Sand bed for wrasse during copper hospital tank treatment

[haynesw]

I'm planning a QT/hospital tank for wrasses. I know that most (all?) wrasses burrow in the substrate at night when they sleep so I was going to place a small plastic container with substrate in it to be used as a wrasse bed. I don't want to use typical substrates in a hospital tank that is likely to require copper because of the potential for common substrates (aragonite, crushed coral, etc.) adsorbing some of the copper and reducing the concentration in solution.

What do people use as a substrate/bed while they are treating wrasses with copper?

Thanks.

 

[evolved]

Not all genera sleep in the sand; what genus/species are we talking here?

But using a container with ~1.5" of sand is fine.

As an aside, I am not a fan of copper with wrasses.

 

[haynesw]

Depending on what size tank I get, I was considering either a group of Possum Wrasses (Wetmorella albofasciata) or a group of Blue Star Leopard Wrasses (Macropharyngodon bipartitus).

For which wrasses do you dislike the use of copper? Why wrasses specifically?

Do you know of any alternatives to aragonite sand?

 

[Taahirs]

Wetmorella wrasses don't need sand to burrow.

Leopard wrasses do need it though

 

[Deinonych]

I prefer TTM for all new acquisitions, especially wrasses. Copper's disadvantages (toxicity, narrow therapeutic range, difficulty in measurement) make it an unsuitable treatment IMO.

 

[evolved]

+1 to TTM (tank transfer method) being preferable to copper.

 

[Drewl117]

Just to let you no. If you do get a burrowing wrasse it will most likely push some of the sand out of the container and all over the tank.