Baby Damsel 219
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what cause this in green chromis
urinaima
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vetteguy53081
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Its uronema and can also be triggered by low salinity levels as well as excess food waste on tank bottom which this protozoan can feed on as often prevention can be more valuable than cure for this. Also introduction of infected fish and poor tank maintenance
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Baby Damsel 219
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Will raising salinity help
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Baby Damsel 219
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I don't see any uronema but just want to be safe saw them breathing heavy when I fed them
Duane family
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It does not mean that normal salinity will help. This specific protozoan is very common in Chromis and a few other species such as anthias. There are also not only one type of Uronema protozoa and it is something many tanks have but this does not mean that the fish will become sick from it and die. However as Vetteguy mentioned, if you have excess food on the substrate, poor water filtration and quality and a lower salinity then you are asking for trouble and uronema will become an issue and claim many fish.
This is why fish must be quarantined correctly in copper, specifically Chromis.
I'm not saying this is what you did but I'm saying it because many do. Taking a Chromis from a fish store and putting it directly into you tank is asking for trouble, same with clownfish, Anthias and there are others. All fish should be quarantined till safe to introduce but some of them are greater than 50% chance of carrying specific parasites.
Its good that you are asking in advance of any specific issues.
Chromis are fast moving fish, everything they do is rapid. I have yet to see a chromis which does not breath rapidly, specially after eating. Because they are so focused on getting to the food first and doing that again and again and again that after eating my chromis look like they have just done 10 x 100 meter sprints.
The first signs of uronema in chromis are when they stop eating and disturbed scales or wounds become visible. But disturbed scales is also common with Chromis because they are constantly battling one another to assert dominance, so be careful of finding a disturbed scale and panicking.
I recently quarantined a batch of Chromis from the shop before I put them into the display tank. I suspected they possibly had uronema and I was constantly looking at tank and feces samples under microscope to check. In the end they all went through a quarantine treatment and whether they did have uronema or any other parasite they don't have it now and are happily swimming in the display tank.
Jay Hemdal
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The cause of internal uronema isn't known, but most fish that show this have just gone through the supply chain, so it is somehow related to capture and shipping of fish, but just certain species. Here is an article I wrote on the topic:
Uronema / Red Band Disease - Hemdal
Red Band Syndrome in Marine Fishes: Caused by the Protozoan; Uronema sp. Jay Hemdal Introduction: This moderately common disease of certain species of marine fish is so often misdiagnosed that most aquarists apply incorrect treatment methods...
www.reef2reef.com
