Sick Tusk- need help ASAP please

[M.phenax]

Got my Aussie Tusk two weeks ago from LA. He was put in a 45g QT alone. He has been eating like a hog and been very sociable. On Saturday, I noticed the center brace on the 45 was broken (old tank) and immediately removed him and acclimated him to go in a 55 w/ tankmates.
On Sunday and Monday he was doing fine. Eating well and swimming around. This morning he was sat on the bottom looking a bit listless and breathing a little hard. The lights were still off, so I hoped it was still bedtime mode for him.
I came home from work, and he looks worse. He is still listless and breathing hard. He looks pale and like he has white spots on him. The spots look nothing like the pics of ich, velvet, or brook.
I removed him from the tank and put him in a 5g bucket. I have no idea what to treat him for.
His tankmates are: small narrow lined puffer, small parrotfish, small niger trigger, blue fin damsel. The other fishes are fine so far. The puffer, parrotfish and damsel have been together for nearly two months. The trigger I added on Saturday too, because he had to vacate another QT tank.
Please give me some idea of what could be wrong with my beautiful tusk.
Thanks in advance.

[Mrscribbled]

Can you get a pic?

[M.phenax]

I dont have a fancy phone. He is looking better colorwise but just laying down looking miserable. Could it be flukes? I'm treating some other fishes for flukes. Did I cross contaminate somehow?

[Newsmyrna80]

You could either do a freshwater dip on him (if you think he's strong enough) or go ahead and treat him in the bucket with Prazi. If it is flukes the Prazi and/or the dip will help him, if it's not flukes it won't hurt him.

[Mrscribbled]

Flukes won't act that fast IME, but velvet wil.

[M.phenax]

If it was velvet, wouldn't the other fish be sick too?

[Mrscribbled]

Do you have another tank to use for QT? A fresh water bath may be the best course of action at this time. Then move to a clean tank, and copper treat along with prazi.

[Mrscribbled]

If it was velvet, wouldn't the other fish be sick too?

Most likely.

[M.phenax]

Just put 1ml of prazi in the bucket. Going to get another tank up. Mixing salt since only have ~25g available. Have cupramine but no test kit that is reliable. Arrggghhhh

[Mrscribbled]

Dose cupramine slow, over several days. Just moving him to sterile water will by you time. Make sure to stay on top of ammonia, without using prime or similar products.

[M.phenax]

Will move him into a 20g tank. How much cupramine do you suggest? Right now hes in the bucket. Can I add cupramine now? How much?

[M.phenax]

In panic mode and can't think straight

[Mrscribbled]

For tonight just try keeping the tusk calm (and yourself). Get him into the QT, dose prazi, check in tomorrow on how he looks, and go from there. I personally would do a ten minute ph/temp adjusted fw bath before placing into QT, but I'm not there to see how rough he is.

[Mrscribbled]

Copper only kills what's in the water column, will not instantly treat the fish.

[M.phenax]

New QT is up and doing acclimation. I dare not do a FW dip at this point. This Tusk is very upset. Thank you for your help. Fingers crossed he will survive.

[M.phenax]

The Tusk died :( I can't figure out why. Btw, the white spots were sand. His color was good, and his eyes were clear. He was ok and eating on Moday evening ....the BAM gone... :(
I lost an Indo Tusk in a similar way except it wasn't eating much and it lasted less than a week.

[Newsmyrna80]

Awww, I'm so sorry:(

[M.phenax]

So, I'm resurrecting this thread. I have a new tusk, that I can't lose.
The first tusk I am sure was a cyanide caught fish (Indo). It didn't eat and died within 7 days. LA returned my money- they are awesome!
Second tusk (Aussie)was doing fine until the above (thread) happened- he lasted 17 days w (obviously) no refund. The niger trigger also died :(
The only thing the above fish had in common was that their color didn't change upon death- very unusual IME
I now have a new Aussie tusk in QT w a spotband butterfly. They are both LA and eating well.
I am down three tanks. Replumbing a 125, the ^ 45 is cycling live rock, and the 'evil' tank the last tusk died in is cycling w fresh water.
The three fish that were in the 'evil' tank went through tank transfer. The damsel and parrotfish survived. The manila (narrow-lined) puffer died :(
I am now paranoid about my tanks. I haven't dealt with ich in 10+ years. I have never had velvet in my tanks! In hindsight, I really should have done necropsies and made slides, but I've also been dealing w adult children and babies. No excuse really, but they have taken up my time and energy!
I have two more QTs now too. I seem to have more QTs than DTs at this moment in time.
So, to cut to the chase, if the parrot and damsel survived, does anyone think it was velvet? I have read many papers on velvet and realize that it is possible for fish to survive as carriers. I haven't coppered those fish yet, since I didn't think the parrot would make it. He/she has not been eating well until recently. I will eventually copper or CP.
I need to vacate one of my QTs because I have a trigger that has a (probable) bacterial infection. I have no more room for another QT. I have a vlamingi and trigger that are DD and have been in QT for 3+ months, so does anyone think I would be foolish to put those guys in w the tusk and butterfly?
I am so paranoid about cross contamination of tanks or (inadvertently) killing my fish that I cannot decide what I should do.
All suggestions/ advice will be appreciated. Thanks!

[snorvich]

If it was velvet, wouldn't the other fish be sick too?

Eventually. Sounds like velvet to me.

[snorvich]

And tank transfer has no effect on velvet. However, in any case, I would suggest stabilizing your environment before buying more fish.

[M.phenax]

I did tank transfer just in case it was ich. The parrotfish and damsel are still fine. They are in seperate tanks, because the damsel is a bully. I always have several QTs running and 2 hospital tanks ready to fill.
I have 5 display tanks that are problem free, except for a trigger that has a swollen eye.
My environment was as stable as a man-made one
can be until a brace broke on a tank, then there were a series of unforseen events. I still have no idea whether it was ich or velvet or what, but the two surviving tank mates are not sick. My only other thought is that I fed the fish live bait shrimp and that there were some contaminants or parasites introduced.