Current Quarantine Protocol

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I can only buy (CUPRAMINE+SALIFERT CU TEST), can I do a copper session with this stuff? Will this work?

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

Yes - that will work. You should aim for a dose of 0.50 ppm cupramine. You might want to treat for a shorter period of time - 21 days instead of 30. Never using reducing agents like Prime with using Cupramine.

Jay

 

[Yii]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

Yes - that will work. You should aim for a dose of 0.50 ppm cupramine. You might want to treat for a shorter period of time - 21 days instead of 30. Never using reducing agents like Prime with using Cupramine.

Jay

THx jay！
Is salifert accurate? I can guarantee that I will go home to test the copper content after work every day, but I'm afraid that its inaccurate results will lead to QT failure. hanna hi702 is currently out of stock and needs to wait for a long time.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

THx jay！
Is salifert accurate? I can guarantee that I will go home to test the copper content after work every day, but I'm afraid that its inaccurate results will lead to QT failure. hanna hi702 is currently out of stock and needs to wait for a long time.

Salifert doesn’t handle chelated copper well, but Cupramine is supposed to be ionic. Can you get the SeaChem test? I know that will work. The API kit also works, but the color is difficult to read.
Jay

 

[Yii]

Salifert doesn’t handle chelated copper well, but Cupramine is supposed to be ionic. Can you get the SeaChem test? I know that will work. The API kit also works, but the color is difficult to read.
Jay

yes i can buy SeaChem test,I will be using Cupramine 21 days.
What is the effective range of Cupramine? （04-0.6ppm?） I expect it will be difficult to maintain 0.5PPM all the time with Seachem

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

yes i can buy SeaChem test,I will be using Cupramine 21 days.
What is the effective range of Cupramine? （04-0.6ppm?） I expect it will be difficult to maintain 0.5PPM all the time with Seachem

Yes, I try to maintain Cupramine between 0.40 to 0.60. I think Seachem says the maximum dose is 0.80. However, they also say the treatment time is only 14 days, which is just not long enough.

Jay

 

[Fer21]

Hello, are there any options or procedures one can do if a QT tank is not an option?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hello, are there any options or procedures one can do if a QT tank is not an option?

The very best options are to either buy captive raised fish directly from the breeder, or to buy pre quarantined fish from an online vendor. The risk of problems increases greatly for any other options. At the VERY least, do not buy fish that have not been at the store for at least two weeks (four is much better).

Dips are often suggested, but they are stressful and never control parasites 100%, and it only takes a few parasites to get through and start up a disease in your display tank.

Jay

 

[TheFunnyFarm]

Hi everyone, first and foremost I love this thread as I’m trying to unlearn everything from the days of my father’s tank 30-something years ago.

I have a Gem Tang currently in QT per this protocol, starting the Prazipro regimen in 2 weeks and would appreciate any insight to Prazipro with this fish.

I read that caution is to be heeded when administering Prazipro to scaleless fish, which makes me overly cautious with the price tag the Gem carries.

Are there any precautions, specific treatment dosage, or signs to watch out for when treating a Gem Tang with Prazipro that differs from ‘Current Quarantine Protocol’ delineated in this thread?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hi everyone, first and foremost I love this thread as I’m trying to unlearn everything from the days of my father’s tank 30-something years ago.

I have a Gem Tang currently in QT per this protocol, starting the Prazipro regimen in 2 weeks and would appreciate any insight to Prazipro with this fish.

I read that caution is to be heeded when administering Prazipro to scaleless fish, which makes me overly cautious with the price tag the Gem carries.

Are there any precautions, specific treatment dosage, or signs to watch out for when treating a Gem Tang with Prazipro that differs from ‘Current Quarantine Protocol’ delineated in this thread?

Gem tangs aren't scaleless, they just have tiny ctenoid scales. The genus Zebrasoma, which this belongs has no special issues with Prazipro.

Prazipro itself is well-tolerated by virtually all fish. The problem is with the solvent used. It is a type of glycol. Bacteria in the tank consume that, and that process takes up oxygen. If you do not aerate the tank really well, fish with high oxygen demands, like wrasses can suffer.

It used to be that every quarantine tank had an air pump and a good air stone. That takes care of this problem. In recent years, some people have gotten away from using air stones, and that is when the problems arise.

Jay

 

[naterealbig]

Gem tangs aren't scaleless, they just have tiny ctenoid scales. The genus Zebrasoma, which this belongs has no special issues with Prazipro.

Prazipro itself is well-tolerated by virtually all fish. The problem is with the solvent used. It is a type of glycol. Bacteria in the tank consume that, and that process takes up oxygen. If you do not aerate the tank really well, fish with high oxygen demands, like wrasses can suffer.

It used to be that every quarantine tank had an air pump and a good air stone. That takes care of this problem. In recent years, some people have gotten away from using air stones, and that is when the problems arise.

Jay

Hi Jay - thanks for all of your help and support on these boards. I frequently reference your posts as I execute an aggressive QT protocol for all incoming fish.

Question: I utilize General Cure for Praziquantil dosing, as it has Metronidozol in the the formulation, so it's one less medication I need to purchase/store/dose.

I assume that the glycol ingredient is not included in the powdered form of GC - would this be a safe assumption?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hi Jay - thanks for all of your help and support on these boards. I frequently reference your posts as I execute an aggressive QT protocol for all incoming fish.

Question: I utilize General Cure for Praziquantil dosing, as it has Metronidozol in the the formulation, so it's one less medication I need to purchase/store/dose.

I assume that the glycol ingredient is not included in the powdered form of GC - would this be a safe assumption?

Hi, I thought I replied to you, but it doesn’t look like I did - Sorry!

Powdered praziquantel (of GC) doesn’t dissolve well in seawater. Therefore a solvent like alcohol or glycol is sometimes used. This serves as a carbon source for bacteria and that can strip oxygen from the water. That creates reports of “prazi sensitive fish”, when really they just weren’t tolerant for low dissolved oxygen. You need to run lots of aeration in those treatments.

Powdered prazi with no solvent needs to be mixed well to get it to go into suspension. I wear gloves and a mask, and put it in a fine brine shrimp net and add water and express it through the net as a slurry and into the tank.

Jay

 

[naterealbig]

Hi, I thought I replied to you, but it doesn’t look like I did - Sorry!

Powdered praziquantel (of GC) doesn’t dissolve well in seawater. Therefore a solvent like alcohol or glycol is sometimes used. This serves as a carbon source for bacteria and that can strip oxygen from the water. That creates reports of “prazi sensitive fish”, when really they just weren’t tolerant for low dissolved oxygen. You need to run lots of aeration in those treatments.

Powdered prazi with no solvent needs to be mixed well to get it to go into suspension. I wear gloves and a mask, and put it in a fine brine shrimp net and add water and express it through the net as a slurry and into the tank.

Jay

Thank you!

 

[Weeb]

Hi, I thought I replied to you, but it doesn’t look like I did - Sorry!

Powdered praziquantel (of GC) doesn’t dissolve well in seawater. Therefore a solvent like alcohol or glycol is sometimes used. This serves as a carbon source for bacteria and that can strip oxygen from the water. That creates reports of “prazi sensitive fish”, when really they just weren’t tolerant for low dissolved oxygen. You need to run lots of aeration in those treatments.

Powdered prazi with no solvent needs to be mixed well to get it to go into suspension. I wear gloves and a mask, and put it in a fine brine shrimp net and add water and express it through the net as a slurry and into the tank.

Jay

I've put powdered Praziquantel into the foot portion of clean/new pantyhose/stocking and squeezed it into saltwater.

Humblefish recommends Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DSMO) but I'm not sure if it will cause a bacterial bloom, or not.

 

[Court_Appointed_Hypeman]

Any change in the protocol for a flame angel? I hear they are copper sensitive.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I've put powdered Praziquantel into the foot portion of clean/new pantyhose/stocking and squeezed it into saltwater.

Humblefish recommends Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DSMO) but I'm not sure if it will cause a bacterial bloom, or not.

For decades, I used to have staff and volunteers at the aquariums where I worked bring in pantyhose for just that use. Over time, that supply simply dried up. I asked my wife and she just laughed, few people wear pantyhose any longer!

DMSO is relatively non-toxic, but would serve as a carbon source as well. It is also flammable and expensive, so I prefer to use a baby brine shrimp net.

For anyone using organic solvents for Praziquantel, use the absolute minimum you can to get the material dissolved into.....

Jay

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Any change in the protocol for a flame angel? I hear they are copper sensitive.

Yes, they are very sensitive to ionic copper, you need to ramp that up slowly with them. or use hyposalinity. Amine-bound coppers (Coppersafe and Copper Power) are fine with them up to 2.5 ppm.

Jay

 

[Court_Appointed_Hypeman]

Yes, they are very sensitive to ionic copper, you need to ramp that up slowly with them. or use hyposalinity. Amine-bound coppers (Coppersafe and Copper Power) are fine with them up to 2.5 ppm.

Jay

Hiw slow of a rampup would you recomended?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hiw slow of a rampup would you recomended?

You shouldn’t risk ionic copper with them at all, but if you do, you should ramp it up over 48 hours. Amine based coppers don’t need to be ramped up, just need to be accurately dosed.
Jay

 

[JohnA26]

Hello Jay. I have an old tank that has been dry for over a year. Thinking of using it for qt on a potential new fish. Is that tank in need of cycling again? Or can I “plug and go” with it as a qt tank?

Also if a fish shows no sign of disease or such, how long can I keep in qt? ( I lost most of my fish to velvet and am running fallow through mid sept). But have opportunity to get a fish I’ve been looking for for months with no luck till now.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hello Jay. I have an old tank that has been dry for over a year. Thinking of using it for qt on a potential new fish. Is that tank in need of cycling again? Or can I “plug and go” with it as a qt tank?

Also if a fish shows no sign of disease or such, how long can I keep in qt? ( I lost most of my fish to velvet and am running fallow through mid sept). But have opportunity to get a fish I’ve been looking for for months with no luck till now.

The bacteria in the old tank would have died out by now. You would need to fully cycle the tank before putting any fish into it. I prefer using the fishless method, with adding bacteria and ammonia.

The quarantine method outlined here is an active one, you treat the fish before they show disease signs. Once they have gone through that, they can stay in the quarantine tank until the display is ready for them.

Jay