How long can i treat with copper safe?

[apache2a]

I have my fish in quarantine and they've been treated at 1.75 copper with coppersafe. I've been advised that I screwed up and it should be minimum of 2.0. The literature says if you drop below 2.0 the 30 day clock restarts.

I'm a little stuck at this point. How long can the fish be in copper? If I restart the clock they'll be in copper for about 7 weeks total. Will it hurt them to be in copper that long or is that generally ok?

 

[mfinn]

@Jay Hemdal

 

[nereefpat]

I have gone that long with a fish in copper. What fish species?

Is this a prophylactic QT, or are you treating sick fish?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I have my fish in quarantine and they've been treated at 1.75 copper with coppersafe. I've been advised that I screwed up and it should be minimum of 2.0. The literature says if you drop below 2.0 the 30 day clock restarts.

I'm a little stuck at this point. How long can the fish be in copper? If I restart the clock they'll be in copper for about 7 weeks total. Will it hurt them to be in copper that long or is that generally ok?

I've run tests with what is a full dose of Coppersafe, and it works out to be 2.5 ppm. Anything below 2 may not stop infections, especially Amyloodinium/velvet.

I've kept fish in coppersafe long term with no issues (4 months). 7 weeks is fine, since all but 30 days would have been below 2 ppm anyway.

Jay

 

[apache2a]

I have gone that long with a fish in copper. What fish species?

Is this a prophylactic QT, or are you treating sick fish?

Valentini puffer (biggest concern but has been ok)
Clownfish
Naso, mimic, power blue, sailfin, sopas tangs
Blenny
6 line wrasse

It started when I lost a lemon peel. Then the mimic got what i believe was flukes. I treated him in hypo and he was good but it came back so i decided to treat the tank. Along the way I picked up a powder blue that was exposed to probably velvet, but possibly it was ich. He never had any signs of it but was in the system he was in.

I've been pretty cautious about cross contamination but there is a possibility so I'm proceeding as such. I have three plastic bins and a 20 gallon they are in. They are eating well and seem to be doing well. Ammonia badges are at 0.

The powder blue hides all the time and will dart out quickly when I feed. He's In a plastic bin on the floor though so I can't really "observe" him.

The display has been fallow about 50 days now. It is on a separate floor. So no cross contamination there.