Save my Toby.

[fixingstill]

Just got him from LFS 5 days ago and acclimated into my established QT along with 8 other fish. Day 1 and 2 he was active, eating and clean on his body. For the past 2 days I see white patches and rotting fin and he is always resting on rock and now he doesn't even bother when black worms or brine shrimp are right in front of him.
Judging by the white patches (see photo below) and some rot fin, is it some sort of bacterial infection? What treatment should I try?
The QT has been running for month (and seneye see NH# 0.012 ppm) and was running with cupramine when last batch of fish was in. After last batch was out, I ran carbon and changed 30% water twice without adding cupramine, then put in this new batch, then on day 3 (2 days ago), I dosed half usage of cupramine (for precaution) and plan to dose another half today or tomorrow.

Of that 8 other fish, one of them is six line wrasse which I never saw since day 1, and the yellow longnose bufferfly still has not eaten a bit. If I end up 6 out of 9 fish making it to the DT, should I be happy to have 66% QT survival rate?

 

[harper68]

Hi if that's a picture of your qt the sand will be absorbing some of the cp and so will the live rock making the dosage incorrect basic filtration, bare bottom tank with some pipes for the fish to hide is is generally what is used. I do qt myself but I don't treat unless I see a problem I only buy from the same lfs and they don't run copper in there system. They keep them for 4 weeks then I put them in my qt for 4 to six week and then into the display. So so far so good have 11 fish in my tank at the mo and have only lost 1.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[fixingstill]

Right, a lot of results when I googled "cupramine live sand rocks" and it seems like another constant debate. I will test the copper level (which is also another difficulty when the blue is so hard to judge.)
I had pvc pipes and bare bottom before this sand and rocks. I was thinking the wrasse and some smaller fish would hide and can feel more like home. That first day sure is critical for them.
I do have sponges (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FK8SX2Y) in the sump to keep the good bacteria. So far, ammonia level stays and I will test copper constantly.

But the concern now is my little toby. Does it look like the white patches is some sort of bacteria infection? Any experts please help save this little guy.

Please.

 

[Jdub968]

Yes you are right bacterial infection Kanaplex is a good choice but on serious problems Kanaplex furon2 and metroplex is the go to trifecta dose one then 1 hr later another then 1 hr later another treat for 10 days. And tou must have an air stone running with this combo. This is not reef tank safe it will kill inverts also I would only use meds in a qt that doesn't have sand and rock as mentioned it can absorb meds. Also I need to check my notes on puffers I'm not sure if they are cu or cp treatable the wrasse is a no with cp

 

[Jdub968]

Cu is a no go with puffers you can do ttm hypo or cp

 

[fixingstill]

Toby is dead this morning.

 

[Jdub968]

I'm sorry to hear that bacterial infections can be quick killers

 

[JustinM]

What was your cupramine level at? Sorry about your Toby. This definitely looked like a bacterial infection.

 

[fixingstill]

0.25mg/L which is half dosage.
For full dosage, it is 20 drop / 5 gallon (one bucket). My QT is about 30G (tank - rock + sump). So I put 60 drops.
Honestly I could never read the copper test result. No way I can match up the shades of blue.
I still have not seen six line wrasse. May I crushed it when I moved the rocks. Other fish are ok. I saw yellow longnose bufferfly eating a bit (of raw shrimp).
So far 7 of 9 surviving and 3 more weeks to go.

Cu is copper and Cupramine has copper. No good for puffer. Got it.
Cp is Chloroquine Phosphate. I will read up about it.

 

[Jdub968]

0.25mg/L which is half dosage.
For full dosage, it is 20 drop / 5 gallon (one bucket). My QT is about 30G (tank - rock + sump). So I put 60 drops.
Honestly I could never read the copper test result. No way I can match up the shades of blue.
I still have not seen six line wrasse. May I crushed it when I moved the rocks. Other fish are ok. I saw yellow longnose bufferfly eating a bit (of raw shrimp).
So far 7 of 9 surviving and 3 more weeks to go.

Cu is copper and Cupramine has copper. No good for puffer. Got it.
Cp is Chloroquine Phosphate. I will read up about it.

If your using cupramine make sure to use the seachem test kit it is hard to read the shades of blue until you get use to doing it but it is imperative that you test because it will be very hard to maintain thereputic levels with rock and sand In The qt. my suggestion would be with the seachem kit take a sample of tank water and a sample of the reference vial that comes with the kit test both and compare the color to each other. With sand and rock in the qt you should be testing at least 2x a day imo. Also make sure to read the instructions because testing the reference solution is different than test a sample of tank water

 

[fixingstill]

My sixline wrasse finally came out of the rocks and sat at the corner not moving and was easily caught. I put it in a box (one of those specimen container with holes drilled) and tried to give him brine shrimp and black worm but he refused.

So, wrasses are not good with copper. My QT has only 1/4" of sand and not much lives in the rocks (pods, etc.) If I put it back into QT, I am pretty sure it will die of either copper or starvation. My DT has 2" sand, plenty of lives in the rocks. This sixline seems healthy so I am taking a chance putting it in my DT. After drip acclimating for 1 hr, go he did, right into the sand. I sure hope it is more natural environment to him and he will find food between rocks. Sure hope he doesn't bring in diseases. I will update.

 

[Jdub968]

Wrasses are ok with copper its cp you don't wanna use on them

 

[fixingstill]

Update:
Sixline still buries himself in the sand 99% of his time and has been out at night when a shrimp walks by.
Other fish in QT are having white dots (ich) and cupramine are now at full dose.
Glad I do QT. Otherwise it will be another 2.5 months of fallowing in DT.