Urenoma

Jon Schuch · May 22, 2021

So I have recently introduced 2 new fish to a quarantine tank, a Anthias and a coral beauty with fair amounts of live rock. The Anthias although is swimming and eating fine developed a small spot on its side within a day of putting it in. Seems it is Urenoma. The Coral beauty seems just fine. Question is will the coral beauty ever be able to be added to my main DT or is the whole QT infected? Do I lose all live rock and everything associated with QT? Or is it treatable and salvageable?

Jay Hemdal · May 22, 2021

Jon Schuch said:
So I have recently introduced 2 new fish to a quarantine tank, a Anthias and a coral beauty with fair amounts of live rock. The Anthias although is swimming and eating fine developed a small spot on its side within a day of putting it in. Seems it is Urenoma. The Coral beauty seems just fine. Question is will the coral beauty ever be able to be added to my main DT or is the whole QT infected? Do I lose all live rock and everything associated with QT? Or is it treatable and salvageable?

If it is Uronema, that is actually a pretty common protozoan found in many/most aquariums, where it normally feeds on bacteria. For some unknown reason (to me anyway) it becomes an internal parasite in certain newly acquired fish, notably Anthias, some wrasses and green chromis (I have rarely seen it in butterflyfish and angels). I've never worried about its presence after the initial wave of infection has passed. It is difficult to impossible to treat in fish that have it inside their muscle tissue though.
Here is a link to an article I posted here about his issue:

https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/uronema-red-band-disease-hemdal.788/

Jay

Jon Schuch · May 24, 2021

Jay Hemdal said:
If it is Uronema, that is actually a pretty common protozoan found in many/most aquariums, where it normally feeds on bacteria. For some unknown reason (to me anyway) it becomes an internal parasite in certain newly acquired fish, notably Anthias, some wrasses and green chromis (I have rarely seen it in butterflyfish and angels). I've never worried about its presence after the initial wave of infection has passed. It is difficult to impossible to treat in fish that have it inside their muscle tissue though.
Here is a link to an article I posted here about his issue:

https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/uronema-red-band-disease-hemdal.788/

Jay

Jon Schuch · May 24, 2021

Well this is what she looks like today. This has been on going now for over a week or so. She is still eating and swimming around. I have been treating with Pimafix and Melafix for roughly 7 days with no help. We have Metroplex on the way but I am afraid it will be too late for that.

Jay Hemdal · May 25, 2021

Jon Schuch said:
Well this is what she looks like today. This has been on going now for over a week or so. She is still eating and swimming around. I have been treating with Pimafix and Melafix for roughly 7 days with no help. We have Metroplex on the way but I am afraid it will be too late for that.

While the lesion is the right size and location for Uronema (and on an anthias, which commonly get this) the fact that the fish has lived with it for a week, and the lesion looks whitish, has me wondering. Since Uronema is basically untreatable anyway, I would focus on treating it as a bacterial infection. Melafix and Pimafix are just tonics, not true antibiotics. You need to dose the water with a broad spectrum, gram negative antibiotic like Furna-2 or Neoplex. Even Maracyn 2 can be used. However, you need to dose this in a treatment tank, and I don't know if you have that option....

Jay

Jon Schuch · Jun 2, 2021

Jay Hemdal said:
While the lesion is the right size and location for Uronema (and on an anthias, which commonly get this) the fact that the fish has lived with it for a week, and the lesion looks whitish, has me wondering. Since Uronema is basically untreatable anyway, I would focus on treating it as a bacterial infection. Melafix and Pimafix are just tonics, not true antibiotics. You need to dose the water with a broad spectrum, gram negative antibiotic like Furna-2 or Neoplex. Even Maracyn 2 can be used. However, you need to dose this in a treatment tank, and I don't know if you have that option....

Jay

The fish didn't make it! The coral beauty is doing fantastic..Very lively, great appetite! I have since done a water change and put carbon back in and no more treatments or medications and all seems well. Thank you for your expertise. Not sure what the Anthias had but I am hoping to add the Coral Beauty to the MT within another week or so.

Jay Hemdal · Jun 2, 2021

Jon Schuch said:
The fish didn't make it! The coral beauty is doing fantastic..Very lively, great appetite! I have since done a water change and put carbon back in and no more treatments or medications and all seems well. Thank you for your expertise. Not sure what the Anthias had but I am hoping to add the Coral Beauty to the MT within another week or so.

O.K., it could have been Uronema. Did the anthias die with its mouth open? That is a good clinical sign of death caused by Uronema. My general rule is to not move a fish out of a tank and into another one when there has been an unexplained death in the first tank in the past 30 days. At the very least, if the CB is stable, wait two weeks.

Jay

Jon Schuch · Jun 3, 2021

Jay Hemdal said:
O.K., it could have been Uronema. Did the anthias die with its mouth open? That is a good clinical sign of death caused by Uronema. My general rule is to not move a fish out of a tank and into another one when there has been an unexplained death in the first tank in the past 30 days. At the very least, if the CB is stable, wait two weeks.

Jay

Jon Schuch · Jun 3, 2021

Jay Hemdal said:
O.K., it could have been Uronema. Did the anthias die with its mouth open? That is a good clinical sign of death caused by Uronema. My general rule is to not move a fish out of a tank and into another one when there has been an unexplained death in the first tank in the past 30 days. At the very least, if the CB is stable, wait two weeks.

Jay

Ok I am not sure if it had its mouth open or not, the wife found it and disposed it. But I will definitely wait on the coral beauty.