How to treat fish in QT

Covex55 · Jul 18, 2023

I have had my cleaner wrasse and 12 green chromis in my QT for about a week and a half. They are all eating well and not breathing heavily. Today I noticed a brown spot on one side of the chromis. It looks like a cut but some forms say it could be Uronema.

Also I spotted the cleaner wrasse with an abnormal poop. Need help deciding how to treat 20gal QT. I have Melafix, Paraguard, Metroplex and Kanaplex.

Jay Hemdal · Jul 18, 2023

First, I'm not too worried about the cleaner wrasse poop, that looks like it is just eating really well!

Yes, the green chromis looks like it may have Uronema. This is an internal protozoan, and there is just no way to get the medication inside the fish fast enough. Luckily, it is not very contagious. In any group of new green chromis though, a percentage of them typically show this.

Here is an article I wrote some time ago on this 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

Jay

Covex55 · Jul 18, 2023

Jay Hemdal said:
First, I'm not too worried about the cleaner wrasse poop, that looks like it is just eating really well!

Yes, the green chromis looks like it may have Uronema. This is an internal protozoan, and there is just no way to get the medication inside the fish fast enough. Luckily, it is not very contagious. In any group of new green chromis though, a percentage of them typically show this.

Here is an article I wrote some time ago on this 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

Jay

Thank you for the quick response!

I will take this one green chromis out and put it to sleep. Not too happy about that but I don't want it to suffer or risk of spreading.

Should I treat the QT with anything just as a precaution?

Sharkbait19 · Jul 18, 2023

There isn’t much you can do for uro, but any qt should be treated with copper (covers ich and velvet) and praziquantel (covers flukes), as these are the most common infections across fish.

vetteguy53081 · Jul 18, 2023

Covex55 said:
Thank you for the quick response!

I will take this one green chromis out and put it to sleep. Not too happy about that but I don't want it to suffer or risk of spreading.

Should I treat the QT with anything just as a precaution?

For treatment, fish will have to be quarantined and treated with formalin based treatment which is harder to find, so next option is Ruby rally Pro. Chloroquine Phosphate will also work but must be used precisely. Uronema is not an obligate parasite, and can thrive on bacteria, uneaten food, and waste so besides treatment also maintain a clean tank removing waste daily.
To touch up more on this disease which is an oval ciliated motile protozoan that causes tissue necrosis as seen on fish.
What other fish are in the tank?
This 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.

Covex55 · Jul 18, 2023

vetteguy53081 said:
For treatment, fish will have to be quarantined and treated with formalin based treatment which is harder to find, so next option is Ruby rally Pro. Chloroquine Phosphate will also work but must be used precisely. Uronema is not an obligate parasite, and can thrive on bacteria, uneaten food, and waste so besides treatment also maintain a clean tank removing waste daily.
To touch up more on this disease which is an oval ciliated motile protozoan that causes tissue necrosis as seen on fish.
What other fish are in the tank?
This 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.

I have formalin but I have never treated anything with it yet. I am a little nervous to use it. In this 20 gal QT there is just the 12 green chromis ( once I remove the one with Uronema there will be 11) and the one cleaner wrasse. I did receive the fish from an online seller and the salinity was at 25 so I matched the salinity and have been slowly raising it to get to 35. Currently the salinity is at 29.

vetteguy53081 · Jul 18, 2023

Covex55 said:
I have formalin but I have never treated anything with it yet. I am a little nervous to use it. In this 20 gal QT there is just the 12 green chromis ( once I remove the one with Uronema there will be 11) and the one cleaner wrasse. I did receive the fish from an online seller and the salinity was at 25 so I matched the salinity and have been slowly raising it to get to 35. Currently the salinity is at 29.

This low salinity is a trigger for uronema.
For formalin, mix 1ml per 10 gallons of water