Copper vs. transfer method

ThisCityIsDead

ThisCityIsDead

New member
Okay, so for the second time, I am treating my fish for ich.

I have been treating with copper, and I know it's toxic to the fish but they all survived it the first time. I was considering the tank transfer but I'm not so sure I understand it, since the stickies thread only describes it and not give actual instructions.

I did some research on the transfer method. This is what I understand so far.

1) have two QT
2) switch fish (mornings work best) to the other qt
3) empty water and sanitize any equipment used for that tank
4) repeat with 2nd qt.

This seems, to me like it would add more stress to the fish because of the whole chasing around. Plus, I have 7 fish in the QT.

I have .15 level of copper and slowly increasing it to .3 then .5 but in the past I was able to stick to .15. I did not increase it to .3 because the LFS told me that the toby puffer is sensitive to copper. Plus, I lost my Benny when I did increase it to .3.

I'm probably going to keep it at .15 maybe a bit higher.
 
TTM is my preferred method for treatment of ich and I treat all new fish with this method as a precaution.
Looks like you have the basics down. You need 2 of everything, do your transfers at a max of 72 hours. Clean and dry tank (a minimum of 24 hours dry to ensure any parasites are dead). I dump about a cup of bleach in after i tranfer the fish out and let in run that way through the dsy, then drain and rinse well that evening followed by a quich towel dry. everything is then ready to go when I set it up 2 days later. Don't believe the bleach is really necessary but I use it as a precaution. Letting it sit dry for 24 hours is key. I find transferring early in the morning to be the easiest. It's still dark and fish are usually pretty easy to catch. Stress levels don't seem to be bad, I have even used it on 3 leopard wrasses with no issues. Fish eat the same day.

No personal experience with copper but I believe a level of 0.15 is too low to be effective in the eradication of ich (non-therapeutic level).
 
Okay, if I do the TTM, I spray all of my equipment with bleach. Throughly rinse the bleach after 24 hrs. Transfer fish after 72hrs. Repeat.

Does this mean this process goes on for 12 days total? I remember hearing and reading that this should be done at least 4 times. That's 1 time every 3 days. For four times, that's twelve days.

Will it be okay to keep the fish in a small dose of copper, .15, for the remainder of the time (the month) to prevent any ich to come back?

Also, is it safe to do his TTM in a 5 gallon bucket, or is this too small for 6 fish to handle? I just feel like it'll be easier to clean and overall maintenance.
 
Several issues.

Copper at less than a therapeutic dose will mask various parasites so that is not a desirable thing to do.

Critical issues with tank transfer:

+each cycle is 72 hours or less
+receiving tank must be dry for 24 hours
+total of all cycles is 12 days
+observation of fish after tank transfer is essential, especially if they come from a source running copper in their system. Total of 4 weeks observation counting tank transfer is the minimum that should be done.
 
4 transfers at 3 days each (a maximum of 72 hours between transfers) I transfer at the same time each time so run right at 72 hours.
5 gallon buckets for 6 fish seems way to small. Not sure how big the fish are but at a minumum I would use a couple of 20 longs. If these are bigger fish then bigger tanks or split them into smaller groups.
The bleach isn't a necessity, I just use as a precaution since I'm sort of paranoid. And i just pour it into the running tank after fish are removed and then drain and clean that evening. The most important thing is the tank sits dry, after cleaning, for a minimum of 24 hours.

Therefore is really no reason to keep the fish in copper after TTM, ich is eliminated with tank transfer since you disrupted the lifecycle.

TTM may sound tedious but once you get into the routine it isn't bad at all. You do burn through some salt though.
 
snorvich said:
Several issues.

Copper at less than a therapeutic dose will mask various parasites so that is not a desirable thing to do.

Critical issues with tank transfer:

+each cycle is 72 hours or less
+receiving tank must be dry for 24 hours
+total of all cycles is 12 days
+observation of fish after tank transfer is essential, especially if they come from a source running copper in their system. Total of 4 weeks observation counting tank transfer is the minimum that should be done.
Click to expand...


Wow! Very informative. Thanks for the advice and help. I knew it was toxic, but I didn't know the other bad things.

I think I'm sticking to the tank transfer. Should I acclimate the fish between every transfer.


As for the size of fish, they're all under 3" with my Picasso being the largest at about 2.5"

The smallest is my six line wrasse. I may split them and just put 3 per 5 gallons.
 
If you have the room mix up a large batch of water and keep it heated. This way you have consistent water for each transfer at the ready. Good luck
 
I'm just running a blue stripe pipefish through TTM, using a 1 gallon shoe box which is hanged into the QT.

Not going over 72 hours is really the tricky part:

This is my schedule with only 71.5 hour between transfers to be on the safe side:
20.03.2015 12:00 - Set from QT into first tank
23.03.2015 11:30 - 2. Transfer
26.03.2015 11:00 - 3. Transfer
29.03.2015 10:30 - 4. Transfer
01.04.2015 10:00 - 5. Transfer to holding tank

I figured doing it always at the same time leaves just too much risk of going over the 72 hours.
Doing it always in the morning is not necessary - only to stay strictly below the 72 hours.
 
Last edited:
ThisCityIsDead said:
Can I change water every 48Hrs? If so, do I still have to do this for 12Days (changing water 6x)?
Click to expand...

yes. many people do the 48 hr x 6 method. no real advantage over the 72 hr method, but what you do gain is getting rid of any ammonia build up quicker.

main thing you want to make sure of is that you have (a) rinsed/cleaned all equipment well and (b) allowed it time to dry, preferably for 24 hours minimum. if not for those 2 points, you could in theory do transfers every hour for 12 days and you'd be just fine. all you are waiting for is for all the parasites on the fish body (Trophonts) to jump off, which they do so within the first 7-8 days.
 
Spar said:
yes. many people do the 48 hr x 6 method. no real advantage over the 72 hr method, but what you do gain is getting rid of any ammonia build up quicker.



main thing you want to make sure of is that you have (a) rinsed/cleaned all equipment well and (b) allowed it time to dry, preferably for 24 hours minimum. if not for those 2 points, you could in theory do transfers every hour for 12 days and you'd be just fine. all you are waiting for is for all the parasites on the fish body (Trophonts) to jump off, which they do so within the first 7-8 days.
Click to expand...


I think the 4X method is easier, but I will have 3 fish in a 5 gallon bucket and 4 fish in another. So, I think the AMONIA will be too high if I do this every 3 days.
 
ThisCityIsDead said:
By the way, is an air stone necessary?
Click to expand...

in a bucket, i would definitely use an airstone over a powerhead.

agreed the 4x 3-day approach is much easier (less work). you can simply add Prime or AmQuel after Day 2 of each transfer and that will get rid of any ammonia build-up. another trick is to very lightly feed the night of Day 1 (of each cycle) and then feed more the next couple nights. regardless, a little cleaning (siphon out waste) in between will be helpful.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

BigEZ77
Urgent Help Requested - Wrasses Won't Come Out - CB Blue Tang Arriving Today (NO QT)
Replies
8
Views
564
rrrrob
rrrrob
K
Mandarin QT methods
Replies
2
Views
884
Dr. Reef
Dr. Reef
T
New 55g setup. Advice for fish appreciated
Replies
6
Views
246
Uncle99
Uncle99
K
Setting up QT
Replies
3
Views
989
katestack
K
NancyT3
Butterfly fish in QT - newbie and need advice please
Replies
10
Views
2K
leebca
L
Back
Top