Velvet Disease (Oodinium) in Tropical Fish

When dealing with tropical fish illness and disease, it's always a good idea to have a good guidebook at your side. We recommend this book as a handy desktop reference.

The first sign that you have velvet in your aquarium, can be random gold or gray speckles on your fish which seem to multiply rapidly, and may even at times, appear to be a moving mass in as the fish swim through the water.

Velvet is actually a unicellular algae, which propels itself with two flagella, or thread-like extensions. When it lands on a fish, it clings with the flagella, until it puts out pseudopodia, or tiny fingers that burrow down into the skin of the fish. There it clings, to maturity and reproducing as many as 200 more cells before falling off. As with parasitic conditions, fish will rub themselves against other things in the tank, to try and get rid of the itch.

This is a highly contagious disease that needs to be treated immediately and aggressively. The most effective way to eradicate it, is to kill the free swimming "young", by treating with Velvet specific medications such as copper sulphate.

Besides the standard measure of adding aquarium salt to the home tank, along with medication, and removing the sickest fish to a hospital tank, some experts recommend raising the temperature as high as 88-92 degrees, if the fish will stand it, and turning off the lights. Light will encourage the growth, and higher temps will kill off the parasites.

The very sickest fish may benefit from short, intense salt baths before being put back in the hospital tank.

Recommended! A-Z of Tropical Fish Diseases and Health Problems: The aim of this book is to help aquarists recognize signs of illness so they can identify and resolve problems. Divided into three sections, the first focuses on health and husbandry, describing the signs of a healthy fish, anatomy and general care; the second provides signs of diseases and health problems and is cross-referenced to section three, which covers the treatment of diseases and health problems. Illustrated throughout with top-quality color photos, the book is an invaluable reference for novice to experienced fishkeepers. Click here for your copy.

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