Velvet and Platydoras armatulus suggestions?

[emacartoon]

So, some how my tank(s) got infected with velvet. I moved everyone (including the rocks and canister filter) from the 55gal to the 90gal late night Nov 15, and now everyone is getting sick. I do know that it's velvet, so that's not the question.

The question is - What's the best way to treat a scaleless fish and crustacean tank?

I'm doing the heat and salt method. That's been the only way I've had my fish survive rows with ick.

Heat is up to 80°F, I added 6 tbsps of aquarium salt (as you can see below, our tap water is naturally hard, and I didn't want to make it worse). Other things I've done are: added more Stresszyme, Stress Coat+, 1/2 dose PimaFix, full dose MelaFix, and tripled the number of plants.
Current stats are:

• pH 7.5
• no2 0 ppm
• no3 80 ppm
• nh3+nh4 0 ppm
• gH >180 ppm
• kH 120 ppm

(Oh. Right. I forgot to mention that the 90 gallon was cycling for over 3 weeks with one injured Platydoras armatulus, 3 zebra danios, and 4 plants: 2 each - large javas and anacharis. The zebra danios perished of septicemia shortly after the Platydoras armatulus perished inside a decoration I didn't see for possibly a full 24 hours. -_- Before I moved everyone in, I pulled all that water out, added more tap in, treated the crap out of it – Stress Coat+ and Stresszyme are my go-to's. My 20 gallon had velvet a month ago, which could be the source of the protozoa. I lost all but my emerald cory, bristlenose pleco and 2 tetras with that bit.)

[ad88]

Well I know a lot of people who keep separate all items for their own tanks if they own multiple tanks so there is no cross contamination (example each tank has it's own net and algae scrubber). So if you had it in another tank it could have been transferred over via another item and not necessarily by fish.

[emacartoon]

I do have separate equipment for the two tanks. They just also sit right next to eachother, so splashes happen. I'm sure the 20gal got it from a fish I brought in, as it happened right after I tried to re-stock that tank.

Thanks, though!

I'm more looking for a discussion of different methods for treating velvet and other ailments when there's also a crustacean on the line. I haven't found much information on that. Any thoughts on that particular aspect?

[emacartoon]

I saw my favourite LFS (and professional tank cleaner on the side) guy last night on my way home. He told me about NOX-ICH and said half-dose it every other day for 6 days and then just let it sit for a week before a water change and replacing the charcoal. That's what he uses on the LFS's stock when breakouts happen. As my clown loaches and Platydoras all came from them (and they sell a lot of ghost shrimp), I'm attempting their cure in addition to the heat.

I found other people who do this for koi ponds, too, from a Google search.

Nox-Ich is a Sodium Chloride .50%, Malachite Green .50% mix.

[emacartoon]

Crap. This post probably should be moved to Tank Talk. Is there an admin that can move this for me?

[emacartoon]

Nox-Ich was a bad, baaaaad idea. Even the half dose killed my clown loaches and stressed everybody out. Pretty sure that even adding the extra aerator didn't help prevent a couple of my Raphs from developing septicemia - probably from lack of oxygen.

Emergency 50% water change and carbon filter replaced. Raphs have stopped freaking out and were breathing better for ick-ed/velvet-ed fish. Weird thing is that my nitrates were still 80ppm after the 50% water change, and only 10ppm coming out of that tap.

The mildly amusing part of it all is that one of my boy Raphs keeps cuddling with at least one other fish (raph or my 18" pleco). My husband and I joked about him being a typical whiny male when sick. "I don't feeeeeeel goooood. Someone cuddle with me! *snotface*"