Cupramine and Prazi

[michael_cb_125]

Hello Everyone.

I am looking into using different medications to treat both Ick, and Interal/external parasites.
If ick is ever introduced into a DT, there are only a few ways of eliminating it. Hypo, Copper, or allowing the tank to remain fallow for X amount of time.

Personally the idea of keeping the tank fishless to eliminate ick, seems to risky for me. My luck, the ick would go dormant, and come back twice as strong.

So it comes down to hypo or copper. Providing I remove all (or as many) of the inverts as I can (shrimp, snails, crabs, etc) should I be overly concerned with dosing copper to the DT?
Cupramine states that it does not disturb the filter bed, does this include the sand bed and LR?
So many sources state that copper is absorbed by calcium carbonate substrates. But is Cupramine different? I know that some here have used it in their DTS.

I am just looking into this, to be safe.

Thanks for any help

~Michael

 

[LargeAngels]

Treating DT is always a last resort, IMO and should be done carefully. Either method (Hypo or Cupramine) will kill living things in the sand and rock so you will probably have an ammonia spike.

Hypo only kills ich so its uses are limited. Plus there have been some reports of some hypo resistant strains.

IME Cupramin and Prazipro does not affect the filter bed. Copper is absorbed in the rock and sand. Rate of absorption varies. Cupramine is not absorbed as quickly and established rock/sand absorbs even slower. I treat ALL my fish in QT with both Cupramine and Prazipro at the same time and have never had an issue.

 

[michael_cb_125]

Thanks for the info!

~Michael