I have had her for 2 months now, she has always been a very erratic active swimmer but not the past 2 days, now she's staying close to one spot and the only time she really moves is to go by the Cleaner shrimps. The spot that she stays in is on the other side of the tank directly across from the power head. Any suggestions for ICH medication? I added a Condy anemone about 2-3 weeks ago but besides that she was the last addition to the tank. Also should I put a cleaner shrimp in QT with here so she can still do her thing while I am trying to treat it as well? Any med suggestions and suggestions on how to do the QT and how long to do it is greatly appreciated.
The shrimp will die in QT when copper is introduced so its best to leave the shrimp in the display and let the whole thing run fallow.
Copper: Treats Ich (Cryptocaryon irritans), Marine Velvet Disease (Amyloodinium);
possibly Uronema marinum. There is some anecdotal evidence that copper will suppress symptoms of Brooklynella aka Clownfish Disease; however it will not completely eradicate it.
How To Treat - First, it is important to know what kind of copper you are using.
Cupramine is fully charged (ionic) copper, and has a therapeutic range of 0.35-0.5 mg/L or ppm. You would use a Seachem or Salifert copper test kit for Cupramine, as those are capable of reading copper in the low range.
Coppersafe, on the other hand, is chelated copper. It has a much higher therapeutic range of 1.5-2.0 mg/L or ppm. As such, you need a “total copper test kit” such as API’s to measure Coppersafe.
More info on applicable copper test kits here:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/copper-test-kits.257924/
Standard copper treatment lasts 30 consecutive days. The reason it takes so long is copper only targets the “free swimming stage” (the same holds true for
all chemical treatments & hypo). While 7-14 days is the “norm” to reach this stage, certain strains of ich have prolonged life cycles. Indeed, even 30 days may not be long enough in some rare cases. This is why it is so important to observe after treatment ends, to ensure symptoms do not return.
Therapeutic copper levels
must be maintained at all times during the 30 days, so testing often is important. If the level drops even slightly out of range, then the 30 day clock starts all over again. One reason your copper level may drop unexpectedly is if you are treating in a tank with rock and substrate; those should not be used in the presence of copper due to absorption. Conversely, if you exceed the therapeutic range you risk killing the fish.
Copper is a poison, pure and simple. It only works because
most fish are able to withstand being in it longer than the parasites. Knowing this, it is wise to raise your copper level very slowly (over 5-7 days) instead of the usual 24 - 48 hours recommended on the labels. Doing so increases your odds of successfully treating a “copper sensitive” fish. The one exception to this rule is if
Marine Velvet Disease is suspected, so due to it's fast killing nature you would want to raise the copper level to therapeutic within 24 hours. Remove copper after 30 days by doing a large water change and using a Poly Filter, Cuprisorb, carbon, etc.
Pros - Readily available.
Cons/Side Effects - Appetite suppression and lethargy are both common side effects. If a fish stops eating, start doing water changes (lowering the copper concentration) until he eats. If this happens a second time after you resume raising the copper, you’ll know you’ve encountered a “copper sensitive” fish and an alternative treatment should be used instead. (Note: Anytime you lower the copper level below therapeutic, the 30 day treatment clock begins anew once the copper is raised back up.)
To see which species copper should
and should not be used on, consult this chart:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/fish-and-treatment-guidelines-with-chart.283450/
thank you all for all your input. Could ich kill a fish quickly? Or is it a disease that slowing can kill fish? This is the first instance with this so I'm unsure.
