Probable velvet. Advise please

[blue acara]

I added some plants from 2 eBay sellers. Approximately a week or slightly more later I noticed tiny white spots. Looks like velvet, smaller than ick. Fish seem to be fine...so far. Eating and behaving normally. Moved them into a smaller tank. Medicating with I love fish white spot & parasite treatment. This is formaldehyde and malachite Green. Raised temperature and no light on tank.

Does anyone have experience with velvet? Any tips?

Will the parasite die in the main tank without fish to feed on? How long?
Cheers

 

[Colin_T]

Malachite green on its own will kill velvet (Oodinium). You don't need to black out the tank or add salt if you use Malachite Green.

Caution when using Malachite Green. It is a carcinogen (causes cancer), so avoid getting it on your skin and wash your hands with soapy water after handling the chemical or working in the tank.

Increase aeration when using chemicals.
Remove carbon so it doesn't adsorb the medication.

Use at half strength if you have scaleless fishes (catfish, eels, loaches) in the tank.

 

[blue acara]

Cheers Colin. I had heard about it being carcinogenic. Me being an idiot spilt hands, arms and bare feet. I immediately washed it off with pan scourer, soap and water. Then had a shower. Unbelievably stupid.

It’s difficult to dose easily with the I fish product. Doesn’t come anything to measure what you are dosing . Anyway it’s happened so whatever.

Just to go back to the tank... will the parasite die in my main tank without fish to live on. And how long should I leave them? 2 weeks? Thanks again.

 

[Vorpal]

I've never had velvet, but I do recommend next putting plants in quarantine for at least a week before placing them in a community tank. Some folks quarantine them for two weeks. You can keep them in a bucket or quarantine tank for a while before putting them in with your fish.

 

[blue acara]

Good advice. I will do from now on! if I’m correct and this **** came from the plants. I didn’t know this could happen. The more you know... But I should have known. I have a dedicated hospital and quarantine tank as well. But a bucket in the sun would be fine for plants . We learn x

 

[Colin_T]

You don't want to use a scourer when washing medication/ chemicals off your skin because they can scratch the skin and allow the chemical into your system. Too late now I know Soap and water is the best method. Just lather up, rinse off, lather up, rinse off, lather up and rinse off and your done.

See if your local pet shop has a spare measuring phial from their test kits. They have 1ml markings on the side and can be used to measure out medication. Otherwise go to a chemist and get a plastic measuring thing from them. I can't remember what they are called but they are like an icecream cone with a flat base, and have markings on the side for measuring out medicine.

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Velvet (Oodinium) does normally die without a host. However, there are strains that can survive in tanks for months without a fish host. The parasite goes dormant and waits for a hormone/ chemical from fish to be in the water before it becomes active. Then it reinfects the fish.

If you get a couple of litres of water from a tank with fish in, and add that water to the diseased tank without fish, the hormones should be enough to get any Oodinium parasites to hatch and become active. Do this each day for a week, then leave the tank to run for 2 weeks without any fish in. Alternatively use copper or Malachite Green. I prefer copper because it's safer for fish, but does kill shrimp and other crustaceans. It's easy to remove after wards tho, just do a couple of 90% water changes and gravel clean the substrate. Then add some carbon to the filter for a week and you're good to add shrimp again.

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You don't want to put buckets of plants in full sunlight during summer. The water can get too hot and boil the plants. Have them under shadecloth during the middle of the day in hot weather. They can have morning and afternoon sun during summer, and all day in winter.

If it's too hot for you out in the sun, then it's probably too hot for the plants.

 

[blue acara]

Ok good plan. I’ll do that, starting tomorrow. Thank you. First time I’ve seen this parasite. Could be worse, some horrible bacterial infection or something. The fish seem fine but Their stool is white. The parasite is not visible anymore.

Big water change tomorrow, then re dose.

 

[Vorpal]

Kids' liquid medicine, like paracetemol (Tylenol) or ibuprofen often come with a dosing syringe that works well for fish medicine, water additives, and other stuff. Ask someone that you know who has kids, and they probably have a few.

 

[Essjay]

You can also buy syringes from pharmacies. I have several 1ml syringes, they cost £1 each. But ask for a babies' medicine dosing syringe as you'll get funny looks if you ask for just a syringe (you might intend using it for something illegal). Ebay/Amazon is another option.

 

[blue acara]

Update. The formaldehyde and malachite green did not cure the velvet. I did a massive water change and am now dosing with interpet anti slime and velvet. A copper based med that was talked about before by Colin. After 3 days I’m seeing an improvement in the most affected fishes behaviour.

It’s a 7 day treatment. I’ll do a big water change after that week then dose again. I’m thinking that should kill all of the velvet parasite.