SICK

Question
I think my fish has velvet. Whats the best way to cure it and how can it be prevented

Answer
Hi Bill. Velvet is a common parasitic infection that can be very easy to treat if caught early enough. In a fish only tank the simple use of a copper based medication will do the trick. In a reef tank it is a little more complicated. When you have velvet in a tank where fish and invertebrates are mixed you have to use alternative measures. Prevention is the best method when dealing with the reef tank. Every new fish should be quarantined in a separate tank for a period of two weeks before being introduced to the reef environment. And then introduced and acclimated slowly. Fish that are well acclimated, healthy and in a tank where it is not getting picked on and the water is of highest quality will have a very good immune system and will not come down with this parasite. This is typically why a new fish always seems to be the first one to come down with it. If you do experience an outbreak in your reef tank there are a few products on the market that claim they are reef safe however in my experience not a one of them works. The only way to permanently rid a reef tank of velvet is to set up a hospital tank(using water from the main tank) with a copper based medication in it, acclimate all your fish into that tank and leave your main tank fish free for a total of thirty days. The parasite cannot live longer than that without a fish host to complete its lifecycle on. This may sound like a pain but it is the only way. After the thirty days is up you can start slowly acclimating the fish back to your main tank and return them to it. Then you will have a quarantine tank to put any new fish in before you put it in your main tank, any prevent any reinfestation.