Questions Before Starting Proactive QT

[Reefing Newbie]

I am about ready to start my proactive QT on two small clownfish(have been in a 12 gallon tank for a little over a month now) and have some questions before I take the plunge. I have Cupramine for a couple of reasons, the biggest being that it will be used to proactivly treat my fish and the other being that I have two fish that have ick(have been coping for awhile as I have not been able to find any Cupramine until now).

Proactivly treating: Which would be better to start out with in my treatment regimin: Cupramine or PraziPro? I assume from what I have read, that most do two Prazi treatments back to back(or those that use it) meaning 2 weeks of treatment. Would back to back be better than say doing one treatment, copper, then a final treatment with Prazi during 4 week observation period on the fish? What is the therapeutic dose/level of Cupramine? I will see it everyonce in awhile but never can find it. One last question, is there anything in this stocking list that I should avoid the Curpamine treatment with(mandarin not doing QT at all)?

2 B&W clowns
1 Royal Gramma
1 Rhomboid Fairy Wrasse
1 Pylei Fairy Wrasse
1 Laboutei Fairy Wrasse
5 Resplendent Anthias
1 Randall's Watchman Goby
1 Yellowtail damsel
1 Green Mandarin
1 Purple Tang
1 Powder Blue Tang(I am starting my research on them already and they are a ways out, so I think I should be ready for one when the time comes!)

Treating infected fish: I really only have one question for this, but I am sure some more will come to mind eventually. Should I do a full dosage for 14 days or the therapeutic dosage for 4 weeks? I know ick is present in the system they are in, but it never shows itself in white spots. The fish needing treatment are a three stripe damsel and true percula. They already eat like pigs, well the damsel is quite shy for some reason... Pointers, tips, and thoughts on this are very welcome!!! :beer:

 

[snorvich]

Kyle, please read the stickies! There is no real short cut for acquiring information of fish health.

Cupramine, if used should be at their recommended therapeutic dosage, which I recall to be 0.5 and tested nightly with Seachem's test. Seachem has a customer service number that is helpful. Anything less than a therapeutic dosage may not be effective. Some people use a dosage of 0.35 on certain copper sensitive fish.

Prazipro should be two one week treatments, ideally at least one week apart. My recollection is that it is slightly less effective in conjunction with copper treatment.

Mandarins, which are quite resistant to ich, should not be subjected to copper.

Fish coming from an ich infected tank should be treated at a therapeutic dosage for a minimum of 4 weeks and then observed for 4-5 weeks. Copper level must be tested nightly before lights out. The tank with ich must be left fallow, ideally for 9 weeks.

And last, but most importantly, SLOW DOWN.

 

[Reefing Newbie]

Thanks Steve. The dosage I have on the bottle says .5 ppm for 14 days so I didn't know if it should be lower for my use. I feel I am taking it slow. My DT will be left fallow for 9-10 weeks because of my CUC coming from the tank with ick. First additions(clowns) will be added afterwards. Each QT session will be 8 weeks at least. I am in no rush for this, but having the clowns in the DT after the fallow period would be nice so they have more room to grow and get away from each other when they start fighting each other.

 

[snorvich]

Two weeks is insufficient. 4 weeks followed by 4 weeks observation.

 

[Reefing Newbie]

Thanks again!! Sometimes directions just don't work out now do they?

I should have asked this before but I couldn't remember the brand of copper test kit I had since I wasn't home. Will the Salifert copper test work for cupramine?

 

[snorvich]

Thanks again!! Sometimes directions just don't work out now do they?

I should have asked this before but I couldn't remember the brand of copper test kit I had since I wasn't home. Will the Salifert copper test work for cupramine?

Match vendors. Seachem sells cupramine and a test kit ideally suited for it. Treat for four weeks, test every night before lights out.