Infpalex
New Member
Is it safe to use medications to proactively treat these fish before adding it to the main tank, or should I just watch and monitor? I was planning on using Prazipro and Cupramine. Thank you in advance for the help!
Helmet Cowfish quarantine
- Thread starter Infpalex
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Cowfish should be fine with Prazipro; but there is some debate as to whether or not they are copper intolerant. The confusion arises from their close association with puffers, a known copper sensitive species. I've never owned a cowfish, so I cannot say from personal experience. However, I know they have a thin slime coat so any external parasites should become apparent on them. Or alternatively, you can safely use tank transfer method, Chloroquine phosphate or hyposalinity.
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Infpalex
New Member
Ok I am quarantining a few fish at the same time, this one, a kole yellow eye tang, a diamond goby, and some Chromis. If I do Prazipro on all of them I can easily move him to a 10 gallon by himself and do copper on the others if that is what is needed... But what you said was exactly my concern. Anyone else know for sure if it is safe or not?
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Infpalex
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Thank you for the reply! This makes me feel better. I will be very careful either way and watch him closely.
However, over my past experiences with cow and box fishes, I would say that it is a specie that should have its own FOWLR tank. They don't do well in a reef setting due to all the flow and rock work. They don't do well with bold fishes that will outcompete them with food. They will nuke the tank if there isn't enough water volume to dilute the toxicity within a short amount of time. My attempts to have a cow or box fish, along with other reef safe fishes in my 46g reef, have all failed in every fish being nuked despite a long period (1 yr or so) of nonissue. They love poke their heads above water and beg for food, regardless if you encourage or discourage it. All the box and cow fishes I have kept over the past 8 yrs have demonstrated this cute but potentially lethal behavior. They are intelligent fishes and that's why they learn to do so to get attention for food. Such environment doesn't exist in the ocean therefore they don't know that they could get into a lot of trouble of buoyancy issue by doing so. A few of the sudden deaths in my reef were the result of that. They lost balance and bump into things and that toxins were released during the moment of panic. I have never dared to try to keep in a large system with lots of other fishes. I currently have a 3" male blue box and he is happy as a clam in a 7 gallon nano, as long I feed him whenever he sees me. He has grown an inch in that tank and I will upgrade his home to a 20 gallon frag tank. I know all the books say they require larger tanks than that but to me, he having his own space with a constant flow and a constant rock work layout without any competition for food, and a lid over the tank is the best way to keep him and others out of harm.
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Infpalex
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I had a helmet Cowfish like the one I am getting grow from tiny, to over 6 inches in just a couple years in a 55 long reef tank. My rock work was very open even though I had tons of flow. I have seen the behavior of spraying water that you talked about but as long as I fed him twice a day, at the same event time, he didn't do that. Luckily I have 4 backup tanks, 2 10 gallons, a 29 gallon, and a 55 long so if anything happens I am ready to do w/e he needs for him to be happy. I really hope he does end up liking my new 180 though because they are one of my very favorite fish. I will be sure to keep him in mind when scaping my rockwork.
Thank you for sharing your experiences with copper, makes me feel better.
Thank you for sharing your experiences with copper, makes me feel better.
A guy that I know from a different reef forum also has kept a cow fish in his huge tank for a while. It follows him around just like mine but doesn't poke his head above water. My tank is lower than eye level and his tank is higher, that's probably why.
https://youtu.be/Wtuyhlg2kI4
https://youtu.be/Wtuyhlg2kI4
