Uronema - Giving up on Chromis

[Fastpitch]

Normally I never throw in the towel this easily, but I am thinking Chromis is just not worth it. I have 5 (now 3) Chromis currently going through quarantine. Started QT as follows:

General Cure Internal Food Mix since - 12/10/18.
General Cure Water Mix - 12/15/18, 20 and 24.
Metroplex Water Mix - 12/27/18, 29, 31 and 1/2/19
Copper since 12/15

Here is the kicker. I just pulled dead Chromis number 2 from the tank today with clear Uronema red streaks. No doubt.

I really question, whether there is an effective treatment for this vermin and whether it makes any sense at all to put my DT at risk.

I also wonder if all these years chromis were not picking each other off as much as we think, but maybe they were all dropping like flies from this parasite.

 

[Xclusive Reef]

Normally I never throw in the towel this easily, but I am thinking Chromis is just not worth it. I have 5 (now 3) Chromis currently going through quarantine. Started QT as follows:

General Cure Internal Food Mix since - 12/10/18.
General Cure Water Mix - 12/15/18, 20 and 24.
Metroplex Water Mix - 12/27/18, 29, 31 and 1/2/19
Copper since 12/15

Here is the kicker. I just pulled dead Chromis number 2 from the tank today with clear Uronema red streaks. No doubt.

I really question, whether there is an effective treatment for this vermin and whether it makes any sense at all to put my DT at risk.

I also wonder if all these years chromis were not picking each other off as much as we think, but maybe they were all dropping like flies from this parasite.

I added 4 chromis to my new jbj 45 tank, NO QT and all are living and doing well. I think QT stresses the chromis out and few die..

 

[HotRocks]

Normally I never throw in the towel this easily, but I am thinking Chromis is just not worth it. I have 5 (now 3) Chromis currently going through quarantine. Started QT as follows:

General Cure Internal Food Mix since - 12/10/18.
General Cure Water Mix - 12/15/18, 20 and 24.
Metroplex Water Mix - 12/27/18, 29, 31 and 1/2/19
Copper since 12/15

Here is the kicker. I just pulled dead Chromis number 2 from the tank today with clear Uronema red streaks. No doubt.

I really question, whether there is an effective treatment for this vermin and whether it makes any sense at all to put my DT at risk.

I also wonder if all these years chromis were not picking each other off as much as we think, but maybe they were all dropping like flies from this parasite.

They are tough and Uronema is virulent. How big is the QT and how much Metroplex are you dosing per dose?

Sorry for the losses

 

[Fastpitch]

They are tough and Uronema is virulent. How big is the QT and how much Metroplex are you dosing per dose?

Sorry for the losses

I am not even sorry, but thanks. They just p@#s me off at this point. But I have a really cool coral beauty in there and I am worried for her.

QT is 10 gallon. Metro goes into the food per @Humblefish recommendation. (1 scoop focus, 1 scoop med, etc..)
I put metro in the water at about 1.75 scoops, per box instructions (1-2 scoops/ 10 gallons)

 

[HotRocks]

I am not even sorry, but thanks. They just p@#s me off at this point. But I have a really cool coral beauty in there and I am worried for her.

QT is 10 gallon. Metro goes into the food per @Humblefish recommendation. (1 scoop focus, 1 scoop med, etc..)
I put metro in the water at about 1.75 scoops, per box instructions (1-2 scoops/ 10 gallons)

Sure thing. I agree it should be both fed to treat internally and dosed into water to treat externally. I was just curious as to how much you were using as metro is usually pretty effective at the max dose, when being dosed every 48 hours during a Uronema outbreak.

 

[Fastpitch]

Sure thing. I agree it should be both fed to treat internally and dosed into water to treat externally. I was just curious as to how much you were using as metro is usually pretty effective at the max dose, when being dosed every 48 hours during a Uronema outbreak.

I guess I will see it through for the full 30 days, but then there will be a decision to make. And I will probably be coming here for guidance.

Unless they are all dead by then.

 

[zed102]

@HotRocks have you been successful treating uronema with Metro? If so, what do you consider the most important to success? I tried several times and was never able to reverse it. Once the symptoms started the fish always declined. Unfortunately it also typically moved to other fish in the QT if they were not moved to a new clean tank.

 

[HotRocks]

@HotRocks have you been successful treating uronema with Metro? If so, what do you consider the most important to success? I tried several times and was never able to reverse it. Once the symptoms started the fish always declined. Unfortunately it also typically moved to other fish in the QT if they were not moved to a new clean tank.

Yes, however I use pharmaceutical grade metronidazole (recently acquired). The last outbreak of Uronema I had was unfortunately in a large QT (125g). Once I realized what was going on, I only lost 2 symptomatic fish after dosing metro. I stayed on it for 10 days and all the other fish are well.

 

[reefproaquatics]

chloroquine is your best tx for uronema. 10ppm for 10-14 days is sufficient. I dont like going any higher than 12ppm

 

[HotRocks]

chloroquine is your best tx for uronema. 10ppm for 10-14 days is sufficient. I dont like going any higher than 12ppm

I would agree if you are dealing with a species that tolerates CP like chromis. When I had the outbreak it was unfortunately a tank that was mixed with wrasse.

What CP do you use and at what mg/gal so you dose to attain 10ppm?

 

[zed102]

Yes, however I use pharmaceutical grade metronidazole (recently acquired). The last outbreak of Uronema I had was unfortunately in a large QT (125g). Once I realized what was going on, I only lost 2 symptomatic fish after dosing metro. I stayed on it for 10 days and all the other fish are well.

This is good to hear. I was always using metro and perhaps it was not good. I lost so many anthias and chromis I went back to formalin dips prior to qt just to make sure they were clean.

 

[robert]

Uronema marinum (and Brooklynella hostilis) are able to live without a host fish so no fallow period would successfully eliminate it from an infected reef tank. Its not too sensitive to temperature or salinity so FW dips are unlike to help although they are recommended in some journals. Members of this family can affect many different tank inhabitants, clams shrimp etc. - not just fish.

Its a ciliate meaning that its big and can be easily filtered from the water using good mechanical filtration. While most will drop from the host and infect the water column - some won't - meaning you may have to capture and treat if the reduction in system load does not give the fishes immune response a sufficient edge to beat the infection on its own.

Check your water quality - you've probably got an elevated bacterial level in the system water as well as that what this stuff eats when it not eating fish.

 

[reefproaquatics]

Fishman Chemicals. system gallonage x 3.8 x 10ppm/1000 =grams to dose. substitute your desired ppm if it is something other than 10.

ex. 400 gal x 3.8 x 10ppm/1000=15.2g chloroquine to add

 

[Retro Reefer]

I just went through this.. lost 3 of 4 chromes to Uronema, did 14 days metro (in water and on food) along with multiple fresh water dips during that period followed by a natural citrus based anti bacterial treatment for 7 days.. nothing seemed to help at all.

 

[Fastpitch]

I just went through this.. lost 3 of 4 chromes to Uronema, did 14 days metro (in water and on food) along with multiple fresh water dips during that period followed by a natural citrus based anti bacterial treatment for 7 days.. nothing seemed to help at all.

I guess I really dont care that much about the chromis, I am more concerned about whether I release them or not (after QT). I suspect, in the end, no one will be able to help me with this decision.

One of the reason I dont do corals, is I like a CLEAN tank including no little uronemas floating around. ;Hurting