angelstar0204
New member
Hi Everyone! I am a newbie with a 110 FOWLR tank. I'm currently battling an ich problem and desperately need some help. I am working to research all of this, but in the meantime I am so worried about my fish! If anyone can give me a little guidance and the reasoning behind their advice I would appreciate it sooo much.
This is what has been going on:
I noticed a pretty advanced ich spread on my Narrow Lined Puffer and Yellow Tang. I've never dealt with ich before and, even though this is a 6 month "established" tank it's new to me (got it from someone). I had a "consultant" come to advise me/"treat" my problem. He ended up dosing my DT with Copper Power (even after I questioned him about having read that wasn't a very popular choice) with my LR and LS (now I'm assuming dead rock and dead sand). He also changed out my filters that run in my sump, which includes a carbon filter, and left those in after dosing. This was about 2 weeks ago.
I am under the impression Copper Power is a chelated copper. I followed his follow up dosing instructions, but went and got a Copper Test kit. The Copper Power bottle says use at 2.5ppm copper. This is the therapeutic range for it then, right? Can that be right, it seems so high. I used the API Test kit and it is only at .25 ppm!
Today my puffer shows signs of ich again (which, obviously he would if I'm understanding that I am so far out of treatment range!) so I am starting over.
I am debating on how to approach this and would love some feedback (with questions for each option):
1. Continue to treat in the DT since it's ruined anyway and I am stuck with this always being a FOWLR tank now.
If so, I should remove the carbon filter and protein skimmer, right? Should I remove the LR even though I can't remove the LS? I've heard both of these absorb/interfere with keeping a therapeutic level...
B. Set up a sort of QT. I don't have any actual tanks for QTs, but I have large tupperware bins. If treatment isn't effective with my now dead rock and dead sand, is this an option that might be successful? I have my puffer, my tang and a snowflake eel that I would need to do this with.
Basically, I am feeling overwhelmed and frustrated because I think my consultant just gave me more of a problem than a solution. I am trying to catch up and get a handle on things, but it seems so time sensitive!!!
Here are the answers to the questions I just found about posting in this forum:
1. How old is this aquarium? 7 months total, only in my possession 1 month
2. If less than six months old, what is ammonia level? 0
3. What is SG of this aquarium? How measured? 1.021, Hydrometer
4. When was the last fish added to this aquarium? Unsure, I haven't added any
5. Was it quarantined? If so, how? And how long? Was it prophylactically treated? How? N/A
6. If you are using a copper based medication, which one? How often do you measure level? When? Copper Power, still working on a system for this as I figure things out.
7. If you are using hyposalinity, how did you calibrate your refractometer? N/A
8. Please describe in detail, the appearance of the fish? If there is one or more pimples, are they lumpy? What color? Small white bumps, they almost look like sand granules on the puffers belly.
9. Please describe the behavior of the fish as best you can. Is it acting reclusive? Is it always up towards the top of the aquarium? Is it avoiding light? How active is the fish? Acting fine, tail flared open, active, eating extremely well. At top of tank often, but swims throughout the day. Does not avoid light.
10. Is the fish eating? What? Both fish eating a blend of krill, mysis, marine cuisine and herbivore friendly. Sea veggies green veggies sheet every other day.
This is what has been going on:
I noticed a pretty advanced ich spread on my Narrow Lined Puffer and Yellow Tang. I've never dealt with ich before and, even though this is a 6 month "established" tank it's new to me (got it from someone). I had a "consultant" come to advise me/"treat" my problem. He ended up dosing my DT with Copper Power (even after I questioned him about having read that wasn't a very popular choice) with my LR and LS (now I'm assuming dead rock and dead sand). He also changed out my filters that run in my sump, which includes a carbon filter, and left those in after dosing. This was about 2 weeks ago.
I am under the impression Copper Power is a chelated copper. I followed his follow up dosing instructions, but went and got a Copper Test kit. The Copper Power bottle says use at 2.5ppm copper. This is the therapeutic range for it then, right? Can that be right, it seems so high. I used the API Test kit and it is only at .25 ppm!
Today my puffer shows signs of ich again (which, obviously he would if I'm understanding that I am so far out of treatment range!) so I am starting over.
I am debating on how to approach this and would love some feedback (with questions for each option):
1. Continue to treat in the DT since it's ruined anyway and I am stuck with this always being a FOWLR tank now.
If so, I should remove the carbon filter and protein skimmer, right? Should I remove the LR even though I can't remove the LS? I've heard both of these absorb/interfere with keeping a therapeutic level...B. Set up a sort of QT. I don't have any actual tanks for QTs, but I have large tupperware bins. If treatment isn't effective with my now dead rock and dead sand, is this an option that might be successful? I have my puffer, my tang and a snowflake eel that I would need to do this with.
Basically, I am feeling overwhelmed and frustrated because I think my consultant just gave me more of a problem than a solution. I am trying to catch up and get a handle on things, but it seems so time sensitive!!!
Here are the answers to the questions I just found about posting in this forum:
1. How old is this aquarium? 7 months total, only in my possession 1 month
2. If less than six months old, what is ammonia level? 0
3. What is SG of this aquarium? How measured? 1.021, Hydrometer
4. When was the last fish added to this aquarium? Unsure, I haven't added any
5. Was it quarantined? If so, how? And how long? Was it prophylactically treated? How? N/A
6. If you are using a copper based medication, which one? How often do you measure level? When? Copper Power, still working on a system for this as I figure things out.
7. If you are using hyposalinity, how did you calibrate your refractometer? N/A
8. Please describe in detail, the appearance of the fish? If there is one or more pimples, are they lumpy? What color? Small white bumps, they almost look like sand granules on the puffers belly.
9. Please describe the behavior of the fish as best you can. Is it acting reclusive? Is it always up towards the top of the aquarium? Is it avoiding light? How active is the fish? Acting fine, tail flared open, active, eating extremely well. At top of tank often, but swims throughout the day. Does not avoid light.
10. Is the fish eating? What? Both fish eating a blend of krill, mysis, marine cuisine and herbivore friendly. Sea veggies green veggies sheet every other day.
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