question about velvet, please help

[padova335i]

So roughly 2 yrs a go i introduced a pair of black clownfish that i did not qt thinking clownfish are usually always healthy....

They ended up having velvet and needless to say.. i lost fish that were 8-13 yrs old.. 16 full size tangs and so on,, Total of 60 or so fish...

im back on my game and back to using QT for everything.. im at almost 30 fish already..

the last two rounds of fish i bought both came down with velvet.. it seems that its very common now which is very disturbing...(im currenlty running 3 qt tanks)

I managed to save my dussimeiri tang and started copper.. hes a beautiful fish..
so here is my question..

is it possible that he can be treated and carry velvet where he is immune to it but then spread it to my main DT??? I want to treat him twice because im so paranoid about velvet.. It is the absolute worse thing to experience...

also i usually wait to treat any new fish until they are fat.. i then prazi them and watch for a good month,,
but is it better to just copper them? but then i wont know if they carried velvet? i know its a crazy question but im super paranoid... no way im going through catching fish for hrs in my dt at midnight in my tank...

thanks so much, tried to keep this short

 

[charlie_Fish]

So roughly 2 yrs a go i introduced a pair of black clownfish that i did not qt thinking clownfish are usually always healthy....



They ended up having velvet and needless to say.. i lost fish that were 8-13 yrs old.. 16 full size tangs and so on,, Total of 60 or so fish...



im back on my game and back to using QT for everything.. im at almost 30 fish already..



the last two rounds of fish i bought both came down with velvet.. it seems that its very common now which is very disturbing...(im currenlty running 3 qt tanks)



I managed to save my dussimeiri tang and started copper.. hes a beautiful fish..

so here is my question..



is it possible that he can be treated and carry velvet where he is immune to it but then spread it to my main DT??? I want to treat him twice because im so paranoid about velvet.. It is the absolute worse thing to experience...



also i usually wait to treat any new fish until they are fat.. i then prazi them and watch for a good month,,

but is it better to just copper them? but then i wont know if they carried velvet? i know its a crazy question but im super paranoid... no way im going through catching fish for hrs in my dt at midnight in my tank...



thanks so much, tried to keep this short

Woah I feel ya velvet sucks! How many gallons is your tank just wondering

 

[padova335i]

yikes man!

yup,,, its all too common now with velvet.. i had huge fish.. full grown achillies, vlamnigi and nasos all w streamers, 12 inch plus fish..

most of my wrasses were 5 inches too.. :headwally:

its a 7ft x 3 ft 360 viewing.. i plan to get my tangs all back in then work on my wrasses and some little guys...

im so paranoid.. i wasted about 1800$ so far on velvet affected fish.. i like to qt 4-5 fish at a time, i may have to back that down..

 

[Uncle99]

Treatment is fresh water dip, then to QT, treat with copper until all spots gone, then continue for another week. Review the stickies for more details.

The parasite needs a host so to answer your question, yes, if all parasites did not die, then reinfection possible. If I remember correctly, velvet manifests itself in the gills and progresses outwards, so once we see it on the body, time is short.

After completing the treatment, I not sure I would use copper again, rather I would remove the copper and watch him for 30 days, if he's infected, you'll see it in the time frame. Copper is hard on delicates like tangs, I would be concerned about adding stress and starting the whole process again.

Feed well, high protein high fat, this is one of the best defenses against all diseases. Low tank stress is another helper.

Make sure no fish in your DT for at least 30 days, I might go 45, in any event, the longer the lower the risk of reoccurrence.

I would maybe have some concern of where you get your fish, are they LFS or online.

 

[padova335i]

Treatment is fresh water dip, then to QT, treat with copper until all spots gone, then continue for another week. Review the stickies for more details.

The parasite needs a host so to answer your question, yes, if all parasites did not die, then reinfection possible. If I remember correctly, velvet manifests itself in the gills and progresses outwards, so once we see it on the body, time is short.

After completing the treatment, I not sure I would use copper again, rather I would remove the copper and watch him for 30 days, if he's infected, you'll see it in the time frame. Copper is hard on delicates like tangs, I would be concerned about adding stress and starting the whole process again.

Feed well, high protein high fat, this is one of the best defenses against all diseases. Low tank stress is another helper.

Make sure no fish in your DT for at least 30 days, I might go 45, in any event, the longer the lower the risk of reoccurrence.

I would maybe have some concern of where you get your fish, are they LFS or online.

thanks yes.. i make a lot of my own food and they are all super fat.. but velvet will take down any fish.. its literally the black plague.. so far lfs and another person that i get custom orders from... im going to try a new route soon..

i'll finish treatment and watch him for a long time... months... even after a few moths i may just sell him,. thats how paranoid I am about velvet,,

its not possible he can carry it like ich and be somewhat immune to it, then pass it?

ich is nothing in a large tank and well feed system... velvet no one is fighting....

 

[HumbleFish]

its not possible he can carry it like ich and be somewhat immune to it, then pass it?

Its possible, but usually a fish with velvet needs help (e.g. dilution via a UV sterilizer or diatom filter) in order to manage symptoms. Housing the fish in a very large system (again dilution of the free swimmers) also helps tilt the odds more in the fish's favor.

 

[Uncle99]

thanks yes.. i make a lot of my own food and they are all super fat.. but velvet will take down any fish.. its literally the black plague.. so far lfs and another person that i get custom orders from... im going to try a new route soon..

i'll finish treatment and watch him for a long time... months... even after a few moths i may just sell him,. thats how paranoid I am about velvet,,

its not possible he can carry it like ich and be somewhat immune to it, then pass it?

ich is nothing in a large tank and well feed system... velvet no one is fighting....

The problem with velvet in comparison to Ick, is velvet is usually a fast killer, Ick is a slower process.

Follow the rules of velvet treatment as detailed in the stickies.
There's always a risk of infection again, lower the risk by following this diease protocol exactly......more risk is present with a new fish rather than a treated survivor.

And based on your LFS and other, someone is not looking after their livestock!

I have set up 100's of tanks in my 27 years, seen velvet only once, Ick only once.
My LFS has a strict policy on their QT, they want happy customers, your source is suspect.

 

[padova335i]

thanks guys,,

the dussi is doing very well and he will be in copper until the end of feb,, then he is getting observed for another 2 months..

very paranoid to say the least.. I currently have 3 qt tanks running.. each fish gets 2 month qt..

'i dont agree w velvet and large systems and uv.. with ich absolutely,,, ich really is nothing in a large tank w uv and proper food.

velvet killed off everything like the black plague,, i had huge fish that didnt stand a chance,

i may also re medicate the dussi after the copper w something else.. thats how paranoid i am of velvet

 

[Dmorty217]

In the future I would have some chloroquine phosphate on hand to treat velvet since it is a much better option than copper especially when it comes to velvet