What is this, velvet?

[chicknb]

Hi there:

A couple of my F. gardneri are developing these thing on the upper part of their bodies. I am not sure that it is velvet since I have never seen it (except for a picture here of an infected notho). It is difficult to describe it since it doesn't look like fungus. I have seen that they bully a lot between them but I am not sure if there are just scales missing or what. They eat fine and don't seem to be sick at all. I would appreciate any help and sorry for the bad picture but they don't look to the camera

Regards,

Tony

[whuntley]

Remote diagnosis is really tough. Take this for what it is worth -- free advice is worth every penny.

It looks more like a bacterial infection, to me, perhaps columnaris. Velvet usually doesn't make such bright patches, and is best spotted when viewing the fish from directly in front. The skin just looks like it is slightly dusty, but colors are not altered much.

As I say, take this with a big grain of salt, but use something else to treat it, for I doubt if it is Velvet Disease (Oodinium species).

Wright

[chicknb]

Wright, as usual, thanks a lot for your comments. from what I have read and the picture of the notho with velvet I agree with you, it looks like a different thing. I am dosing a "Magic disease treater" from Azoo (i don't recall seing that brand in the US) and it seems to be working. As I mentioned, good thing is that they are eating well and I am feeding them live brine shrimp and anti bacterial pellets (from Otto or something like that).

I don't want to loose them since they hatched from the eggs I got at the BAKA meeting in May.

I will keep you updated and thanks again.

Tony

[whuntley]

Tony,

You could be seeing wounds that just got infected.

Up your water changes and be sure their tank has lots of hiding places and sight paths are well broken.

For GAR, I usually have lots of Java Moss, sunken and floating mops (they spawn in both), rocks, filters, and mossy driftwood, to give a lot of structure to their environment. A fibrous peat substrate and/or some dried oak leaves wouldn't hurt. Avoid gravel, for they will prefer to spawn in it and it is fairly hard to retrieve the eggs without damage.

Wright

[timebomb]

It doesn't look like Velvet, Tony. As for the medication you're using, I'm glad for you it's working but if I were you, I wouldn't have bought it in the first place. I distrust anything that has the word "magic" in its name. Sounds lke snake oil to me, if you know what I mean Come to think of it, that's probably the reason they don't sell it in the USA.

Loh K L

[chicknb]

Wright, I am changing the water every 3rd day and also I added some floating plants to provide them with some cover. I have seen that they are sometimes bullying and maybe those are just wounds from those fights. I will do as you said about adding some peat for substrate (right now they don't have any susbtrate, just some sinking mops and some wood). They already have a small power filter and an automatic heater (at 24º C).

Loh, about the medicine I am using, it is not magic but it works, at least in my experience, it has cured my fish from ich used as directed and so far I have had success with it in a couple of events. I know, it is hard to belive what the name implies but believe me, it is not that bad.

Thanks again for your help.

Tony

[chicknb]

Hi there, it turned out that the real origin of the white marks were just missing scales due to the fish bullying between them. That same thing happened with my sjoestedti (in another tank) but they did not show the same symptoms because of the scales being the same color as the skin below them.

I changed the decoration, put more mops and some peat and they are now happy laying eggs in the mops.

Just wanted to give an update and thank you for your comments and suggestions.

Tony