Coppersafe dosage

[Fishfinder]

what would the correct dose be for 25gal of water?
What would give me 1.5ppm and what would give me 2.0ppm?

 

[Dr. Reef Verified Sponsor]

1 teaspoon (5ml) for 4 gallons of water will bring it close to 1.5 - 1.75 ppm.

 

[Barrett]

I use 12ml for my 10gal qt and end up right at 2ppm. I dose 2ml in the am and 2ml in the pm for 3 days.

 

[Maritimer]

Best practice is to divide the dose into several, and to test the actual levels in the tank - daily, if you can manage it. You'll literally watch your copper levels come up to 1.5 - 2ppm, and then you're going to continue checking against fluctuation.

~Bruce

 

[Fishfinder]

I see the dosing instructions on the bottle. But this thread has me confused. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/proper-dosing-of-coppersafe.309726/

Is this correct or is the bottle correct?

 

[drawman]

Best practice is to divide the dose into several, and to test the actual levels in the tank - daily, if you can manage it. You'll literally watch your copper levels come up to 1.5 - 2ppm, and then you're going to continue checking against fluctuation.

~Bruce

+1 I wouldn't trust that the concentration in the bottle is correct. It would be best to dose and test to make sure. An API copper kit is helpful.

 

[aykwm]

The bottle mentions 0.15-0.2 ppm which is wrong, you want to dose it to 10x that concentration which is 1.5-2 ppm, thats why the directions on the bottle are wrong.
Anyways you always want to get a test kit (api copper test kit in this case) to check as each aquarium is different and concentrations might vary from one tank to another depending on the equipments and materials in tank.
Best of luck

 

[Humblefish]

@Fishfinder See below:

Coppersafe recommended dosage (achieves 1.15 ppm) = 1.25mL/gal

Coppersafe dosage to achieve 1.5 ppm = 1.63mL/gal

Coppersafe dosage to achieve 1.75 ppm = 1.9mL/gal

Coppersafe dosage to achieve 2.0 ppm = 2.17mL/gal

1.5 - 2.0 ppm is the correct therapeutic range for Coppersafe.

 

[Humblefish]

1.63mL = 0.3307012 teaspoon.

So basically, dosing 1/3 teaspoon per gallon puts you right at the minimum therapeutic dosage. You can slowly bump it up from there to reach 2.0 ppm using your test kit as a measuring stick.

 

[Fishfinder]

I'm at 1.6ml/G right now. 40ml/25G. But my test kits looks to be reading well over 2ppm. That's my confusion.

 

[Humblefish]

@Fishfinder Take a glass bowl, pour 1 gallon of saltwater in and add 1/3 teaspoon of Coppersafe. Mix using a small PH (or airstone) for about an hour and test it.

P. S. You can use it to do a small WC on your QT afterwards.

 

[4FordFamily]

I agree- testing is how you ensure its correct. Some will leach somewhere-- how much dependent on the quarantine. Dosing isn't my thing so I'll but out of that conversation!

 

[Dr. Reef Verified Sponsor]

Coppersafe has had this confusion for a while due to the fact it got bought out by fritz.
Mardel the original producer had the therapeutic range of 1.5 to 2 ppm while since Fritz bought it they reduced it down to 10x less ppm. But it's funny that still in the Fritz packing you find a guide to cure fish off ich and in that guide it still mentions 1.5 to 2 ppm.
Anyways with any copper based medicine it's best to administer it slowly and dose 1/4th daily for 4 days. (Keep testing daily before dosing so levels are in safe zone).
I have successfully used coppersafe at 1.75ppm many many times.

Fyi this last treatment I had 6 tangs of different types that had ich. I successfully cured them 100% and are still in qt for last 3 months with no deaths using 1.5 ppm coppersafe and 20 mg/g chloroquine phosphate mix together.

 

[Fishfinder]

@Dr. Reef what dosage did you use to get to 1.75ppm?

 

[Dr. Reef Verified Sponsor]

Honestly I followed the 5ml/4g. I broke my total dosage over 4 days and first 3 days I dosed as suggested 5ml/4g and tested everyday before dosing and forth day I am not sure but I only had to add very little to achieve 1.75.

 

[Fishfinder]

Ok thank for the help. But that's my problem with coppersafe. Their recommended dosage doesn't line up with test kit readings. They say on the bottle 5ml/4G gives 1.16ppm. That shows up as ~1.50 on my test kit.

I dosed to 1.6ml/G which is mathematically correct for 1.5ppm according to their bottle. My test kit shows well over 2.0ppm.

 

[Smo]

Not all agree but I raise the test vial 1/2" or so above the card to allow light in the bottom. The instructions aren't clear but they say, "Hold the test tube upright over the white area on the color card..." Key word, "over."

 

[JAMSOURY]

I got the seachem test kit. I guess it's useless because the color chart only goes up to 1ppm. Or am I doing something wrong? I'm new to all this copper testing

 

[aykwm]

I got the seachem test kit. I guess it's useless because the color chart only goes up to 1ppm. Or am I doing something wrong? I'm new to all this copper testing

Unfortunatly seachem test ket, and salifert too, are designed for ionic copper , seachem cupramine, as the treatment range is beliw 0.8. For coppersafe and other chelated copper API copper test kit is needed

 

[JAMSOURY]

Unfortunatly seachem test ket, and salifert too, are designed for ionic copper , seachem cupramine, as the treatment range is beliw 0.8. For coppersafe and other chelated copper API copper test kit is needed

Ahhh makes sense. Got the wrong one