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When I was doing research on treatments, I found that Quinine products were the first medications used in many tropical fish ailments -- especially marine fishes. What happened in the USA is that the real good ones became only available by prescription. This is not something most hobbyists could get their hands on.

Now, some off the shelf medications do contain some quinine ingredients in low quantities.

Chloroquine diphosphate was the choice medication for treating...

Q: Should I quarantine all fish?

A: Yes. Four weeks is a good window for observation of disease and parasites. All newly acquired fish will benefit from 4 weeks of time by themselves in the quarantine tank to recover from shipping/handling stress and to acclimate to your feeding regime.

Q: What about corals, inverts, algae, and live rock?

A: Whle I feel that the risk is very low unless they are coming from an infected tank, you can set up a separate QT...

Subjective and Non-Subjective Observations, Claims, and Common Myths:

1. Some Tangs seem more susceptible. This is true. Their mucous coatings are reduced in thickness and composition. They swim up to 25 miles a day in the ocean in search for food so maybe Mother Nature provided them with this as a means of 'escape.'

2. It goes away on its own. Definite NOT true. It is only visible at one stage IF it is on the body or fin of the fish. If it was once seen, then it hasn't...

What is Oodinium?

Velvet or Coral Fish Disease is caused from an infestation of the dinoflagellate Amyloodinium ocellatum. The life cycle of Velvet is very similar to the life cycle of marine ich. This organism is parasitic on fish at one stage in its life cycle; during that stage it is visible to the naked eye. The total life cycle for this parasite approximates 3 weeks; but for total safety after a tank is infected two life cycles should be waited (six weeks). The lifecycle is very...