Velvet

[Reef Pilot]

Originally Posted by albert_dao

Pfft, Velvet sometimes just happens spontaneously. I've seen it in maintenance tanks that haven't had any new additions for months. I have suspicions that it can either lay dormant for extended periods or can be introduced via food. I've also noticed that a big velvet infestation can cause extreme distress to corals. Perhaps velvet is a key vector in total system (not just fish) wipeouts?

Ich can hide in a tank for a lot longer than a few months, as long as there are fish present. And not uncommon for hobbyists to mistake ich for velvet, especially with an aggressive outbreak. But under the right conditions, ich can indeed overcome healthy fish, and quickly wipe out most of your fish. Even moving them to a fully acclimated mature QT will likely fail unless you do it early on at the first signs of the disease.

And your correlation with velvet and corals may have more to do with poor tank conditions that affected both the fish (which made them more susceptible) and corals. Unsubstantiated theories just add to the confusion and myths with these diseases as described in the article I posted on the other thread.

In the end, prevention is still the best course with QT (or tank transfer with fish) for both corals and fish.