Help. Never treated for ICH before

[Sobo's Reef]

Crap.. I picked up API Fungus Cure bc it’s active ingredient is acriflavine... is this still okay?

 

[Big G]

So kinda weird... my tang has visibly less specks on him today then yesterday... weird

The white specks are not the parasite. They are the mucous build up at the site of the parasites attack. So the number of white specks can decrease/increase as the waves/cycles of attacks happen and the mucous develops and then as the mucous washes off the side of the fish.

 

[Big G]

Crap.. I picked up API Fungus Cure bc it’s active ingredient is acriflavine... is this still okay?

Good question. I've never used it before. Lets get some help on that one. @Humblefish, @4FordFamily

 

[4FordFamily]

Good question. I've never used it before. Lets get some help on that one. @Humblefish, @4FordFamily

I would think so but I’m not entirely sure. If that’s the only ingredient I think it’s good for bath purposes!

 

[Sobo's Reef]

Ill double check the ingredients when I get back home but it’s acriflavine and something else

 

[Sobo's Reef]

Active ingredients are : 3mg Victoria Green B and 30mg Acriflavine per packet... says 1 packet treats 10 gallons...
I also bought a bottle of Prazipro if that’ll help too?

 

[Big G]

Ill double check the ingredients when I get back home but it’s acriflavine and something else

acriflavine + malachite green. MG by itself is used to treat cuts, ammonia burns, and injuries.

 

[Sobo's Reef]

So it should be fine then right? What about Prazipro? Is that more of antibiotic that’s good to have on hand or should I be using that somewhere in this process?

 

[Big G]

So it should be fine then right? What about Prazipro? Is that more of antibiotic that’s good to have on hand or should I be using that somewhere in this process?

API Fungus Cure is labeled as for Freshwater Aquarium. That being said, others on this site have used it for an acriflavine bath. See post #14 on https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/sick-wrasse-please-help.322612/#post-3995297

Prazipro is used for external flukes. It will kill some internal parasites as well. But Metro is the go to med for internal parasites.

 

[Sobo's Reef]

Thanks! ill check it out later, on my way to work now

 

[Sobo's Reef]

Okay so the tank is a 29g standard Aqueon tank.. found a package for $95 that came with the filter, heater, light and tank so I’m happy about that... I haven’t dosed any coppersafe yet bc I ran out of time and had to get ready for work. (Side note: fish still all behaving normal in DT)

I was gonna dose it now since I just got home from work and then test it when I wake up and dose again if needed, is that okay? It says to dose 5mL per 4 gallons.. so I was gonna dose 30mL(24gallons worth) and then see where I am... can I do this or do I need to dose the exact amount all at once?

If no reply within the next half hour I’ll just go about dosing it when I wake up

 

[Big G]

The dosage on the bottle is for maintenance in tanks. The dosage for killing ich/velvet is 1.5 ml/gal - 2.0 ml/gal

 

[Sobo's Reef]

Oh really??

 

[Big G]

Here's a recent discussion by Humblefish, Brew12 and others on the therapeutic levels of dosing for Coppersafe: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/coppersafe-dosage-incorrect-on-bottle.282726/page-7

Below is the end result of the entire thread on post #136 by Humblefish.
Minimum level is 1.5ppm; mid level dose is 1.75ppm; recommended full dose is 2.0ppm as shown below.
I encourage you to read the entire thread. Hope this helps.
I'm currently QTing some copper sensitive fish: puffer, wrasse, anthias and a have chosen to slowly, took 8 days to work up to the mid-level dose of 1.75+ and they all are doing fine on day 5 of therapeutic level dose of 1.75ppm.

↑
I wonder if @Randy Holmes-Farley would be willing to weigh in? My coppersafe bottle says the solution is 2.2% chelated copper (the SDS is here, and states 2-3% chelated copper sulfate by weight). Randy, my specific question is: given the info on the bottle and in the product SDS, is it reasonable to expect that a dosage of 1.25 ml/gal results in 1.16ppm concentration?

I recently tested Coppersafe 5x using the Chemetrics copper test kit. When dosed as directed (5ml per 4 gallons), 1.10-1.20 ppm was the range I achieved with 1.15 ppm being the average. This is close to what F&S now says about Coppersafe: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=4721
The unique formulation of Coppersafe solution maintains a total copper level of 1.16 ppm to 1.17 ppm when used as directed.

So, if we assume the recommended dosage achieves 1.15 ppm here are more accurate dosages to achieve 1.5, 1.75 & 2.0 ppm (i.e. therapeutic range):

Coppersafe recommended dosage = 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

 

[Big G]

So if we assume your tank is actually 29 gallons here would be the amount of Coppersafe to achieve the above posted therapeutic levels. Remember your tank is actually less than 29 gallons. So you want to really sneak up on the last few days of dosing.

1.5ppm = 1.63mL/gal x 29 = 47.27 ml total of Coppersafe

1.75ppm = 1.9mL/gal x 29 = 55.1 ml total of Coppersafe

2.0ppm = 2.17mL/gal x 29 = 62.93 ml total of Coppersafe

Always, always test with something like the API Copper Test kit to confirm doses as you progress along. Remember these "hobby" kits have their limitations as discussed in the above thread. I really hope this helps with your fish.

~ Gary

 

[Sobo's Reef]

You’re the best man! I can’t appreciate this enough. So I’m gonna dose up to 1.5ppm now but I have to leave for work in less then 2hrs so I won’t be able to test until tomorrow night [emoji20]

 

[Sobo's Reef]

So if I dose to 1.5ppm today... how long should I wait to test to see where I’m at? And what do I want the tank to be at before the fish go in?

 

[Big G]

If indeed you are dealing with Marine Velvet, you want to have the fish in minimum therapeutic levels ASAP. And that would be 1.5ppm. I'd give the tank about an hour for the copper to mix. Remember, no carbon in the filter, that would remove some of the copper. And also remember your tank will be a bit less than 29 gallons. Exercise care in dosing. Normally we ramp up slowly with the fish in the tank as we ramp up the level in the water column.

 

[Sobo's Reef]

Gotcha, the only thing that I have in the filter is an ammonia reducer media block that came with the filter.. or do you think it’d be better to put filter floss in there?

 

[Big G]

Just filter floss/pad. I'd be concerned about the media block having something in it that might react badly with the copper. Do you know what it's made of or may be treated with?
Maritimer had a great comment the other day. He suggested using two filter floss/pads that are seeded with Bio-Spira, etc. if your filter can hold two pads. Water changes are your best method for ammonia control.
I'd run an airstone or bubble foam filter also to help add O2 into the water.