Copper as QT prophylactic

[camp]

I was thinking about using seachems paraguard as a prohlactic treatment. It says it does a veriaty of things, plus ick. I dont know if it would work for what we want it to do. Mabey a litte safer.

 

[Stuart60611]

Ok...My last response to you, Stuart. How do you expect a newbie to effectively treat with either copper or hypo, when they are just learning about a saltwater reef and have had their system up for maybe a month or so and they're struggling to just keep their salinity where it needs to be? There may be a time and place for your advice but, IMHO, it ain't when first starting out.

A lot easier for a newbie to deal with the difficulties of hypo or copper than it is for a newbie to deal with a parasitic display filled with fish. This hobby is not easy at any stage. What we are left with is balancing risk so as to minimize risk and make things as easy as we can. No approach is free from risk or difficulties. It is a matter of managing them most effectively so as to minimize risk and difficulties. Dealing with a display tank full of fish and parasites is so much more difficult than treating a single fish. Moreover, risking the life of a single fish is less potentially costly than risking many other fish in your display.

 

[Stuart60611]

Well if I had to do it all over again and was a newbie that did not want to QT.....I would not buy anything from a LFS. All my purchases would come from Live Aquaria Divers Den....and even then you are still taking a chance. QT is not easy....I have lost a decent amount of fish in QT. I guess I would rather lose fish in QT then infect my entire tank. I have a black tang coming tomorrow that will go in my QT.....Say a prayer for me and the black tang...PLEASE!!!!

Best of luck with the black tang. Just a thought on your difficulties with quarantine. Have you thought about, perhaps, improving your quarantine system, and specifically, increasing its size? A large quarantine system goes a long way imo in assuring fish survive the process.

 

[RBU1]

I think I have a more then adequate QT system. Its a 30 long with a W/D filter large enough for a 125. In my opinion the smaller the QT the better. Its easier to do large water changes on a smaller tank. I change 80% of the water weekly.

 

[Stuart60611]

I think I have a more then adequate QT system. Its a 30 long with a W/D filter large enough for a 125. In my opinion the smaller the QT the better. Its easier to do large water changes on a smaller tank. I change 80% of the water weekly.

Just a thought, but the size of your quarantine tank could be the root of your problems. Although a smaller water volume allows you to keep water quality up through easy large water changes and an oversized filter, it does pose some other major problems. Crowding has been known to make fish less able to fight off parasites. You certainly would never house your black tang long term in a 30 long b/c it needs so much more space. As such, placing the black tang in an undersized 30 long causes the fish to suffer a great deal of stress because it just needs more space to feel relaxed. If you treat the black tang already stressed in a 30 gallon water volume, then the stress just increases. A larger quarantine water volume may greatly eliminate stress the fish suffers while in quarantine and thereby increase its chances of survival. A cheap large plastic tub holding 75 or 100 gallons could work. Plus, the larger water volume also works well in keeping water quality high even if you do not change as much water out.

 

[RBU1]

Well we are kinda derailing this persons thread......BUT!!!! I would never put a large fish in a 30 long but a 2" black tang I have no problem with it. Heck I would even consider a 10 gallon....All of the fish I have lost in QT have been on the small size. My guess is the copper did them in....My large fish were all QT'd in a 125. I am going to try a different approach on the black tang....Just going to observe and see what happens....

 

[oxford]

not to hijack this thread but dont scooters eat the normal fish foods? must they have copepods?

A question I wish I had known to ask before buying. I went into my LFS looking for a couple of gobies or blennies. The watchman I had my eye on was in a treatment tank because of an infected tankmate, so they suggested a couple of scooter blennies. Stupid me, I assumed the thing labelled as a blenny was actually a blenny!

Long story short, we got a little lucky and I think we're doing okay. I say lucky because I ended up ignorantly picking a male and a female who get along perfectly well. I say I think we're doing okay because they aren't the easiest feed for a beginner and it's still early. I have taken a two-pronged approach. First I made an in-tank microfuge and stocked it with chaeto and pods. I also do frequent (2-3 times each day) supplemental feedings of frozen brine shrimp and micro pellets, shutting down all pumps and heads before feeding so that the food can settle on the bottom. I have a solid CUC of peppermint shrimp, various snails, bristle & peanut worms, and mini stars, and I run various filter media and a skimmer. I also check levels at least twice each week to make sure I'm not OVERfeeding.

The scooters (we call them dragonets now) graze continually and seem to be thriving. We're a long way from calling it a success story just yet, but will continue to fight the good fight.

 

[oxford]

Well we are kinda derailing this persons thread......BUT!!!! I would never put a large fish in a 30 long but a 2" black tang I have no problem with it. Heck I would even consider a 10 gallon....All of the fish I have lost in QT have been on the small size. My guess is the copper did them in....My large fish were all QT'd in a 125. I am going to try a different approach on the black tang....Just going to observe and see what happens....

No worries. My question was asked and answered, I've moved on! Derail away...:dance:

 

[lewis.maryann08]

I have flake or ick in my tank and I have a scooter blenny and I was thinking about putting all of them even the scooter in QT in do you think my scooter blenny will be ok?
He eats flakes and pellets..

Sent from my SM-G930R7 using Tapatalk

 

[Louis Z]

Those blennies are difficult. Probably the best way is to put them in a seasoned system just because they are delicate and treat if necessary. I would house them in the system for several months. Fatten them up and then start TTM and other meds to be sure they don't bring anything in. To me those are special case otherwise I do treat prophylactically. My main concern in doing so is velvet . This disease acts very quickly and if it overwhelms the fish then they usually don't survive. Usually wait and see is too late for successful velvet treatment. I also FW dip and paraguard conc dip . FW is supposed to knock velvet off along with flukes. Paraguard for flukes too. These dips I do before transfer during the TTM. If fish species can handle copper I do use it. General cure also added in TTM . So many times the wait and see approach led to failure. I consider all fish sick when purchased . I have been burned too many times.

 

[Louis Z]

I was thinking about using seachems paraguard as a prohlactic treatment. It says it does a veriaty of things, plus ick. I dont know if it would work for what we want it to do. Mabey a litte safer.

I use this against flukes . I can't trust it to eliminate ick and velvet as it stated on seachems website . As for the lice comment - lice are not deadly but velvet and ick is .