Questions regarding qt methods

[b-ridge]

Reading through past posts and trying to figure out what qt method will work best for me. Whether it will be hypo or copper I'm not certain. When using copper I'm thinking about cupramine, copper power or chloroquine phosphate.
I'm reading a lot that when people use copper its surpresses their appetite. When and if this happens what do you guys use or do to get the fish eating again?
I plan on qt'ing everything and treating as if they all have something. Is there any pros or cons to this?
What's your suggestions?

 

[marrone]

There is a big difference between QT a fish and treating one. QT a fish is basically leaving it in a tank where the fish will have some down time, get use to the surrounding, and in some case start to eat. It's also a place where you can observe the fish and determine if it had anything.

When you're using copper, hypo, Prazi-pro, or other medication at that point you're treating the fish and not QT it anymore. It's best to just QT the fish, and then if it shows symptoms of a diseases or parasite, treat it with the correct medication. Remember, copper and hypo don't work on everything.

 

[Kennyw43]

I'm using Cupramine and my fish eat everything

 

[theMeat]

It is thought that copper of any type can cause long term permanent damage. Many do lower doses as a means to curb or cure in gt. Some do partial copper,and partial hyposalinity. Personally i do partial hypo and monitor fish for four weeks. Partial hypo is good for qt also because lotsa lfs do it so when you put them in they not shocked into regular salt levels. If after a few weeks i see a problem i either lower salt further, treat with copper if i must, or whatever needs be done after figuring out what the culprit is. Have seen and experienced some strains of ich that were not eradicated with hypo, and copper was needed. with that being said still try hypo first, followed by another four weeks at regular salt levels to monitor before they go into display.
Another good thing is to have 2 small gt's if you want a constant flow of new fish. So one can be left fallow, while the other used.

 

[marrone]

Doing partial hypo isn't going to kill much to anything, especially Ich, the same with Copper. If you don't treat at the correct levels than it's not doing anything. Lots of LFS keep their SG low to try and kill any parasites that may come in with the fish, but most of the time the SG level isn't low enough to do anything.

As for copper, some fish don't do well with it, causing them not to eat or even killing them, so it some cases hypo is the better thing to use. Then again Hypo doesn't kill a lot of things so you need to make sure what you're using to treat the diseases/parasite is correct, and that also includes using measuring kits to make sure you're at the right levels that are needed.

 

[theMeat]

Agreed. Just keeps it a place where problems aren't happy and can't thrive, so you can detect any possible problems and act if/when. Then there's the other end of the spectrum that believes ich and other problems are in every tank, but it's the conditions, nutrition and the fish's immunity that keeps it at bay.

 

[b-ridge]

I still don't know what to beleive as far as Ich always being present in the tank. And whether or not stress plays a part or not

 

[theMeat]

Would say stress plays a part, but not always present

 

[marrone]

Ich is a parasite and if it's present in the tank a fish can and will get it, stress or not wouldn't stop that from happening. Now a fish that isn't stressed out maybe better able to fight it off, but still there aren't any guarantees that will happen.

Can you get rid of ich from a tank? Yes, plenty of people have been able to rid their tanks of ich.

 

[theMeat]

Yup ^
Have gotten rid of ich in plenty of tanks. Where the fish were stressed big time by being caught, put in qt, treated and cured. Tank left fallow for two months then returned. Alot of stress yet still cured. So yeah, stress is probably a factor, but not a deciding one.

 

[thirty6]

I use my qt to monitor and watch the fish before it goes into display. I don't treat with anything. I have lost a few fish in qt but I convince myself better in qt than the display if something were Wrong with it. I try to leave in for 4 weeks. Not sure that's long enough but if the fish is eating and acting Normal that's my barometer. I don't know if that's quite long enough but so far it has been working for me
I tried using some yellow powder to treat a fish once and it was colassal pia with constant water changes fish died in qt anyway