Adding water to copper treated Qt

[Fishfinder]

Everyone says to mix copper in a bucket before changing out with water in the qt. What about for top off water? Obviously you cant add more copper to the top off water or your copper level would rise. How do you prevent a problem in that scenario?

 

[aykwm]

You just use RODI water with no medication, as no copper has left the system. On the other hand, when doing WC you are removing some of the copper from water, thats why when you add the new water you need to replace the amount of copper you removed and thus you add coper to the bucket before adding it to the tank to avoid copper dropping below therapeutical level. Think about it as Salt, when topping off you add RODI, when doing WC you add SW.

 

[melypr1985]

exactly ^^

 

[Fishfinder]

Right but if I add 4 gal of untreated water will that create a pocket of water with no copper until it gets circulated through?

 

[melypr1985]

Right but if I add 4 gal of untreated water will that create a pocket of water with no copper until it gets circulated through?

Adding 4 gallons of freshwater to top up a typical QT, would swing the SG quite a bit I'd think. Most QT's are fairly small <50 gallons or so. Top up water should be added daily, and I don't think you would evaporate 4 gallons in a day especially since my 180 doesn't even evap that much in a day.

 

[aykwm]

What is the size of your tank? 4 gal is a lot to top off at once especially in QT where assumption is its relatively smaller tank. I consume 4 gal within a week in my 140 gal. I recommend you to top off evaporated water more frequently as this amount will cause a lot of swings in parameter which is stressful for fish.

 

[Fishfinder]

It does swing SG quite a bit, and also increase copper levels quite a bit before adding top off water. I add top off water about once a week. 4 gal might be a little more than I add. But I wanted to know the theory on adding uncoppered fresh water. Let's say 2.5 gal

 

[aykwm]

Be careful, it might be dangerous. Also assuming you started with right salinity level, by the time you top off the water the salinity will be too high. High salinity will decrease available oxygen in water which is not good. Also, are you testing the copper concentration? The concentration might vary and you might either drop below or go beyond the recommended levels. This can either cause the copper to be ineffective or might potentially reach toxic levels.

For the theory of why not to add copper to top off water. You add RODI (pure H2O fresh water) to compensate for evaporation. When water evaporates, it leaves behind all the salts and chemicals including copper, so when you top off you are basically returning the evaporated water, the salt and the copper are still in the system so you dont need to add extra except when you are doing water change, in that case you are removing the salt and the medication, so when you add the new water, you should add back the salt and the copper that you took out of the water.

 

[Fishfinder]

I understand the theory and the math. I didn't know if adding a large amount of top off water would allow the parasite to survive and nullify the month of copper. Or if the little time it was subtheraputic was irrelevant

 

[aykwm]

I would recommend checking with a test kit right before top off and right after it and see how much does it change. If it drops below therapeutical range then unfortunately you need to start again. If its too high before top off then better increase frequency to ensure the fish stay healthy and dont overdose on copper.

 

[ngoodermuth]

I think maybe you should try to top off at least twice a week, if not daily, to keep your salinity and copper levels steady. And test for copper frequently, twice daily at first until you are sure it's holding at therapeutic levels.

 

[melypr1985]

I understand the theory and the math. I didn't know if adding a large amount of top off water would allow the parasite to survive and nullify the month of copper. Or if the little time it was subtheraputic was irrelevant

To answer your question more directly: No, it shouldn't cause that since the copper never left the water during that time. It could become more concentrated (just like the salt content) and become more toxic to the fish though, so that adds more reason to top off regularly. Remember, copper is a poison plain and simple. It works because most fish can survive in it longer than the parasites can.

 

[Fishfinder]

Ok just wanted to make sure that my copper treatment wasn't for nothing. Thanks for the help. Sorry about the confusion and I know it's not an optimal situation. But thankfully the only fish I've lost in QT is a butterfly.

 

[dbrewsky]

If possible try and top off your aquarium daily, the salinity swings in a small volume of water over a week is guaranteed to be more stressful to the fish than proper concentrations of therapeutic copper. Reducing stressors and keeping a stable qt has really helped with my success with sensitive species.