Copper treatment - just do it?

[Theulli]

So I've had a single blenny hanging out in my 20G QT for a month+, while the display tank stays fallow. Yesterday I got a shipment of fish and added em to the QT, and today, lo and behold, I wake up this morning and the blenny is flashing.

I don't see any signs of disease otherwise. I had intended to do a quarantine treatment with some microbelift products instead of full on copper, but now I am reconsidering that.

(1) Is there a downside to copper treatment, should I just do it?
(2) How long should I wait to be sure that the copper isn't going to interact with the microbelift (Artemiss and Herbtana)? I have put the carbon back in, and did a water change, so levels should be pretty low pretty fast I'd think.

Or, it seems super coincidental that the blenny started flashing just as things started changing in the tank...should I just do nothing until I see more than that? Or am I overthinking it and I should just do the copper regardless, since I've got new fish anyway?

Thanks!

 

[nereefpat]

What are the other fish? Some species reportedly don't tolerate it well, so there is possibly a downside there. All my new fish get prazi and either copper or Tank Transfer Method.

No idea on the Herbtana stuff. I wouldn't think it would cause any issues with the copper though.

Flashing can be a number of things. I would copper and prazi (for flukes and other worms) to cover it all. I'm skeptical that the microbelift stuff does anything.

 

[Theulli]

Yeah - I honestly just like the MicrobeLift for its purported immune boosting attributes, not as a treatment for anything.

I've got in the QT:
- Pink streaked wrasse
- Tail spot blenny
- Striped blenny
- Court jester goby
- Pavo damsel

I don't think any of those would be particularly sensitive?

 

[nereefpat]

I don't think any of those would be particularly sensitive?

I would agree. Shouldn't be any worries about using copper with them. Especially if using Copper Power.

 

[Theulli]

I've got Cupramine and a Hanna copper test. Should I use CP instead?

 

[nereefpat]

I don't have experience with cupramine. Copper Power or Copper Safe is supposed to be a little less harsh, since it's chelated.

Someone with more cupramine and Hanna copper checker experience will have to chime in.