30 day treatment with copper or CP?

[Thomashtom]

Hi, what is the reasoning again for running treatment for ich with CP or copper for a full 30 days as opposed to lets say 21 days or 28 days? Any input would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[Dr. Reef Verified Sponsor]

CP is really just a 10 day treatment and copper is 14 days as per most manufacturers. reason we recommend longer treatment is due to few variables and honestly just to be sure.
Variables being we dont know what stage the cycle of the parasite is. 2 stages out of 4 its in cyst form and no medicine out there kills it in those stage. 3rd stage where its just under the skin of the fish is where CP can hurt it and 4th stage of free floating where copper can kill it.
Thus a tank may have 10% at stage 1 40% at stage 2 30% at stage 3 and 20% at stage 4 and remember all stages go through the cycle and start over again thus its a never ending cycle in which parasite can be at any stage of its life cycle. so the treatment is longer the better but longer has its own downsides like suppressing appetite and stress on fish etc.

this is why i recommend 2 weeks treatment on CP and 3 weeks on copper then remove the medication and observe over 2-3 weeks. if symptoms reappear treat again. this gives a weak fish to recover before second round of treatment,

 

[blkhwkz]

I like to treat for 14 days and then move to a sterile QT at least 10 feet away, mine is in another room, for observation and then I run prazi or general cure. For the fairy wrasse I currently have in QT I ran it in CP for 10 days and then off to the other sterile tank. If I only had one QT I am running fish in CP or copper for the full 30 days. I think leaving the fish in the same tank and removing the meds after 2-3 weeks is not the way to go, that is just my preference.

 

[PGT253]

I like to treat for 14 days and then move to a sterile QT at least 10 feet away, mine is in another room, for observation and then I run prazi or general cure. For the fairy wrasse I currently have in QT I ran it in CP for 10 days and then off to the other sterile tank. If I only had one QT I am running fish in CP or copper for the full 30 days. I think leaving the fish in the same tank and removing the meds after 2-3 weeks is not the way to go, that is just my preference.

What fairy wrasse and how is yours doing in CP? I have CP but I am reluctant to use on fairy wrasse

 

[blkhwkz]

What fairy wrasse and how is yours doing in CP? I have CP but I am reluctant to use on fairy wrasse

Orange back fairy wrasse and it did great. No issues at all, had no issues with appetite loss or anything out of the ordinary. It is now in another QT with a 2nd round of general cure and still eating like a pig. I know @Humblefish has been running some through CP recently as well with success. After talking to him I decided to do it since I had to leave town for a few days during treatment to help my mom after her surgery. Last thing I needed was to be teaching the wife or a kid how to use the Hanna copper checker and adjust the copper levels if needed.

 

[PGT253]

Orange back fairy wrasse and it did great. No issues at all, had no issues with appetite loss or anything out of the ordinary. It is now in another QT with a 2nd round of general cure and still eating like a pig. I know @Humblefish has been running some through CP recently as well with success. After talking to him I decided to do it since I had to leave town for a few days during treatment to help my mom after her surgery. Last thing I needed was to be teaching the wife or a kid how to use the Hanna copper checker and adjust the copper levels if needed.

Awesome! How much CP did you dose? Was it all at once or was it done in multiple smaller doses? Sorry for loading up with too many questions lol

 

[blkhwkz]

Awesome! How much CP did you dose? Was it all at once or was it done in multiple smaller doses? Sorry for loading up with too many questions lol

I dose it all at once 40mg/gallon.