Velvet

[Tazzy_toon]

So, a while back I noticed some flashing and thought it might have been ick, but I kept on looking for spots or gold dust and never saw anything, and after adding salt the flashing stopped.

I recently tore down my 2 small 6 gal tanks and cycled a 33g and a 15g. No real symptoms of stress until yesterday and I see gold spots on ALL my fish.

Amonia 0, Nitrite 0 and Nitrate under 10 on both tanks. I took the sponge out of the 33g that had cycled.

I'm assuming it was from the feeder fish that I used to cycle and I feel like an ars, because I have a dwarf frog and shrimp that I can't use salt or copper on. I already had a couple dalmation mollies in the quarantine tank with salt and copper safe, so they can't go in there.

I've raised the temp to 80 in both tanks, but I don't want to use meds. I've heard of doing a black out for 7 days. Anyone have any success with that?

[BelieveInBlue]

Cycling with a feeder ANYTHING is a bad idea. Better would've been to do a fishless cycle: just get some ammonia cleaner from wallmart and use that. I've not had very much experience on velvet though, so I have no clue if the blackout will work.

[Tazzy_toon]

Hmmm, well, I did use feeders, I'm still learning remember although it seems whatever can go wrong is going wrong, even tho I am trying to go slow and do it right. I am enjoying the experience even still, just wish I didn't have to have a headache trying to read threw the mounds of conflicting information I am finding.

Use feeders, don't use feeders. Use meds, don't use meds. Just use salt, no salt just helps the fish doesn't kill the parasite. add infinity of conflicting information.

I'm thinking maybe I could put the fish in a bowl for now with meds and air stone, bare bottom with daily water change. and leave the frogs and shimp in the one tank(15g) and treat the whole other tank (33g)

I don't know, it's very frustrating.

[Tazzy_toon]

Just an update, I'm not seeing a huge difference in the fish and they don't seem to be hurt at all buy it. Acting pretty normal, there are fry in the tank that are happy and healthy.
Amonia 0, Nitrite 0 Nitrate >5 Ph 6.8 Kh 2...The only fish that is struggling is one of the dalmation mollies we recently purchased. We bought 2 from rogers aquatic and the first one died in 24hrs. and the other ones nose is to the top of the tank, but is still eating and swims around playfully with the other fish for a bit.

I did a water change last night and my substrate was very shiny like gold dust had been sprinkled through the substrate, is that dead or alive parasite??

Either way, i'll have to do some really good gravel vacs. I just don't want to stress out the fish anymore then i need too, especially since they aren't that bothered by it.

[Tazzy_toon]

Looks like it's not Velvet at all, I emailed WWM and after a discussion with Bob Fenner, we came to the conclusion that it is just something harmless and probably just because my tanks are fairly new. So it seems I submitted my fish to copper for no reason and now they're scales are falling off.

I'm glad I hadn't stocked the tank fully yet.

[TomC]

. So it seems I submitted my fish to copper for no reason and now they're scales are falling off.

I usually err on the side of under-medicating when the problem isnt glaringly obvious. Diagnosing fish diseases is difficult at the best of times. The old standby of isolating, using salt, then letting nature take its course seems to be as good as anything.

[Tazzy_toon]

Thanks Tom, I guess I'm was just over eager. I've learned my lesson and will just stick to keeping things stable and the fish and other critters healthy that way