Oodinium Treatment Help Needed

[claudiojr]

I've lost two fish to oodinium this week. The size of my tank and the layout of the rocks makes it impossible to catch the fishes. So i need a way to treat them in the tank. Has anyone used human fungus medicine (itraconazol, cetoconazol, etc) in reef tanks? Is it safe for fishes and corals? What should i do?

 

[MrTuskfish]

There is no reef safe cure for oodinium (velvet). You need to take your tank apart and get the fish into a QT with copper or CP. Why would you consider a human fungus med (something most folks don't have handy, I'd bet) to kill oodinium, a protozoan parasite?

 

[HumbleFish]

You could possibly treat in-tank with either copper or chloroquine phosphate, but that will kill any corals/inverts.

 

[claudiojr]

Just wondering if some protozoan medicine (like metronidazol or tinidazol) put into their food would work

 

[HumbleFish]

Just wondering if some protozoan medicine (like metronidazol or tinidazol) put into their food would work

Even if one of those was capable of curing the fish themselves, they would just keep get reinfected by the free swimming parasites in the water over & over again. This is why soaking food in medicine just doesn't work. Only fallow periods are capable of eradicating free swimmers, because doing that basically starves them to death.

 

[JonF]

Might Try Dr G's Caviar. I have had some success with this, though it is temporary, you live to fight another day and hopefully stabilize the aquarium. Need to be sure it does not get on your corals.

 

[ThRoewer]

Are you sure it is Amyloodinium?

If it is that you get the fish out of the tank by all means necessary and treat them with Chloroquine Phosphate (forget about copper against velvet).
There is no efficient in-tank treatment for a reef tank with corals.
If it's a fish only system you could treat with CP phosphate in the display tank, though even in this case it would be preferable to treat in a HT.

The only other option would be to let all fish die, go 6 weeks fallow and start over (this time hopefully with more efficient QT procedure)

 

[alprazo]

If it is velvet and you don't break down the tank tonight, catch fish , and start treatment ASAP with either CP or CuSO4 you might as well say goodbye to the majority of your fish. There is no time for debate with this disease. Hopefully you have ich. And if so, you will have to remove all your fish to deal with that too. The mortality rate is much lower though and you have some time.

Just realize this post is old. Sorry

 

[JonF]

what about removing all the corals/inverts and treating the tank and live rock with the recommended meds?

 

[ThRoewer]

what about removing all the corals/inverts and treating the tank and live rock with the recommended meds?

I wouldn't do it. Copper will ruin all rocks for good - you won't be able to use them ever again with a reef tank containing corals.

Not sure what CP does long term to a reef tank but it's likely not ideal either.

You only have 2 viable options
1. catch the fish and treat them in an HT
2. let them all die and start over after an appropriate fallow period


BTW: I wouldn't use copper against velvet as it can adapt to it. There are velvet strains that can handle twice the amount of copper that would kill fish.

CP in a hospital tank is the best course of action.
Another option are daily formalin dips with tank transfers. This is the best option for pipefish and their relative who can't tolerate CP.

Velvet is really one of the worst...

 

[rssjsb]

what about removing all the corals/inverts and treating the tank and live rock with the recommended meds?

IF you could remove all invertebrates and corals for at least three months, you might be able to treat the DT with CP, then gradually reintroduce them. But IME, removing all of them is as much or more trouble than removing the fish.