Melanarus in grave condition. Help!

[ReefAddict16]

I’ve had this guy for about two weeks and he’s been eating fine.
How can I help him? Looks like he won’t survive the night. He looks like he has ich and his fins are torn up. All other fish are doing great.
I’d like to find someway to cure him without a quarantine because I don’t have one.

 

[Rob.B.]

I’ve had this guy for about two weeks and he’s been eating fine.
How can I help him? Looks like he won’t survive the night. He looks like he has ich and his fins are torn up. All other fish are doing great.
I’d like to find someway to cure him without a quarantine because I don’t have one.

What are your other fish? It looks like marine velvet, generally you won’t have fins rotting away like that with ich.

Also with wrasses slime coat they kinda dodge ich..

 

[ReefAddict16]

I have two clownfish, 2 chromis, a flame hawk and two pajama cardinals that have been with me since the beginning. All other newly added fish die.
I recently had a pin tail wrasse and Midas Blenny that suddenly died.
I’ve been thinking that the flame hawk is bullying them but I don’t see any aggression.

 

[Rob.B.]

I have two clownfish, 2 chromis, a flame hawk and two pajama cardinals that have been with me since the beginning. All other newly added fish die.
I recently had a pin tail wrasse and Midas Blenny that suddenly died.
I’ve been thinking that the flame hawk is bullying them but I don’t see any aggression.

That wrasse would hold his own with any of those fish..

 

[tastyfish]

Sorry to say, but he is likely to have velvet. Does he have a golden sheen under blue/actinic lights?

How quickly did he develop to this stage? His tail is completely gone.

There are no effective in-tank treatments I'm afraid. You could try a formalin & freshwater dip to see if it gives him some relief, but you really are going to have to look at QT and fallow for the tank and pretty quickly if it is velvet.

My melanurus (in QT) died within 24 hours of looking like this I'm afraid. My strong advice would be to get him into treatment (dips immediately and non-reef safe treatments - Chloroquine or copper) and look at treatment options for your other tank inhabitants.

 

[HotRocks]

Definitely looks like velvet.
How fine is your sand? When was this pic taken? How soon after he "woke up"

 

[Humblefish]

Agree with velvet diagnosis; this is the best way to save him: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/velvet-amyloodinium-ocellatum.217570/#post-2499437

 

[ReefAddict16]

Thanks everyone. Looks like quarantine is the only way.

 

[HotRocks]

Yep, I agree. Keep in mind all of your fish will need to be QT'd and DT will need to be fallow for at least 6 weeks to eradicate the Velvet.

Here is @Humblefish's recommendations for treatment plan.

I prefer this 1-2-3 punch for treating Marine Velvet Disease:

1. 5 min FW dip, which forces 80-90% of the parasites off of the fish
2. 90 min acriflavine/Rally* bath to ward off a secondary infection
   
3. And then into QT for 30 day copper or CP treatment

* I prefer to use Ruby Reef Rally because it contains two antiseptics (acriflavine, aminoacridine) PLUS a small amount of formalin.

 

[ReefAddict16]

Thanks guys. Planning on getting a quarantine today. Unfortunately my wrasse didn’t make it.
Do I quarantine my snails, crabs and shrimps?

 

[HotRocks]

Thanks guys. Planning on getting a quarantine today. Unfortunately my wrasse didn’t make it.
Do I quarantine my snails, crabs and shrimps?

Everything except for the fish stay in DT. Fish are the only thing you remove and place in QT. Inverts will not tolerate copper in the slightest. That's why they stay in the DT for your fallow (fishless) period. The Free swimming and final stage of the parasite (looking for a fish to host and repeat the cycle) will not attach to your inverts. Therefore, you can still break the life cycle and they will starve and die off.

 

[ReefAddict16]

If none of my fish shows signs of velvet do I still need to use ruby reef? Or can I just go straight to copper treatment in QT?

Agree with velvet diagnosis; this is the best way to save him: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/velvet-amyloodinium-ocellatum.217570/#post-2499437

 

[Big G]

Several good reasons to use the RRR as a bath moving the fish from the DT to the QT. All of the fish have been exposed to velvet. It attacks the gills first, unseen doing lots of damage. So the bath in RRR will help the infected fish to fight off bacterial infections. RRR also has antibiotic and antiseptic qualities that can help with any injury, scrapes, etc. as you are moving the fish. Highly recommend RRR.

 

[HotRocks]

Several good reasons to use the RRR as a bath moving the fish from the DT to the QT. All of the fish have been exposed to velvet. It attacks the gills first, unseen doing lots of damage. So the bath in RRR will help the infected fish to fight off bacterial infections. RRR also has antibiotic and antiseptic qualities that can help with any injury, scrapes, etc. as you are moving the fish. Highly recommend RRR.

I think @Big G will agree with me here, if you can't pick up the RRR locally though (and have to wait a few days due to ordering online or something), you are better off starting copper now if you have it on hand.

I agree that the bath is very helpful and will increase your survival rate significantly. Velvet is ugly, and kills very fast. Time is of the essence, and fish can definitely start to die well before you see the "white spots".

 

[ReefAddict16]

Ok thanks guys. I’ll probably just end up getting it.

 

[4FordFamily]

I think @Big G will agree with me here, if you can't pick up the RRR locally though (and have to wait a few days due to ordering online or something), you are better off starting copper now if you have it on hand.

I agree that the bath is very helpful and will increase your survival rate significantly. Velvet is ugly, and kills very fast. Time is of the essence, and fish can definitely start to die well before you see the "white spots".

+1

 

[ReefAddict16]

Should I use water from my display for my qt?

 

[Big G]

Should I use water from my display for my qt?

Tank water is fine for the bath. But for the QT, I like to start off with saltwater without extra parasites roaming around if possible and circumstances allow.[/QUOTE][/QUOTE]

 

[ReefAddict16]

Tank water is fine for the bath. But for the QT, I like to start off with saltwater without extra parasites roaming around if possible and circumstances allow.

[/QUOTE][/QUOTE]
Also, should I run the QT hyposalinity or same as display?

 

[HotRocks]

[/QUOTE]
Also, should I run the QT hyposalinity or same as display?[/QUOTE]

I like to use 1.021 for QT salinity