Lost a coral beauty

Nfd552 · Jun 14, 2017

lost a coral beauty today. Fish was bought and in quarantine tank form 6/8 and undergoing prazi since 6/11(2 days ago) . In the qt for less than a week. Water was changed twice (every three days) water parameters seem right on, along with temp and bubble stone running fine. Was eating the past week. Wasn't very active this morning when feeding, but did eat. Other fish in qt seem fine. Came home tonight to him beyond help...any help or Insight???

Humblefish · Jun 14, 2017

Did you notice any behavioral symptoms of velvet?

Reduced or complete loss of appetite.
Heavy breathing, rubbing, flashing, head twitching, erratic swimming behavior (unfortunately velvet shares all these same symptoms with ich & gill flukes.)
Swimming into the flow of a powerhead (unique to velvet).
Acting reclusive (velvet causes fish to be sensitive to light).

dealseer · Jun 14, 2017

@Humblefish I'm interested in knowing more about swimming into the powerhead as unique to velvet. Why is that behavior unique to velvet?

Nfd, I am very sorry for your loss.

Humblefish · Jun 14, 2017

dealseer said:
@Humblefish I'm interested in knowing more about swimming into the powerhead as unique to velvet. Why is that behavior unique to velvet?

Because velvet dinospores typically invade a fish's gills in high numbers. As dinospores become trophonts and these latch on, excess mucous (i.e. immune response) starts to build up around the insertion points. When this happens on the skin, it provides some relief, and is responsible for the "white spots" you see. But inside the gills this excess fluid makes it much more difficult for a fish to breathe, and many die due to asphyxiation. Swimming into the flow of a powerhead is the fish's desperate attempt to get more flow (and receive more oxygen) through their gills; although it has also been theorized that the fish may be attempting to dislodge some of the parasites as well.

Ich theronts & flukes usually enter the gills in relatively low numbers. It is more of an irritant than a life threatening situation. So behavioral symptoms tend to be milder: head twitching, scratching, yawning, etc. And ich trophonts cannot really be dislodged because they burrow in more deeply. When flukes get bad, they will usually enter a fish's eyes.