HT Copper Treatment, Fish Issue

[G&B Reefing]

Hi,

I had ich in the display tank so went about setting up a HT so that I can dose with copper. I have a royal gramma that looks concerning.

It started off with the little white spots hence the HT tank. HT was set up in a 10 gal. Added a few rocks from my DT sump to help the cycle. Dosed coppersafe over 3 days to get to recommended 2ppm. All fish were eating fine for the last 5 days and swimming like normal. Yesterday the royal gramma started acting dazed and lethargic. Clearly something is up with this one. All others are acting fine. Right now it is in a corner mid way up the tank fighting to hold position (see pics).

I did an ammonia test yesterday thinking maybe thats it. Red sea test. Ammonia was 0.8 but i also have two seachem ammonia alert badges and they register 0. Did 4x 25% water changes while maintaining copper concentrations. Ammonia still measured 0.8ish. Per a few other posts ive noticed that many ammonia tests give false positives. Also read that the seachem badges should be unaffected. Also, I have tested copper with two different tests (seachem and fritz) and am just shy of 2ppm.

Should i be doing anything different or is this one a gonner?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

G&B Reefing Welcome to the Fish Disease Treatment and Diagnosis Forum!

The #fishmedic team and other knowledgeable members of our community will do our best to help you resolve your questions. Please provide as much of the following as you are able:

• Brief description of the issue you are observing and answers to the following questions:
  • How long have you had the fish with the condition?
  • Did you quarantine with medication when you first acquired the fish? (If Yes, which medication?)
• Current water quality measurements
• Clear photos of the issue taken using WHITE light and/or a short video of any behaviors (post in your response or on YouTube).

If you can help us by providing as much of the above info as possible, it will make diagnosing and providing recommendations for treatment MUCH easier! The Fish Medic team will get back to you as quickly as possible. In the meantime, other members of our community may also share their experience with similar situations and advice that they may have regarding your situation.

You may also feel free to provide a more detailed description of the condition if you wish to share more info than the above list.

Additionally, these links may be useful while you await a response:

• CURRENT QT PROTOCOL LINK
• HOW TO ASK FOR DISEASE DIAGNOSIS HELP LINK

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Hi,

I had ich in the display tank so went about setting up a HT so that I can dose with copper. I have a royal gramma that looks concerning.

It started off with the little white spots hence the HT tank. HT was set up in a 10 gal. Added a few rocks from my DT sump to help the cycle. Dosed coppersafe over 3 days to get to recommended 2ppm. All fish were eating fine for the last 5 days and swimming like normal. Yesterday the royal gramma started acting dazed and lethargic. Clearly something is up with this one. All others are acting fine. Right now it is in a corner mid way up the tank fighting to hold position (see pics).

I did an ammonia test yesterday thinking maybe thats it. Red sea test. Ammonia was 0.8 but i also have two seachem ammonia alert badges and they register 0. Did 4x 25% water changes while maintaining copper concentrations. Ammonia still measured 0.8ish. Per a few other posts ive noticed that many ammonia tests give false positives. Also read that the seachem badges should be unaffected. Also, I have tested copper with two different tests (seachem and fritz) and am just shy of 2ppm.

Should i be doing anything different or is this one a gonner?

Can you post a video of the fish so that I can see its breathing rate?
The damage to its tail fin implies some issue with a tankmate, what other fish are in with it?

The ammonia reading is mostly due to the coppersafe, it uses ammonia to bind the copper to make it less toxic to the fish.

 

[G&B Reefing]

I will work on the video. I have a coral beauty in there and she is a bit of a butt. Fin damage was there prior to going into HT. Noticed the more white spots it got the more it was looking rough with damaged fins. Was going to try and find some egg crate at home depot to separate in the HT.

I assume i shouldnt fuss over my high ammonia readings then? Trust the 2x seachem badges i have in the tank?

 

[G&B Reefing]

 

[G&B Reefing]

 

[vetteguy53081]

Also no rocks in HT which will absorb some of the treatment

 

[G&B Reefing]

Been monitoring the levels with two different tests. Absorption is low if not negligible. Its a few small pieces, not a full 10lb. Also lets keep it on topic. Not wanting to start a side debate.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

The breathing rate is o.k., but the fish seems negatively buoyant. Can you see how it sinks and then flicks its fins to rise up again? That isn't normal. Grammas should be able to hover effortlessly.

So, why would that be? IDK. It is some problem with the swim bladder. More often, fish develop positive buoyancy, and tend to float. I've seen fish develop this issue when held at hyposalinity.

Jay

 

[G&B Reefing]

Thanks for the input. He is still alive but isnt eating. Likely just a matter of time…