Fish and Treatment Guidelines (with chart)

[zed102]

Yes, that is my preferred treatment for them. I have done it successfully.

 

[MT. Reefer]

Fish and Treatment Guidelines (with chart)​

The following chart is a quick reference guide on what QT protocol should be used according to which type of fish you are running through QT. It will give you an idea of which methods are generally safest with certain species but is not meant to be absolute in most cases. All fish are individuals and can and will react differently than the norm to certain medications or situations. Just because most tangs do well in copper doesn’t mean that every tang will do well. The chart is numbered in levels of tolerance/ease with each method according to the general experience of several knowledgeable people including myself, @4FordFamily, @Humblefish, @eatbreakfast, @evolved and @Brew12. I thank each of them for their input and help in putting this whole thing together. You will also find helpful advice and tips for QT’ing many of the fish in this chart that are deemed more difficult.

Acronyms used: TTM = Tank Transfer Method CP = Chloroquine Phosphate

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** Angels have been found to be even more sensitive to ammonia poisoning than most other fish so more care should be taken to keep ammonia absolutely absent from the tanks during tank transfer method. This is why they are marked with an elevated risk level with TTM. With copper (both kinds) most angels have been found to be relatively resilient in it provided the copper levels are slowly raised over the course of 4 or 5 days. Taking longer never hurts as long as velvet is not suspected.

** The marked wrasse in this section have been found to be tolerant of these copper products provided the levels are carefully risen to therapeutic levels over the course of 4-10 days. Watching carefully for tolerance issues since all fish are individuals and may react differently than the norm. No wrasses should be treated with CP until more testing can be done to understand why they seem to do so poorly.

** Wrasse in general should be allowed to settle and start eating for several days before copper treatment is started. While they can handle copper, it’s best to give them the time before hand for maximum chance of survival. If a wrasse has an injury or infection before going into QT, that “settling time” should be extended until the injury or infection has healed completely before starting copper. Provide a small glass dish of sand for the wrasse that bury at night to help keep them comfortable while in QT.

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Photo by R2R member @Rsaalman​

** The harlequin tusk seems to be tolerant of all coppers but care must be taken with how quickly the levels are raised. Take 4-5 days to raise copper up to therapeutic levels and watch for tolerance issues

** I have kept lionfish in copper for long periods before without issue, but it's tricky to get them eating and keep them eating. Also, not all the lions attempted lasted in the copper. It seems that 2 out of 5 would do ok and the rest would perish rather quickly.

** I have kept puffers in copper for periods of time as well, but it was chelated copper and it was risky. They refused to eat for up to 2 weeks and had to be enticed using live foods and whole gulf cost shrimp. I didn't have the luxury of raising the levels slowly, so if it's absolutely needed to treat a puffer with copper, then do so slowly if possible.

**Some Zebrasoma tangs seem to be completely intolerant of copper. This is quickly decided if red blotches, loss of color or the refuse to eat while raising the copper levels. If this happens the fish should be removed into a QT with no copper in it until it resumes eating and it's color has returned. If it happens again after a second try in copper, another QT method should be used if possible.

If you have any questions on an individual species not listed here, please ask. Also, never be afraid to create a thread in the disease forum with QT questions as well.

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photo by R2R member @d_adler​

Mel, I cannot open this. It says page not found when I try. Can you look into it?

 

[Humblefish]

Mel, I cannot open this. It says page not found when I try. Can you look into it?

Looking into it

 

[Brew12]

All of the articles went down last night... looks like it is working now.

 

[Ento-Reefer]

This chart is super useful!! A big thank you to the OP for posting it and all of the great information in this thread.

I have successfully treated both angels and tangs with coppersafe in qt. before, but I have always been super scared to put wrasse through a proper qt protocol. I have skipped qt with them in the past, but I will not do this moving forward.

 

[Renee180]

Can you use coppersafe with a lyretail? I can not see this chart here it keeps coming up as error.

Isn't coppersafe the one I should use unstead of CP? I was under the impression they are two different medicines?

 

[Brew12]

Isn't coppersafe the one I should use unstead of CP? I was under the impression they are two different medicines?

The treatments fall under 3 main categories. Ionic Copper (Cupramine), Chelated Copper (Coppersafe, Copperaid), and Chloroquin Phosphate which we abbreviate as CP. It is not a copper product.

 

[DeepBlueSomething]

For a melanurus wrasse -- is it recommended to use CopperSafe and a bowl of sand? I am not sure the final advice on substrate / copper and wrasses. TIA

 

[Humblefish]

For a melanurus wrasse -- is it recommended to use CopperSafe and a bowl of sand? I am not sure the final advice on substrate / copper and wrasses. TIA

Yes - use a Pyrex bowl because glass does not absorb (but plastic will).

 

[ediner198]

Hey started my tank of 8 months back up protien skimmer stopped working but have a reef octopus coming in my issue is I bought a few fish from a wholesaler amazing guy beuitif place I qt the fish for a little over 6 weeks noene had no signs of ick or velvet by the 3rd the clown and ****** triggers are showing spots but are still very active and strong

love them but I am using the kordon copper aid 16fl ounces and the blue trigger waks up with it and by mid day lots spots are gone the clown trigger is also eating is getting him should I dosed again and how long b4 it all goes away

 

[ediner198]

Do you know how Lyretail Hogfish are with copper? Also is it normal for fish to continue to lose weight even know they are eating a lot, with ick?

Can you use coppersafe with a lyretail? I can not see this chart here it keeps coming up as error.

 

[ediner198]

How much copper to remote ick in my dt

 

[Radman73]

I've read anecdotal remarks about not using copper on engineer gobies as they are scaleless. Does anyone have experience with this? These remarks are all 6-7 years old though and I'm hoping someone can offer more recent experience. Prefer to avoid TTM and just run copper on one tank. Not a big deal as I can use some 10gal's and do TTM.

 

[cody hendrix]

I only have 1 quarantine tank and I am bringing in a lot of fish that I saved. I am wandering the best quarantine practice I should use. The fish are as follows. zebra eels, marine betta, yellow tang, Vrolik's Wrasse, Pakistan Butterflyfish, Fu Manchu Lionfish,Dwarf/Zebra Lionfish. All fish are small under 3 inches with the exception of the eel. It is around a foot. I have Prazipro, Coppersafe, Cupramine, Rid Ich plus, Furan-2, General cure, Metroplex, Kanaplex. I would like to use just the one tank. I know some of these fish are not compatible with some of these medicens, I would like the best solution as these fish are coming from a not so good looking tank. I am also looking for a vet that will write me a script for CP but have be unsuccessful with the first vet I went to.

Thanks in advance

 

[Victoria M]

I used my python hose to empty my QT with cupramine by Seachem. I know. But it was it was an emergency. Is my my hose now ruined for regular use? I think it is. I ran 10 gallons of cupramine water thru it. The normal clear tube was changed to a small diameter piece of PVC.

 

[Victoria M]

Silicone neither appreciably binds nor leaches copper.

The concern is deposits of calcium carbonate and organics, that do bind copper.

I may have answered my questions. I think the python hose is silicone. but what about the green plastic parts. more research...

 

[NowGlazeIT]

I may have answered my questions. I think the python hose is silicone. more research...

Thanks for posting!that’s a good question. I didn’t think about it yet because I’m just starting copper treatment for the first time and that’s a relief

 

[NowGlazeIT]

Yes - use a Pyrex bowl because glass does not absorb (but plastic will).

I didn’t know I could use sand during copper treatment I thought this was advised against because copper gets absorbed

 

[Victoria M]

I didn’t know I could use sand during copper treatment I thought this was advised against because copper gets absorbed

You have to measure copper daily because because the sand can change to amount of copper in the water depending how much the sand binds, and you have to discard the sand when you are done with the copper part of the treatment process.

 

[NowGlazeIT]

You have to measure copper daily because because the sand can change to amount of copper in the water depending how much the sand binds, and you have to discard the sand when you are done with the copper part of the treatment process.

Hmmm now I have a decision to make because copper is stable and still on the rise to therapeutic levels my yellow wrasses hates not having sand but is also the dominant of the QT so I wasn’t to worried but I do hate seeing my fish stressed