How long to quarantine

CJRIZZOTTI · Sep 21, 2017

I picked up a few yellow tangs and a powder blue a week ago all been in quarantine tank chilling just wanted to know how long to keep em in there i treated with copper just cause but no signs of nothing but healthy fish

Big G · Sep 21, 2017

Have you given them a freshwater dip to check for flukes? Here's a couple of links on dosing with copper. Hope this helps.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/how-to-quarantine.189815/#post-2177961
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/proper-dosing-of-coppersafe.309726/page-3#post-3866760
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/dosing-cupramine.296117/#post-3620466

oceanfreak09 · Sep 22, 2017

Tagging along. Anxious to see how this ends up.

GHsaltie · Sep 22, 2017

If you are wanting to treat prophylactically then 30 days in copper, you can treat for flukes during this time with prazipro pro dosed twice 5-7 days apart. Otherwise you can feed metroplex+focus soaked food for internal parasites but me personally I hold off on that if I'm seeing healthy poops. If you don't want to treat prophylactically then I would recommend 1 1/2- 2 months of careful and thorough observation to make sure there are no signs of disease/parasites. The powder blue will be the first to tell you.

CJRIZZOTTI · Sep 22, 2017

GHsaltie said:
If you are wanting to treat prophylactically then 30 days in copper, you can treat for flukes during this time with prazipro pro dosed twice 5-7 days apart. Otherwise you can feed metroplex+focus soaked food for internal parasites but me personally I hold off on that if I'm seeing healthy poops. If you don't want to treat prophylactically then I would recommend 1 1/2- 2 months of careful and thorough observation to make sure there are no signs of disease/parasites. The powder blue will be the first to tell you.

Thanks they eat great poop healthy I'll wait I'm in no rush but they have healthy appetites swim well no discoloration or spots and the treatment i used is a one time shot i belive and i dosed them just to do it in case nothing more but regardless haven't seen any change in then but it's day 8 they'll be cool for the ride

foxt · Sep 22, 2017

The first thread that Big G linked is the thing to read. I have been in the "observation only" camp in the past, keeping fish in QT for 30 days and watching them like a hawk. I can tell you that I have spent a total of hours a day watching for behavioral signs, like scraping, twitching, etc.

Then, when you see stuff like that, you will wonder what to do about it, was it something to worry about, or not? If you are the kind of person that can spend the time and deal with the detail, you can go with observation for 30 days, maybe 45, and no copper in the tank. You can also run two rounds of prazipro for flukes, just to be sure, because it is easy.

What you shouldn't do though is start copper, or run it below the full dose, and then stop before the full testament period. Doing that might just hide a problem, not solve it.

If and when something shows up on your fish, you will need to treat. In my case, 20% of the fish showed an issue inQT that required treatment. Some of those showed signs right away, some after 3 weeks. At that point, you start treatment, and the clock starts over. Lately, I am running in to more issues, and I am thinking I might just start treating with copper from the start. You will also read about chloroquine phosphate, an alternative to copper. If I could get my hands on that, I would prophylactically treat QT with that, every time!

And not everything will be parasitic - some problems could be bacterial, or viral, or behavioral. Those seem to show up more quickly though, and will have definitive solutions such as antibiotics, baths etc.

Read that first link ....

GHsaltie · Sep 22, 2017

What treatment was it that you used? Also very good point from @foxt about the copper. If you are going to treat it go full course, otherwise you can end up masking ich, or worse velvet, for several weeks before it rears its ugly head.

CJRIZZOTTI · Sep 22, 2017

GHsaltie said:
What treatment was it that you used? Also very good point from @foxt about the copper. If you are going to treat it go full course, otherwise you can end up masking ich, or worse velvet, for several weeks before it rears its ugly head.

What i use treats the water for a month one shot so i figured ill wait the 30 days in quarantine

GHsaltie · Sep 22, 2017

Coppersafe is a chelated copper and yes it is used as a 30 day treatment. However you will need to get a corresponding test kit (API copper) to make sure you are in therapeutic range. You also don't want to dose the full amount as it can be very harsh on fish, rather you should raise the levels over a course of a few days. Also when you do a water change you will need to treat the replacement water as well, before you add it to the tank.

GHsaltie · Sep 22, 2017

Also it's good to know what types of fish are sensitive to different meds. For instance the fish that you have do good in chelated (coppersafe) however they are more sensitive to ionic copper (cupramine). Here is a wonderful chart that you can reference to for new fish to make certain you are using the right treatment for them https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/fish-and-treatment-guidelines-with-chart.283450/

CJRIZZOTTI · Sep 22, 2017

GHsaltie said:
Also it's good to know what types of fish are sensitive to different meds. For instance the fish that you have do good in chelated (coppersafe) however they are more sensitive to ionic copper (cupramine). Here is a wonderful chart that you can reference to for new fish to make certain you are using the right treatment for them https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/fish-and-treatment-guidelines-with-chart.283450/

Great link ty

SnapBackReeef · Sep 22, 2017

I usually keep my fish in copper for 14 days and then monitor another 14 days after that to make sure. I've dealt with ich before and it wasn't fun. Be as patient as possible I know it's hard but it's definitely worth it!!!

Maritimer · Sep 22, 2017

If you're going to go with only 14 days in copper (which can be done...), your best bet would be to remove the fish to a separate QT at least ten feet away from the original. Reason for that is that tomonts are likely to still be encysted on the walls, decor, filters, etc... of the original tank. Go directly from the one to the other, preferably by matching temp & salinity between the water in both tanks. You don't want your fish spending any time in old water with reduced copper if you can avoid it. Not a lot of wiggle-room with this method, but it can definitely work.

~Bruce