Maintaining therapeutic levels with CP?

[saltyhog]

I've read that therapeutic levels for the entire treatment time is imperative but what does that mean?

More simply does CP breakdown over time in a cycled QT with ceramic media/rock? Is it absorbed by either of those media?

If the only reason for levels to drop are from water changes that seems very easy to prevent. Just want to make sure there isn't more to it than that.

PS...Is CP harmful to the bacterial filter of the QT tank at all?

 

[Chitown tom]

From what I have read CP will not harm the beneficial bacteria in a qt tank it is however a strong algaecide and will take out any algae.

I have also read not to use any live rock as it will absorb the medicine and is hard to maintain the correct level. PVC is recommended.

You can use an ammonia alert badge to monitor ammonia.

CP has not test so its a set it and forget it method.

I just measure out how much water I take out for a water change and dose the new water with CP BEFORE I add it to the tank.

 

[aykwm]

CP will biodegrade with time. It also has a half life of around 1-2 months, so after that period the dosage will be half what you dosed initially. Its not a good idea to add it to tank containing ceramic media or rock as they might absorb it, use it in a bare bottom QT with no porous material, a sponge filter will be fine.
CP might have an effect on biological filter initially (as with any other med), but they will recover and it will eventually catch up, just watch for ammonia spikes.

I prefer to dose 60 mg/gal to give me some room as you can't test it except if you are willing to pay hundreds of dollars.

 

[saltyhog]

Hmmm. So basically using a cycled QT tank is out. That makes it a bit difficult to use on large/active fish requiring a bigger QT.

I'm quarantining a couple of medium size tangs. I do have a 20 long that will probably be ok if I do one at a time. Was kind of wanting to add them at the same time.

 

[Thomashtom]

why do you add it to the water before you put it in tank? i just did a water change and added it after. I dissolved it in tank water and put it in my sump to be dispersed. Did i mess up badly? Thanks

 

[Thomashtom]

From what I have read CP will not harm the beneficial bacteria in a qt tank it is however a strong algaecide and will take out any algae.

I have also read not to use any live rock as it will absorb the medicine and is hard to maintain the correct level. PVC is recommended.

You can use an ammonia alert badge to monitor ammonia.

CP has not test so its a set it and forget it method.

I just measure out how much water I take out for a water change and dose the new water with CP BEFORE I add it to the tank.

I have heard mixed reviews on ammonia badge. How accurate is it? i have alot of fish in my quarantine so it makes me nervous to rely on it. Thanks

 

[aykwm]

Hmmm. So basically using a cycled QT tank is out. That makes it a bit difficult to use on large/active fish requiring a bigger QT.

I'm quarantining a couple of medium size tangs. I do have a 20 long that will probably be ok if I do one at a time. Was kind of wanting to add them at the same time.

You can use cycled quarantine, actually it is recommended to do so because the fish will spend 30 days there so it will cycle anyways. Just make sure its not overstocked since its quarantine after all and it is not as effective as DT in filtration.
You can add several sponge filters to replace the LR.

 

[aykwm]

why do you add it to the water before you put it in tank? i just did a water change and added it after. I dissolved it in tank water and put it in my sump to be dispersed. Did i mess up badly? Thanks

You can do it that way, but adding it before ensures that once you add fish the CP is at the required dosage.

I have heard mixed reviews on ammonia badge. How accurate is it? i have alot of fish in my quarantine so it makes me nervous to rely on it. Thanks

It is quite accurate, actually it is probably the only method to check ammonia when using medication since the test kits will usually give false results. I dont recommend adding a lot of fish in QT, it defeats the purpose of it, except if it is an emergency hospital tank.

 

[saltyhog]

You can use cycled quarantine, actually it is recommended to do so because the fish will spend 30 days there so it will cycle anyways. Just make sure its not overstocked since its quarantine after all and it is not as effective as DT in filtration.
You can add several sponge filters to replace the LR.

I'm just a little leery of trying to keep bigger or multiple fish with just sponge filters. I put a couple in my sump today. How long does it usually take to populate them?

 

[aykwm]

Id say few days depending on the load in the tank. Probably 3-4. I know people that do 1 day but i dont know how effective that is.

 

[Thomashtom]

thanks, i sort of have my QT setup like a DT tank with the amount of filtration i have on it. Its a 65gal tank with a wet/dry, canister and double hang on. Mainly cause i have had to house large fish. But i dont think its a good thing in the last 5 months i have had more problems then i have had in the last 10 years.

 

[ngoodermuth]

why do you add it to the water before you put it in tank? i just did a water change and added it after. I dissolved it in tank water and put it in my sump to be dispersed. Did i mess up badly? Thanks

Just like with copper, you don't want to dilute the level in the water - even for a few minutes, as a short lull is all that is needed for a parasite to attach to the fish and restart the life cycle. So it's better to add the medication directly to the bucket before it hits the tank.

This applies to water changes after the initial dose.

 

[aykwm]

OH i missed that, you already had cp in tank. Yea its not recommended to add water then add cp later on if you already started the treatment as a drop in cp level will allow the parasite to reinfect and continue the life cycle. you want to maintain the same level in water throughout the treatment.

 

[saltyhog]

Id say few days depending on the load in the tank. Probably 3-4. I know people that do 1 day but i dont know how effective that is.

Thanks so much! I'm surprised it would populate that fast. I may test it by adding ammonia and see if it will clear it in 24 hours. I also have Microbacter 7 I can add as well.

I have a Gold Rim Tang in my cycled QT that is looking great and eating well. I really don't want any hiccups with him.

 

[Chitown tom]

I have heard mixed reviews on ammonia badge. How accurate is it? i have alot of fish in my quarantine so it makes me nervous to rely on it. Thanks

I have used the badge in the tank along with a seneye monitor and the results were always dead on compared to the seneye.

it is very accurate. I now only use the badge.

 

[Humblefish]

@saltyhog The main cause of CP degradation is bacteria; specifically heterotrophic bacteria and Biofilm: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/qt-and-biofilm.292878/

So, it would be optimal to only dose CP into a sterile (as possible) QT. However, based on discussions with a few public aquariums that use CP (and test daily using a spectrophotometer), it typically takes 2-3 months before biodegradation of meds (including CP) becomes an issue. You can either:

1. Completely break the QT down and start over (optimal)
2. Dose chlorine @ 10ppm to knock the bacteria back. It typically takes about a week for it to fully evaporate. However, some biofilms are resistant to chlorine.