Need help identifying: ich/velvet/flukes something else??

jbanderson · Jun 18, 2024

I need help, and I'm at my wits end. Relatively new to the hobby. I have a 120g mixed reef tank wand have been keeping fish since the end of December. At one point inverts snails urchins. I had 4 clowns a tomini, coral beauty, Diamond goby, yellow watchmen, 2 Firefish, and royal gramma. All were living in harmony until I regretfully bought a powder brown in March for my bday, and that's where things went downhill. I think he had velvet, or was carrying brook or something. Long story short, wiped out all my fish except the fire fish. I didn't have a qt tank at the time and it was a hard lesson learned. I put the Firefish in qt after hastily getting one set up and treating with copper

Fast forward fallow period of 6 weeks (May) I reintroduced the Firefish and picked up some clowns I qt'd for 2 weeks and put them in. Eventually started working things back up and as of today I had 6 clowns a diamond goby and the Firefish doing fine for the past few weeks.

I've been eying a blue hippo tang for like 8 months at my LFS. They said their qt process when they get new fish is 30 days in the back room before going out on the floor. Being that he's been for sale for so long and I know their qt process I added him into the display bc my qt is too small. Got him Saturday, noticed him Tuesday afternoon looking like this in the video.

I need help identifying what this is. All of my research and I'm really just stumped. I'm hesitant to say velvet again bc I've had the other tank mates for the past few weeks perfectly fine showing no symptoms.

Please help if you can. Happy to clarify more if I need to. I was wondering if he was stressed moving tanks but he's been eating like crazy and ate a lot this afternoon after I took this video

vetteguy53081 · Jun 18, 2024

jbanderson said:
I need help, and I'm at my wits end. Relatively new to the hobby. I have a 120g mixed reef tank wand have been keeping fish since the end of December. At one point inverts snails urchins. I had 4 clowns a tomini, coral beauty, Diamond goby, yellow watchmen, 2 Firefish, and royal gramma. All were living in harmony until I regretfully bought a powder brown in March for my bday, and that's where things went downhill. I think he had velvet, or was carrying brook or something. Long story short, wiped out all my fish except the fire fish. I didn't have a qt tank at the time and it was a hard lesson learned. I put the Firefish in qt after hastily getting one set up and treating with copper

Fast forward fallow period of 6 weeks (May) I reintroduced the Firefish and picked up some clowns I qt'd for 2 weeks and put them in. Eventually started working things back up and as of today I had 6 clowns a diamond goby and the Firefish doing fine for the past few weeks.

I've been eying a blue hippo tang for like 8 months at my LFS. They said their qt process when they get new fish is 30 days in the back room before going out on the floor. Being that he's been for sale for so long and I know their qt process I added him into the display bc my qt is too small. Got him Saturday, noticed him Tuesday afternoon looking like this in the video.

I need help identifying what this is. All of my research and I'm really just stumped. I'm hesitant to say velvet again bc I've had the other tank mates for the past few weeks perfectly fine showing no symptoms.

Please help if you can. Happy to clarify more if I need to. I was wondering if he was stressed moving tanks but he's been eating like crazy and ate a lot this afternoon after I took this video

This is unfortunately ich which this fish is susceptible to. You will have to treat this fish and other occupants which are now exposed using cCoppersafe or Copper Power at therapeutic level 2.25-2.5 For a FULL 30 days (do not interrupt this 30 day period) monitored by a reliable Copper Test kit such as Hanna Brand- No API brand. Also monitor Ammonia levels while in quarantine with a reliable test kit and add aeration during treatment using an air stone.
The display tank will have to be kept fishless (FALLOW) for 6-8 weeks to assure the existing parasites go through their life cycle without a host fish and die off