Quarantine Tank Post Copper Treatment

[Tidalwave]

After finishing a month of copper treatment (maintaining therapeutic levels), would the tank/filtration be safe to use for other fish during quarantine?

My understanding is that copper is a poison that kills Ich/Velvet in the free-swimming stage, and after a month of treatment the fish should be free of any Ich/Velvet and moved into a clean tank. Would this mean also that the tank that held the copper for a month would also be free of any Ich/Velvet as well, and simply a 100% water change would be sufficient before using the tank/filtration for future QT needs, or does the tank need to be sterilized and filtration tossed to prevent infecting other fish with Ich/Velvet?

 

[Ocelaris]

I always bleach any quarantine system at the end. It's a pain getting filtration started again, but it's a numbers game, you'd be going from near zero chance to some chance of infection without bleach. But some more knowledgeable person may know the life cycle of those critters better and comment.

 

[deedubz]

I believe a concern here is the quarantine tank building building a "biofilm" which would be able to process and break down some meds faster/easier. If I remember correctly, @Humblefish recommends using the same filter/qt no more than 2 batches before breaking down and cleaning.

 

[deedubz]

I always bleach any quarantine system at the end. It's a pain getting filtration started again, but it's a numbers game, you'd be going from near zero chance to some chance of infection without bleach. But some more knowledgeable person may know the life cycle of those critters better and comment.

I do the same.

 

[Big G]

Bleach, rinse, rinse, dry, to remove bio-film. Vinegar, rinse, rinse, dry to precipitate any remaining copper into a harmless form. And if you are really concerned hydrogen peroxide, rinse, rinse, dry to completely dissolve any remaining carbon based materials in the tank. It will be completely sterile at this point.