Dang ich. Should i medicate with Copper or TTM

[Tonycass12]

Just looking for some advice here. All the fish I've added up until now have been pretty hardy fish so this haven't been a problem up until now. I picked up a hippo tang over the weekend and he's developed white spots over the last two days that im 98% sure are itch.

I'm already settled that pulling and treating all my fish and keeping the tank fish free for 45 days is going to be the only fix. Sucks because I have a lot of sps in my main tank and ripping apart the rocks to get all the fish is going to be a pain. Bright side at least ill get 3 adult orange line chromis who have become monsters out of the system for good.

Now only thing I cant decide is TTM or Copper to treat them. I don't have experience with either method and I like that I won't have to constantly test and dose to keep copper at the proper levels with TTM. The bad side of TTM will be the investment in more gear (tanks/totes and power filters) i dont mind that ill have to have freshly mixes sw on hand because I've got a decent size mixing station.

Just want some advice or experiences on these methods to help me decide what route to tank

Fish that will be pulled from the tank are-
-baby hippo tang 1.5"
-clown goby
-2 6 line wrasse 1 from my main display the other from my frag system
-2 lawnmower blennies
-clownfish

I have 4 orange line chromis but they are evil and will be removed for good when I catch them so I dont have to worry about aggression in QT systems. Same species fish will be separated by devider to hopefully keep things peaceful.


I really hope this hippo pulls through im going to give him a FW dip this afternoon to help with some of the stress from the itch its already got on him. None of my other fish show any signs of itch if you zoom on this image i took last night you can see the white dots starting just behind and above its eye.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Best bet is coppersafe for a full 30 days at therapeutic level 2.25-2.5 monitored by a reliable copper test kit- no api brand at 80.5 degrees
Increase oxygen during treatment with air stone
Tank fallow is 45-60 days and coral will be fine during this period
Feed them occasional coral foods
TTM also effective if you have the time and resources

 

[Tonycass12]

Best bet is coppersafe for a full 30 days at therapeutic level 2.25-2.5 monitored by a reliable copper test kit- no api brand at 80.5 degrees
Increase oxygen during treatment with air stone
Tank fallow is 45-60 days and coral will be fine during this period
Feed them occasional coral foods
TTM also effective if you have the time and resources

I think its all going to come down to whats going to cost me less. I know both treatments are effective and i dont have any fish that should be over sensitive to copper. I have no issues with the time involved with TTM but it may end up costing me more then just doing copper to get all the gear for the multiple holding systems. If I go the copper route I'll get a hana checker for copper to make sure I'm as close as possible.

Thanks for the reply!

 

[LeftyReefer]

I've never done TTM, so not very familiar with it, but seems with that many fish and the fact that you are going to be fallowing the tank for 45+ days anyway... I'd just put them in a cylced QT tank with copper. 45 days + seems like a pain to do TTM with so many fish...?

 

[vetteguy53081]

I think its all going to come down to whats going to cost me less. I know both treatments are effective and i dont have any fish that should be over sensitive to copper. I have no issues with the time involved with TTM but it may end up costing me more then just doing copper to get all the gear for the multiple holding systems. If I go the copper route I'll get a hana checker for copper to make sure I'm as close as possible.

Thanks for the reply!

You’ll need 2 tanks to start with TTM as for costs
Copper safe a little less harsh and requires treatment and test kit

 

[Tonycass12]

I've never done TTM, so not very familiar with it, but seems with that many fish and the fact that you are going to be fallowing the tank for 45+ days anyway... I'd just put them in a cylced QT tank with copper. 45 days + seems like a pain to do TTM with so many fish...?

I look at it as catching and transferring really isint all the difficult. The most labor intensive part will be mixing salt and cleaning tanks repeatedly.

 

[Tonycass12]

You’ll need 2 tanks to start with TTM as for costs
Copper safe a little less harsh and requires treatment and test kit

Yeah I'm starting to lean more towards the copper. I can pick up another decent size tank like a 40 breeder and have a permanent treatment tank from here on out.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Yeah I'm starting to lean more towards the copper. I can pick up another decent size tank like a 40 breeder and have a permanent treatment tank from here on out.

That would be ideal

 

[Firepony]

I find feeding Garlic helps ALOT!! I also make my own food and pour in garlic guard. (Refrigerate after opening) Been doing it a year now and had no problem!

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I think its all going to come down to whats going to cost me less. I know both treatments are effective and i dont have any fish that should be over sensitive to copper. I have no issues with the time involved with TTM but it may end up costing me more then just doing copper to get all the gear for the multiple holding systems. If I go the copper route I'll get a hana checker for copper to make sure I'm as close as possible.

Thanks for the reply!

I agree, copper is your best bet. TTM causes a lot of stress due to handling, and then you need a tank to house all of the fish until your fallow period is over.
Coppersafe is an easy dose unless your QT has calcium substrate in it, then you need to redose more often.
Jay

 

[Tonycass12]

I agree, copper is your best bet. TTM causes a lot of stress due to handling, and then you need a tank to house all of the fish until your fallow period is over.
Coppersafe is an easy dose unless your QT has calcium substrate in it, then you need to redose more often.
Jay

Yup I think this is the route I will take. Just going to have an acrylic divider and some pvc elbows in the hospital tank so hopefully the copper won't fluctuate too much.

 

[MnFish1]

I think its all going to come down to whats going to cost me less. I know both treatments are effective and i dont have any fish that should be over sensitive to copper. I have no issues with the time involved with TTM but it may end up costing me more then just doing copper to get all the gear for the multiple holding systems. If I go the copper route I'll get a hana checker for copper to make sure I'm as close as possible.

Thanks for the reply!

Remember - time is money. I agree with @vetteguy53081 that copper is the way to go - and PS - per the pictures I cannot tell if it is CI - or velvet - (at least by my eyes). Though if the fish is not getting quickly sicker - CI seems more likely.

 

[mcgullen]

I am wondering why ESHA Exit is not discussed more here at R2R as a marine ich treatment. Malachite Green + MB combi is very effective IME.

 

[Tonycass12]

I am wondering why ESHA Exit is not discussed more here at R2R as a marine ich treatment. Malachite Green + MB combi is very effective IME.

I'll take a look into these thanks

 

[Tonycass12]

Remember - time is money. I agree with @vetteguy53081 that copper is the way to go - and PS - per the pictures I cannot tell if it is CI - or velvet - (at least by my eyes). Though if the fish is not getting quickly sicker - CI seems more likely.

I used to run some pretty large aquariums 5k+gallons and this definitely stands out to me as itch rather then velvet. Just small white dots appearing over a couple days, I know the pics aren't the best ill try and add more this afternoon. Luckily only the hippo is showing signs and he's still eating anything that gets dropped into the tank.

 

[MnFish1]

I am wondering why ESHA Exit is not discussed more here at R2R as a marine ich treatment. Malachite Green + MB combi is very effective IME.

The reason is that lots of fish survive CI with no treatment. Malachite green is not a great treatment. ESHA Exit is for use in freshwater - not salt water

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I am wondering why ESHA Exit is not discussed more here at R2R as a marine ich treatment. Malachite Green + MB combi is very effective IME.

It is a European product and a lot of us are in the US. We try to be more cosmopolitan, but in the end, we need to recommend what we know works well.

I’m not a fan of using malachite green in marine fish, it just doesn’t work as well as it does on freshwater ich.

Jay

 

[MnFish1]

It is a European product and a lot of us are in the US. We try to be more cosmopolitan, but in the end, we need to recommend what we know works well.

I’m not a fan of using malachite green in marine fish, it just doesn’t work as well as it does on freshwater ich.

Jay

Its also for freshwater not marine.

 

[Tonycass12]

Well guys I appreciate all the advice and im still going to go forward with getting all the fish into a quarantine system to get treated with copper. Sadly my little guy was gone when I got home from work today. I really appreciate all the advice and im going to take this as a learning lesson and change things up as I go forward and introduce fish into my tanks.

 

[MnFish1]

Well guys I appreciate all the advice and im still going to go forward with getting all the fish into a quarantine system to get treated with copper. Sadly my little guy was gone when I got home from work today. I really appreciate all the advice and im going to take this as a learning lesson and change things up as I go forward and introduce fish into my tanks.

Sorry to see that - they are harder - because often not exposed to 'pathogens'. hope the rest do better.