Phosban with copper

[Mohreef]

Hi I am in the process of removing the copper from my tank after treating for ick. I will like to resume using phosban, is it safe to do so or will the phosban and copper interact and cause problems. Thanks for any advice

 

[zachfishman]

There should be no issue running GFO when you are removing copper. I haven’t done any tests, but IME GFO can remove some forms of copper medication - but again not a problem as you are in the process of removal.

Note that copper meds are not 100% effective against the encysted reproductive stage of ich (tomont stage), which can generally persist up to 30 days in most cases. Removing copper prematurely can result in reinfection if any tomonts “hatch” after you have removed copper.

If ich returns, hyposalinity is an excellent option for long term (60-90 days) stress treatment of FO and FOWLR tanks.