Marine Velvet

[DesertBubbles]

I am not sure if you can help me on this or will even respond. I have been searching and searching. I only had a few fish in my tank when I introduced 2 new clowns without putting them in quarantine. Within a week they were dead and 4 others except I have 3 chromis still alive, and a sleeper gobe on his way out but can't get him out of tank yet he went into a bottom rock. I have many corals in my tank SPS and LPS so all treatment options for a display tank are out. Once these fish die does the parasite when it has nothing to feed on start to die or does it feed on whatever is in the water and continue to cycle? My corals are fine and don’t seem to be affected at all by it, neither the snails or crabs, only fish. So I guess what I am asking is if I do water changes regular, add NO Fish to tank for them to feed over a coarse of 2-3 months would the velvet die off in the display tank or will the velvet continue to live on whatever is put into tank to feed corals? If anyone could help me on this I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[lagatbezan]

Velvet is usually a fast killer and is fatal within 24-48 hours of showing any symptoms. what were the symptoms that the fish exhibited before they died?
if its velvet or ich, then leaving the tank fish-less for 8-9 weeks is long enough to eradicate the paradise. they usually need a host (fish) to continue their life cycle. You can keep all the inverts and corals/rocks in the tank.

 

[DesertBubbles]

Velvet is usually a fast killer and is fatal within 24-48 hours of showing any symptoms. what were the symptoms that the fish exhibited before they died?
if its velvet or ich, then leaving the tank fish-less for 8-9 weeks is long enough to eradicate the paradise. they usually need a host (fish) to continue their life cycle. You can keep all the inverts and corals/rocks in the tank.

The fish seem fine until about 24 hours before they die, then they are scratching on sand and then back up top into the power flow or at surface. I am pretty sure my Midas that jumped trying for more air. His behavior had been the same as all have been. This has been over a course of just over a week that it has happened. Every day to 2 days I have a fish die. Total 3 clowns, I bought a replacement the day after the first one died thinking that it had just got too stressed and wanted to keep a pair. Then Coral Beauty, Neon, Sailfin, and now down to last 4 and pretty sure either the chromis are immune they have been in the tank since early Jan, and the sleeper gobe is dying but I can't get to him. Also I really noticed with the Coral Beauty that the day before it looked dull in colors like clouded over. There were no spots on any of them to be ick. I had even thought I may have a bobbit worm as several fish I found under a rock, they disappeared. But the behavior the day or 2 beforehand really make me think it is Velvet. I will just not add anything for a long time and I will have a quarantine tank for all fish before they ever go in my display tank again.

 

[HumbleFish]

IME; when fish have Velvet they are loaded with it. Tiny "sprinkles" all over the skin. The only question is whether you are, in fact, dealing with Velvet or a really bad Ich outbreak.

 

[snorvich]

Ich will not kill that quickly. If the fish looked like they had a sprinkling of salt, it would be ich. Velvet will make the fish reclusive and hang near the water returns. Brook will have skin "peeling". If Ich, 9-10 weeks is the preferred fallow period; if velvet or brook, six weeks should do it.

 

[DesertBubbles]

Thank you all for the input, it is really appreciated. I won a tank in Oct and it had a top filtration that water was getting into the light fixture it was a JEBO, after 2 times of losing everything trashed it and my daughter gave me her 60gal and I bought a sump, and all that was needed, she even gave chaeto. It wasn't until I bought the pair of clowns and didn't quarantine them. This has been some hard months on old sick people like my hubby and I. But we love the tank, brings great joy, even though it practically does us in to do water changes. Some things are worth the effort.

 

[HumbleFish]

Thank you all for the input, it is really appreciated. I won a tank in Oct and it had a top filtration that water was getting into the light fixture it was a JEBO, after 2 times of losing everything trashed it and my daughter gave me her 60gal and I bought a sump, and all that was needed, she even gave chaeto. It wasn't until I bought the pair of clowns and didn't quarantine them. This has been some hard months on old sick people like my hubby and I. But we love the tank, brings great joy, even though it practically does us in to do water changes. Some things are worth the effort.

I really hate to be the one to tell you this, as my own elderly father recently had to leave the hobby after over 50 years due to declining health. But... unless you start QT'ing your fish purchases, this scenario is going to keep happening to you again & again. In this hobby, it's only a matter of time before you buy a diseased fish. Better to find that out in QT than before he enters your DT and wipes all the other fish out.

A QT doesn't have to be large or complicated. Some QT small fish using just a 10 gal. Just something to think about moving forward.

 

[DesertBubbles]

I really hate to be the one to tell you this, as my own elderly father recently had to leave the hobby after over 50 years due to declining health. But... unless you start QT'ing your fish purchases, this scenario is going to keep happening to you again & again. In this hobby, it's only a matter of time before you buy a diseased fish. Better to find that out in QT than before he enters your DT and wipes all the other fish out.

A QT doesn't have to be large or complicated. Some QT small fish using just a 10 gal. Just something to think about moving forward.

I can guarantee I will have a set up for QT before another fish goes in my tank. This has been a nightmare and we really can't go through this again. It has been way too costly and way too stressful. It has definitely had my head spinning. :fun4:

 

[HumbleFish]

I can guarantee I will have a set up for QT before another fish goes in my tank.

:thumbsup: