Need opinion About Quarantine Tank Method

Arnata · Mar 16, 2020

Right now my DT going fallow/fishless because ick, and it will remain empty for 8 weeks for safety reason (only coral and invert inside)

I already setup QT, im using cupramine it will be full dose (0,5 mg/l) in 4 days (Some people said you must dosing only half dose 0,25 mg/l, because full dose copper with that level not safe and kill the fish) need your opinion on that do i need half dose or full dose of cupramine for 30 days for safety fish

At the end of day 30 i will use carbon to remove copper from QT, because my fish will remain at QT for 2 months (DT fishless for 2 months)

Its safe right? For fish remain in QT for 2 months ? With no protein skimmer, media filter, etc

And when quarantine done, do i need to do like freshwater bath to the fish before put in to DT? For remove copper if it still remain on fish body?

Need your opinion on this method. Thanks

Big G · Mar 16, 2020

Welcome to R2R

1. During the fallow period, make sure to stir the sand a bit. Sometimes ich/velvet parasites can go dormant in the anaerobic areas of the tank and cause a failed fallow period.

2. The therapeutic level of Cupramine is 0.35-0.50 so most go for 0.50 to make sure. Best to slowly dose up from that first big dose. Do small doses spread out through the day. Like AM, Lunch, PM until you reach therapeutic level. It's OK to take 3-4 days to reach full therapeutic level so you can watch for a copper sensitive fish. When I use Cupramine, I don't do the 2 big doses like it says on the bottle. It's just too harsh on the fish. I calculate out the total number of drops and just spread the dose out over 3-4 days, unless I'm treating for velvet and you have to get to therapeutic quickly.

3. Best way to remove copper is to do a big water change of 50%. This will remove about half of the copper from the tank. Then the next day you can do it again. That will have the copper level down to about 25% of therapeutic. Then run carbon and Cuprisorb.

4. While in the QT, it's great to run a HOB filter. Soak the foam pad in something like BioSpira. Can also add a mesh bag filled with ceramic media like Seachem Matrix or Fluval BioMax. Also soak the ceramic media. Also a good idea to run a foam bubble filter. Soak its foam pad too. And lastly run a powerhead aimed up at the surface so it is actively rippling the water's surface. This will add a tremendous amount of O2 for the fish.

5. No need to FW dip when returning to the DT.

Best of luck with your fish!

Infidel · Mar 16, 2020

Consider going fallow for 11 weeks for best results.

Arnata · Mar 17, 2020

Big G said:
Welcome to R2R

1. During the fallow period, make sure to stir the sand a bit. Sometimes ich/velvet parasites can go dormant in the anaerobic areas of the tank and cause a failed fallow period.

2. The therapeutic level of Cupramine is 0.35-0.50 so most go for 0.50 to make sure. Best to slowly dose up from that first big dose. Do small doses spread out through the day. Like AM, Lunch, PM until you reach therapeutic level. It's OK to take 3-4 days to reach full therapeutic level so you can watch for a copper sensitive fish. When I use Cupramine, I don't do the 2 big doses like it says on the bottle. It's just too harsh on the fish. I calculate out the total number of drops and just spread the dose out over 3-4 days, unless I'm treating for velvet and you have to get to therapeutic quickly.

3. Best way to remove copper is to do a big water change of 50%. This will remove about half of the copper from the tank. Then the next day you can do it again. That will have the copper level down to about 25% of therapeutic. Then run carbon and Cuprisorb.

4. While in the QT, it's great to run a HOB filter. Soak the foam pad in something like BioSpira. Can also add a mesh bag filled with ceramic media like Seachem Matrix or Fluval BioMax. Also soak the ceramic media. Also a good idea to run a foam bubble filter. Soak its foam pad too. And lastly run a powerhead aimed up at the surface so it is actively rippling the water's surface. This will add a tremendous amount of O2 for the fish.

5. No need to FW dip when returning to the DT.

Best of luck with your fish!

Thanks big G

another article i read is keep copper level at 0,50 from day 1 - 15 and decrease copper level of cupermine to 0,25 at day 14/15 it is okay to kill the ich? Or just keep 0,50 for 30 days then do water change 50%, run carbon and cuprisorb ?

for HOB filter i put matrix from my DT and soak its with dr tim one and only for instant bacterial... and im using powerhead..