Precautionary copper treatment in quarantine tank

[Billyreef-ita]

Hi everybody,
After some deaths in my 75g tank I’m setting up a quarantine tank. I should have done it earlier….
I’m studying how it works and everything is pretty clear, I only have one doubt as I understand that some reefers administer a copper treatment during the quarantine period even if the fish does not show evidence of disease. It is a sort of precaution in case of internal parasites that might show up in the future.
To a certain extent it makes sense, however I wonder if this is maybe to aggressive for the the fish that is already stressed by the new tank.
Thanks for your thoughts

 

[fishywishy]

It’s definitely stressful for them and it depends of the type of fish and state they’re in, but for most fish as long as you do it right it won’t harm them.

Ive never had a problem and lots of other people quarantine their fish with no problems at all either.

 

[Miami Reef]

It is a sort of precaution in case of internal parasites that might show up in the future.

It can be a prophylactic treatment for certain external parasites, such as ich and marine velvet when used asymptomatically.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Hi everybody,
After some deaths in my 75g tank I’m setting up a quarantine tank. I should have done it earlier….
I’m studying how it works and everything is pretty clear, I only have one doubt as I understand that some reefers administer a copper treatment during the quarantine period even if the fish does not show evidence of disease. It is a sort of precaution in case of internal parasites that might show up in the future.
To a certain extent it makes sense, however I wonder if this is maybe to aggressive for the the fish that is already stressed by the new tank.
Thanks for your thoughts

Because protozoan diseases are more difficult to control once they get started, and because many aquarists miss the early signs of disease, using an amine chelated copper like coppersafe or copper power is the backbone of a good quarantine protocol.

Not all copper products are as mild - ionic products tend to be a bit harsher with a narrower dose range.

Paramount to all this is to accurately measure the copper concentration - Hanna low range for ionic products and their high range tester for amine chelated copper products.

Here is our basic quarantine protocol:

Current Quarantine Protocol

2023 Quarantine Procedures Jay Hemdal David Scarborough Protozoans (Cryptocaryon/ich, Amyloodinium/velvet) and Metazoan trematodes/flukes are by far the most common parasites found on newly acquired fish. A carefully managed quarantine process can effectively eliminate these parasites before...

www.reef2reef.com

Jay

 

[Jekyl]

It’s definitely stressful for them and it depends of the type of fish and state they’re in, but for most fish as long as you do it right it won’t harm them.

Ive never had a problem and lots of other people quarantine their fish with no problems at all either.

Use of copper power or coppersafe does not cause the issues mentioned here (in most cases species depending). Alternatively these fish were already in a state where survival wasn't guaranteed. It's important to research the correct form of copper for the species in mind.

 

[Rappa]

The fish that I have had issues with while QT'ing in CopperPower, have been Anthias and Bengai Cardinals. I don't pretend to know why, but for me, they always seem to lose appetite at some point, then they just go downhill and die. While other fish in the same QT tank do phenomenal. I have given up on purchasing any more of these fish just to kill them... as much I would like to have them, I will never add a fish to my display without QT'ing again.

 

[SharonRN]

Use of copper power or coppersafe does not cause the issues mentioned here (in most cases species depending). Alternatively these fish were already in a state where survival wasn't guaranteed. It's important to research the correct form of copper for the species in mind.

What type of copper would you recommend for a sailfin tang. It has been in QT for 4 days now. Decided to wait and see how it does rather than medicate immediately. It is very active and eating very well. So far no signs of any illness.

 

[Jekyl]

What type of copper would you recommend for a sailfin tang. It has been in QT for 4 days now. Decided to wait and see how it does rather than medicate immediately. It is very active and eating very well. So far no signs of any illness.

Here is the site recommended method for quarantine

Current Quarantine Protocol

2023 Quarantine Procedures Jay Hemdal David Scarborough Protozoans (Cryptocaryon/ich, Amyloodinium/velvet) and Metazoan trematodes/flukes are by far the most common parasites found on newly acquired fish. A carefully managed quarantine process can effectively eliminate these parasites before...

www.reef2reef.com