ICH or VELVET

[nova918]

Please help !! any expert…. I have a 500 gallon tank alot of my fish white spots not sure if its ich or velvet. I had a couple of lost last one i lost was like a week ago, but no more lost …lost in total like 5 fishes in a period of like a 1 month but still alot of fish with white spots not sure if it ICH or VELVET !!! If is ich ill manage but if its velvet i need to know .. ..ill attach pictures please let me know guys

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Please help !! any expert…. I have a 500 gallon tank alot of my fish white spots not sure if its ich or velvet. I had a couple of lost last one i lost was like a week ago, but no more lost …lost in total like 5 fishes in a period of like a 1 month but still alot of fish with white spots not sure if it ICH or VELVET !!! If is ich ill manage but if its velvet i need to know .. ..ill attach pictures please let me know guys

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

That is what I call “stale ich” - that is, an ich infection that has gone on a long time.

Velvet would not form spots like this and the fish loss would be faster.

IMO, once fish loss has begun, you are past the point of being able to manage it, or to treat it with “reef safe” options.
You need to get all of the fish into some form of treatment - either coppersafe or hyposalinity (neither can be done in a tank containing invertebrates though).

Even starting a treatment right away may not stop future losses as the treatment takes a few days to start working.

Jay

 

[Estonian Reefer]

As stated above comment by the looks of it , this is ich.

 

[nova918]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

That is what I call “stale ich” - that is, an ich infection that has gone on a long time.

Velvet would not form spots like this and the fish loss would be faster.

IMO, once fish loss has begun, you are past the point of being able to manage it, or to treat it with “reef safe” options.
You need to get all of the fish into some form of treatment - either coppersafe or hyposalinity (neither can be done in a tank containing invertebrates though).

Even starting a treatment right away may not stop future losses as the treatment takes a few days to start working.

Jay

Thank you for your reply!

 

[nova918]

As stated above comment by the looks of it , this is ich.

Thank you for your reply!

 

[nova918]

I have a really good UV in place also feeding good all type of foods and vitamins….hopefully i would be able yo manage tank is really big would be so hard to catch everything… i was reading and seeing videos of alot of people able to do reef management and then the more healthy fish eventually wil grow a good slime coat to survive lets see …. Any other suggestions will be greatful thank you all in the community

 

[nereefpat]

That is way past ich management.

I see a cleaner shrimp in there, but are there corals and other inverts that you can't replace?

I would move or even sacrifice inverts and start hyposalinity in the display immediately.

 

[nova918]

That is way past ich management.

I see a cleaner shrimp in there, but are there corals and other inverts that you can't replace?

I would move or even sacrifice inverts and start hyposalinity in the display immediately.

I have cleaner shrimps snails 1 coral and 1 anemone

 

[nereefpat]

I have cleaner shrimps snails 1 coral and 1 anemone

The French angel, powder tangs, and Naso are very valuable.

I would move those inverts into a 10 gallon, then treat the tank. I would do it today

 

[nova918]

The French angel, powder tangs, and Naso are very valuable.

I would move those inverts into a 10 gallon, then treat the tank. I would do it today

Ok so best sugestion get that single coral move it with the anemone

 

[nova918]

Ok so move coral anemone and shrimp to a different tank … and use copper in my main display …. But when treatment is over can i remove that copper out the tank?

 

[nereefpat]

You can use copper in the display, and it will kill the ich. The difficulty will be daily monitoring of Cu levels, because the rock and sand will absorb it. And then you'll have to use activated carbon to remove it after you're done.

That's why I suggested hypo.

 

[nova918]

You can use copper in the display, and it will kill the ich. The difficulty will be daily monitoring of Cu levels, because the rock and sand will absorb it. And then you'll have to use activated carbon to remove it after you're done.

That's why I suggested hypo.

Ok so i had to rush and get the coral and shrimps i had out to a spare tank that i had …. Wife called said like 4 fishes more where dying i think this was velvet they where going to fast… i copper dose the tank remove all carbon in filter i will have it like that for now add the fish i want to add and then i will remove copper from water … AND I WILL ALWAYS ALWAYS QUARANTINE ALL NEW FISHES just learned from my mistake

 

[nereefpat]

You will need a good copper test kit. Are you using Copper Power or Coppersafe, hopefully?

 

[LaloJ]

Are you adding copper without a test to a 500 gallon tank?? That will be a lot of medicine for so much capacity, besides the fact that copper can be absorbed by rock and sand, it would be better to use hyposalinity IMO.