Fish Disease ID & Treatment

[Richard]

I get ALOT of calls from people who are having disease problems. Often it is fairly difficult to really determine what type of problem they are having based on their description over the phone. I think part of the problem is that although most books will devote a paragraph describing what particular parasite problem looks like, they rarely show an actual picture.

Unfortunately, I get to deal with various diseases from time to time. So I thought it might be helpful to start a thread showing pictures of fish with various diseases. I will continue to post pics as they become available ( I hope this isn't too often). I have always felt that disease issues were one of the problems that chases so many people away from the hobby because it is "too hard". Hopefully this will eventually help someone recognize a problem and correct it.

Couple of points:
1.) Unless otherwise noted, the disease identified will have been positively identified under a microscope. Many parasites appear very similar to the naked eye and may require different treatments.
2.) Treatment recommendations are primarily based on my experience. Feel free to disagree, I certainly won't take offense. There are many ways to skin a cat and maybe I'll learn something new.

First one coming up in a few minutes...

[Richard]

Cryptocaryon irritans (Commonly called "Saltwater ICH")

Description/Treatment(s)

Without a doubt this is the most common parasite found in the hobby. Fortunately it can be managed rather easily. There are countless treatments on the market many of which are advertised as “REEF SAFE”. In my opinion there are NO REEF SAFE TREATMENTS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE. Here are my thoughts on some of the common treatments available based on my experience, others may disagree.

Ionic Copper (Copper Sulfate)
This is the most effective treatment for severe cases of "ich" and the only 100% effective way of eliminating the parasite. I highly recommend using ionic copper (over chelated copper) as a treatment. Free Copper levels must be maintained at .15 to .20 mg/l for a period 28 days to completely eradicate the parasite from the system, although because copper only kills the parasite in it’s free swimming stage the fish may be free of the parasite within 7 – 14 days. Copper levels below .15 mg/l will not kill the parasite and levels above .20 mg/l may kill the fish, therefore the copper level MUST be tested daily, FasTest copper test kits work very well. We use copper sulfate pentahydrate (CuSO4 * 5H2O), trade name Bluestone, in a solution of 2 mg copper sulfate per 500 ml deionized water. I can provide an excel spreadsheet for calculating the correct dosage (free) as well as mix up a batch (Not Free) for those who find it necessary to treat for Cryptocaryon. Treatment should ONLY be done in a QT tank. [EDIT] Free copper levels are initially very unstable in saltwater so in severe cases it may be necessary to test/dose copper twice a day for the first few days until the copper level stabilizes.

Chelated Coppers (Organicure, CopperSafe, Cupramine etc.)
It is very difficult to accurately test copper levels when using chelated coppers. Therefore I do not recommend using them. Most of these products recommend several doses over the course of a week, which is not sufficient to eradicate the parasite. It is very common for hobbyists to clear up an infection only to see it come back in a week or two when treating with these products.

Formalin, Malachite Green
These are common ingredients in some “Reef Safe” products; they are anything but reef safe. Both are known carcinogens and are banned for use in some countries. I have had very mixed results with these and do not recommend their use for cryptocaryon.

Hyposalinity
Maintaining a specific gravity of 1.010 can be a VERY effective form of treatment and is well tolerated by all fish that I am familiar with. The use of a refractometer is highly recommended. There are known strains of cryptocaryon that can tolerate hyposalinity treatment and I believe these strains are becoming more common in the hobby as hyposalinity treatment gains in popularity. I recommend hyposalinity as a treatment but if the infection worsens or shows no improvement within 2 days I recommend going to another form of treatment (copper).

Freshwater Dips
I have not found these effective for treating cryptocaryon and have found that the infection will generally worsen if the fish is FW Dipped and then placed back into an infected system.

Garlic/ No treatment
Otherwise healthy fish will sometimes overcome an infection on their own and it has been shown that fish can develop immunity to the parasite. The use of garlic may be helpful. I have found this to be mostly true for mild cases in larger Reef systems, presumably because these types of setups generally have very high water quality. In reef systems I recommend first making sure there are no water quality issues, feeding the fish often and using garlic. Sometimes this will do the trick, if it does not then it is time to move the fish into QT and treat (hyposalinity 1st, copper sulfate 2nd) for the parasite. Although it is always better to quarantine fish prior to introducing them to the display tank. In a quarantine tank you are not limited to this type of approach and do not have to risk the lives of all your livestock.

Here’s a picture of a group of Regal tangs that came in with a severe case of cryptocaryon. This appearance of cryptocaryon can be slightly different on other fish species. I will post pictures of different types of fish with cryptocaryon as they become available. Hopefully this will not be too often (knock on wood).

http://www.maast.org/albums/Richard/RegalWithCrypto.jpg

[MikeDeL]

Richard, this thread is a great idea. It will be a great reference. Good picture of the ich too, very clear and easy to see.

[kaiser]

Nice write up, however I am missing one. I have used UV for treatment with good results.

[RobertG]

Nice write up, however I am missing one. I have used UV for treatment with good results.

Have to agree here also, without my sterilizer my regal it comes & gos.

[::pete::]

Richard,

Great idea, picture and write up. Im not sure if this would fall under Education, but if you are going to continue adding as it becomes available maybe it can be integrated into the site. Either way a forum topic could be added. Thanks

[GaryP]

Richard & Pete,

I plan on creating a link to this thread in the "library" we are working on.

Gary

[alexwolf]

Gary, why dont you cut and paste only the posts that contain valid information, so the library is not cluttered?

[scuba_steveo]

That is a good idea alex. That way posts like this one would not be in it. :)

[Instar]

RobertG -- you have something amiss then. I have two regals and no ick issues in my 125. I have never even tried a sterilizer on these tanks and have never had ick problems. Fish were introduced straight from the lfs's. My 75 has a bunch of tangs and no ick issues there either. Had these tangs since 1991, mostly ick free, no sterilizer. Had some ick on the yellows at first but worked through it in the tanks with a magic potion brew that everyone scoffs at so its not worth mentioning furthur. Just that we're ick free without sterilizers. Pls don't misunderstand me to say they are not useful however. I think they have their place, but, its certainly not to control ick over the long term IMO. There is a situation that sterilizers promote in the mucous of the fish that could make them pseudo addicted just like some prescription nasal sprays for an occassional sinus problem.

[GaryP]

The library is going to be a collection of links, not actual text.

Gary

[scuba_steveo]

So stupid off the topic posts like this one will still be in it?

[alexwolf]

Well that makes it hard to find the actual information, dont you think so? Why not make a locked post so there is no junk in there?

[MikeyBoy]

Steven,

Why do you think this is stupid and off topic? I found it kind of interesting....Mike

[cpreefguy]

yeah

[BA]

i think he meant all the extra posts, not the actual first post, and all of the great links/info...

[alexwolf]

lol

[scuba_steveo]

i think he meant all the extra posts, not the actual first post, and all of the great links/info...

Yes, BA ir right. Sorry, I thought it was obvious. But this is Alex's point. We are totally off the topic now and it is a great topic.

[Richard]

Alex - did you realize by posting to keep the thread on topic you would cause it to go way off topic - Very Funny.

Instar - I think it would be great if you posted your magic potion brew. I'm sure I will scoff at it, doesn't mean I won't try it though.

Still debating what my opinion is on UV sterilizers, which is why I left them off. They can be useful though.

Pete/GaryP - Everything I put here will eventually be on our website, so you could link to there.

[alexwolf]

:D

[::pete::]

The library is going to be a collection of links, not actual text.

The links will be archived material for people to read from a link on the site, but then when questions arise I suggested adding a forum for fish disease and treatment (under Maast.org Forums) so members can get help in the forum.

The library could also be stickied at the top for reference.

[MikeDeL]

The library is going to be a collection of links, not actual text.

The links will be archived material for people to read from a link on the site, but then when questions arise I suggested adding a forum for fish disease and treatment (under Maast.org Forums) so members can get help in the forum.

The library could also be stickied at the top for reference.

That sounds like a good ID.

[GaryP]

Hopefully we will have an alpha version ready to be test driven sometime after the holidays.

Gary

[Richard]

Ok..it is now after the holidays. LOL!

[don-n-sa]

yeah...what he said LOL!!!!

:lol

[TheOtherGuy]

Only 9 more months till the holidays of 2006! ;)