QT for the first time

[Texas Reefer]

Hi all! After having many fish I added straight from the pet shop with no problem when I first started reefing, and losing many during a Hurricane Harvey flooring redo, and restocking problems, I am giving QT a try. I just cannot keep a new fish alive. And I feel the territorial personalities of my established fish don't help matters.
I have a large Melanurus, a good-sized Marroon and Gold Clown, and an aggressive Tomini Tang. I also have an increasing amount of hair algae and cyano.
So, I set up a 10 gallon tank in my fish closet under the stairs. It has a HOB filter rated for a 35 gallon tank with sponge I kept in my DT sump for a month or more. A heater keeps it at 79°, an air pump, egg crate on top, and a 40 watt bulb in a fixture set to come on every afternoon for about 6 hours.
Yesterday I bought a large lawnmower blenny and a small blie hippo tang. I got the biggest one they had. I put their bags in the tank to come to temp, added some water a couple times, then added the fish to the tank. It was fairly late at that point so I only fed them a tiny bit of roe, which I saw neither eat.
This morning both are alive and seem healthy, no outer signs of disease.
I need help in deciding what route to take with medications. Wait and observe? Treat with copper? Metro?

 

[HotRocks]

Glad to hear you have set up a QT. Keep in mind though if there is something festering in your tank that your other fish are tolerating, even if you add new fish that were properly QTd they will be infected upon introduction.

I am a big proponent of prophylactic treatment. So if you are asking for opinions here is what I do with all fish:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/my-current-qt-process.483371/

 

[Texas Reefer]

Glad to hear you have set up a QT. Keep in mind though if there is something festering in your tank that your other fish are tolerating, even if you add new fish that were properly QTd they will be infected upon introduction.

I am a big proponent of prophylactic treatment. So if you are asking for opinions here is what I do with all fish:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/my-current-qt-process.483371/

Thank you, HotRocks. I guess I will cross that bridge if I come to it.

 

[Texas Reefer]

Tomorrow I will do my water changes. One on my DT, and one on my QT. Unfortunately my lawnmower blenny jumped out through a hole in my cover and I did not discover him in time.
I have been profilactically treating the tang with Metroplex and tonight I gave the third dose. He has been eating very well both frozen food (spirulina brine shrimp and carnivore diet) with garlic, and pe mysis pellets.
Tonight I noticed him scraping just a bit and a very slight raggedness to the area under his pectoral fins. I have decided to start cupramine tomorrow. In the last hour, as I was doing more research, I read there's no reason to use Metro profilactically, and I probably don't want it in the water when using cupramine. So I will do a 100% water change, preserving the seeded filter pads. Then I will add the recommended drops of Cupramine (20 drops for 10.5 g, so 18 drops?).
Let me know what you think please! I really want to have success.
It was very difficult to get well lit pics for y'all, so these are screenshots from the videos I'm unable to upload.

 

[Texas Reefer]

Btw, I also have Ruby Reef Rally on hand.

 

[HotRocks]

Tomorrow I will do my water changes. One on my DT, and one on my QT. Unfortunately my lawnmower blenny jumped out through a hole in my cover and I did not discover him in time.
I have been profilactically treating the tang with Metroplex and tonight I gave the third dose. He has been eating very well both frozen food (spirulina brine shrimp and carnivore diet) with garlic, and pe mysis pellets.
Tonight I noticed him scraping just a bit and a very slight raggedness to the area under his pectoral fins. I have decided to start cupramine tomorrow. In the last hour, as I was doing more research, I read there's no reason to use Metro profilactically, and I probably don't want it in the water when using cupramine. So I will do a 100% water change, preserving the seeded filter pads. Then I will add the recommended drops of Cupramine (20 drops for 10.5 g, so 18 drops?).
Let me know what you think please! I really want to have success.
It was very difficult to get well lit pics for y'all, so these are screenshots from the videos I'm unable to upload.

I would add 9 drops before you place the fish in. Then add 3 drops per day over the next three days.

I agree Metroplex is not necessary to be used in the water column prophylactically. Although I do feed Metroplex or GC to treat for internal pathogens prophylactically.

Lastly, easiest way to upload a video is to upload to youtube and then post the link for YouTube in the thread.

 

[Texas Reefer]

I completed my water changes today. While changing the QT water and adding 9 drops of Cupramine I gave Blue a 60 min Ruby Reef Rally bath and then slipped him into a 5 min freshwater rinse. What did I see? I believe they're flukes!
So now he needs Prazipro. Ok. Do I wait to do Prazipro until we finish a 14 day (is that right?) Cupramine treatment? Or should I soak up the Cupramine with some carbon and start Prazi, which I will have to find?
If I finish the Cupramine I could give him a freshwater bath every couple days to slough off any flukes that are amenable.
What do y'all think? @HotRocks [emoji16]?
My Blue has the prettiest green eyes. Has anyone ever noticed that on a Hippo Tang?
Here's a pic of what I believe are the flukes that came off blue. They came off as soon as I put him in the freshwater, and I think they were the rough spots below his pectoral fins. So maybe not Gill flukes?
I'll also try to attach some videos.
Thank y'all!

 

[HotRocks]

Yes those look like flukes.

Continue copper until you have reached 14 days at the therapeutic level. Then transfer the fish to a clean sterile QT. Then begin prazi. You need 2 doses 5-7 days apart.

If you don't have a second QT to transfer to, then you need 30 days at the therapeutic level prior to transfer.

If you see the fish flashing or scratching you can do a FW dip weekly to provide relief until prazi treatment.

 

[Texas Reefer]

Links to videos of freshwater dip and a QT video from yesterday.

 

[Texas Reefer]

I just googled blue tang for the first time... Ha, that's a yellow fish. Obviously I have a Hippo Tang, but I thought they were also called blue tangs. My bad.

 

[Texas Reefer]

I just googled blue tang for the first time... Ha, that's a yellow fish. Obviously I have a Hippo Tang, but I thought they were also called blue tangs. My bad.

Oh, wait, still wrong... It changes.

 

[HotRocks]

Oh, wait, still wrong... It changes.

Lol...
Blue hippo is what you have also called a regal tang.

Carribean blue is a yellow juvenile and turns blue as adult.

To complicate things further my favorite blue hippo is the yellow belly version you should check it out. They are harder to find!

 

[Texas Reefer]

Lol...
Blue hippo is what you have also called a regal tang.

Carribean blue is a yellow juvenile and turns blue as adult.

To complicate things further my favorite blue hippo is the yellow belly version you should check it out. They are harder to find!

I have seen those! Very nice! If they had had one I probably would have gotten one, depending on the size and price.

 

[Texas Reefer]

I bought a used ATO for my QT. Not that I'm not vigilant, it's just easier. But after one day I found what looks like rust coming from the seam of the wet side magnet. I just now put in a ticket with the company and as I'm writing this, they have sent back a message saying they've received the ticket and will be looking at it in the morning. Awesome. But I'm just wondering... Would copper collect around a magnet? I'm not the chemist my Grandfather was (he invented satin spread paint and super glue - my mom has pics), so I'm not sure. I don't want to assign fault where it's not due, so I'm asking yall. Please take a look at the pics of the magnet. One from in the tank, and one from after I wiped the magnet off.
Thank you!

 

[mygsris2slo4u]

I bought a used ATO for my QT. Not that I'm not vigilant, it's just easier. But after one day I found what looks like rust coming from the seam of the wet side magnet. I just now put in a ticket with the company and as I'm writing this, they have sent back a message saying they've received the ticket and will be looking at it in the morning. Awesome. But I'm just wondering... Would copper collect around a magnet? I'm not the chemist my Grandfather was (he invented satin spread paint and super glue - my mom has pics), so I'm not sure. I don't want to assign fault where it's not due, so I'm asking yall. Please take a look at the pics of the magnet. One from in the tank, and one from after I wiped the magnet off.
Thank you!

As soon as I began reading your post and saw the smart ATO I thought to myself to post and warn you about the rust. I had the same thing happen about a year ago. I do like the concept of the smart ATO, but wish the quality was better.

 

[Texas Reefer]

As soon as I began reading your post and saw the smart ATO I thought to myself to post and warn you about the rust. I had the same thing happen about a year ago. I do like the concept of the smart ATO, but wish the quality was better.

Thanks, I appreciate that! I want to go on record to say I have 3 other AutoAqua Smart ATO's on other tanks. They have been running for a few years each, and have had no rust.
I contacted Coralvue, who owns AutoAqua, I guess, and they have asked for a proof of purchase with date in order to get a replacement. So I contacted the local club member I bought this ATO from, and he is contacting the member he got it from, to ask for the needed info. Maybe I can get this resolved.

 

[Texas Reefer]

Coralvue is sending me a replacement wetside magnet! They are awesome!

 

[Texas Reefer]

@HotRocks. I'm trying to decide where to put another QT tank to transfer Blue into for fluke treatment, so that he will not have to be in Copper for 30 days, only 14.
The space I immediately have available will accommodate a 5 gallon tank, and it would be inches from the copper tank. I know a 5gallon tank is in no way suitable for a Hippo Tang, but would it be ok for a 2week QT period? It's also a spot in my "fish room" which is the closet under the stairs, so it is dark when not lit by the light I have on a timer, and the fish is undisturbed except for when I go in there on fishy business.
Another spot I have is a stand I have that is feet from the DT. I know you don't want to do QT near the DT due to aerosolization, but after QT copper, will there be anything left that could aerosolize?
Another spot is upstairs in my bedroom in front of a window.
I could use 10g tanks in the last 2 options.
What do you think?

 

[Texas Reefer]

I really like my new camera!

 

[Texas Reefer]

Yes those look like flukes.

Continue copper until you have reached 14 days at the therapeutic level. Then transfer the fish to a clean sterile QT. Then begin prazi. You need 2 doses 5-7 days apart.

If you don't have a second QT to transfer to, then you need 30 days at the therapeutic level prior to transfer.

If you see the fish flashing or scratching you can do a FW dip weekly to provide relief until prazi treatment.

@HotRocks
What is the therapuetic level for QT? I'm afraid I'm not at it. I added 9drops, then 3, then 3, and have not done a water change, or added more Cupramine since. When I tested after the 3rd dose, 15 drops total, it was only at .5.