Copper is obviously bad for corals however, when removing fish from your display tank to treat ich parasites, can the fish be treated with copper in the quarantine? Then after 4 weeks have past (to allow the parasites in the display tank to die because of nothing to host) re-add them to your display tank containing corals?
Copper and Corals
- Thread starter erbio
- Start date
israelnajar
Active member
My LFS doses their tanks with copper and when add the fish to my display they go the water stays. No problems with dying corals or inverts. But hey that's just me. 
I know I should get a QT but I have added all fish and not had an ich outbreak since December before the LFS started dosing.
I know I should get a QT but I have added all fish and not had an ich outbreak since December before the LFS started dosing.
skydancer
New member
The best way to avoid ich is...
when you first see signs of it (especially on tangs) just raise the temperature above 80 degrees (slowly - over a course of 2-3 days) to above 80 degrees... and keep it there for at least 30 - 45 days to "kill" the outbreak.
IMO. the use of chemicals is the worst way to tackle the problem.
when you first see signs of it (especially on tangs) just raise the temperature above 80 degrees (slowly - over a course of 2-3 days) to above 80 degrees... and keep it there for at least 30 - 45 days to "kill" the outbreak.
IMO. the use of chemicals is the worst way to tackle the problem.
Psionicdragon
New member
Even if you QT the fish in copper for 4 weeks, there are still ich in the main tank.
I don't understand the 80 degrees thing.
I don't understand the 80 degrees thing.
israelnajar
Active member
A little info on getting rid of ick.
To get rid of ick:
Take every fish out of your display tank. We are talking weeks here. It's a hassle, but it's not like you can treat a whole reef system with hypo or copper, so there are really not other options to CURE - most people decide just to manage and hope they don't have outbreaks in the future.
If you run all fish through QT it will never be in your tanks at all. Can a coral that's in a tank with ICK introduce it to your system? YEP! Look at where you are buying from and if you have a doubt, run those through QT too. The parasite can't host/reproduce in the coral, but it can catch a ride from one tank to the next.
I like treating with hypo. I run about 1.009 specific gravity for a week plus. Take a few hours to drop to this level. Be sure to siphon out the bottom of your tank while doing this to help speed along the process. Don't use substrate/live rock. It's a good place for parasites to live. This is fish only - it will kill inverts. Hypo messes with the reproductive cycle of the parasites. Some people speculate that hypo may actually make it easier for the fish to osmoregulate. My fish have spent longer than a week in hypo just because I get busy and don't want to adjust the s.g. back up until I have time to observe the fish. They manage.
Copper works. Follow instructions on bottle. Use a test kit to accurately measure copper levels. Use only in a QT tank (Bare bottom, no live rock, etc.. ) Any substrate will absorb the copper and can leach it back out into the system later ( bye bye inverts). Don't run carbon in your filters with copper. It removes the copper. Copper is harsher because it suppresses the immune system of the fish. You are killing the parasite, but leave the fish with almost no ability to fight it off itself.
Increasing the temperature increases the life cycle speed of the parasite. Thereby allowing copper or other treatment to be effective more quickly. If treatment is going well, a temp. increase can speed things up. If things are not going well keeping the temp stable can buy you a little more time. In theory dropping the temp. should slow down the life cycle and give you even more time to work.
To get rid of ick:
Take every fish out of your display tank. We are talking weeks here. It's a hassle, but it's not like you can treat a whole reef system with hypo or copper, so there are really not other options to CURE - most people decide just to manage and hope they don't have outbreaks in the future.
If you run all fish through QT it will never be in your tanks at all. Can a coral that's in a tank with ICK introduce it to your system? YEP! Look at where you are buying from and if you have a doubt, run those through QT too. The parasite can't host/reproduce in the coral, but it can catch a ride from one tank to the next.
I like treating with hypo. I run about 1.009 specific gravity for a week plus. Take a few hours to drop to this level. Be sure to siphon out the bottom of your tank while doing this to help speed along the process. Don't use substrate/live rock. It's a good place for parasites to live. This is fish only - it will kill inverts. Hypo messes with the reproductive cycle of the parasites. Some people speculate that hypo may actually make it easier for the fish to osmoregulate. My fish have spent longer than a week in hypo just because I get busy and don't want to adjust the s.g. back up until I have time to observe the fish. They manage.
Copper works. Follow instructions on bottle. Use a test kit to accurately measure copper levels. Use only in a QT tank (Bare bottom, no live rock, etc.. ) Any substrate will absorb the copper and can leach it back out into the system later ( bye bye inverts). Don't run carbon in your filters with copper. It removes the copper. Copper is harsher because it suppresses the immune system of the fish. You are killing the parasite, but leave the fish with almost no ability to fight it off itself.
Increasing the temperature increases the life cycle speed of the parasite. Thereby allowing copper or other treatment to be effective more quickly. If treatment is going well, a temp. increase can speed things up. If things are not going well keeping the temp stable can buy you a little more time. In theory dropping the temp. should slow down the life cycle and give you even more time to work.
Roy G. Biv
Premium Member
What about the copper in his poop?
israelnajar
Active member
To rid your DT of parasites you need to leave it fallow (fishless) for 4 weeks 6 is better.
I have seen people tear down their reef tanks after years and find like 7 cents or so in pennies and they never had a problem. I am sure that the copper in the poop is not going to bother your reef. Besides Your skimmer should pull out the copper poop.
I have seen people tear down their reef tanks after years and find like 7 cents or so in pennies and they never had a problem. I am sure that the copper in the poop is not going to bother your reef. Besides Your skimmer should pull out the copper poop.
pledosophy
Active member
Pennies are made of lead not copper.
Even tanks where copper has been used are no longer invert safe as the copper can leach into the silicone.
Leaving a tank fallow for 6 weeks is a good way to kill all if the living parasites, however there is a chance of dormant eggs.
QTing all new additons corals and snails included is the best way to never have to battle ich.
7 years and counting, never a fish with ich in my tanks.
JME
Even tanks where copper has been used are no longer invert safe as the copper can leach into the silicone.
Leaving a tank fallow for 6 weeks is a good way to kill all if the living parasites, however there is a chance of dormant eggs.
QTing all new additons corals and snails included is the best way to never have to battle ich.
7 years and counting, never a fish with ich in my tanks.
JME
bues0022
New member
pennies made of lead? check again. If they were lead we'd all hanve mangled looking coils in our pockets. They're mostly zinc. From the US Mint website: "The alloy remained 95 percent copper and 5 percent zinc until 1982, when the composition was changed to 97.5 percent zinc and 2.5 percent copper (copper-plated zinc). "
http://www.usmint.gov/about_the_mint/fun_facts/index.cfm?flash=yes&action=fun_facts2
http://www.usmint.gov/about_the_mint/fun_facts/index.cfm?flash=yes&action=fun_facts2
skydancer
New member
At above 80 deg the ich eggs do not hatch and the cycle breaks... so the fish's immune system gets stronger and fights off the current infection.
I 've been keeping my reef from 80 - 81 deg for 2 1/2 years with no ich outbreaks. Knock on wood. I also have a 57W UV running 24/7.
Good luck.
hankthetank
In Memoriam
The reason for raising the temp is to get the parasite to drop off faster and produce the free-swimming stage which is more easily killed.The amount of water on a fish that is removed from QT is insignificant unless you are tranferring it into a 1 oz tank!The water is probably .5 ppm ionic copper at most.Do the math to determine the concentration in even a gallon of water,assuming that the fish is retaining say a tbsp of water on its skin and gills.
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