How To Avoid Cupramine Geting Into Display

[Stuart60611]

Hi. I currently have a fish in qurantine going through the cupramine treatment which is soon to end. My question is how does one transfer a fish from the hospital tank dosed with curpamine so as to avoid adding any residual cupramine to the display. Certainly, even if I net out the fish from the hospital tank, small drops of hospital tank water containing cupramine are going to go into the display along with the fish once added to the display. Perhaps, this small amount of cupramine transfered to the display is nothing to worry about?

 

[lhm nole]

Such small amounts should not be a issue but to ease your mine get a bucket put the display water in the bucket then dip the fish in it before adding to display tank or you can do a mini acclimation.

 

[skibum9884]

I don't think it'd be an issue, however you could run some carbon in the QT to remove the Cupramine beforehand.

Better safe than sorry, but I think you'll be alright!

 

[Recty]

I'd just catch the fish and put them into a clean bucket of tank water for a couple minutes. Make sure to transfer minimal water from the QT into the bucket, a couple drops wont hurt.

This is assuming you arent drip acclimating the fish. I always did that when moving from QT to display, the water quality is always different.

If you do acclimate them first, then just catch the fish with some water, put it in a bucket, drip water into the bucket from the DT. Then catch the fish after the time has passed, place it into a new small container of tank water and let it sit a little bit, then move it on into the display.

For what it's worth, I never use a net anymore for fish, I just use my hand. I think it's less abrasive and it definitely causes less skin/gill spine/tang scalpel problems.

 

[Stuart60611]

Thanks everyone. I was planing on using the bucket with tank water to place the fish in after removed from quarantine to rinse off any residual copper. Plus, I will be adding the new fish to the display just after replacing the rox carbon in my reactor so I guess whatever very small amount of cupramine gets transfered to the display would get pulled out by the carbon. I do not think I will drip acclimate b/c the quarantine tank was filled up with tank water so I would imagine the water chemistry between the two is not drastically different.

 

[Recty]

How long ago did you fill the QT?

After a couple weeks and being treated with medications plus probably having a lot less efficient filtration than your main tank the water chemistry will be quite a bit different.

I look at it this way... it's very easy to drip acclimate and you're giving your fish the best chance to get used to the water before it's thrown in with the rest of your fish. It's one less thing it has to stress about when it goes in the main tank

But, to each his own, I'm sure it's fine not getting acclimated, I just like to give my fish the best chance to cope

 

[Stuart60611]

How long ago did you fill the QT?

After a couple weeks and being treated with medications plus probably having a lot less efficient filtration than your main tank the water chemistry will be quite a bit different.

I look at it this way... it's very easy to drip acclimate and you're giving your fish the best chance to get used to the water before it's thrown in with the rest of your fish. It's one less thing it has to stress about when it goes in the main tank

But, to each his own, I'm sure it's fine not getting acclimated, I just like to give my fish the best chance to cope

Fair point. I filled the quarantine tank 3 weeks ago, and it has been dosed with both cupramine and prazi pro. And yes, the filtration, although good for a quarantine set up, is no where near as substantial as what I am using in my display. Therefore, you convinced me, and I will drip acclimate b/c you are right it is easy, no need to further stress the fish, and I will be home anyway at the time I plan to do this. Also, you sold me on not using a fish net.

 

[lhm nole]

Fair point. I filled the quarantine tank 3 weeks ago, and it has been dosed with both cupramine and prazi pro. And yes, the filtration, although good for a quarantine set up, is no where near as substantial as what I am using in my display. Therefore, you convinced me, and I will drip acclimate b/c you are right it is easy, no need to further stress the fish, and I will be home anyway at the time I plan to do this. Also, you sold me on not using a fish net.

Hopefully its not a foxface or lionfish you are catching with your hands.Even certain tangs and angels can spike you be careful.

 

[Stuart60611]

Hopefully its not a foxface or lionfish you are catching with your hands.Even certain tangs and angels can spike you be careful.

Well, it is this guy (end of first page for pictures):

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1854664&highlight=indicus

I am a bit worried about that trigger and him biting when using my hands. He has been attacking the syringe I use to draw water from the tank when testing copper levels.:furious: My bigest fear if he bites is not really the damage he does to me which I do not think would be too bag but that I would freak and drop him. I may just be real careful with the net and play it safe. We'll see.

 

[lhm nole]

A trigger will bite you I had a sargasm trigger bite me once when I stuck my hand to try to catch him out of a rock and the reason they are called triggers is because of their top dorsal spine that triggers up and that can really hurt best advise net the trigger do not use your hands.

 

[scarpart1984]

I don't think using your hands is to smart if u r not that experienced with handleing fish. So that's awesome we have some Steve irwins in the forums lol

 

[Recty]

I used my hands on all my triggers, including my 11" niger, my 6" clown and my 4" humu I admit I usually drink a beer first

My goldheart was about 5 inches but I ended up having to use a net on him, I just couldnt catch him with my hands.

All triggers are different, if I had to pick a fish that makes me nervous about catching with my hands I'd say they are definitely one of them. You can usually get them sideways to the glass wall and then they are pretty safe.

I caught my big dussumieri, which was somewhere between 10 and 12 inches with my hands and moved him from two different buckets. He had some BIG tail blades, I was more nervous with him than I was with my triggers. The trick is just moving slowly and carefully and dont keep them out of the water for any more time than necessary.

You dont cup your hand around the fish and grab on with a death grip, instead you're just basically using your hand like a plate and balancing them. The downside is if they decide to spaz you're going to have a flying fish.

My little sohal did that when I caught him, hence the bruise you see in this picture.

 

[Stuart60611]

Recty:

You are braver than me. With my luck, my indian trigger will bite me, and I will spaz and toss him accross the room. :uzi:I have a large net, and I think I am just going to use the net very carefully so as not to injure the fish b/c I think the risk of injuring the fish with my hands be it that I have never caught a fish with my hands is greater than with a net.

 

[Recty]

I cant say I blame you. I started not using a net when one of my angels got his gill spine caught in it and twisted around, it was not fun getting him out and he had some bleeding and damage around there for a couple weeks. I would have been ticked if I had lost a fish due to something that stupid.

Then I started having my tangs get their tail spines caught so I just stopped using a net and started hand catching them.

A net is fine, for most fish, but if they have hard spiny things sticking out of them I still like at least trying for hand catching first, unless those hard spikey things are poisonous

 

[lesleybird]

Hi, I transfer all of the large angels with a hand as the gill spines easily and often get caught in a net. Angels don't bite.....anything with teeth that can bite I would use a net and if it gets caught in the net hold the net under the water enough so that the fish cannot escape and gently detach the net if it is caught on the fish. Lesley

 

[helpinsmepls]

I use specimen holders like the petstore uses. There are different size ones, if you have a giant fish I would go to walmart or somewhere and go in the rubbermaid plastics isle and find something you can use.

I don't like nets either but the hand method is just too scary and risky for me.