Copper question

[Shobloth]

I just bought an IM 16 for a quarantine tank and put a batfish, cowfish and Hawaii fire fish in it. The cow had a small white spot on his back but not on any fins and the fire fish doesn't have any spots but is doing a very intermittent jerk swim in a hairpin. My wife wants me to pull the rock and put copper in, but every time I've seen ich it's been on the fins.

Thoughts?

 

[sc50964]

It will be easier to diagnose if an image is shown. But based on my exp with cow and box fish, they do show ich on their bodies. Given that both bat and cow fish are the more sensitive type of fish and you only see one spot, you may want to wait a little but pay close attention. If you use cupermine, which is my preferred choice of copper treatment, you won't need to pull the rocks as the med simply will suppress the living bacteria. What's more worrisome is what your bat fish is doing. You may want to find out what's causing it since what you are describing can be a symptom of something far more serious than ich.

 

[HumbleFish]

If memory serves, batfish are a copper sensitive species. I used to have a large "batfish tank", and I do remember they all stopped eating when I treated with Coppersafe once.

But it has been quite a few years since I've kept one. Maybe they do better in Cupramine?

 

[sc50964]

Copper question

I've never kept a bat fish so I have no input on that. Definitely suggest to ask the bat fish experts out there about its sensitivity to cupermine, which is known to be less toxic than other copper meds out there.