Taking Fish on a Plane from Japan

[lhm nole]

I've used Coppersafe for 20+ years without any major problems. Sure, I'd lose a fish every now & then or have one stop eating. Then I tried Cupramine for the first time because I kept reading how much better it supposedly was and had a wipe out. It was probably just a freak thing, but that experience has made me a bit more hesitant to use copper. However, that being said, I'm currently QT'ing two wrasses and a goby using Coppersafe. I know for a fact that the wrasses both have Ich and they are all doing great!



Did you test the Cupramine every night? From what I've read, if it drops below .35 it's not effective.

I tested twice a day for 6 weeks going through 4 test kits.. I will not go further into detail to start stuff but I am the reason they changed the test result instructions from 45 second to the darkest point even after 45 seconds for reading results. They personally called me to inform of this.

 

[geaux xman]

Just to share my experience with cupramine.

I have achilles x2, pbt, blue tang, and 3 lg angels and 2 lemonpeels in my 180g. Another pbt and 2 lemonpeels in another tank.

All fish were QT with .4-.5ppm cupramine for 3-4 weeks. 1-2 one hr formalin dip with each fish. 2 prazi.

Those tangs I have are arguably the most ich sensitive fish in this hobby and I have not seen not one ich spot in my tanks.

So cupramine has worked very well for me. It would take 8 weeks of hypo for me to trust it and I still wouldnt feel 100% comfortable as 3 weeks of .4-.5ppm cupramine.

 

[Yurivd]

I'm sure Coppersafe works as well as Cupramine; I guess there are just quite a few little "tricks" that you pick up after using like these meds for many years. If it works, why change? +1 on the UV comment.Some folks are positive that UV does the job; but the number of long-time hobbyists that I know who use UV for parasite eradication is zero. Also, I don't know of any recognized author or researcher who advocates UV for anything other than as a water-clarifier. If you understand the life cycle of ich; (IMO) its impossible to see how every single ich theront could find the UV intake before it found a fish. Especially when most theronts are released from the substrate at night, and most fish sleep there.

From what i have seen UV work as a suppressant for ich the same as ozone.
I have a friend that has ich in his tank for over 15 years that has been using this technic. He has fish in his tank that is over 15 years old he even has a conspic and bandit angel

Buy my personal feeling with this is kill it before it gets in your tank

 

[b0bab0ey]

I tested twice a day for 6 weeks going through 4 test kits.. I will not go further into detail to start stuff but I am the reason they changed the test result instructions from 45 second to the darkest point even after 45 seconds for reading results. They personally called me to inform of this.

Wow. I sorta had a similar experience with a PB Tang in Coppersafe. She still displayed symptoms of parasites after more than one month in Coppersafe. However, I never saw any white spots so I can't be 100% sure she still had Ich. I finally resorted to Chloroquine Phosphate to resolve whatever the problem was and she's been fine ever since. However, I must point out that this was the only time in 20+ years that Coppersafe gave me reason to question it's effectiveness.

 

[woodnaquanut]

Bump!

Any updates?

 

[Fish Biscuit]

I hope your fish is doing better.

I am a Customs broker, just an FYI to anyone else who attempts to import wildlife from another country into the US without going through the proper channels - your fish will be seized by Customs and/or FWS and you are looking at a huge financial penality along with the possibility of jail time. $300 to $500 for entry fees to a broker and a FWS permit is a small price to pay when you consider what the expenses are if you get caught.

 

[Tactics]

Bump!

Any updates?

woodnaquanut - interrupta is getting better.

I hope your fish is doing better.

I am a Customs broker, just an FYI to anyone else who attempts to import wildlife from another country into the US without going through the proper channels - your fish will be seized by Customs and/or FWS and you are looking at a huge financial penality along with the possibility of jail time. $300 to $500 for entry fees to a broker and a FWS permit is a small price to pay when you consider what the expenses are if you get caught.

Trust me, I did not want to cause any issues with customs. The only agency that responded to my inquiry was TSA, which said it was OK. It's actually quite hard to look for info on how to import wildlife from other countries.

Can you give us some links to reputable brokers? I'm sure your advice will be very valuable to this community.

 

[Tactics]

Interrupta still has some white spots but they're going away. Fish is gaining weight quite rapidly.

2nd Day of Arrival

Today - 13 days after arrival

 

[Tactics]

I have changed my plans for the fish. This incident has really had an impact on my husbandry viewpoints.

After the new year, I plan on getting a full setup (probably an Elos MIDI) as a QT tank. It'll have the same equipment one would find in a reef setup (skimmer, controller, ATO, LEDs, etc.). I'm done with generic QT setups.

 

[auem]

very good decision..:thumbsup:...glad to see the fish is doing great too....

 

[Curious George]

Fantastic turn around! Way to go!

For the record: I've used Coppersafe with successful results and I do believe UV sterilizers are effective in preventing an ich outbreak if rated and used correctly in the display tank.

 

[SDguy]

Nice to see that little belly on her!

 

[Fish Biscuit]

I'm glad she's doing better, beautiful little fish!!

I personally can't recommend a Customs broker in your area. I would highly recommend staying away from any of the BIG guys, most brokers/freight forwarders with a million offices over the globe aren't reliable as a whole. Not to say that some offices aren't better than others but I wouldn't move a shipment with them for my worst enemy

If you go to the Customs website www.cbp.gov you will want to click on "Trade" & under "Resources" you can find a link to ports of entry listed by state and there will be contact information. They are not always the best at returning phone calls so I won't say that I'm surprised you never heard back. If you can get a person on the phone, you can ask them for a recommendation for a Customs broker as they will know who is reliable and who is not.

The website for F&W is www.fws.gov it takes a little more navigating to find the right office, but you will want the Law Enforcement division. I personally find them far more helpful than Customs & they are good at returning phone calls.

Just an FYI too if you decide to hand carry a fish back from overseas again, the Customs broker will need your flight details & have to meet you at the International Terminal for the Customs release. The broker will also coordinate everything with FWS as they may need to be there as well to release the fish. Your entry fee will be higher if the broker has to meet you at the airport as opposed to you having the fish shipped as cargo.

 

[BAKIYA_2K12]

Nice to see the fish is gaining some weight.

 

[GSMguy]

I'm glad she's doing better, beautiful little fish!!

I personally can't recommend a Customs broker in your area. I would highly recommend staying away from any of the BIG guys, most brokers/freight forwarders with a million offices over the globe aren't reliable as a whole. Not to say that some offices aren't better than others but I wouldn't move a shipment with them for my worst enemy

If you go to the Customs website www.cbp.gov you will want to click on "Trade" & under "Resources" you can find a link to ports of entry listed by state and there will be contact information. They are not always the best at returning phone calls so I won't say that I'm surprised you never heard back. If you can get a person on the phone, you can ask them for a recommendation for a Customs broker as they will know who is reliable and who is not.

The website for F&W is www.fws.gov it takes a little more navigating to find the right office, but you will want the Law Enforcement division. I personally find them far more helpful than Customs & they are good at returning phone calls.

Just an FYI too if you decide to hand carry a fish back from overseas again, the Customs broker will need your flight details & have to meet you at the International Terminal for the Customs release. The broker will also coordinate everything with FWS as they may need to be there as well to release the fish. Your entry fee will be higher if the broker has to meet you at the airport as opposed to you having the fish shipped as cargo.

So there is no distinction made between a pet and a commercial import? Seems unlikely to me, my father travels back and fourth from Belize to the US with his dogs without a customs broker.

 

[Tactics]

I was fixing the netting on my cover tonight and noticed how beautiful the Interrupta's spots are when the actinics hit them. They just glow.

 

[solitude127]

AMAZING specimen.

 

[stunreefer]

Gorgeous, so glad he's doing better for you. Keep pumping him full of food :thumbsup:

 

[Curious George]

Breathtaking fish. Hard to believe with all of the colors of fish offered in the hobby. That is a gem. Worth it's weight in gold too.

 

[humaguy]

love her...looking forward to getting mine this week...