Copper question

[fiji4118]

Hi all,

So currently moving my 72 reef to a 150. Changing the 72 bow to a predator tank for my wife. She wants a regal angel, porc puffer, clown trigger and a lion of some type. Trying to talk her into letting me add an eel but she hates them. :rollface: Currently I run a refugium on this tank and figured it would not hurt to continue. I was thinking of keeping this tank medicated with copper safe or something like it for a while as I had a problem with ich when it was a reef and i introduced tangs specifically. Every one would get it and would either die or fight through while I treated with something reef safe. What will the copper do to the refugium? I figure it will kill the pods and what not but what about the algae that is taking care of nitrates and what not? Any reason not to do this?

Thanks!!

 

[fiji4118]

just reading about how triggers and lions are bad tankmates so assume one or the other won't be in there...

 

[ziyaadb]

dude rather go the difficult route at 1st and qt all fish instead of having to treat the tank with copper. it will be easier in the long run and keep everything healthier. ps regal angel is a difficult fish to keep alive

 

[DoubleM 10]

dude rather go the difficult route at 1st and qt all fish instead of having to treat the tank with copper. it will be easier in the long run and keep everything healthier. ps regal angel is a difficult fish to keep alive

not everyone has the money of QT

i personally ran copper in one of my tank because a fish got ich and i did not know what else to do

i waited till all the fish were treated. then removed all copper with aggresive carbon and cupi-sorb by seachem

it was about 2 months before any inverts could safely go back in the tank

so QT would be best. i have one now. but the fact of the matter is you dont NEED one but it would be best

i did it for a while. i would get one for the long run but for the short you would be ok as long as u dont care if you have inverts for a while.

matt

 

[agreeive?fish]

bad fish list for a 72g

regal angel
may or may or be ok in it as mine doing fine in a 75g at the moment but moving to a175g bow in the next month or so(cyling now)

clown trigger gets to big/active for a 72g

porc puffer gets to big for a 72g

lionfish depending on species of lionfish some will work in a 72g and some get too big for a 72g

puffers and triggers make very bad tank mates for a lion in any sized tank

 

[MrTuskfish]

bad fish list for a 72g

regal angel
may or may or be ok in it as mine doing fine in a 75g at the moment but moving to a175g bow in the next month or so(cyling now)

clown trigger gets to big/active for a 72g

porc puffer gets to big for a 72g

lionfish depending on species of lionfish some will work in a 72g and some get too big for a 72g

puffers and triggers make very bad tank mates for a lion in any sized tank

+1, this is mix of fish just waiting for a disaster. I really can't tell from reading (hey, getting older ain't fun!)---does your tank have ich now? As to affording a QT: you can probably find everything you need for a basic QT (try Craigs List) for less than the price of some of the fish you have listed. IMO & IME; A QT is vital for long term success in this hobby.

A comment on the copper: Cupramine copper will kill all inverts (including the tiny life using the LR as home), but it won't wipe out your bio-filter bacteria. However, LR really absorbs copper and will leach it back and you'll never know when. Its really impossible to monitor copper levels with LR, which is vital. I'm a big fan of using copper as a preventative; but think it should never be used in a tank containing anything that cannot be sterilized or absorbs copper.

 

[viggen]

unless the lion you are referring to is a dwarf the puffer, lion & trigger will outgrow the tank in a very short time reaching 12in long in captivity.

If you want a trigger possibly a bluejaw or sargassum would be a better option. A LOT less attitude & I do not believe they grow nearly as big??

Puffers..... well even a 150g is small for many of these since they grow to the 1-2ft range

I would re-consider the fish you want, you need to stick with smaller varieties of fish & ones w/o attitudes My wife also axed a eel in my house..... she would probably have nightmares with something that resembles a snake living here. Zebra Morray's are so cool though....

Filter wise, I would make a wet/dry filter & move the refugium & LR to the 150g. Buy lava rock or a similar inexpensive rock for decoration which would allow you to use this tank as your QT for when/if fish from your 150g get sick. I use mardell's coppersafe for treating ich on my tank's

 

[hardin4019]

The thing to do with your rock and other materials that would otherwise absorb the copper is to run them for 8 weeks without fish in them... This gives the parasite to run its full life cycle and die off... I believe you can even influence a wave of ich parasite hatching by reducing the temp then bringing it back up. Some things start the life cycle of the parasite (do some research and check my info). Once it starts the life cycle, it will die after a while of having no fish and the bugs will start dieing for lack of food. Otherwise, you are stuck doing what I am doing right now, remove all of the rock, substrate, and plants (basically the entire fuge), then treat with copper. But treating with copper doesn't really make much sense (unless you know you have ich and what stage of the life cycle it is in). If you read up on copper treatments, I believe it only works to kill the parasite when in the free swimming stage.

 

[Clay]

I would consider setting up a qt the cheapest of your costs. A small tank, a heater, a filter, and a couple pieces of pvc or rock are all that is required. All of these things can be purchased new for under $100 or on CL for even less.

On top of that, as others have mentioned, that fish list is a recipe for disaster. But, to answer your question, yes, it will kill your inverts to include your pods.

 

[fiji4118]

This is why you ask questions in forums. Great info folks. The wife had just given me some fish she wanted and I tossed it out there. As far as size limits, as fish outgrown my tank I typically trade them out for little ones and start the whole process over. I have some friends that have much bigger tanks and they like that they don't have to pay the LFS for larger fish. Done that with some tangs that started 2-3" and grew to 6". I will look at the dwarves. That's everyone for the input, saved me a ton of grief!