Quarantine tank

[Arnaldo24]

Im gonna start for the first time qt my fishes. Tank has no fish right now. I been dealing with ich for a long time
So i wanna do it right this time. I got 2 10gl tanks running now with a aquaclear hang on and heater
I got the medicines PRAZIPRO and CUPRAMINE.
Now how should i start the whole process?? When should i add the medicines and for how long ??
Should i do water changes?? I know i got to keep an eye on amonia spikes.
All the help will be greatly appreciate it

 

[mbg75]

Cupramine at .5 for 14 days. Make sure you have a Seachem copper test. Its the only one to measure the level.

Also get a ammonia alert badge. Reg ammonia test won't work with cupramine.

Change water if ammonia spikes.

I keep a new sponge between my sump baffles to load with bacteria. After 6 weeks its loaded, and I can use it on a qt tank and any time and not have a cycle.

 

[homegrowncichlid]

I use a 5 gallon tank which I keep in the closet till I need it. Then I pop it out, fill with tank water (little water change for the main tank) and stick a cycled sponge filter in. Instant QT. Lots of fish are sensitive to cupramine, just this past week, I picked up a few tabot damsels, and they all died within 3 days. This has happened to me many times in the past, but it only affects some species, though I was surprised the damsels didn't make it. SO cupramine states to bring the Cu up in 48 hours, but what I need to do (and keep not doing) is to treat every fish I get as sensitive and bring Cu levels up to 5ppm over a weeks time frame, AFTER they are eating and comfortable in the QT.
2 gallon water changes twice a week if feeding heavily.
After I'm done, I empty it out and put it away.


Oh, I don't store the cycled sponge filter in the main tank, since I don't want Cu getting into my reef, I keep it wrapped in a wet bag to maintain biological activity.

 

[KathyC]

Might I suggest using Hyposalinity instead of using copper to get rid of the ich?
It is easier to maintain the tank at 1.009 than to try and keep the copper level spot on for 10 weeks (cheaper too!)
..and please use a refractometer rather than a hydrometer

 

[Arnaldo24]

Well i really want to make sure all my new additions are free of any parasites. Not only ich.
And since im going with the cooper treatment i was asking how the experts how do it. I got all equipment including nets , feeder testing tubes but i would like to know basic things like after the 2 weeks how would i know it was successful and they ready to the DT and after 2 weeks of cooper thats it??? How would i transfer them to the DT without introducing any cooper to it ??

 

[will424]

^ I want to know this as well how do you tranfser the fish to display without getting copper in it? Because the fish will have the copper water on it even though its only a little bit

 

[ivandrago]

I also would like to know if you are doing the water change in the QT tank with the main tank water or clean newly made salt water?

Also if you do the water change and you have copper in it d you add more copper since you just dumped alot of water out.

 

[KathyC]

Oh, I don't store the cycled sponge filter in the main tank, since I don't want Cu getting into my reef, I keep it wrapped in a wet bag to maintain biological activity.

A sponge stored in a wet bag with no source of oxygen or food for the bacteria will result in dead bacteria.
Better to keep a new sponge (for each time you need it) in your current DT to use in your QT.

 

[KathyC]

Well i really want to make sure all my new additions are free of any parasites. Not only ich.
And since im going with the cooper treatment i was asking how the experts how do it. I got all equipment including nets , feeder testing tubes but i would like to know basic things like after the 2 weeks how would i know it was successful and they ready to the DT and after 2 weeks of cooper thats it??? How would i transfer them to the DT without introducing any cooper to it ??

2 weeks of a copper treatment is not enough time to be sure a fish does not harbor Ich parasites. Their life cycle is far longer than that and at times during that cycle you will not be able to see the parasite on the fish..but that doesn't mean they don't have ich.
The fish should be observed for 6 weeks to rule out that there is any ich present.


Also keep in mind that copper is quite toxic to fish and is a carcinogen . Do you really want that in your home if you don't have to have it there?
Hypo will give you the same results with less danger to the fish ..and you.

 

[_DZ_r??f]

2 weeks of a copper treatment is not enough time to be sure a fish does not harbor Ich parasites. Their life cycle is far longer than that and at times during that cycle you will not be able to see the parasite on the fish..but that doesn't mean they don't have ich.
The fish should be observed for 6 weeks to rule out that there is any ich present.


Also keep in mind that copper is quite toxic to fish and is a carcinogen . Do you really want that in your home if you don't have to have it there?
Hypo will give you the same results with less danger to the fish ..and you.

+1 for hypo

 

[mbg75]

2 weeks is all that is needed in Cupramine once the level is brought to .5

 

[vio]

it may sound absurd but , I got ick on my fish all the time I feed blood worms, I stop use it.

 

[Arnaldo24]

Mbg75. And after those 2 weeks should i keep them in observation?? Or they ready for DT??

 

[mbg75]

I put mine into DT. I only do a couple fish at a time.

Key is to make sure they are eating before you put them in qt.

 

[ravi197699]

QT Tank

+1 I agree with KathyC, Hypo salinity is better way and less harmful to live stock and you are not limited to keep only fishes in that system, you can add snails and other inverts as well....Basically you will have additional system but just with lower salinity.....

Might I suggest using Hyposalinity instead of using copper to get rid of the ich?
It is easier to maintain the tank at 1.009 than to try and keep the copper level spot on for 10 weeks (cheaper too!)
..and please use a refractometer rather than a hydrometer

 

[oh207]

Hi Arnaldo24, I'm in the same situation currently and would like to share my experience. My DT has been fishless since first week of November 2013. The standard time to wait is approx. 3 months, however, I was out of town and traveling a lot and didn't have time to restart my QT.
Yesterday I restart my 20g QT tank. I lost almost all my fishes due to ich. I did QT at first, but it wasn't hypo nor Copper, I just observe and then release into DT after 2 weeks. Bad idea, now I know better.

I have lots of cupramine, but I felt that using it was the last nail in the coffin. Those fishes that did survived the last and final outbreak of ich in the DT eventually succumbed to the cupramine treatment in the hospital tank. I followed the directions exactly as stated. I don't know if it was already too late for the fishes when I break down the DT to capture them, or if it was the stress, or the cupramine. I guess I will never know.

Over the past 4 months I've been planning how and when I will restart the QT. When the first fish is finished with QT (4-6 weeks from now) it will be 5 months since the DT will be fishless. :thrash: Hopefully all remnants of ich is long gone.

And although I've had 4 months to plan, I still haven't decided whether to go copper or hypo. The biggest issue with copper is that its not safe for fishes, its toxic, harmful, stressful, and according to what I read it leads to lower appetite. And the biggest issue with hypo is that it needs to be accurately maintained 100% of the time. What that means is that I need an ATO on my 20g QT tank!

By this weekend I will decide if to go hypo or with copper, or maybe both? I thought of doing 1 week prazipo, 2 weeks cupramine, then 4 weeks of hypo. Don't know if anything is wrong with this regimen. But maybe I will soon find out. I should start my own thread...

 

[evolution21]

Just lost all my fish in QT.....no ick though.....I didn't clean it for 3 weeks....Decided to scrape the algae of the glass right after I fed them.....I turned the return pump off, fed and started cleaning.....I finished, turned off the light and went to bed. I woke up the next morning to find my 5 inch sohal tang, 2 mandarins, bi color blenny, Ruby Red scooter blenny, 3 inch blue Caribbean tang, and 3 inch hippo tang dead......then I realized I forgot to turn the return pump back on...I guess the same could go with treating with copper...too much and you kill the fish.....I would suggest hypo...

 

[Arnaldo24]

I been reading a lot and theres a very good thread on RC.
2 weeks of prazipro. Followed by 2 days of 50% Wc and then 4 weeks of cupramine at 0.5. Dosing everytime you do WC to make sure you keep that 0.5 after the WC. Water chages to be made with freshly made saltwater. After the 6.2 weeks observe the fish for another 2 weeks (just to make sure) and if after all that they look fine then they ready for the DT
I guess it doesnt sound long enough since i have to leave my tank fishless for 8 weeks.
If any of this is wrong please let me know