I have read the thread about marine velvet and I beleave thats what the two maroon clownfish has. I might have missed some info that will answer my questions and im sorry if I did :-) The two will stay in the anemone for a little bit and then go underneath a rock to get out of the light I suppose? They do have cloudy eyes and the male is still eating but the female isn't. I do not have a Qt right now but im goin to setup a ten gal after this is thru. I have already lost my tang and bicolor blenny due to this or ich. I beleave it all started when I added the bicolor angel in the tank. Ok, now my questions are as follow:

1) I was told velvet relies on the lighting because its photoshitcs, should I turn the lights off and how long? I do have a few corals in there.  

2) I am currently soaking the frozen food in garlic and Metronidezoie & focus, will this help ? I do have meliafix that i can use if that will help.

3) How

3) My water parameters are as following: temp 78, 0ppm for amm and nitrites, 40ppm for nitrates, and my salt level is .025ppm...should I alter any of this to fight the marine velvet?

Since you are unsure of the diagnosis - copper treatment is the way to go.  Hyposalinity will not treat marine velvet.

I would recommend SeaChem Cupramine and monitor levels daily with either the Seachem or Salifert test kit.

Do not treat the display tank.  Leave the tank fallow for 6 weeks - do not add anything - fish, corals, inverts, rock etc during this period.

In the treatment tank, make sure it is bare bottom with no porous materials or live rock.  Use PVC pipe/pieces for hiding spots.  Make sure there is extra aeration/circulation as parasitic infections increase the respirations and metabolic rate which increases the oxygen demand.

Velvet does not rely on light but rather fish to continue its life cycle.  Decreasing the lighting will help decrease stress which will help the fish with parasites.

What are you using the metronidazole for ?

I would not use the melafix.  I would stick with one treatment in the display tank at the present time.  If you think the fish have secondary bacterial infections - antibiotic baths for one hour and medicated food is in order.  Metronidazole is not an antibiotic.

Please keep us updated.

Best of luck.

Regardless if this is velvet or brooklynella, they need to be treated asap as in a week they could be dead as both of these can progress rapidly.

You can use a salt bucket or any clean container as a QT and do water changes daily to maintain stable water parameters.  Add a heater if temperature fluctuates.

Formalin baths daily for 3 - 5 days would treat the brooklynella.

Doing the baths daily and returning them to the display tank will reinfect the clowns.

Bottom line is: they need to get out of the display tank asap and start treatment.

Do not return the clowns to the display tank for at least 6 weeks.

Treat for the two weeks that Seachem cupramine recommends - follow the directions on the bottle and test daily.

You can use some of the water from the display tank to set up the QT - make sure to do daily water testing/water changes.

After the copper treatment is completed - continue water changes and leave the clowns in QT for at least 4 weeks after the treatment to make sure all parasites have been eradicated.  During this period, your copper levels will drop to zero with the water changes.  Carbon addition after the copper treatment also removes the copper. 

Best of luck.

Brooklynella

and while I am at it...lol   Fish Disease Identification and Treatments

Chuck

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