Velvet Outbreak? Need Advice Please!

[Marcus Rogers]

Hey all! I recently noticed my anthias and white tail bristletooth tang have a bunch of white spots or almost like a white film on them. Im not sure how this even happened as I have purchased all of my fish from TSM Aquatics (quarantined) and have not introduced a new fish in over 6 months. I understand velvet lives in the water column and the only way to remove it from the DT is to go fallow.

Is this the best thing to do:
-Remove infected inhabitants into a quarantine tank and begin to treat. Or Should I pull and quarantine all fish regardless if they are showing symptoms.
-Let DT go fallow for 76 days

Below is a video.

 

[Idech]

#fishmedic #vetteguy53081 #jayhemdal

 

[Marcus Rogers]

pictures may not show much- hard to capture when they are constantly moving + blue light lol

 

[Sharkbait19]

The video won’t play - can you attach it as a YouTube link? Pics under white light would help a lot too.
Assuming ich or velvet, quarantining all fish and treating with copper is the way to go, as you have suggested.
Presumably all fish are infected, and since the disease is actively living in the tank, it won’t be long before asymptomatic fish start looking sick too.
The main symptom for velvet is very fast breathing usually accompanied by swimming into flow. Typically you don’t see any white by the time they die.
The good news is that the treatment is the same for both ich and velvet.

 

[Marcus Rogers]

Youtube Link!

Youtube Link

 

[Sharkbait19]

It’s hard to really make out breathing rate, but it doesn’t look fast enough to be velvet to me.
The one picture of the anthias does look like ich though - I’d treat accordingly.

 

[Idech]

Your tang is thin and doesn’t look well at all.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Looks like ich to me, but just on some fish (all are exposed of course).

You might be able to manage by just removing the three or so affected fish and treating them with copper, but I’m not confident that more fish won’t keep getting sick.

 

[Marcus Rogers]

I am going to quarantine all the fish in copper. What is the new/best protocol to follow when it comes to how many days letting your tank sit fish-less to eradicate the disease. Is it still 76? Assuming this is Ich. @Jay Hemdal

 

[Sharkbait19]

60 is the minimum required, but nothing wrong with longer.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I am going to quarantine all the fish in copper. What is the new/best protocol to follow when it comes to how many days letting your tank sit fish-less to eradicate the disease. Is it still 76? Assuming this is Ich. @Jay Hemdal

Coppersafe or copper power at 2.25 ppm for 30 days works well. I sometime extend the copper for 30 days beyond when the fish started to look better. Then, remove most of the copper with a water change and hold the fish there for 60 days total. They can then be returned to the main tank.

Jay

 

[Marcus Rogers]

Coppersafe or copper power at 2.25 ppm for 30 days works well. I sometime extend the copper for 30 days beyond when the fish started to look better. Then, remove most of the copper with a water change and hold the fish there for 60 days total. They can then be returned to the main tank.

Jay

Thank you for the advice! How about when it comes to the display tank being fallow? What is the minimum amount of days needed to eradicate the display tank from velvet/ich?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Thank you for the advice! How about when it comes to the display tank being fallow? What is the minimum amount of days needed to eradicate the display tank from velvet/ich?

Fallow periods vary between different parasites. Ich has a potentially longer fallow period due to the resting tomont stage. Velvet is thought to have a shorter fallow period.

For ich, it is temperature dependent - shorter times in warmer water. For 79 degrees F., you would be safe going fallow for 60 days. Above 82, you might get away with 45 days.