Quarantine Question

[AydenLincoln]

My damselfish is rapidly breathing and sitting in the same spot. I don’t see any white spots on the little guy as I accidentally introduced velvet (I believe) into my tank a few weeks ago but the fish have been fine up until now. I am going to QT the little guy but I only setup the tank a few weeks ago. Can I use AmGuard or another bacteria with Coppersafe to help cycle it and maintain levels or will it be less effective? Will it be okay if I just put the Coppersafe and the fish in?

 

[AydenLincoln]

@Jay Hemdal @fishguy242

 

[Tuan’s Reef]

make sure you have a good ammonia and copper test kit. I would just treat with copper and do water changes to control ammonia.

 

[Sharkbait19]

If you have actual bacteria, you can use it to help cycle, but as said you don’t really need to cycle a qt. Just do water changes for ammonia. Redose copper to bring it back up to the proper dosage after a water change. Damsels are hardy and would survive in these conditions better than most fish.
If velvet got into the tank, all fish should be considered infected.

 

[AydenLincoln]

If you have actual bacteria, you can use it to help cycle, but as said you don’t really need to cycle a qt. Just do water changes for ammonia. Redose copper to bring it back up to the proper dosage after a water change. Damsels are hardy and would survive in these conditions better than most fish.
If velvet got into the tank, all fish should be considered infected.

Well I wasn’t sure because they’ve been fine until now and that was a few weeks ago because the dottyback died after I realized and took the little guy out of the tank quickly. I know it’s recommended 76 days fallow but I was just going to wait to add new fish and monitor. I just didn’t want to stress the other ones out unnecessarily.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Well I wasn’t sure because they’ve been fine until now and that was a few weeks ago because the dottyback died after I realized and took the little guy out of the tank quickly. I know it’s recommended 76 days fallow but I was just going to wait to add new fish and monitor. I just didn’t want to stress the other ones out unnecessarily.

Supposedly, you can dose Coppersafe with ammonia neutralizers, but I am leery of doing that. Coppersafe is copper bound to an amine (nitrogen compound) and it will actually give ammonia readings of about 0.50 ppm just from dosing it. My fear is, that as with Cupramine and ammonia neutralizers, the amine-copper bond will be broken, releasing free copper ions which are much more toxic.

Bacteria cultures (either from an established tank or in a bottle) plus water changes (with coppersafe redosing of course) is the safest way to go.

Jay

 

[AydenLincoln]

Supposedly, you can dose Coppersafe with ammonia neutralizers, but I am leery of doing that. Coppersafe is copper bound to an amine (nitrogen compound) and it will actually give ammonia readings of about 0.50 ppm just from dosing it. My fear is, that as with Cupramine and ammonia neutralizers, the amine-copper bond will be broken, releasing free copper ions which are much more toxic.

Bacteria cultures (either from an established tank or in a bottle) plus water changes (with coppersafe redosing of course) is the safest way to go.

Jay

So live nitrifying bacteria is okay?

 

[Spare time]

I recommend a hob filter with biosponges or a sponge filter with an airpump. Then dump in a bottle of cycling bacteria. You can add a small filter pad under the sponges in the hob filter to catch waste. The filter pad can very much help keep waste levels down if rinse at least every other day

 

[AydenLincoln]

I recommend a hob filter with biosponges or a sponge filter with an airpump. Then dump in a bottle of cycling bacteria. You can add a small filter pad under the sponges in the hob filter to catch waste. The filter pad can very much help keep waste levels down if rinse at least every other day

I added an air pump it’s so loud. And I have an hob filter with a sponge and I added pvc. I am going to add bacteria.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I added an air pump it’s so loud. And I have an hob filter with a sponge and I added pvc. I am going to add bacteria.

Sufficient. You need the basics.
Provide hiding for the fish and add aeration via air stone.
Monitor ammonia with reliable test kit

 

[AydenLincoln]

I recommend a hob filter with biosponges or a sponge filter with an airpump. Then dump in a bottle of cycling bacteria. You can add a small filter pad under the sponges in the hob filter to catch waste. The filter pad can very much help keep waste levels down if rinse at least every other day

Oh and a heater probably the most important part lol.

 

[AydenLincoln]

Sufficient. You need the basics.
Provide hiding for the fish and add aeration via air stone.
Monitor ammonia with reliable test kit

Happy to report the little guy is all better and back in the main tank.

 

[AydenLincoln]

Supposedly, you can dose Coppersafe with ammonia neutralizers, but I am leery of doing that. Coppersafe is copper bound to an amine (nitrogen compound) and it will actually give ammonia readings of about 0.50 ppm just from dosing it. My fear is, that as with Cupramine and ammonia neutralizers, the amine-copper bond will be broken, releasing free copper ions which are much more toxic.

Bacteria cultures (either from an established tank or in a bottle) plus water changes (with coppersafe redosing of course) is the safest way to go.

Jay

Happy to report the little guy is all better and back in the main tank.

 

[Lavey29]

Happy to report the little guy is all better and back in the main tank.

3 days QT recovery from velvet? Let's us know how this works out for you over the next 30 days. Really curious....good luck

 

[AydenLincoln]

3 days QT recovery from velvet? Let's us know how this works out for you over the next 30 days. Really curious....good luck

Well he went from terrible to amazing very quickly and it was closer to 5 days as mentioned before I still don’t know what it was for certain he was just very lethargic and breathing rapidly so I removed him and treated with cooper and he went back to normal…I monitored him and felt comfortable putting the little guy back.

 

[Lavey29]

Well he went from terrible to amazing very quickly and it was closer to 5 days as mentioned before I still don’t know what it was for certain he was just very lethargic and breathing rapidly so I removed him and treated with cooper and he went back to normal…I monitored him and felt comfortable putting the little guy back.

Clown fish are very much known for carriers of disease such as brook also known as clown fish disease. This wiped out my tank early on. All fish need a thorough QT which means probably 30 days before they get in your tank. If you had an exposure to a serious disease in your DT you need a fallow period of 45 to 76 days depending on what the bacteria disease was in the DT.

I truly hope everything works out for the best for you long term.

 

[cmoore806]

Think it could have been salinity change?

 

[AydenLincoln]

Think it could have been salinity change?

Maybe but regardless he’s all better now and that’s all that matters.

 

[AydenLincoln]

Clown fish are very much known for carriers of disease such as brook also known as clown fish disease. This wiped out my tank early on. All fish need a thorough QT which means probably 30 days before they get in your tank. If you had an exposure to a serious disease in your DT you need a fallow period of 45 to 76 days depending on what the bacteria disease was in the DT.

I truly hope everything works out for the best for you long term.

I will definitely be QT any new fish in the future.

 

[cmoore806]

I will definitely be QT any new fish in the future.

there’s a lot of fantastic QT info here. Bulk reef supply and marine collectors just put out a new QT methodology they called 80/20 method.

QT the new additions of course. But there is always some question that the fish you already have could have carried disease into the tank already and could still look healthy.
Best of luck!