Treating velvet with a eel

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

@Jay Hemdal would you recommend a specific way of dosing the copper safe; Is it better to add it all at once or slowly over the course of a day or two?
I’ve read 2ppm tested with an accurate test kit is best for velvet.
Thanks in advance

Unlike ionic copper meds, you don't need to slowly raise the level of coppersafe over time, but you DO need to ensure an accurate dose - so I always suggest using an accurate test method (the Hanna high range copper meter is best) and then add it in two doses - the first one being half of what you think will be a full dose, then let that circulate for 12 to 24 hours and then retest. Based on the second test, you would then calculate the remaining amount needed to reach a full dose (in this case, you might opt for a 2 mg/l reading, or go with a full dose which is 2.25. For active infections, a dose of 2.5 is sometimes needed in order to more quickly stop the infection before fish loss occurs (of course, that will increase the risk to the eel).

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Thinking that if velvet doesn’t survive on eel then leaving eel in tank and going follow solves future issues. In the other hand. If eel acts as a true carrier n the sense it is immune to infection but still gets infected then pathogen able to survive and carrier able to infect.

I’m aware sharks have ability to avoid many diseases and not sure if that’s the case with eels where they can’t be predated upon by pathogens therefore pathogen starves vs being able to withstand attack and pathogen continues on.

I don't know if velvet (Amyloodinium) can create chronic infections in eels like marine ich can, but it is best to play it safe. Some references indicate that velvet dies out faster than ich does without a good host - 21 days by some accounts.

 

[q8cyu]

Unlike ionic copper meds, you don't need to slowly raise the level of coppersafe over time, but you DO need to ensure an accurate dose - so I always suggest using an accurate test method (the Hanna high range copper meter is best) and then add it in two doses - the first one being half of what you think will be a full dose, then let that circulate for 12 to 24 hours and then retest. Based on the second test, you would then calculate the remaining amount needed to reach a full dose (in this case, you might opt for a 2 mg/l reading, or go with a full dose which is 2.25. For active infections, a dose of 2.5 is sometimes needed in order to more quickly stop the infection before fish loss occurs (of course, that will increase the risk to the eel).

Thanks, the infection currently passed on the fish that are left. I was away and the person maintaining my tank told me that they had velvet about a week from when I came back so there wasn’t much left but they have past infection, just don’t want thing to transmit velvet.

I think I’m going to use 2.00 since there is no active infection and I just want to eradicate the velvet but don’t want to risk the eel.

Thanks again, I’m going to go get copper safe and a Hanna checker soon and start medication

 

[q8cyu]

I’ve had the fish in qt now for a bit, just started adding copper it’s at 2.21ppm (Hanna checker) eel has so far refused to eat but still seems to be in good weight and not skinny still.

 

[q8cyu]

Thought I’d update. The eel survived through copper. And I begun the removal with cuprisorb and water changes.

Unfortunately I found the eel today; jumped.
No idea how. Thought every crack was sealed with either the lid or filter floss. Evidently not. I no longer have a eel.

I will definitely get another eel soon maybe 2. But its going to be a while.

 

[GARRIGA]

Thought I’d update. The eel survived through copper. And I begun the removal with cuprisorb and water changes.

Unfortunately I found the eel today; jumped.
No idea how. Thought every crack was sealed with either the lid or filter floss. Evidently not. I no longer have a eel.

I will definitely get another eel soon maybe 2. But its going to be a while.

Found my eel often on the carpet. Seemed dead. Plunked back in tank and eventually back as if it never happened. Worth a try.

 

[q8cyu]

Found my eel often on the carpet. Seemed dead. Plunked back in tank and eventually back as if it never happened. Worth a try.

Too late to try, as well as it was already stiff and dried up, when I put him in a bit of water air came out and his gills were not moving. No idea how long the eel was out since I last saw him in the tank yesterday night.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Thought I’d update. The eel survived through copper. And I begun the removal with cuprisorb and water changes.

Unfortunately I found the eel today; jumped.
No idea how. Thought every crack was sealed with either the lid or filter floss. Evidently not. I no longer have a eel.

I will definitely get another eel soon maybe 2. But its going to be a while.

So - literally, the treatment worked, but the patient died? Sorry…..

 

[q8cyu]

So - literally, the treatment worked, but the patient died? Sorry…..

Yeah basically, 2 days after treatment finished during the removal of copper the eel jumped.