Copper dosage question for sensitive fish.

[Fishguy1079]

Hi all so I realized last night my bicolor foxface has something all over him. I'm pretty sure it's ich or some other external parasite. So since it's a FOWLR I'm treating it with coppersafe. Initially I put it in a half dose because I didn't want to shock the fish, plus I've heard some fish like triggers, tangs, and puffers are sensitive to copper. I have all these fish, do I still want to do the full dose(5ml-4 gallons) on my tank or should I stick with 3/4 dose so I don't stress out or kill my other fish with a full dose? Oh and how long should I wait to put the remaining amount in there?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

chad 1079 Welcome to the Fish Disease Treatment and Diagnosis Forum!

The #fishmedic team and other knowledgeable members of our community will do our best to help you resolve your questions. Please provide as much of the following as you are able:

• Brief description of the issue you are observing and answers to the following questions:
  • How long have you had the fish with the condition?
  • Did you quarantine with medication when you first acquired the fish? (If Yes, which medication?)
• Current water quality measurements
• Clear photos of the issue taken using WHITE light and/or a short video of any behaviors (post in your response or on YouTube).

If you can help us by providing as much of the above info as possible, it will make diagnosing and providing recommendations for treatment MUCH easier! The Fish Medic team will get back to you as quickly as possible. In the meantime, other members of our community may also share their experience with similar situations and advice that they may have regarding your situation.

You may also feel free to provide a more detailed description of the condition if you wish to share more info than the above list.

Additionally, these links may be useful while you await a response:

• CURRENT QT PROTOCOL LINK
• HOW TO ASK FOR DISEASE DIAGNOSIS HELP LINK

 

[Fishguy1079]

chad 1079 Welcome to the Fish Disease Treatment and Diagnosis Forum!

The #fishmedic team and other knowledgeable members of our community will do our best to help you resolve your questions. Please provide as much of the following as you are able:

• Brief description of the issue you are observing and answers to the following questions:
  • How long have you had the fish with the condition?
  • Did you quarantine with medication when you first acquired the fish? (If Yes, which medication?)
• Current water quality measurements
• Clear photos of the issue taken using WHITE light and/or a short video of any behaviors (post in your response or on YouTube).

If you can help us by providing as much of the above info as possible, it will make diagnosing and providing recommendations for treatment MUCH easier! The Fish Medic team will get back to you as quickly as possible. In the meantime, other members of our community may also share their experience with similar situations and advice that they may have regarding your situation.

You may also feel free to provide a more detailed description of the condition if you wish to share more info than the above list.

Additionally, these links may be useful while you await a response:

• CURRENT QT PROTOCOL LINK
• HOW TO ASK FOR DISEASE DIAGNOSIS HELP LINK

Hi Jay, I've had this fish for 5 plus years. I've gotten 2 new fish lately and 1 of those wasn't Quarantined(Niger trigger) however I don't really see anything on him and I got him last week. But like I said with the copper I don't want to put too much too soon in my because I've heard most of these fish are sensitive to copper and I don't want to shock them or worse. So would you recommend?
Thanks!

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hi Jay, I've had this fish for 5 plus years. I've gotten 2 new fish lately and 1 of those wasn't Quarantined(Niger trigger) however I don't really see anything on him and I got him last week. But like I said with the copper I don't want to put too much too soon in my because I've heard most of these fish are sensitive to copper and I don't want to shock them or worse. So would you recommend?
Thanks!

That information about copper is outdated and refers to ionic copper, not amine chelated copper like coppersafe.

The foxface does appear to have ich. You need to get to a full dose of coppersafe right away -2.25 ppm.

The trouble is that your tank may have calcareous gravel and rock on it that will absorb some of the copper. You also may not know the exact water volume of the tank. The combination will likely mean that you dose will be off. You really need a copper test to maintain the proper dose. The Hanna checker is best, but even the API test is best than nothing.

Jay

 

[Dburr1014]

Also, sand/rock will absorb copper and you will not be able to keep coral with that sand/rock again.

 

[Jekyl]

Another consideration would be hypo instead of copper. Stickies for the method are in the disease forum.

 

[Fishguy1079]

That information about copper is outdated and refers to ionic copper, not amine chelated copper like coppersafe.

The foxface does appear to have ich. You need to get to a full dose of coppersafe right away -2.25 ppm.

The trouble is that your tank may have calcareous gravel and rock on it that will absorb some of the copper. You also may not know the exact water volume of the tank. The combination will likely mean that you dose will be off. You really need a copper test to maintain the proper dose. The Hanna checker is best, but even the API test is best than nothing.

Jay

Thanks Jay. I have sand and only a couple of rocks, the rest are artificial decoration. So coppersafe says 4 gallons for 5 millimeters.or a 4 ounce bottle treats 94 gallons. How much water does it treat now? All I've found locally is the 4 ounce bottle. How much does it actually treat? I have a 210 gallon. I put in 145 milliliters last night. Thanks again for hour help!

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Thanks Jay. I have sand and only a couple of rocks, the rest are artificial decoration. So coppersafe says 4 gallons for 5 millimeters.or a 4 ounce bottle treats 94 gallons. How much water does it treat now? All I've found locally is the 4 ounce bottle. How much does it actually treat? I have a 210 gallon. I put in 145 milliliters last night. Thanks again for hour help!

Sorry - I’m really sick with the flu and I can’t do the math for you - one ounce is 29.5 ml though

 

[Fishguy1079]

Sorry - I’m really sick with the flu and I can’t do the math for you - one ounce is 29.5 ml though

I've got a Hanna copper test kit I'll figure it out thanks Jay.

 

[Fishguy1079]

Sorry - I’m really sick with the flu and I can’t do the math for you - one ounce is 29.5 ml though

Hey Jay, I added the other half of the dose of copper safe in and last night I tested my copper using my Hanna test kit. It said 1.96. Is that high enough or would you try and bump it up a little ? I'm also mixing Metro(with Focus) in there food. BTW how many days does it normally take before the parasites start falling off ?

Thanks,
Chad

 

[Jekyl]

Hey Jay, I added the other half of the dose of copper safe in and last night I tested my copper using my Hanna test kit. It said 1.96. Is that high enough or would you try and bump it up a little ? I'm also mixing Metro(with Focus) in there food. BTW how many days does it normally take before the parasites start falling off ?

Thanks,
Chad

Anything under 2.0 is ineffective and could warrant starting all over. Get to 2.2-2.5 to ensure it doesn't happen on accident.

 

[Fishguy1079]

Anything under 2.0 is ineffective and could warrant starting all over. Get to 2.2-2.5 to ensure it doesn't happen on accident.

Oh Ok. Thanks I'll retest tonight to make sure that it's still under 2.0 and add a little more if needs be. I've got tangs, triggers, and a puffer in the tank so I'm really cautious when it comes to Copper.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Agreed - you need to get to 2.25 ppm with the copper, but don't go higher than 2.6. Metroplex mixed with Focus won't work unless you get the dosage right, it needs to be 1% by total weight in the food. Too little and it is ineffective and too high, and it is so bitter, the fish will refuse to eat the food.