Nearly 12 months of velvet-considering euthanasia

[jimmyp]

I've had velvet in my tank for nearly a whole year, I have three cichlids that i started out with and have not added to the the tank cos of velvet from the second week. I have tried everything to get rid of it, higher temp, salt, protozin, acriflavin, interpet no7, blackouts, huge water changes, removal and cleaning of all substrate. Nothing has worked and i am getting no pleasure in maintaining a tank that has ill fish sitting on the bottom or blasting themselves with the filter pump every 20 minutes to get relief, however they do seem to fight each other still. I want to stop the hobby as am getting no pleasure from sick, fighting fish however no one will take ill fish. I suppose part of me feels like I have every right to use euthanize after trying everything but part of me feels that though ill they haven't died so should continue to look after them however unenjoyable it is for me because I took the fish on!! What would you do?

 

[LyndaB]

I don't mean to insult your intelligence and your perseverance, but are you sure it's velvet?

 

[jimmyp]

yeah they have a white dust/film over them and they scratch, breath heavy, sometimes it looks like their skin is peeling off. I did try gyradol just in case it was an infection or bacteria in case i had misdiagnosed but made no difference. I'm religious with weekly water changes as well.

 

[LyndaB]

I've never had a fish with velvet, although I have had fish that I was certain had velvet, if that makes sense. But if you have symptomatic fish, then maybe it really is. I've just never heard of a year long bout.

I'm not big on meds but it sounds like you've run the gamut. Hopefully another member will chime in and give you a more experienced response.

 

[Johny]

Well this is all personal opinion, but I don't think you need to feel guilty if you choose to euthanize them. People euthanize for a lot less. When we were still looking into guppies and breading them, we were advised to euthanize ANY guppy fry that had the slightest deformity.

I personally have a hard time diagnosing fish diseases. The couple times we have dealt with things it has been hard for me to figure out what they had. I would want a good consensus from everyone on what the disease is before I was sure I had done everything I could. That said, looks like you have treated for a lot of things. The heat and salt alone should have treated a lot of different things.

There is no point in wasting your time and money with a hobby you are not enjoying. Its not beneficial to you or the fish. I would say if you are certain that you are correct in your diagnosis, and are certain you have done what you can for the fish, then you have no reason to feel guilty if you euthanize them. Then it comes down to deciding if you want to try again or just quit the hobby and move on. Either way, good luck. Sounds like you haven't had the best of luck.

 

[jimmyp]

Thanks Johny think I will take one down to lfs and see what they say, get a second opinion. Then decide, my conscience will be satisfied then!

 

[Retired_AF]

Hang in there...

I see that you have tried so many things. I applaud your perseverance. I would make sure you have done everything you can before doing anything drastic. Here is the recommended regimen in case you missed something:

• Raise water temperature to at least 82 degrees - Done according to your post.
• Dim (turn off) lights for several days. The parasite that causes it is dependent on light so the darker you can make the tank, the better. If possible, cover the sides completely to block out all light. - Again, your post says you did this.
• Add aquarium salt to ease the gill inflammation so they can breathe easier - Also done.
• Treat with copper sulphate or Atabrine for a full ten days - Is this in the meds you tried?
• Discontinue carbon filtration during treatment - IMPORTANT since carbon will neutralize the meds. Keep up with the filter, but remove the carbon if you have it.

Good luck!