Uronema- Chromis healed from Whole Foods , probiotics - natural immunity

[Addicted2Reef’n]

So 2 weeks after adding 5 green chromis to my tank I noticed a small purplish mark on one of the smallest. As the week progressed it grew large and another purple mark on fish other side. After reading the forums I found it was most likely the dreaded fish parasite uronema. From what I found it is almost impossible to eradicate unless you break tank down and start fresh.
So I tried to catch this little chromis which was a total **** show and after knocking rocks and only catching coral frags with net I moved from treatment to nutrition. I had a blue tang in the past that got ich and I “treated” it by feeding it Whole Foods like raw oyster with stomach contents intact. It healed my tang and that was a year ago and he’s not had ich since.
So 3-4 weeks ago I began following the advice of @Paul B and fed my fish cut up oyster and earthworms on most days. The purple marks on the chromis began to heal and within a week the purple was gone and only a translucent mark was left. Now I have a hard time finding which Chromis had the marks to begin with because I can watch them all closely for 30 minutes and not find any sign of the marks that once were. Perhaps this was a fluke and the fish would have healed on his own but I now swear by feeding my fish whole foods with the natural probiotics in which they contain. I know uronema will continue to be in my tank forever and it’s a nasty parasite that could come back to wipe out my tank. I am going to continue to feed the oysters every other day and ocassional earthworm weekly and I have faith their immune system will do what it was built to do. I just wanted to share with the community that has shared so much knowledge with me.
Thx

 

[vetteguy53081]

So 2 weeks after adding 5 green chromis to my tank I noticed a small purplish mark on one of the smallest. As the week progressed it grew large and another purple mark on fish other side. After reading the forums I found it was most likely the dreaded fish parasite uronema. From what I found it is almost impossible to eradicate unless you break tank down and start fresh.
So I tried to catch this little chromis which was a total **** show and after knocking rocks and only catching coral frags with net I moved from treatment to nutrition. I had a blue tang in the past that got ich and I “treated” it by feeding it Whole Foods like raw oyster with stomach contents intact. It healed my tang and that was a year ago and he’s not had ich since.
So 3-4 weeks ago I began following the advice of @Paul B and fed my fish cut up oyster and earthworms on most days. The purple marks on the chromis began to heal and within a week the purple was gone and only a translucent mark was left. Now I have a hard time finding which Chromis had the marks to begin with because I can watch them all closely for 30 minutes and not find any sign of the marks that once were. Perhaps this was a fluke and the fish would have healed on his own but I now swear by feeding my fish whole foods with the natural probiotics in which they contain. I know uronema will continue to be in my tank forever and it’s a nasty parasite that could come back to wipe out my tank. I am going to continue to feed the oysters every other day and ocassional earthworm weekly and I have faith their immune system will do what it was built to do. I just wanted to share with the community that has shared so much knowledge with me.
Thx

I dont know of oysters being a remedy as with uronema, It is often triggered by low salinity level as well as waste and sediment along the tank base. Keeping a clean tank and removing uneaten food and maintaining proper salinity is the best prevention. Uronema often will cause the oval staining and raised scales associated with it and disintegration of flesh.

 

[Addicted2Reef’n]

Yea I don’t think it’s a remedy. I think the fish was able to fight it off as opposed to succumb to it with a better operating immune system. Salinity is 35ppt with ato hooked up to keep stable and tank is only 2 months old with filter socks changed every 5 days and reef Octo 150 skimmer running . As well as refugium. Like I said the fish may had overcome it on its own but that I don’t know.

 

[Addicted2Reef’n]

Btw it is totally possible and hopeful that it was bite marks. I wish I wld have taken a picture. I thought it was uronema bc it spread and was oval and up and down. However I truly hope it was bite marks since this was the smallest fish of the school of chromis. Also thanks for always responding on here. You have helped me in the past and I appreciate you putting in the time to help newer reefers.

 

[Jekyl]

Have pics?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Btw it is totally possible and hopeful that it was bite marks. I wish I wld have taken a picture. I thought it was uronema bc it spread and was oval and up and down. However I truly hope it was bite marks since this was the smallest fish of the school of chromis. Also thanks for always responding on here. You have helped me in the past and I appreciate you putting in the time to help newer reefers.

Internal Uronema is pretty virulent. Microscopic exam is the only way to truly confirm it, there are many “look-a-likes”. In fact, Uronema was almost always misidentified as injuries before microscopes showed the true cause.