Help with sick Angel in QT

[Sharkey18]

Hi all,

I need some advice on disease in my QT.

I bought a coral beauty and lawnmower blenny at the LFS on 2/23. Looked good at the store. Placed them in my QT at home.

Within five days, the angel had some white spots. Assumed ick, started lowering sg. Has been at or a little below 1.010 since 3/6, so about 10 days. I check the salinity by refractometer twice a day and do every other day water changes. Have also been feeding food soaked in garlic.

Temp: 79 -80

SG: 1.009 to 1.010

0 ammonia and nitrate

 

The blenny is not showing any signs of disease.

The angel is still quite covered in white spots but they are definitely different spots. Original spots on tail and dorsal fin are gone, replaced with 20 new spots. Is eating and swimming well.

 

My questions:

 

1) should i be doing something else. It's only 10 days in hypo, so i know it's not long enough to kill all free swimming stages.

Should I add copper, freshwater dip, add UV??

 

2) Does anyone accurately diagnose? What if it's velvet or something else? Can I get a sample and look with microscope or is that likely to cause too much fish stress. Is there another way to accurately diagnose?

 

3) Should I remove the blenny to yet ANOTHER QT? (In the future I will only QT one fish at a time. Noob mistake.)

 

This is my first experience with using a QT, (after killing all my fish in display by NOT using a QT) and it is a learning experience.

 

Thanks so much, advice is appreciated!

Laura

[Brian Ward]

If the blenny is eating and swimming well, I would leave him where he is (unless you decide to go with copper treatment). As far as the angel, some pics would probably help diagnose. Are the spots smaller and closer together than ich? If so, this could be velvet and hypo is actually counter productive. If you think the angel is strong enough to withstand copper, I would probably go with that. However, using copper is a lot like giving a human chemo - if the fish isn't fairly strong, the copper will kill it. Use Cupramine and buy a Salifert Copper test kit. Use the minimum effective dose to reduce stress on the fish.

[F&Fmgr]

I like a product called Copper Power, by Endich....its a heavily chelated copper so u want to keeep the level higher like @ 2.5-3.0 ppm or mG/L. We use it here with great success.

 

Any store should be able to get it for you.

 

Sean

[varora]

feed it lots of variety, that the first and easiest thing, frozen, garlic, angel specific food(frozen or flakes), whatever that dude will go crazy on, being well fed will keep the stress level down

Edited March 16, 2009 by varora

[zygote2k]

Garlic does nothing- purely a wives' tale based on coincidences. There has never been a real scientific study worth it's weight in garlic that has proven its' effectiveness on marine animals. The pet manufacturers will tell you anything to sell more products.

[ctenophore]

Garlic does nothing- purely a wives' tale based on coincidences. There has never been a real scientific study worth it's weight in garlic that has proven its' effectiveness on marine animals. The pet manufacturers will tell you anything to sell more products.

Has there been a good study proving its ineffectiveness?

[varora]

i have seen both my fish eat it, so I will probably keeping giving them some along with zucchini, broccoli, romaine, and nori. no fish store has ever tried to sell me garlic, they would sell me a $15 bottle of selcon

 

this is from wiki:

 

When crushed, Allium sativum yields allicin, a powerful antibiotic and antifungal compound (phytoncide). In some cases, it can be used as a home remedy to help speed recovery from strep throat or other minor ailments because of its antibiotic properties. It also contains the sulfur containing compounds alliin, ajoene, diallylsulfide, dithiin, S-allylcysteine, and enzymes, vitamin B, proteins, minerals, saponins, flavonoids, and maillard reaction products, which are non-sulfur containing compounds. Furthermore a phytoalexin called allixin (3-hydroxy-5-methoxy-6-methyl-2-penthyl-4H-pyran-4-one) was found, a non-sulfur compound with a γ-pyrone skeleton structure with anti-oxidative effects,[1] anti-microbial effects,[34] anti-tumor promoting effects,[35] inhibition of aflatoxin B2 DNA binding,[36] and neurotrophic effects.[4] Allixin showed an anti-tumor promoting effect in vivo, inhibiting skin tumor formation by TPA in DMBA initiated mice.[37] Analogs of this compound have exhibited anti tumor promoting effects in in vitro experimental conditions.[5] Herein, allixin and/or its analogs may be expected useful compounds for cancer prevention or chemotherapy agents for other diseases.

 

The composition of the bulbs is approximately 84.09% water, 13.38% organic matter, and 1.53% inorganic matter, while the leaves are 87.14% water, 11.27% organic matter, and 1.59% inorganic matter.[citation needed]

Edited March 17, 2009 by varora

[ctenophore]

Cryptocaryon irritans is a protozoan, not a bacteria. However the allicin may prevent/treat secondary bacterial infections, which are often just as problematic as the original parasite. There is no evidence either way that I am aware of to suggest that garlic is effective against protozoans, but if it is potentially effective against secondary bacterial infections and doesn't harm the fish otherwise, why not try it?

[Brian Ward]

i believe the garlic also makes the food more appetizing and keeps the fish eating. if it's not eating, there's no chance of recovery unless you know how to put an IV in a fish ....