Considering that the organisms that produce the white spot disease and the velvet disease do not have any direct relationship, it is remarkable the similarities between both.
The two organisms present an infecting phase and a reproduction phase by cellular division.
The first symptoms of both diseases are also similar.
Once declared, the velvet disease is extremely contagious and can the cause death of the entire population of an aquarium.
The agent of the disease is a flagellate protozoan of the genre Oodinium.
Once the parasite has attached itself to a fish, feeds off of alive organic matter.
Has a kind of roots which uses to anchor to the skin of the fish and get the nutrients.
It secretes enzymes that partially dissolve the tissues, which make white nodules appear on the skin of the fish.
Many people confuse them with the white spot disease (or ich) at this stage.
The parasitosis begins in the gills and spreads across the skin of the fish.
A mucous secreted by the immunologic system of the fish, gives to the skin the velvet aspect that gives name to the illness.
The parasite feeds until reaching the maturity and it leaves the fish.
Once the parasite reaches the substrate coated itself with a protective shell of cellulose.
Inside the shell it begins the multiplication process by cellular division.
It can produce more than three hundred new flagellate spores, which are called dinospores.
These dinospores try to find a fish and begin another infection cycle.