Sick Fish!

[Khwee]

Hi all,

I have a pretty new tank. I think my tank has been infected with a disease and its happening fast. I have a coral beauty that i noticed this morning when i woke up staying in one spot and breathing rather heavy. It is now the evening and it looks pretty much dead. The same is happening with my auriga butterfly. Usually its a very active fish, but its staying in one spot breathing kinda heavy.

I introduced a baby blue tang 2 weeks ago and its starting to have white dots sort of dusty looking. I just noticed today hea been scratching itself on the rocks. Also my kole tang rubs his side on the substrate.

Here is some additional info on my tank:

75 gallon tank that has been cycled for 6 weeks. Water params are what they are suppose to be. In the tank are the following...

2 clown fish
Auriga butterfly
Coral beauty-rip
Baby Blue tang
Kole tang
2 turbos 2 conchs 7 nass

Is this ich? Velvet? Or brook? I want to save my fish. Please help!

 

[Khwee]

@Humblefish @Paul B

Any idea? I talked to paul b earlier about this but here is a full breakdown of what i have observed over today.

 

[Dierks]

Sounds like Velvet to me...

6 weeks Fallow

Fallow periods: Going Fishless

Going Fallow The reason to go fallow (fishless) is to eliminate a fish disease from your DT (display tank). Going fallow works because you are denying the disease a fish host to feed upon, essentially starving it to death. In order to go fallow you must remove ALL fish from your DT. If just...

humble.fish

I would do a H2O2 Dip and then treat for Velvet.

Hydrogen Peroxide bath

Hydrogen Peroxide bath (updated 1-31-23) What It Treats: Provides temporary relief for Marine Velvet Disease and Brooklynella. After a 30 minute H2O2 bath, the fish should be transferred into a Quarantine Tank (QT) for followup treatment. How To Treat: (The following is needed) 3% Hydrogen...

humble.fish

Then:
Velvet Treatment:

Marine Velvet Disease

Marine Velvet Disease (Amyloodinium ocellatum) - Updated 6-9-2023 What You Need To Know: * Fast killing parasite capable of wiping out most of your fish in just a matter of days. Sometimes there are survivors, sometimes not. * Dips/baths which can provide temporary relief for velvet (in order...

humble.fish

Stinks that you are dealing with this and a hard lesson to learn for sure. I always suggest a QT first before going into the DT. Humblefish doesn't come on here much anymore so i hope I can at least point you in the right direction!

 

[Big G]

+1 ^^^ Sorry but from your description "dusty" and the death, rapid spots, 2 week time frame, I'm afraid your tank is infested with velvet parasites. You'll have to act fast to save the rest of the fish. Should assume they have all been attacked by the parasites.

Velvet Emergency protocol:

Freshwater dip

Immediately follow with: Bath in Ruby Reef Rally. This step has shown to greatly increase survival rates

Treat fish with either CP or copper. CP dosing will be at therapeutic levels immediately and that's the benefit of using it.
Copper requires a partial dosing a 1.00 ppm and within 24-48 hours of small doses to therapeutic level at 2.0 ppm.

Often bacterial infections set in from the parasite's damage and the treatments stress the fish's immune system. So dose with either Spectrogram or with Furan2 + Kanaplex + Metro for 10-14 days.

 

[GoldeneyeRet]

I agree with the previous velvet diagnoses

 

[LAReefer4Life]

+1 ^^^ Sorry but from your description "dusty" and the death, rapid spots, 2 week time frame, I'm afraid your tank is infested with velvet parasites. You'll have to act fast to save the rest of the fish. Should assume they have all been attacked by the parasites.

Velvet Emergency protocol:

Freshwater dip

Immediately follow with: Bath in Ruby Reef Rally. This step has shown to greatly increase survival rates

Treat fish with either CP or copper. CP dosing will be at therapeutic levels immediately and that's the benefit of using it.
Copper requires a partial dosing a 1.00 ppm and within 24-48 hours of small doses to therapeutic level at 2.0 ppm.

Often bacterial infections set in from the parasite's damage and the treatments stress the fish's immune system. So dose with either Spectrogram or with Furan2 + Kanaplex + Metro for 10-14 days.

+1

 

[Terri Caton]

+2
Please let us know how it goes.
Good Luck!

 

[sabor]

Sounds like velvet. Nuke the tank

 

[maroun.c]

Indeed sounds more like velvet, a quarantine tank and treating with copper and a freshwater dp before to provide immediate relief is a good plan.
good luck with it and sorry you have to deal with this so early in the hobby.
Quarantining new additions might be be the best way to avoid this pain in the future.

 

[Khwee]

Unfortunately, i was not prepared for this. It will need to wait another day before i get everything set up. It doesnt look like my fish are going to make it with my clowns as the exception.

 

[Khwee]

+1 ^^^ Sorry but from your description "dusty" and the death, rapid spots, 2 week time frame, I'm afraid your tank is infested with velvet parasites. You'll have to act fast to save the rest of the fish. Should assume they have all been attacked by the parasites.

Velvet Emergency protocol:

Freshwater dip

Immediately follow with: Bath in Ruby Reef Rally. This step has shown to greatly increase survival rates

Treat fish with either CP or copper. CP dosing will be at therapeutic levels immediately and that's the benefit of using it.
Copper requires a partial dosing a 1.00 ppm and within 24-48 hours of small doses to therapeutic level at 2.0 ppm.

Often bacterial infections set in from the parasite's damage and the treatments stress the fish's immune system. So dose with either Spectrogram or with Furan2 + Kanaplex + Metro for 10-14 days.

Do you know what kind of test kit to use if i use CP? Do i use a copper test kit?

 

[MERKEY]

Do you know what kind of test kit to use if i use CP? Do i use a copper test kit?

I used seacham cuppermine and seacham copper test. There were the most available to me and sent amazon next day.

Hannah tester is better but costs more and once you get the hang of the seacham tester it's really easy to keep the copper at theraputic levels.

Just remember to add what ever copper you use to the fresh ro salt water you change the tank with so the copper level NEVER drops! And have a second tank clean and ready for transfer when treatment is done. If you only use 1 QT then after the 30 days of treatment you can use carbon or other ways to remove the copper from the tank.

I am 60 days in fallow on a velvet and ich outbreak and had to get my copper to theraputic level quickly...within 24/48hrs

I was worried it would be too much for the fish but I got it there in just over 24hr and immediately they started feeling better.

Its overwhelming but it is gratifying to see your fish healthy again!

 

[Scubabeth]

Do you know what kind of test kit to use if i use CP? Do i use a copper test kit?

Just to clarify: if using COPPER to treat the velvet, use one of the test kits @MERKEY suggested. If you will use CP instead, there is not a test kit; you will need to dose the water as recommended. I'm not as familiar with CP dosage, as we've not ever used it. We always use Cupramine and the Seachem copper test kit. Good luck saving your fish!

 

[Big G]

Do you know what kind of test kit to use if i use CP? Do i use a copper test kit?

Everything you need to know about using CP aka Chloroquine Phosphate. Best of luck with your fish

Chloroquine phosphate

Chloroquine Phosphate *** The information contained here is subject to changes as I experiment and learn more about Chloroquine Phosphate *** What It Treats – Marine Ich (Cryptocaryon irritans), Marine Velvet Disease (Amyloodinium ocellatum), Brooklynella hostilis and Uronema marinum. How To...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Khwee]

Just to clarify: if using COPPER to treat the velvet, use one of the test kits @MERKEY suggested. If you will use CP instead, there is not a test kit; you will need to dose the water as recommended. I'm not as familiar with CP dosage, as we've not ever used it. We always use Cupramine and the Seachem copper test kit. Good luck saving your fish!

I will be using cupramine and copper test kit both from seachem. I have set up a 5 gallon hospital tank with just a hang on filter, power head and heater. Once i dose the tank with cupramine, will i need to continually add seachem as it will gradually decrease over days? Or will it stay at a constant level as long as i dont do water changes?

Just hypotheically asking because i will be conducting daily water changes. In which i will be dosing the water before i add it to the qt.

 

[Khwee]

Everything you need to know about using CP aka Chloroquine Phosphate. Best of luck with your fish

Chloroquine phosphate

Chloroquine Phosphate *** The information contained here is subject to changes as I experiment and learn more about Chloroquine Phosphate *** What It Treats – Marine Ich (Cryptocaryon irritans), Marine Velvet Disease (Amyloodinium ocellatum), Brooklynella hostilis and Uronema marinum. How To...

www.reef2reef.com

Any input on if cupramine levels will stay constant over days without water change? Or will levels gradually decrease?

 

[Big G]

Your copper level should remain pretty constant as long as there isn't anything in the tank that is absorbing some of the copper that's in solution.
Make sure to pretreat any newly mixed saltwater with copper at the therapeutic level before adding to the tank after pulling out the old saltwater.

 

[Khwee]

Your copper level should remain pretty constant as long as there isn't anything in the tank that is absorbing some of the copper that's in solution.
Make sure to pretreat any newly mixed saltwater with copper at the therapeutic level before adding to the tank after pulling out the old saltwater.

Thanks man. This is all so disheartening especially since im doing all this with the fact that they will probably die. This hobby is only meant for the strong willed.

 

[MERKEY]

Thanks man. This is all so disheartening especially since im doing all this with the fact that they will probably die. This hobby is only meant for the strong willed.

I found once I had my copper at therapeutic levels I needed 3 to 5 drops a night to keep it where I wanted it. I contributed this due to evaporation, although very little it had to go somewhere as there was nothing to absorb it.

I did keep my level around .8 on the seacham scale tho. I was infested with velvet and didn't want to take any chances leaving it close to .4/.5(there could be a 0 in front of the 4 and 5 as I dont have the test strip in front of me haha

Yes this is disheartening....but we are strong willed

 

[Khwee]

Your copper level should remain pretty constant as long as there isn't anything in the tank that is absorbing some of the copper that's in solution.
Make sure to pretreat any newly mixed saltwater with copper at the therapeutic level before adding to the tank after pulling out the old saltwater.

Is a hang on back filter considered a chemical filter? The instruction says turn off chemical filters.