Copper treatment
- Thread starter new2scene
- Start date
Just to cover my bases i did the amonia test on the qt, my tap water and tap water with the chlorine neutralizer. the test showed (i'm starting to feel like a chemist) qt .50, tap water.25, tap water with neutralizer 0. I was just reading this article on doing emergency water changes maybe this will help. i'm also going to take a sample to my lfs tomorrow. will let you know what happens.Thanks.
http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/nitratecontrol/a/aa072999_5.htm
http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/nitratecontrol/a/aa072999_5.htm
bureau13
New member
A couple of comments...yes, your tank does need to cycle if it doesn't have live rock/sand. Its just that the bacteria colony will be on something else, like your filter. Its generally a good idea to have your QT fully cycled and ready to go before the fish go in, but in this case that's water under the bridge.
If you're dosing copper, you need to make sure you're testing for it as well. Dosing coppersafe "every day" scares me. If it weren't for the water changes and the carbon, you really wouldn't need to continue dosing at all once you were at the proper level. Too much and you will kill the fish quicker than the ich will.
I highly recommend Cupramine for a copper-based med, and the Red Sea copper test kit (don't get the Seachem copper multi-test, even though they make Cupramine their test kit never works for me, or for many others).
jds
If you're dosing copper, you need to make sure you're testing for it as well. Dosing coppersafe "every day" scares me. If it weren't for the water changes and the carbon, you really wouldn't need to continue dosing at all once you were at the proper level. Too much and you will kill the fish quicker than the ich will.
I highly recommend Cupramine for a copper-based med, and the Red Sea copper test kit (don't get the Seachem copper multi-test, even though they make Cupramine their test kit never works for me, or for many others).
jds
I tried reducing to .009 and he looked like he was going to keel over so I have raised to 23 and decided to go with the Coppersafe. I did a 80 water change and amonia came down a bit dosed him with the Coppersafe. he looks a bit better but not eating and basically hovering low and hiding. I don't know how i'm going to do this as I need to change water everyday and the meds are going out of the tank. I'm calling lfs and see what they say. i will have to get test kit tomorrow although it's either AP or Hagen in most of the stores and I don't drive.
bureau13
New member
Well, actually if you're trying to do water changes and copper dosing at the same time, that's what you have to do. Just remember that the dose is a concentration level, not an amount per day per gallon, etc. So you dose to get to the recommended concentration and then it needs to stay there. Get rid of the carbon, as it will take the copper out, and then figure out how many drops or whatever you need to put into the volume of new water. It is a pain...that's why I have a fully cycled QT running all the time, whether I have fish in it or not, and I have a wet/dry and skimmer on there that originally was in use on my 240 gal! Its ridiculous overkill, but I had the equipment and I know I NEVER need worry about ammonia again. I've been exactly where you are and it sucks.
jds
jds
bureau13
New member
Well, I use Cupramine in my QT as a preventative treatment for all my new fish, unless they're especially sensitive to copper (e.g. mandarins or puffers, maybe others). I do a very large water change (basically drain the tank and refill) but I don't completely tear it down and scrub it out. I'm replacing the copper, and the ich or whatever had better be dead as a result of said copper, so its pretty safe.
I would not put an inverts, including corals, in my QT tank however. If I need to QT something like that, it will have to go into a different tank. I suppose you probably could clean it out really good and then use it for inverts, but I wouldn't take the chance, personally.
jds
I would not put an inverts, including corals, in my QT tank however. If I need to QT something like that, it will have to go into a different tank. I suppose you probably could clean it out really good and then use it for inverts, but I wouldn't take the chance, personally.
jds
Well thanks for the info. woke up this morning and my wrasse is dying. I have been doing at least 50% water changes everyday sometimes twice a day. Can i run the carbon filter and let the qt tank run for a couple of weeks without anything. I put the 1 of the biofilters in from the main tank. Can a qt cycle without live rock or sand?
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