Copper
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Idoc
Getting lazier and lazier with upkeep!
Copper is a poison to invertebrates... and actually to fish as well. But fish can typically handle some copper at low levels that will kill pests, snails, corals, shrimp, etc...
Typically is recommended to run copper for 30 days to wipe out almost all strains of ich. Copper Power and CopperSafe are run around 2.00-2.50ppm for therapeutic levels. Cupramine is a different type of Copper and therapeutic range is lower. A different approach is to run Copper for 2 weeks and then transfer the fish into a totally new, clean quarantine tank.
Typically is recommended to run copper for 30 days to wipe out almost all strains of ich. Copper Power and CopperSafe are run around 2.00-2.50ppm for therapeutic levels. Cupramine is a different type of Copper and therapeutic range is lower. A different approach is to run Copper for 2 weeks and then transfer the fish into a totally new, clean quarantine tank.
Idoc
Getting lazier and lazier with upkeep!
Why 30 days? Well, some research gurus have done studies in the past showing that ich will go thru its different life cycles and all or almost all strains of ich will complete that cycle within 30 days. But, I believe those research papers were done in cooler water temperatures than what we use in an aquarium, so they could be slightly lengthened. Copper only attacks the ich while it's in the water column, not when it is encysted.
As for other products for ich quarantine treatment, there is Chloroquine Phosphate that can be used as well... but i believe that's also for 30 days... just less toxic for most fish. There is some research being done on using H2O2 baths as well... not sure if that is definite yet though.
Depending on the fish types, I treat for different things. All get PraziPro for flukes. I sometimes use Metrodonizole for possible Brooklynella. And i feed medicated did for 14-21 days for internal parasites and worms.
piranhaman00
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Copper is a mutagen, meaning it mutates DNA. The best approach is 14 days in copper than transfer them out to a sterile tank. You want to limit the fish exposure to copper as much as possible as above mentioned its toxic to the fish as well.
I actually read that copper readily mutates the free swimming stage but does affect the encysted stage as well, just more slowly. The 30 days covers any swimming stage and is enough time to mutate any encysted enough that when they hatch (if they do) they cannot reproduce on a host or even get to a host. If it did not affect the encysted at all, then 30 days would not be enough as the accepted fallow period of 76 days shows they can encyst for much longer than 30 days.
If you only have one tank, I would do copper for 31 full days minimum at 2.00ppm copper power. After that time period, do a huge water change (50-75%, making sure to match parameters and temp carefully) then do two round of GC.
Helpful link that goes into more detail
www.reef2reef.com
I actually read that copper readily mutates the free swimming stage but does affect the encysted stage as well, just more slowly. The 30 days covers any swimming stage and is enough time to mutate any encysted enough that when they hatch (if they do) they cannot reproduce on a host or even get to a host. If it did not affect the encysted at all, then 30 days would not be enough as the accepted fallow period of 76 days shows they can encyst for much longer than 30 days.
If you only have one tank, I would do copper for 31 full days minimum at 2.00ppm copper power. After that time period, do a huge water change (50-75%, making sure to match parameters and temp carefully) then do two round of GC.
Helpful link that goes into more detail
My Current QT Process
UPDATE, 10/9/22: For those looking for quarantine information, our current process is kept updated on the first page of this thread (post any questions at the end of the thread). https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/current-quarantine-protocol.825055/ Thanks, Jay Hemdal I am frequently...
www.reef2reef.com
