Unknown Parasite in FO Tank
Hi there,
<<And hello to you... >>
I'm relatively new to this hobby and I believe I'm encountering my first problem with parasites. The tank is completely cycled (used 3 damsels and all survived) and all tests are zero (nitrates are 5). <<as a quick aside, and trying very hard to not sound lecturing... you should avoid the trend to say "All tests were zero." They weren't by your own admission.>> I traded in the damsels and started off with a Coral Beauty and a very small six line wrasse. I was very pleased to see the angel cleaning up the algae, which at this point only consists of diatoms! <<You might consider procuring some algae-encrusted live rock to supplement the diatoms... surely those will run out.>>
After about six weeks I added a small bird wrasse. About a week later, the Coral Beauty started scratching on the rocks and began to develop a "dusty" coating. I immediately treated the tank (with Oomed by Tetra) because I thought it was probably velvet and I've heard that you have to act very quickly. Unfortunately, the Coral Beauty didn't survive the night after adding the meds. This surprised me because I thought I'd caught it soon enough......he was just as much of a piggy as usual right up to the day I added the medication. <<Yeah... that medication [Tetra Oomed] is raved about by some and shunned by others. It is quite possible the Coral Beauty was done in by the Oomed and not the Oodinium. And in any case, it is always better to remove sick fish to a separate quarantine system for treatment with such medications.>> All the other fish did survive though and appeared to be doing fine until yesterday. <<Well... this is the joy of parasitic infections... gone today, here tomorrow. They have continuing life cycles.>> The other fish have all started scratching and are now breathing heavy on and off. I'm sure there's something there but nothing is visible on any of the fish. All the fish are still eating and acting normally (except for the breathing and scratching). <<Some fish scratch as part of normal behavior. If they are damaging themselves by scratching, that for certain is not normal. How long has this heavy breathing and scratching been going on?>>
I really thought after six weeks that if there was something there it would have shown itself...............Apparently not. <<Six weeks after what? The addition of the bird wrasse?>> What do you suggest I do at this point? Copper, garlic soaked food, etc.? Any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated. <<I'm not too hip on garlic as a curative in a situation like this. Likewise, copper and other harsh medications are best used in a separate tank or quarantine system. PH adjusted, freshwater dips would also be helpful, although quarantine will help you catch and then dip these fish on a regular schedule. You might also want to consider running the tank fallow [without any fish] for five or six weeks to bring the parasites back to a more manageable level. Here is some associated reading:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/quaranti.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/dips_baths.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/parasiti.htm >>
Thanks in advance.
Leah Meilleur
<<You are welcome. Cheers, J -- >>

Re: Unknown Parasite in FO Tank
Hi again,
<<Hello again, hello... ok Neil Diamond I am not.>>
OK, here goes......I'm going to ask for a lot of help here, so please bear with me. I've read the links (again) that you've suggested and I'd like to form a step by step plan of action. At the risk of sounding like a complete idiot, if you could clarify several items for me I'd be ever so grateful:
<<Heh... methinks that idiots are the ones who don't ask any questions. ;-) >>
1. I have a spare 10 gallon tank I could use for treatment. However, I'm concerned that this won't be large enough for the bird wrasse (4")?!?! <<Yeah, that is a concern. A 20-long would probably be more suited to this cruiser.>>
2. When I'm filling up the 10, should I be using "new" water or tank water? If I use tank water am I not bringing more of the problem with me? <<there are pros and cons, but really more pros as the fish will already be acclimated to this water. The ease of transition is worth more than the few parasites that may transfer in the water, and surely more will make with move on/with the fish. Besides, if you use strong therapies to treat, all the parasites will be neutralized.>> Alternatively, if I use "new" water won't the fish be extremely stressed by the change? <<Ah-ha! I replied too soon. You got it.>>
3. The links I read over indicated several medications that could be used. Should I be using copper in the treatment tank or Methylene blue dips or both? <<depends on just how severe the problem is.>> I'm really confused here....Is the blue meant to be used only as a dip or as a long term treatment? <<The M-Blue is best used in the dip process.>> If I'm to use copper, should it be added before the fish and then the fish gradually acclimated to the coppered water? <<Just dose the copper as recommended on the bottle. No need to acclimate. Kind of like taking aspirin - if you want the pain to go away now, you need to take two now.>> By the way, I assume we're talking about COPPERSAFE here? That's the only copper treatment I've come across. <<That will work fine.>> Also, will the copper completely eliminate the parasite or is this likely to be an ongoing problem? <<Well, this is why quarantine is so useful. If you can treat the fish for a couple of weeks and then continue the quarantine the fish another two weeks, at the end the fish will be about as 'clean' as it could be. If you continue the copper at the recommended dose for the recommended period, you should eliminate the parasites from the fish and the quarantine tank.>>
4. How long should I leave the "treatment water" in the tank before beginning to remove the meds via water changes and carbon? <<For the duration of the treatment. Keep in mind that you won't have a working biological filter in this tank [the copper will nuke it] so you will need to do 25% water changes at the very least every other day. If the bottle says treat for 10 days, then check the fish after 10 days [like you weren't doing this every day] and if it is on the mend, feel free to stop the copper and begin the carbon.>>
5. You've mentioned allowing the main aquarium to "go fallow" for 6 weeks to bring the parasites back to a more manageable level. Does this mean that the parasites will still be alive (I thought they couldn't survive without a host)? <<Well, one can never be 100% sure without bleaching the system and starting all over again, which is not the way I'd like to see this go. You can be certain that the size of the parasite population will be greatly reduced. And otherwise healthy fish can often endure a parasite or two, no problem.>> And how are they to be "managed" and kept at low levels? <<Yes... this is a combination of factors. Biological cleaners are a great option if your fish won't eat them. A cleaner shrimp probably won't last around that bird wrasse, but a neon goby might.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/arthropoda/shrimp/cleaner.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/neongobies.htm >>
It seems to me as soon as I put the fish back in, the whole cycle will start again? <<Not necessarily.>> Is there nothing that will permanently kill off the little "buggers"? <<Nothing that won't force you to start all over again - no fun.>>
6. To answer your question, the on-and-off rapid gilling has been going on for about 3 days now. What's really strange is that one day the fish appear "different" in that they are hiding, showing difficulty breathing, and may not eat as much as usual but the next day they completely "bounce back" to normal behaviour, with the exception of the scratching......that stays constant since it started a week ago.
<<Hmmm... I've know you've been though it but you might also look carefully for other things going on in the tank - chasing, fighting, nipping, large temperature of pH swings, all these things can cause stress and once stressed, things usually only go downhill from there.>>
I know this was terribly long-winded but I want to be sure I get this right the first time for the sake of the fish. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge with us "saltwater dummies". It seems I've spent half a lifetime reading and researching this but there's always something new to learn!
<<no dummies here that I can see, only people who want to learn more, and that's a good thing, as Martha would say.>>
Regards,
Leah Meilleur
<<Cheers, J -- >>