How long in copper?

Fishfinder · Nov 12, 2020

I have my fish in my DT in copper power at 2.5ppm. How long do they need to be in copper before ick and velvet is eliminated from the tank? I am not removing the fish after. Just doing water changes. What timeframe am I looking at? @Jay Hemdal

Jay Hemdal · Nov 12, 2020

That is right up there at a full dose, what test kit are you using and do you have confidence in the results you are getting? If so, the general rule of thumb is that you want to keep the tank at full dose for a minimum of two weeks beyond when you last saw symptoms. That said, the type of fish you are treating has some bearing on this - copper sensitive fish may not appreciate being held at full dose for as long. What fish do you have?

If I'm dosing fish that handle copper well, I sometimes go a full 30 days of no symptoms. Remember, "eliminating" disease is a rather tall order, and even copper sometimes lets things slip through.

Jay

Fishfinder · Nov 12, 2020

Ya I’m confident with the dose. I’m using the Hanna getting consistent results. Is 30 days long enough to eliminate it from the tank they are currently in? Or do I need longer?

Fishfinder · Nov 12, 2020

I do not want it coming back once I lower the dose

Jay Hemdal · Nov 12, 2020

Fishfinder said:
I do not want it coming back once I lower the dose

I agree, you don't want a return of any parasites! The Hanna checker works really well. If you don't have any really copper sensitive fish, I would go 30 days of copper - at least 2 weeks beyond the last symptoms. Here is another trick I use: at the end of the time, remove the copper with water changes, etc. and then observe the fish still in the QT, but with no copper for at least two more weeks. If a disease breaks, better to have them there than in your DT! You can always start the copper back up.

Jay