How to Quarantine

[VJV]

Thanks! I guess is a case of out of the fire and into the frying pan...[emoji4]. Out of curiosity, how slow do you increase your Cupramine concentration?

 

[Humblefish]

Thanks! I guess is a case of out of the fire and into the frying pan...[emoji4]. Out of curiosity, how slow do you increase your Cupramine concentration?

I'm more of a CP man nowadays, but back when I used Cupramine I would take 4-5 days to get it up to therapeutic.

 

[VJV]

I usually take one or two weeks so that is probably not the reason either.

 

[VJV]

Another question: can I use PraziPro in a bath? I am thinking of giving the fish a Prazipro bath before adding to the display but not sure about the dosage or duration.

 

[Humblefish]

Another question: can I use PraziPro in a bath? I am thinking of giving the fish a Prazipro bath before adding to the display but not sure about the dosage or duration.

Hikari (who makes Prazipro) has told me the fish needs to be exposed to their product for at least 24 hrs in order to deworm. However, some research I've done on my own leads me to believe 4-6 hrs exposure time may be sufficient.

Some online places over here (notably Diver's Den) soak the fish food in praziquantel in order to deworm. But I have my doubts about the effectiveness of that, especially if the fish isn't eating much.

 

[VJV]

Thanks!

 

[jaws789832]

I ordered a powder brown tang from my lfs who came in today. The stores policy is to keep him for a week in a copper ( cuprimine) tank to make sure he is disease free and is eating before he comes home. Their dosage in their tank is .5. My question is 2 part.
1. I usually adjust the copper treatment up slowly over a week to .5 but since he is already in copper can i just dose my tank up to .5 before I put him in and shorten the copper treatment in my wt a week?
2. I usually do prazipro before the copper treatment but since he is already in copper should I wait until the copper is done then prazi or can I do them at the same time.

This is all assuming I dont notice any diseases before I bring him home. Thanks in advance

 

[melypr1985]

I ordered a powder brown tang from my lfs who came in today. The stores policy is to keep him for a week in a copper ( cuprimine) tank to make sure he is disease free and is eating before he comes home. Their dosage in their tank is .5. My question is 2 part.
1. I usually adjust the copper treatment up slowly over a week to .5 but since he is already in copper can i just dose my tank up to .5 before I put him in and shorten the copper treatment in my wt a week?
2. I usually do prazipro before the copper treatment but since he is already in copper should I wait until the copper is done then prazi or can I do them at the same time.

This is all assuming I dont notice any diseases before I bring him home. Thanks in advance

1. Yes you can just match your QT's copper and salinity to the LFS's water and then transfer the fish over after floating for temp match. No problem
2. You can do prazi and copper together. Done this way, prazi can be less effective but doing a third dose wont be too much of an issue and probably not necessary.

 

[Dreadnaught]

@Humblefish. This M Foxface has been in QT for few weeks. I started Cupramine 11 days ago. Day 2 of treatment I left for vacation. Prior he was eating demysis, pellets, and Caulerpa (which lasted a week while I was gone... Typically it doesn't last overnight). Should I end the Cu treatment?

 

[Humblefish]

@smaggert Is he still eating or has he stopped?

 

[Dreadnaught]

Sorry I got "distracted" by work and didn't finish my thought. He has stopped eating my tank sitter said she didn't see him eat. (Feed every other day). This is much darker than his normal stress change.

 

[Dreadnaught]

I decided to pull him and put him in coral QT. his color went back to normal almost immediately. (Not eating yet). He has a new black spot near his gill that now worries me (one side). I already treated with Prazipro and Paraguard.

.

 

[Humblefish]

@smaggert Looks like a bacterial infection to me; you will need to treat with antibiotics next: Kanaplex and/or Furan-2.

More info: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/bacterial-infections.191511/

 

[Dreadnaught]

@Humblefish.... I have Melafix. Is it as effective?

 

[mdk]

Curious what humblefish has to say about melafix as well. Had to bail on cuprimine treatment for a hippo tang in order to treat what appears to be a skin infection. Using melafix as that is all pet value keeps in stock. Hippo has stopped eating!

 

[Dreadnaught]

I did a little research. Mela fix appears to be a natural treatment rather than a true antibiotic. I am on my way to LF S to get penicillin.

 

[Dreadnaught]

You can get PCN from a local vet. Directions are 1 x 250mg tablet/10g of water every 2 days for a minimum of 3 treatments. Just drop in and let dissolve. No carbon/UV etc...it will kill most bacterial in system (including good bacteria).

 

[Humblefish]

@Humblefish.... I have Melafix. Is it as effective?

There is some evidence that it helps with mild infections, probably by boosting the fish's natural immune system. But for serious infections, I would use antibiotics.

I did a little research. Mela fix appears to be a natural treatment rather than a true antibiotic. I am on my way to LF S to get penicillin.

There are much better choices for treating SW fish: Kanamycin, Nitrofurazone, Triple Sulfa, Erythromycin/Minocycline combination... even Ciprofloxacin would be better than using Penicillin.

 

[VJV]

@Humblefish: up in a little bit of a dilemma right now: I have finished the 3 weeks of cupramine (plus one of ramp up) on the remaining fish (two clowns and a lawnmower blenny) after my two tangs died. I had previously had the fish in the qt for 3 weeks and given a praziquantel bath outside of the tank. If you remember a while back you said that my Praziquantel protocol had some flaws basically because I treated the fish outside of the tank, so there was always a chance they would be reinfected once put into the tank. So, I was thinking of doing one full tank treatment with Praziro before putting the blenny in my main tank.

My problem is this: the blenny has barely eaten in the past three weeks, and is very thin as you can see from the picture. I have never seen any rubbing of the fish over these 7weeks in QT so I was thinking about throwing the blenny straight into the display tank so he can munch on the algae I have. I am concerned he may may starve if I keep him there another full week for the prazi treatment, but on the other hand do not want to introduce flukes. Any suggestions?

Another alternative would be to put him in my small (8g) coral qt that is not occupied at the moment and has quite a bit of GHA to keep him entertained and treat there with prazi, but my concerns would be 1) could I use the tank for corals after having prazi in and 2) being a coral qt tank the biological filter is most likely not up to the task of dealing with the increased bio load and could possible result in an Amonia spike...

 

[Humblefish]

@VJV I would perform a FW dip to see whether or not he has flukes before putting him in the DT. If no flukes show up (see below in red), you are good to go.

Freshwater Dip: Provides temporary relief for Brooklynella, Flukes, Marine Velvet disease (Amyloodinium); possibly even Ich & Uronema marinum (both unproven). Can be used to confirm the presence of Flukes.

How To Treat - Fill a bucket with RODI water, and use a heater to match the temperature to the water the fish is coming from. Aerate the water heavily for at least 30 minutes prior to doing the dip, then discontinue aeration while performing the dip. Fish aren’t overly pH sensitive for short durations like this, but you can squirt a little tank water into the dip just before the fish goes in to help bring it up.

Place the fish in the freshwater (FW) dip and observe closely. It is not unusual for them to freak out a little at first. Also, tangs are notorious for “playing dead” during a FW dip. The important thing is to watch their gills; they should be breathing heavily at all times during the dip. If breathing slows, it’s time to exit the dip. Dip the fish for no longer than 5 minutes. Multiple dips may be done, but it’s important to give your fish a day to recuperate in-between dips.

For flukes, use a dark (preferably black) bucket so you can see if tiny white worms fall out of the fish (especially out of the gills) at around the 3-4 minute mark. The worms will settle to the bottom, so you can use a flashlight to look for them there as well.

Pros - Provides temporary relief for a wide range of diseases in a chemical free environment. Can “buy you more time” until a proper treatment can be done.

Cons/Side Effects - Not a permanent “fix” for any disease, as FW dips are not potent enough to eradicate all of the parasites/worms afflicting the fish. Some fish can have an adverse reaction to a FW dip by appearing unable to maintain their equilibrium once returned to the aquarium. If this happens, hold the fish upright (using latex, nitrile or rubber gloves), and gently glide him through the water (to get saltwater flowing through the gills again). It is also a good idea to place the fish in an acclimation box until he appears “normal”.