Itch or velvet?

[martenka152]

Hi, can someone tell me what those spots are on my box fish please? Google search tells me itch or velvet. He started swimming in the current yesterday evening and today he refused to eat. I have a pair of clownfish but they look fine to me…
Please help

I am currently setting up a bigger tank for him and I don’t want him to die

My parameters are

No3 around 25
No2 0
Ph 8
Ammonia 0

 

[martenka152]

Better pic

 

[vetteguy53081]

Yes

Hi, can someone tell me what those spots are on my box fish please? Google search tells me itch or velvet. He started swimming in the current yesterday evening and today he refused to eat. I have a pair of clownfish but they look fine to me…
Please help

I am currently setting up a bigger tank for him and I don’t want him to die

My parameters are

No3 around 25
No2 0
Ph 8
Ammonia 0

Yes, does appear to be ich and these guys are somewhat sensitive to copper and best is either Quick cure or a combination of seachem metro and kanaplex but metro has to be used precisely by weight at .5gm and makes food taste bitter

 

[martenka152]

Yes

Yes, does appear to be ich and these guys are somewhat sensitive to copper and best is either Quick cure or a combination of seachem metro and kanaplex but metro has to be used precisely by weight at .5gm and makes food taste bitter

Thank you for your reply. Should I quickly set up a quarantine tank for him? Or should I treat the whole tank

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thank you for your reply. Should I quickly set up a quarantine tank for him? Or should I treat the whole tank

Quarantine best as it isolates the fish and requires less medication but consider other fish if any have been exposed and may too have ich
Once ich is in a tank, it’s best to keep it free of any fish so the disease does not have a fish to host on and dies off

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hi, can someone tell me what those spots are on my box fish please? Google search tells me itch or velvet. He started swimming in the current yesterday evening and today he refused to eat. I have a pair of clownfish but they look fine to me…
Please help

I am currently setting up a bigger tank for him and I don’t want him to die

My parameters are

No3 around 25
No2 0
Ph 8
Ammonia 0

The video is pretty short, also it doesn't show the cowfish's face. That's important because rapid breathing is seen in velvet but not ich.

The spots look too large to be ich.

How long have you had this fish?
Do you have a treatment tank?
What else is in the tank with the clownfish and the cowfish?

 

[martenka152]

The video is pretty short, also it doesn't show the cowfish's face. That's important because rapid breathing is seen in velvet but not ich.

The spots look too large to be ich.

How long have you had this fish?
Do you have a treatment tank?
What else is in the tank with the clownfish and the cowfish?

Hi Jay,
I just finished setting up a QT right now I know I should have have it before but I didn’t though I would need it…

I have him for about 2 months. He was always eating well and he was like my little puppy. I noticed the signs yesterday evening…

He is at the top of the tank all the time now and keeps spitting water out of the tank. I will try to take a better video

I also have one sea urchin and 4 snails.
And a few Zoas

 

[martenka152]

Here’s the video

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hi Jay,
I just finished setting up a QT right now I know I should have have it before but I didn’t though I would need it…

I have him for about 2 months. He was always eating well and he was like my little puppy. I noticed the signs yesterday evening…

He is at the top of the tank all the time now and keeps spitting water out of the tank. I will try to take a better video

I also have one sea urchin and 4 snails.
And a few Zoas

If it is a protozoan disease, your clownfish may be at risk also, so watch them carefully.

Cowfish are so difficult to see if they are breathing fast/heavy, but given the rapid onset of symptoms, I suspect velvet. Ich doesn't cause a fish to stop eating until later on in the infection. Cowfish don't handle copper well, but you can use coppersafe, it is a bit safer.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Here’s the video

Sorry - no attachment...

 

[martenka152]

apologies hopefully you can see it now

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Sorry - I'm having connection issues....

In this video, the boxfish is breathing too fast. I don't see any spots. The clownfish in the background also look stressed - that is called "piping" when they swim vertical like that.

First thing to do is ensure the tank has good aeration (from an air stone, not just from circulation). Then, what test did you use to measure the ammonia?

Finally, if the aeration doesn't help, I think you'll need to treat the fish with coppersafe (in a tank with no invertebrates).

 

[martenka152]

Sorry - these files are getting stuck in my download folder, but not finishing, I’m not sure why.

For some reason they won’t upload… I don’t know what to do.

 

[martenka152]

.

 

[martenka152]

Sorry - I'm having connection issues....

In this video, the boxfish is breathing too fast. I don't see any spots. The clownfish in the background also look stressed - that is called "piping" when they swim vertical like that.

First thing to do is ensure the tank has good aeration (from an air stone, not just from circulation). Then, what test did you use to measure the ammonia?

Finally, if the aeration doesn't help, I think you'll need to treat the fish with coppersafe (in a tank with no invertebrates).

Hi Jay,

I'm sorry I didn't see your reply earlier.

My beautiful Luke the Nuke (that was his name ) passed away yesterday evening, I tried everything you advised but I guess it was too late....
Also, I was worried about my clownfish as you mentioned I was not too fond of the way they were behaving but since yesterday they look like they calmed down a bit. They are still eating, and swimming normally today but I am positive Luke died because of Velvet. I inspected his body and he looked like he was covered in a 'velvet' '-like substance.

I do want to move the clownfish to the QT and still treat them. I do have some clean up crew, are they safe in this tank? I was reading a lot today about the fallow period and wondering if velvet can survive on one of my invertebrates?

I used the API brand to test the ammonia, I don't have the other brand test at the moment but if you think I should get a different one I will do that.

Again I appreciate and thank you for all the help...

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hi Jay,

I'm sorry I didn't see your reply earlier.

My beautiful Luke the Nuke (that was his name ) passed away yesterday evening, I tried everything you advised but I guess it was too late....
Also, I was worried about my clownfish as you mentioned I was not too fond of the way they were behaving but since yesterday they look like they calmed down a bit. They are still eating, and swimming normally today but I am positive Luke died because of Velvet. I inspected his body and he looked like he was covered in a 'velvet' '-like substance.

I do want to move the clownfish to the QT and still treat them. I do have some clean up crew, are they safe in this tank? I was reading a lot today about the fallow period and wondering if velvet can survive on one of my invertebrates?

I used the API brand to test the ammonia, I don't have the other brand test at the moment but if you think I should get a different one I will do that.

Again I appreciate and thank you for all the help...

Sorry to hear....

Clean up crew and other invertebrates are not affected by fish diseases, but they can "carry" fish disease resting stages by virtue of them being in the same water. So - the fallow period is designed to be long enough that all of those resting stages will have died out in the absence of any fish.

API ammonia kits are tough to read. You might also want to get a Seachem ammonia badge and use both ways to measure....

 

[martenka152]

Thank you Jay