All IMO & IME.
Sort of continuing your last thread. because LR & substrate can remove (absorb) Cu from the water column and release Cu back into the water; Cu levels in the water column will not stay constant. I have gotten a couple of PMs from folks who had CU drop below therapeutic levels for a while, assuming it was the LR & substrate absorbing & releasing the Cu. Even a minute or two with Cu below effective levels can allow newly released ich parasites to emerge and find a host. Of course, this starts the treatment clock at day one. There is no way of knowing when Cu levels may drop, so no way of keeping it at the proper level.
I wish I could offer a suggestion; I just don't think its possible to cure ich in a tank with LR & substrate with any degree of certainty. Of course, its worked for some folks with some fish. Because many fish can tolerate Cu up to about .8ppm, overdosing may be an alternative. But then there are fish that don't do well when copper is even at the suggested .5ppm. I treat at .4 or so with very good success...of course, there is no LR or substrate.
Mr. Tuskfish-
I absolutely respect and utilize your opinions, have read plenty of your posts which I do in fact use.
Here WAS my situation, and my course of action. I did in fact have tank overstocked at one point a few weeks ago, and decided to scale it back. I have given 4 fish back to my lfs. I now have 4 fish in there, and before I add two more, at the very most, I want to be sure the tank is clean.
I have checked all paramaters, multiple times, and the lfs tests confirmed my testing.
As of now, I have a very skiddish yellow tang, who eats, but hides most of the time. I also have the juv Koran angel, who HAD some brown coloration on his body, and some scratching.
Since I started using cupramine 5 days ago, the brown patches have actually resided. I was told by my lfs, and also read of wet web media, that angel fish who get this coloration, are often unhappy with something. I have no other angel fish, or aggressive fish, to make him unhappy. I also have zero stray voltage, I use a ground probe, and used a meter to check voltage. My ammonia and trites are 0, and nitrates 20, which is fine for fish only tank. Temp 78, 1.022 salinity.
So it was with my best interest to next get rid of potential parasite, knowing I had a lionfish a two weeks ago, who croaked out of nowhere after a few days. And coincident or not, the lfs brought in a lion at the same time, which also died after a few days, of similar size to mine.
Before I placed my two very last fish in there, which happen to be of the pricey variety, I wish to have a piece of mind with the tank.
I am currently saving for my wedding, and the fiancé doesn't need to know what I get or spend on the tank. Most of the stuff I get, she has no idea because she doesn't see it. A new, quarantine tank, will definitely have me going to a therapist with her.
Knowing I will never have inverts, or coral, it does not bother me to "ruin" the rock".
I am actually next to tank as I write this, and the Koran is looking more vibrant than when I bought him, brown spot free.
So my plan is to get these fish looking good, active, and carbon the tank to remove copper, before adding my last two fish, which happen to be at my lfs, for well over two months, eating and looking great.
I seem to be able to keep a .4 with this cupramine, with LR in the tank, so if I can hold that a few more days at least, two give me 10 days total, maybe it was not ich, but another parasite.
My angelfish, who seems to be getting better, was my ultimate gauge as to what is happening in tank. I also purchase a new reef octopus skimmer, to replace my older, not so good skimmer. My hope is he becomes happy, and the skimmer helps keep him that way.
Thanks again for your input, and I do realize that in tank treating is not advised, but given my fiancé situation, and knowing I will not ever do coral, I ultimately feel I am making the right move.
