Im about to move all my fish to a QT.. please help!

If they were healthy and eating prior to you putting them in the QT they can go for a good amount of time without eating. My concern would not be that they are not eating....My concern would be why are they not eating. It could be from the copper. Sometimes it takes fish time to adjust to the copper thats why its good to add it slow. In my opinion the slower the better. It could also be from amonnia or nitrite thats why its really important to test that. Make sure you never dose any sulfer based amonnia remover. It turns the copper leathal....
 
Don't panic! New tanks, and being caught to be put in the a new tank, is stressful for fish. It is not uncommon for them to stop eating at first, particularly if they are put in a hospital tank with only pvc to hide. It is a very strange and usually scary change for fish. Fish don't usually like change. If eating well prior to the move, your fish should be fine for ~2 weeks.

The bio-wheel filter was a good choice. I use them on my hospital tanks as I think they help reduce ammonia faster than other HOB filters. They don't do this well until they have an established bacterial population though, which can take a while.

You do need to know what levels you are dealing with, the LFS will not be adequate for testing unless they are very good (most are the opposite) and you are going there twice a day. Ammonia is toxic to fish VERY quickly and it needs to be checked often and dealt with immediately. That's why I like the ammonia badges, you don't have to test for ammonia twice a day if you have one. Seachem makes the one that I like, I've seen them at Petsmart, but buy mine here:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=4387

You do also need to test for copper yourself. I test mine twice daily for the whole treatment, but Cupramine is stable enough in bare bones setups that testing that often is probably overkill. I would test at least every other day though. Use the Seachem copper test kit or the Salifert. When you buy an ammonia test kit, you MUST buy one that tests for 'free ammonia' and not just 'total ammonia'. The amine group that Cupramine is bound to will give you a false positive for ammonia on test kits that only read total ammonia. The seachem badges read correctly.

If I were you I would do the following:
1. Get an ammonia alert badge in the tank.
2. Get a copper test kit and an ammonia test kit.
3. Test your water, test again if you think the results are off.

If your fish are still nervous today, make sure there are enough hiding places of the appropriate size for all your fish.
 
I have been testing my water with the API test kit for Nitrate, Nitrite and Ammonia. The strangest thing happen to me, using the LFS test kit and my own API test kit for Copper.. Im getting NO reading at all.. the water stays clear. I've done a partial change of water now, around 20% in two 10% changes, the fish are nipping at the algea clips but thats about it.. but its progress over before.. should I also put garlic in the food?

Ive had trace amounts of Ammonia and no Nitrites, my Nitrates did reach 30 before the 20% water change.
 
I have been testing my water with the API test kit for Nitrate, Nitrite and Ammonia. The strangest thing happen to me, using the LFS test kit and my own API test kit for Copper.. Im getting NO reading at all.. the water stays clear. I've done a partial change of water now, around 20% in two 10% changes, the fish are nipping at the algea clips but thats about it.. but its progress over before.. should I also put garlic in the food?

Ive had trace amounts of Ammonia and no Nitrites, my Nitrates did reach 30 before the 20% water change.


Dont worry about nitrates. Don't understand why you got a 0 reading on the copper is there anything in the tank that will absorb it?
 
Ive got a new bio wheel, some plastic contaners, some glass pots and ceramic pots and some fresh water decorations I got from a set and had never used.. other than that.. nothing.
 
Ive got a new bio wheel, some plastic contaners, some glass pots and ceramic pots and some fresh water decorations I got from a set and had never used.. other than that.. nothing.

Well I guess if you think the test kit is accurate the ceramic pots could be removing some of the copper. I only use PVC pipe in my hospital tanks.
 
I am not sure, but I don't think the API test kit will read correctly. I believe it will only test for unbound copper. Try to get a Seachem or Salifert test kit for copper. Don't worry about the nitrates unless they go over 100 and don't worry about nitrite at all.
 
I am not sure, but I don't think the API test kit will read correctly. I believe it will only test for unbound copper. Try to get a Seachem or Salifert test kit for copper. Don't worry about the nitrates unless they go over 100 and don't worry about nitrite at all.

Dont worry about nitrite????? I thought that was deadly to fish... Please eloborate for me. Thanks
 
From what I read

Nitrite levels should be at an undetectable level at all times after the aquarium fully cycled which may take several months to complete. Nitrites are not as dangerous as ammonia, but still a highly toxic chemical, Nitrite causes fish stress at levels as low as 0.5 ppm. Levels exceeding 10-20 ppm are lethal over a period of time to fish. Immediate action is required if high nitrite levels persist after 7-10 days.

Nitrite interferes with the oxygen metabolism, it destroys the hemoglobin (oxygen carrying cells) of the fish, and aquatic livestock.
Detecting nitrites often means that the biological filter is not working properly, or the tank is overpopulated and the filter can not handle the load efficiently.
 
Are you sure the API wont work?


I only thought API would not work because it did not read the proper level for Cupramine. I also suggest the salifert kit. The Seachem kit is more difficult to use. There is high range and low range. Cupramine requires a kit that reads high range because you are treating at a higher level then you you would be with a free copper.
 
Gwyn What do you actually use to test your Cupramine with.

I've been happy with and use the Seachem copper test, but many people find it difficult to read. I have not used Salifert's copper test myself, but other people have told me that it works with Cupramine and is easier to read.
 
Copper is toxic to bacteria, but because of the way Cupramine is bound it supposedly has less of an impact on biological filtration.

Even straight copper has almost no impact on nitrification bacteria.

Important is to have the medium intended for QT cycled very well in advance.

You can put 10 or more fish in a QT and still have absolutely no ammonia. I don't always have to change any water for the full eight week duration during QT. Sometimes I change water once; sometimes I don't.

I always use UV in conjuction with straight copper in QT when stocking fish. Bacterial infection is always a possibility.

In fact, for me, ich is history. I believe I will never have a single case of ich ever again. But external bacterial infection is always a chance. I can never be sure that I will not suffer from bacterial infection. Since using UV, incidents of bacterial infection have been reduced by 70-80%, and always limited to one or two individuals. I have not had a bacterial epidemic in the tank ever since I started using UV effectively in the mid-1980s.
 
ok now I thought using the copper kills any useful

Over thirty years ago, a moron LFS owner told me so.

This misinfo had caused the first several fish I had.

Copper has almost no impact on nitrification bacteria.

Filter medium for QT should definitely be cycled, and very well, so that it can support many fish in a small QT without detectable ammonia at all.
 
Over thirty years ago, a moron LFS owner told me so.

This misinfo had caused the first several fish I had.

Copper has almost no impact on nitrification bacteria.

Filter medium for QT should definitely be cycled, and very well, so that it can support many fish in a small QT without detectable ammonia at all.


This goes against everything I was told about copper even by some experts. So do you have any documented material to substantiate your claim?
 
Back
Top