VELVET OUTBREAK!! Please help :(

[Jakelester97]

I’m almost 100% sure that my blue hippo tang has velvet and I believe my yellow tang is starting to get it as well other fish in the tank are 2 clowns and a blue wrasse all which seem totally fine. I do Not have a quarantine tank simply because I can’t afford one at the moment and I’ve been okay without for 8 months.

What kind of treatment options are there that actually work without killing my corals off... I have 1 Indo torch, 1 Aussie torch, 1 Duncan, and 1 elegance coral. PLEASE HELP ASAP!!!

 

[Jon Fishman]

Probably nothing you can do if in fact it’s velvet if you want the corals/tank to survive the treatment.

I would find someone to take/treat the fish

 

[Crabs McJones]

For velvet, nothing. Only way is copper in a quarantine tank. There is nothing you can dose in your tank that your corals can handle. I would run to the pet store and pick up a cheap 40 breeder with a hang on back filter as soon as possible. Velvet can kill in as little as 48 hours if left untreated. For treatment Copper Power at 2.0PPM is best. If it is velvet, dont bother ramping up the level over a couple days as the fish won't make it. Get it to that level as soon as possible.

 

[Jakelester97]

For velvet, nothing. Only way is copper in a quarantine tank. There is nothing you can dose in your tank that your corals can handle. I would run to the pet store and pick up a cheap 40 breeder with a hang on back filter as soon as possible. Velvet can kill in as little as 48 hours if left untreated. For treatment Copper Power at 2.0PPM is best. If it is velvet, dont bother ramping up the level over a couple days as the fish won't make it. Get it to that level as soon as possible.

Okay so I’ve been reading some stuff.. like how the fish act with velvet. I have Noticed white dots on it a little over a week ago. I figured It was ich so I have Been trying to find the best way to treat that. It’s may be ich? Because my fish both are out and about, come to the front of the tank when I’m in the room, and they Both are eating like pigs... maybe I’m just a new reefer freaking out about ich?

 

[HairyGary]

Pics would be helpful.

 

[Jakelester97]

Pics would be helpful.

I’ve been trying for 20 min it’s a swimmer it never stays still enough. I’m working on it! Should I turn My whites all the way up for the pic? Which would be more helpful

 

[hdsoftail1065]

Okay so I’ve been reading some stuff.. like how the fish act with velvet. I have Noticed white dots on it a little over a week ago. I figured It was ich so I have Been trying to find the best way to treat that. It’s may be ich? Because my fish both are out and about, come to the front of the tank when I’m in the room, and they Both are eating like pigs... maybe I’m just a new reefer freaking out about ich?

Post some pics with the whites on, let's see what it is your dealing with. I picked up a small tank off of craigslist for cheap in a pinch it might be worth looking.

 

[Jakelester97]

Post some pics with the whites on, let's see what it is your dealing with. I picked up a small tank off of craigslist for cheap in a pinch it might be worth looking.

Here’s this for now I’m trying to get more as we speak

 

[Jakelester97]

Here’s this for now I’m trying to get more as we speak

I also Have a cheap hangin skimmer that creates a lot of microbubbles.. could they be sticking the the fish? Im not super knowledgeable so bare with me guys I’m sorry just freakin out here

 

[Crabs McJones]

Okay so I’ve been reading some stuff.. like how the fish act with velvet. I have Noticed white dots on it a little over a week ago. I figured It was ich so I have Been trying to find the best way to treat that. It’s may be ich? Because my fish both are out and about, come to the front of the tank when I’m in the room, and they Both are eating like pigs... maybe I’m just a new reefer freaking out about ich?

Even if it is ich the answer remains the same it's just ich does not kill as fast as velebit does. Now that's not to say you can't run the tank with ich in it but the only way to 100% eliminate ich is to treat with copper and run a 76 day fallow on the display tank.

 

[Qasimja]

petco has a dollar per gallon sale going on as we speak if you cant find anything used

 

[Jakelester97]

Best pic I could Get of blue hippo

 

[HairyGary]

Difficult to for sure ID with the picture but spots look more pronounced than velvet. I agree with Crabs. You can maintain ICH for some time but only way to get rid of it is to QT fish and let your DT go fallow for at least 76 days.

 

[Jakelester97]

Difficult to for sure ID with the picture but spots look more pronounced than velvet. I agree with Crabs. You can maintain ICH for some time but only way to get rid of it is to QT fish and let your DT go fallow for at least 76 days.

Im buying my first home within the month or next month and have a new 180 gallon tank I am Upgrading to so I will have a clean tank soon.. just looking for ways to keep my fish healthy until then

 

[HairyGary]

To Qt those fish you would need at least a 20-30 gallon tank, with heater and a simple HOB filter with bacteria source in the sponge filter. Do not overfeed and bring copper levels up to 2.0 over a period of a 2-3 days. There are some excellent sticky threads in this Fish Treatment section that would be invaluable to you. Good luck!

 

[artieg1]

Looks like ich to me. Velvet kills fast. If your fish aren't dropping dead, you should just slow down and read up on the parasites, QT protocol, etc. Then you could answer your own question about "is there a reef-safe remedy?" (no). "Freaking out" is the worst thing you can do when addressing an issue.

But more importantly, I think you are going about this all wrong, and looks like you plan to set up a new 180? I think you are running headlong into more disaster and on a bigger scale. Before you invest in setting up a 180 you definitely need to get a smaller QT tank. All of the fish you have now need to be run through copper or CP for the recommended time/dosage, and that needs to be done in a tank that has no coral in it. The ich may clear up temporarily, and then if you plop them in your new tank without treating you've got an infected 180 tank. I would slow down. Read the long threads on this site.

 

[Jon Fishman]

I disagree, but I would plan to be prepared to treat in-tank though. A 180 is a big investment. Think UV, good flow, food, etc. If you want to cut corners and run a 180, you will probably lose the enjoyment aspect of having a big tank.

 

[Jakelester97]

Looks like ich to me. Velvet kills fast. If your fish aren't dropping dead, you should just slow down and read up on the parasites, QT protocol, etc. Then you could answer your own question about "is there a reef-safe remedy?" (no). "Freaking out" is the worst thing you can do when addressing an issue.

But more importantly, I think you are going about this all wrong, and looks like you plan to set up a new 180? I think you are running headlong into more disaster and on a bigger scale. Before you invest in setting up a 180 you definitely need to get a smaller QT tank. All of the fish you have now need to be run through copper or CP for the recommended time/dosage, and that needs to be done in a tank that has no coral in it. The ich may clear up temporarily, and then if you plop them in your new tank without treating you've got an infected 180 tank. I would slow down. Read the long threads on this site.

I went Out last night and got a 55 long quarantine tanks and all the essentials to get it running. I already Have a reef ready 180 gallon I got For dumb cheap and I only Mentioned that because I dont Want to take my current tank to my new house( purchasing very soon) and then have to tear it back down again ya know?