I need help with my hippo

[Lukebora]

I’ve been treating my hippo tang with copper in a qt for almost three weeks and at first I was seeing results and now it’s worse. No water changes have been don’t. Should I increase the dosage of copper? (Look near face and on spine near tail)

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Lukebora Welcome to the Fish Disease Treatment and Diagnosis Forum!

The #fishmedic team and other knowledgeable members of our community will do our best to help you resolve your questions. Please provide as much of the following as you are able:

• Brief description of the issue you are observing and answers to the following questions:
  • How long have you had the fish with the condition?
  • Did you quarantine with medication when you first acquired the fish? (If Yes, which medication?)
• Current water quality measurements
• Clear photos of the issue taken using WHITE light and/or a short video of any behaviors (post in your response or on YouTube).

If you can help us by providing as much of the above info as possible, it will make diagnosing and providing recommendations for treatment MUCH easier! The Fish Medic team will get back to you as quickly as possible. In the meantime, other members of our community may also share their experience with similar situations and advice that they may have regarding your situation.

You may also feel free to provide a more detailed description of the condition if you wish to share more info than the above list.

Additionally, these links may be useful while you await a response:

• CURRENT QT PROTOCOL LINK
• HOW TO ASK FOR DISEASE DIAGNOSIS HELP LINK

 

[vetteguy53081]

I’ve been treating my hippo tang with copper in a qt for almost three weeks and at first I was seeing results and now it’s worse. No water changes have been don’t. Should I increase the dosage of copper? (Look near face and on spine near tail)

I see remnants of previous tail nipping. You mention treatment but you want to go a FULL 30 days. Also of concern -
No water changes. . . have you been monitoring ammonia levels and how?
What copper product are you using (Cupramine or coppersafe)?
What copper level are you maintaining and how are you testing copper?

 

[Lukebora]

I see remnants of previous tail nipping. You mention treatment but you want to go a FULL 30 days. Also of concern -
No water changes. . . have you been monitoring ammonia levels and how?
What copper product are you using (Cupramine or coppersafe)?
What copper level are you maintaining and how are you testing copper?

I’m not testing copper but I am using copper safe and the reccomended amount for the volume of the qt. I’ve been keeping a eye on all of my parameters using liquid test kits.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I’m not testing copper but I am using copper safe and the reccomended amount for the volume of the qt. I’ve been keeping a eye on all of my parameters using liquid test kits.

I would step up on the test kit quality and even take a water sample to a reliable store that does Not use API test kits and see what readings they come up with and to compare with yours.
As for copper.. Knowing the treatment level is a must and unless you can precisely calculate your total gallons, you are placing fish at risk of overdose. This is a level you dont want to estimate or guess. Hanna copper test kit recommended

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I’m not testing copper but I am using copper safe and the reccomended amount for the volume of the qt. I’ve been keeping a eye on all of my parameters using liquid test kits.

The trouble with coppersafe is that while you CAN dose it just by water volume if you are careful, any calcium based material in the tank will gradually absorb some of the copper, lowering the effective dose. I see coral rock in your photo, so that is probably happening here. Testing and partial re-dosing is the way around that.

That said, I don't clearly see any ich trophonts in your photo - they could be there, but I can't see them. The black spots around the face aren't ich, neither are the white spots that are in a line by the tail. Those are both symptoms of a non-fatal condition called head and lateral line disease.

Jay