Urgent: Brook or Velvet?

[billswin99]

Started seeing small white dots on a few of my fish mainly Harliquin Tusk and Emporer Angel and Porcupine Puffer.

puffers eyes clouded over and he had stringy slime hanging off him with the dots.

Figuring it was velvet because the spots were so many I started a 29g quarantine and started dosing .25 cuprimine then 24 hours later .5

Been doing fresh water dips as needed.

Lost my Tusk, Sailfin Tang and some damsels. Emporer angel looks like Fin Ro bad he was fine in the display tank.

so now not sure if this is helping in the copper or hurting?

Now on day 4 and most look bad not eating.

any help would be great

 

[Sarah24!]

Hello,

Terribly sorry about this it’s painful I know. With velvet since it moves so fast and rapid it’s usually recommended for a full dose of copper and it also depends on which strain you have. As fast as this is hitting I’d say velvet (but I can’t see very well on your pics ), maybe others can. I know adding some vitamin c pills help and try using garlic guard when feeding it may help them eat or want to eat. There has been some debate on how long to keep the display fallow, but I would definitely do the longer route then short and go through this again.

Usually just from research and (I could be wrong ) if it’s flukes or brook you would see things fall off normally in fresh water. But because velvet starts usually in the gills and spreads out, that’s the reason fish perish so fast. It’s like the Ebola Zaire virus for humans. Some have shown if you search that even the recommended dosage of copper normally suggested needs to be higher now. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to use some antibacterial or fungai medication to help with other infections.

good luck again sooo sorry and please keep us posted.
Sarah

 

[billswin99]

I have been putting garlic guard and metroplex/focus on the mysis to feed them but most wont eat. This is the clown if it helps.
Never seen anything like this almost like it’s eating them alive.

I am going to keep the display tank 180 gallons fallow for 80 days to be safe.

 

[Paul Sands]

I have been putting garlic guard and metroplex/focus on the mysis to feed them but most wont eat. This is the clown if it helps.
Never seen anything like this almost like it’s eating them alive.

I am going to keep the display tank 180 gallons fallow for 80 days to be safe.

Front part of the clown looks more like brook. Maybe a better pic?

 

[Sarah24!]

Hello,

From the clown pic I can’t be definitely sure but maybe Brook it’s hard to see in the pic. Look and see if there are white dots specifically around the gills.

 

[bluprntguy]

Looks more like brook to me as well. Seems like it would be a good idea to run both copper and metro in the water to be sure. I don’t think there are issues with interaction and you would be treating both.

 

[billswin99]

Can I add metroplex directly to the water? Thought that was not a good idea. They won’t eat the food so that is not working.

 

[artieg1]

Your DT is free from fish, correct? You need to read up on fallow periods to determine how long you will need to keep the DT empty of fish, depending on the parasite you are targeting. You have to assume that nasty thing is still in the DT and needs to be starved out of existence.

For fish in QT, the above sounds correct. Copper is most important, to disrupt the life cycle of the parasite so they don't get re-infected. I think many people who have dealt with a velvet wipeout will agree that interventions are hit/miss. Some fish survive, some don't. Those that survive definitely need to be treated with copper at the correct therapeutic level for the correct time period.

 

[Paul Sands]

Can I add metroplex directly to the water? Thought that was not a good idea. They won’t eat the food so that is not working.

Metroplex and copper aren’t an issue. The metro should go directly in the water. The package should have dosage.

 

[billswin99]

Metroplex and copper aren’t an issue. The metro should go directly in the water. The package should have dosage.

I dosed metroplex this morning directly to the quarantine tank as per the box. Lost my Tomini tang overnight.

the display tank is empty just live rock and snails/emerald crabs no fish. Was going to wait 80 days just to be safe.

How long do the fishes start to improve in copper usually or is it just random. On day 5 now and they look worse than when I put them in quarantine.

 

[DMG Reef]

It seems that you need some expert eyes on this.
Should definitely tag @HotRocks @4FordFamily @Humblefish for advice. Good luck!

 

[HotRocks]

Velvet causes immense amounts of damage and you have definitely already entered the secondary bacterial infection phase from the parasite affliction.

Do you have any antibiotics on hand?

 

[billswin99]

Velvet causes immense amounts of damage and you have definitely already entered the secondary bacterial infection phase from the parasite affliction.

Do you have any antibiotics on hand?

just metroplex can pick something up just not sure what to get. Lost my Emporer Angel today.

This is killing them so fast even with cuprimine insane.

Can I ask what is the proper method to quarantine NEW fish so this don’t happen again? Do you dose copper or just watch them or something else?

 

[phatduckk]

just metroplex can pick something up just not sure what to get. Lost my Emporer Angel today.

This is killing them so fast even with cuprimine insane.

Can I ask what is the proper method to quarantine NEW fish so this don’t happen again? Do you dose copper or just watch them or something else?

search the forum for threads by @HotRocks and @Humblefish and read as much as you can. You’ll learn a lot.

if it’s brook you’ll want to dose metro into the tank as copper won’t eradicate it but may slow it down.

 

[bluprntguy]

just metroplex can pick something up just not sure what to get. Lost my Emporer Angel today.

This is killing them so fast even with cuprimine insane.

Can I ask what is the proper method to quarantine NEW fish so this don’t happen again? Do you dose copper or just watch them or something else?

here’s a good resource on hotrocks QT practices:

My Current QT Process

UPDATE, 10/9/22: For those looking for quarantine information, our current process is kept updated on the first page of this thread (post any questions at the end of the thread). https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/current-quarantine-protocol.825055/ Thanks, Jay Hemdal I am frequently...

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