First time treating ich-need advice?

[Dundermifflin]

Yellow tang and blue tang are two weeks into QT after being purchased from LFS. Noticed small white dots on blue tang yesterday. Today they seemed slow and pale. Didn't eat last night. Dosed with Cupramine today (40 drops) for 20g QT. I removed the carbon bag from the filter, but not the filter pads themselves.

Here are my questions:

1) What are my next steps?

2) What happens if I need to do a water change to keep NO2/NO3 and Amonia in check?

3) If parameters remain good when do I do the next water change?

4) How many treatments of Cupramene should I expect to do?

5) Do I put the carbon bag back in the filter in between doses and if so for how long? Do I do water changes in between doses? If so, how much?

6) If fish survive at what point do I consider it safe to put them into the display tank?

7) Once out of the display tank how do I prepare tank for new fish? How am I certain parasite is gone and not attached to anything in the QT? Do I empty the tank and let it dry out for a few days? Do I need to rinse out the pvc in QT, the filters, air stone, etc. before adding new fish?

 

[Martini5788]

The only advice that I have is read the stickies in the fish disease forum, it will contain the answers to most if not all of your questions. Also, look into tank transfer method( you will find that in the same forum). I would use ttm over copper, no doubt about that. Without the test kit for cupramine from seachem and monitoring the levels of copper atleast once a day to make sure they stay at consistent levels through the entire treatment, then there is a good possibility that the treatment will not be effective.

 

[gone fishin]

It has been awhile for copper treatment I would verify the responses in the fish disease forum

1) What are my next steps?

2) What happens if I need to do a water change to keep NO2/NO3 and Amonia in check? The copper level must be consistently maintained to be effective. I believe add copper to WC water to the same level that is in the QT

3) If parameters remain good when do I do the next water change? When needed is the best answer I can give

4) How many treatments of Cupramene should I expect to do?
the copper level must be maintained for 4 weeks
5) Do I put the carbon bag back in the filter in between doses and if so for how long? NoDo I do water changes in between doses? If so, how much?

6) If fish survive at what point do I consider it safe to put them into the display tank
After 4 weeks of copper treatment and 72 days fallow in the DT.

7) Once out of the display tank how do I prepare tank for new fish? How am I certain parasite is gone and not attached to anything in the QT? Do I empty the tank and let it dry out for a few days? Do I need to rinse out the pvc in QT, the filters, air stone, etc. before adding new fish?

Once done with the Qt give it a rinse and clean let it air dry, after a couple days of being dry your good to use it again

Just to note go by test results for the level not drops alone. A good ATO is critical and maintaining the copper level is critical and if I remember correctly Do Not use prime with the cupramine you will kill the fish.

 

[kmbyrnes]

+1 on TTM vs cupramine.
Easier to be certain, even if it costs a bit more in time and salt.

 

[coolxborg]

Since Im new, ive never dealt with Ich before. However, this thread has good info and I would follow if I have to deal with it in my QT.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=20614751

 

[scooter31707]

Copper can be dangerous if you are not on top of it. I believe if it's below 0.5ppm, than it's not effective and if it's higher it can be toxic to the fish. Also cooper can mask other infections or parasites which will not show itself until it's out of the cooper. I started using this product and it has been very effective and it's a little more forgiven than cooper if not maintained.

http://www.amazon.com/New-Life-Spec...&keywords=new+life+spectrum+ich+shield+powder

 

[Martini5788]

Copper can be dangerous if you are not on top of it. I believe if it's below 0.5ppm, than it's not effective and if it's higher it can be toxic to the fish. Also cooper can mask other infections or parasites which will not show itself until it's out of the cooper. I started using this product and it has been very effective and it's a little more forgiven than cooper if not maintained.



http://www.amazon.com/New-Life-Spec...&keywords=new+life+spectrum+ich+shield+powder

I love this stuff. I am currently treating a valentini puffer with velvet with chloroquine. Saved it's life.

 

[snorvich]

I love this stuff. I am currently treating a valentini puffer with velvet with chloroquine. Saved it's life.

Great for velvet, tank transfer is better for marine ich.

 

[snorvich]

Copper can be dangerous if you are not on top of it. I believe if it's below 0.5ppm, than it's not effective and if it's higher it can be toxic to the fish. Also cooper can mask other infections or parasites which will not show itself until it's out of the cooper. I started using this product and it has been very effective and it's a little more forgiven than cooper if not maintained.

http://www.amazon.com/New-Life-Spec...&keywords=new+life+spectrum+ich+shield+powder

Not the best for treating ich; it will work some of the time. it is best for velvet. Best for ich is tank transfer.

 

[Dundermifflin]

Two questions:

1) Did second dose of copper yesterday 48 hours after first dose. Fish are still moving around well. How will I know when the ich is gone and the fish are ready to move into the display tank?

2) When I move the fish into the display tank and clean out the QT should I empty the water out completely, then refill it with water and vinegar (and run the filters with the water/vinegar), then rinse it out and let it dry for 72 hours before starting over?

 

[Sk8r]

Absolutely NO return to display tank!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You follow the instructions on the copper preparation. Period.
Then you clean out the copper from that water, with water changes and carbon, and keep those fish in qt for 72 DAYS, not hours, before you return them to your DT.
By that time your dt will be fine with no cleaning. In 72 days, the last ich will have died out of your main tank, starved to death---we are assuming there are NO fish left in your dt at the moment. If there are, they all must join the two affected fish in treatment followed by 72 days of quarantine.

 

[Dundermifflin]

Sk8r-thanks for the input. These two fish were new from LFS and never in the DT. They got ich two weeks into QT. They had the first dose of copper 48 hours ago. 2nd round last night.

These are my questions:

1) At what point are they considered ich free and ready to leave the QT?

2) What's the process for clearing the water after the second dose of copper? When do I put the carbon back in? When do I do a water change? When do I move the fish to the DT? Once moved into the DT do I empty the water out completely and refill with vinegar and water and run the filters with that solution, then rinse it out and let it dry for 72 hours?

 

[Jade5051]

Copper is typically a 14 day treatment. After the 14 day treatment you'll want to remove the copper and observe for 30 days.

 

[ReefFresh]

Yesterday I completed 21 days with Cooper treatment (after 14 days I was still able to see white spots). I replaced 25% of the water and added active carbon - Carbonit P (currently in a sock instead of reactor which I will buy later).
My question is after how many days I need to replace the active carbon?

 

[A.Astore]

Activated Carbon usually lasts a bit of time. I was reading the other day that carbon does not effectively remove copper completely so I would do small water changes to also help remove the copper. Small water changes will bring the copper down slowly. You need to have them stay in the QT for 4 weeks from the end of treatment to ensure there is no residing ICH as well as other things that could have been masked with the copper. Once you reach that point they can be moved to the DT. Glad to hear your fish made it through the copper treatment!

 

[gone fishin]

Look into cuprisorb if you want to remove the copper.

 

[Dundermifflin]

Just as a follow up to this from when I originally posted it in June. I was not successful with this round and lost the fish. I later experienced the same problem with two new tangs. I used Coppersafe for this. Followed the directions precisely and the fish are doing great. They've been in the DT for a while now and look awesome! I used the carbon along with water changes and kept testing until the copper showed it was gone. I've since used the QT a few more times for new fish and have had zero issues.

 

[oh207]

I've had spotty success with Cupramine. Who makes Coppersafe?

 

[Dundermifflin]

Mardel.

 

[oh207]

Mardel.

I'll try this next time.