A very simple idea...

[sereneabe]

after reading about ich online, and the nature of quarantine systems, i thought of an idea, which i cant find any information on.

As far as i understand, copper kills the ich parasite in a matter of 2-ish weeks.

So, why not treat all incoming fish with copper in a quarantine system for 2 weeks, and reduce quarantine time by 2-4 weeks?

any information would be appreciated.

 

[snorvich]

after reading about ich online, and the nature of quarantine systems, i thought of an idea, which i cant find any information on.

As far as i understand, copper kills the ich parasite in a matter of 2-ish weeks.

So, why not treat all incoming fish with copper in a quarantine system for 2 weeks, and reduce quarantine time by 2-4 weeks?

any information would be appreciated.

Unfortunately, that information is not correct. Best for ich is TTM.
Also, copper is bad for fish.

 

[sereneabe]

right, so why wouldnt this work? obviously if it did, it would be a popular method...

looking to learn

 

[krullshards]

Also, TTM will just take you 12 days, but ich isn't the only parasite/disease you should be looking for in your incoming new fish. There are far more sinister diseases and parasites out there that you need to look out for.

 

[sereneabe]

ahh... i suppose quarantine isnt just for ich i suppose.

 

[krullshards]

ahh... i suppose quarantine isnt just for ich i suppose.

Yeah, ich is one of the less dangerous parasites that can afflict your fish. I've learned a lot on this forum. It's been eye opening and fascinating.

 

[snorvich]

ahh... i suppose quarantine isnt just for ich i suppose.

For sure. Formalin dip followed by TTM and five weeks observation.

 

[ThRoewer]

ahh... i suppose quarantine isnt just for ich i suppose.

Ich (Cryptocaryon irritans) would really be the least of my concern. It's more of a nuisance than anything else.
There is a plethora of much worse things new fish can come with: Amyloodinium ocellatum, Brooklynella hostilis, Uronema marinum, several species of monoganean trematodes, intestinal parasites, Trichodina,... just to name a few of the most common.

The prophylactic copper bath is not a new idea at all, but rather totally old school.
The problem with copper is that it is also toxic to the fish and an immunosuppressant.
In the old days of the hobby copper was the go-to cure for nearly everything. But today we know that it has a very limited efficiency and that many of the above mentioned parasites can handle it better than the fish. This, together with the immunosuppressant effect copper has, can wreck havoc on new fish.