked good but I was wrong. He was in my main tank for a day which just recently finished it’s cycle about two months ago and has a shrimp, coral, 2 clownfish, and a damsel. I don’t have a qt set up and my little guy is in a bowl floating in the tank. I feel like I’m doomed right now and it’s late at night so stores don’t open until morning and I am just hoping for the best. Does anyone have experience with Polyp Lab’s Medic Parasite Treatment something you add right to the main tank? Or any other reef safe parasite/disease treatments that may possibly avoid having to setup an emergency quarantine? Definitely something I’ll do from now on it’s just hard to do in a pinch.

If you're seriously concerned and have hydrogen peroxide 1ml per 10 gallons can definitely help if it's ich... Polyp Lab Medic is actually peroxide salts...I've tried the hydrogen peroxide before and it works well until you can treat it properly or get more opinions on what your fish might have...just be sure the peroxide is 3%

 

[charles7]

Yes it was me and now I can’t attach a video but the photos don’t truly show it.

So ich when it’s visible (from what I’ve read in the past and experienced years ago) is often the later stages of the problem. Typically by this points it’s already went through the body and is now showing visible dots that are pretty much cysts that rupture which is what spreads it. The ruptured cyst look like white patches rather than the dots we think of ich as being. So definitely treat with something you have locally and can get soon.

 

[charles7]

If you're seriously concerned and have hydrogen peroxide 1ml per 10 gallons can definitely help if it's ich... Polyp Lab Medic is actually peroxide salts...I've tried the hydrogen peroxide before and it works well until you can treat it properly or get more opinions on what your fish might have...just be sure the peroxide is 3%

Ooo didn’t know hydrogen peroxide could help! I use it for algae dips haha

 

[blaxsun]

I've used Polyp Lab Medic in conjunction with a UV to treat velvet and it saved 2/3s of the fish (1/3 perished within 12 hours or were too far gone and slowly perished over the next 24-48 hours). We have limited medication options in Canada, so it was essentially a Hail Mary - but it worked for me.

I should also note that I caught it almost right away, was able to get the UV going and start treatment immediately - so that may have made all the difference.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Ooo didn’t know hydrogen peroxide could help! I use it for algae dips haha

Yeah, if it's ich it can definitely help until you can QT it and treat the ich...I actually tried it to help with velvet one time and it definitely helped (I hate to give any advice if it is velvet though because I don't want to give a false sense of safety) but given how readily available peroxide is it's a good choice if you don't have anything else

 

[charles7]

Yeah, if it's ich it can definitely help until you can QT it and treat the ich...I actually tried it to help with velvet one time and it definitely helped (I hate to give any advice if it is velvet though because I don't want to give a false sense of safety) but given how readily available peroxide is it's a good choice if you don't have anything else

Gotcha! At least for GHA I’ve played with the 2 minute timer on a dip of anywhere from 1:1 - pure 3%. As for fish I haven’t added it into the system but will definitely dig into it if I have fish problems!

 

[August]

If you have a local store that has a cleaner shrimp, I would recommend that. we had like ich on our 6'in blue tang hippo. Cleaner shrimp cleared up the ich and white spots after an evening of the cleaner shrimp being in the tank and the fish lived to put on another 2'inches before we traded him out for a smaller one.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I actually think my dottyback has velvet because he has a white spots/film, less color, he’s not eating, and was scratching against the rock. I just got him (he was a replacement) I thought he looked good but I was wrong. He was in my main tank for a day which just recently finished it’s cycle about two months ago and has a shrimp, coral, 2 clownfish, and a damsel. I don’t have a qt set up and my little guy is in a bowl floating in the tank. I feel like I’m doomed right now and it’s late at night so stores don’t open until morning and I am just hoping for the best. Does anyone have experience with Polyp Lab’s Medic Parasite Treatment something you add right to the main tank? Or any other reef safe parasite/disease treatments that may possibly avoid having to setup an emergency quarantine? Definitely something I’ll do from now on it’s just hard to do in a pinch.

Unfortunately, a quarantine/ prophylaxis/ observation tank is only helpful if you use it before introducing a diseased fish into your main tank...
If you want to put the fish in a hospital tank now to treat it, then you have more options than trying to treat it in your main tank.
We've all taken shortcuts and I'm sorry your fish is sick. But yeah, if you don't follow basic methods to avoid these issues, I can see how you'd feel "doomed"

(And for anyone who wants to jump on me about my last comment, just go back and read all the recent panic posts from impatient new reefers who decided to ignore advice and who added a ton on fish to a barely cycled tank, didn't quarantine, etc... Not trying to bash this OP, but it's like a broken record lately)