Systemic Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) dosing as treatment for systemic anemone pathogens

[Wtyson254]

Over the past month, I have been treating my 110gal anemone heavy mixed reef with H2O2 (based on this method H2O2 dosing ) in order to treat a reoccurring velvet epidemic. The aquarium has previously failed 72 days fallow with all fish being treated in a separate hospital tank with cloraquine phosphate, followed by copper.
So far, all signs of velvet infection have subsided and I have not lost any fish/inverts.
In the month prior to starting H2O2 dosing, I was also having issues with two of my anemones: one of my H. mags was loosing tissue mass and undergoing inflate/deflate cycles, and my H. Malu was doing similarly.

after two weeks of H2O2 dosing I noticed that both anemones started to dramatically improve. Their improvement has continued to this day.

fyi: I do run a UV sterilizer on this tank and have used it from the tanks inception.

 

[bradleym]

Very interesting! Did you happen to take before and after pictures? Never heard of this treatment before, with or without anemones.

 

[Wtyson254]

Very interesting! Did you happen to take before and after pictures? Never heard of this treatment before, with or without anemones.

I did, I will have to look them up, they are on my work phone.

 

[Nemguy123]

Over the past month, I have been treating my 110gal anemone heavy mixed reef with H2O2 (based on this method H2O2 dosing ) in order to treat a reoccurring velvet epidemic. The aquarium has previously failed 72 days fallow with all fish being treated in a separate hospital tank with cloraquine phosphate, followed by copper.
So far, all signs of velvet infection have subsided and I have not lost any fish/inverts.
In the month prior to starting H2O2 dosing, I was also having issues with two of my anemones: one of my H. mags was loosing tissue mass and undergoing inflate/deflate cycles, and my H. Malu was doing similarly.

after two weeks of H2O2 dosing I noticed that both anemones started to dramatically improve. Their improvement has continued to this day.

fyi: I do run a UV sterilizer on this tank and have used it from the tanks inception.

I know a lot of store owners who dip sick nems in hydrogen peroxide mixed with tank water I’ve also seen fresh water baths all have seemed to work to an extent I think the problem with antibiotics now is they are being used over seas for the anemones a lot there have been issuing with immunity to cipro the last few years and it’s definitely gotten worse I’ve been using others when I can get them or just not treating and providing the best stable conditions possible

 

[Nemguy123]

As for the random decline I do believe anemones are way more fragile then we think and sometimes a small swing can cause the anemones to get small rips in its mantal or internally these then get infected and sometimes if you feed frozen foods to your fish and the anemones catch some of the food they can also get infections for that. They truly need very sterile environment if they seem to be declining in anyway

 

[Wtyson254]

I know a lot of store owners who dip sick nems in hydrogen peroxide mixed with tank water I’ve also seen fresh water baths all have seemed to work to an extent I think the problem with antibiotics now is they are being used over seas for the anemones a lot there have been issuing with immunity to cipro the last few years and it’s definitely gotten worse I’ve been using others when I can get them or just not treating and providing the best stable conditions possible

I think there is certainly a free floating pathogen aspect to the decline, which the H2O2 sterilization of the water (decreasing microbial density) seems to help with.

 

[MartinM]

I also do H202 dosing coupled with high wattage UV for both in-tank ich eradication and I also dose a lower amount continuously and have for a year. That being said, it’s never worked to replace antibiotics for my anemones (mags and haddoni carpets). However, correct me if I’m wrong, but the dosage for velvet is higher than for ich?

 

[Wtyson254]

From what I have read, it’s the opposite way around, ich requires higher dosage.

and I do not believe that H2O2 will cure already Infected anemones, but would prevent disease spread/reinfection. My system has 7 anemones in it, and If one of them is showing signs of disease, it would be hard for me to know for certain that other anemones in my tank do not at least have low leveles of Infection/exposure. I also do not know how long the pathogen can remain viable in the aquarium without an anemone host, or if there are other aquarium inhabitants it can Infect.

So, unless I remove and treat all of my anemones, I would find it hard to believe that re-infection could not occur. By (partially) sterilizing the aquarium water with H2O2 I’m hoping to decrease the level of free floating (Infectious) pathogens.

 

[MartinM]

Agreed!

btw you might find this helpful: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/p...reatment-of-s-haddoni-carpet-anemones.888426/

 

[kerbfish]

How long did you dose H2O2 and up to what concentration? How is it going?

did you run carbon as was recommended in the protocol?

 

[sixty_reefer]

Following, sounds interesting.

 

[Wtyson254]

I’m still running it as I had a resurgence of velvet (added bunch of clean up crew) and the velvet came back. I run carbon with it and change it every two week. So far so good.

 

[Wtyson254]

And I follow the protocol, currently at max dose per the protocol.

 

[ReefChasers]

I don't like in-reef-tank dosing of Peroxide, as the author of the "method" notes, peroxide has negative effects on the overall biome, leads to increased invasions of things like Dino's (Due to the elimination of everything else that would otherwise be beneficial), fails to actually eliminate the parasite (velvet, ich) and may result in losses especially if too much gets dosed.

Like I tell people all the time who ask me about peroxide dosing -- "You don't want to go down that road frodo."

As always, YMMV, but my recommendation would be to not do this unless in extreme circumstance (facing total loss anyways, etc.)

 

[MartinM]

I don't like in-reef-tank dosing of Peroxide, as the author of the "method" notes, peroxide has negative effects on the overall biome, leads to increased invasions of things like Dino's (Due to the elimination of everything else that would otherwise be beneficial), fails to actually eliminate the parasite (velvet, ich) and may result in losses especially if too much gets dosed.

Like I tell people all the time who ask me about peroxide dosing -- "You don't want to go down that road frodo."

As always, YMMV, but my recommendation would be to not do this unless in extreme circumstance (facing total loss anyways, etc.)

Absolutely opposite of my experience, I followed the protocol and actually I continually dose it (at 1/2 the protocol) instead of ozone for oxidation. It eliminated ich for me for species that would otherwise have been untreatable (puffer and box fish), and my live rock is still very much alive, corals and anemones and clams growing rapidly. I guess your experience was different? I noticed your post lacks your methodology?

I followed the humblefish protocol one year go and does half that protocol daily for the time since.

 

[ReefChasers]

Absolutely opposite of my experience, I followed the protocol and actually I continually dose it (at 1/2 the protocol) instead of ozone for oxidation. It eliminated ich for me for species that would otherwise have been untreatable (puffer and box fish), and my live rock is still very much alive, corals and anemones and clams growing rapidly. I guess your experience was different? I noticed your post lacks your methodology?

I followed the humblefish protocol one year go and does half that protocol daily for the time since.

I was quoting the humble fish post that was linked. He said it did not eliminate the parasites. There is no reef safe in tank "cure" for ich, peroxide does not cure it. It may help to mitigate it (potentially) during an active outbreak. Plenty of people who have ich in their tanks have 100% survival long term and no signs or symptoms showing on their fish. So really, your experience is anecdotal at best. You may still have dormant ich laying in your system and your fish are simply kept healthy and unaffected.

Ich isnt a death sentance although sometimes treatments can be.

I am sure peroxide dosing at very low amounts is having minimal affects on your particular live stock but every time it hits the water it is indiscriminately killing things and honestly it is best avoided and steered well clear of.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

I've used peroxide when I had a velvet outbreak and it worked for a while but it didn't eradicate it completely... pretty sure that would take months of steady dosing daily...velvet came back and eventually killed a fish or two. It's not a real solution unless you put it in a doser and dose long term but can help in emergencies...it also kills off a ton of beneficial bacteria which really takes a toll on your bacterial diversity overall though...

 

[Wtyson254]

I can only comment on my own experiences, but I have not seen any evidence of harm. I have not done an aquabiomics test to compare pre-post peroxide biodiversity, but I would guess that it would decrease (at least) the free floating biodiversity of my aquarium water. My UV sterilizer also does this, and I have not seen any specific data indicating that this is harmful or what an ideal level of free floating biodiversity is.

People have been using free radical (ozone) based water sterilization for quite some time.

I dose my peroxide via a doser, and K regularly supplement my tank with bacterial and micro fauna supplements.

 

[Wtyson254]

Also, I believe the tank in question, in the humble fish post was dosed with peroxide for around 9 months.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

I can only comment on my own experiences, but I have not seen any evidence of harm. I have not done an aquabiomics test to compare pre-post peroxide biodiversity, but I would guess that it would decrease (at least) the free floating biodiversity of my aquarium water. My UV sterilizer also does this, and I have not seen any specific data indicating that this is harmful or what an ideal level of free floating biodiversity is.

People have been using free radical (ozone) based water sterilization for quite some time.

I dose my peroxide via a doser, and K regularly supplement my tank with bacterial and micro fauna supplements.

I read Humblefish's write up on use of peroxide and he did test his bacterial diversity and showed the results...in Coral Magazine there was an article detailing the toll taken on bacterial diversity by UV sterilizers...it might not be obvious but it has been proven...it won't kill all your nitrifying bacteria to the point you'll have a problem with ammonia or anything like that but bacterial diversity plays a big role in the maturity of a tank...just food for thought