Quick Question

[SaltlifeHokie]

I’ve got 2 fish set to come In today. I usually use “safety stop” before I put them into QT. Safety Stop is a malachite green and methelyne blue bath. My question is I usually pull 2 gallons of QT water out for the baths. Right now I have Copper in there at 1.0. Will the Copper mixed with malachite green or methelyne blue be safe or will they cause issues together.

 

[Reefer5640]

Mixing chems like that usually lowers the oxygen in the tank. I’ve had better luck dipping the fish in methylene blue and or malachite green and then leaving the copper to do it’s thing on its own. I can’t say for certain if it’s okay to do. I do recall researching it long ago when I was trying to establish the best quarantine method for me. I’m trying to find my notes, I wrote up a big list of chems/meds that shouldn’t be mixed and ones that can back then but haven’t had to reference it for a long time. If I find it I’ll post it but I did get most of my info from post by guys like @Humblefish and others on the @ReefSquad. Maybe they can chime in.

 

[SaltlifeHokie]

Yea I understand they are just for baths. I just didn’t know if i should mix up fresh saltwater for their baths and then have to reacclimate them. In the past when I’ve given them a bath the tank water was free of any medications.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Malachite green is pretty harsh (and is a human carcinogen), I’m not a fan of using that as a short term bath. Never rely on a bath treatment to cure protozoans as the dip chemicals are typically not able to kill more than a percentage of the parasites during each dip. I used to Triage new fish with FW or formalin dips when they arrived. Data showed that my mortality rate was higher than when I acclimated the fish for a couple of days before hitting them with meds.

Jay

 

[Reefer5640]

Ah gotcha, sorry misread your post. If it were me I’d make up fresh salt water and match it to the temp and SG of the QT so you don’t have to acclimate. I stopped using copper unless I have to because of trying to figure out which chems/meds can be mixed. It’s always a hunt for information. I tried hypo and found that wasn’t for me either being that it’s so temperamental and not very versatile when dealing with multiple ailments like a bacterial infection. Tank transfer is the way I go now. Much easier to deal with multiple issues and you don’t have to worry about mixing chems/meds... I know there’s a few posts on here that list a bunch of stuff that’s compatible and what’s not. I’ll look for it

 

[SaltlifeHokie]

Malachite green is pretty harsh (and is a human carcinogen), I’m not a fan of using that as a short term bath. Never rely on a bath treatment to cure protozoans as the dip chemicals are typically not able to kill more than a percentage of the parasites during each dip. I used to Triage new fish with FW or formalin dips when they arrived. Data showed that my mortality rate was higher than when I acclimated the fish for a couple of days before hitting them with meds.

Jay

thanks Jay. I basically had been using safety stop as triage before QT but will stop that moving forward.

 

[Reefer5640]

thanks Jay. I basically had been using safety stop as triage before QT but will stop that moving forward.

I wouldn’t say this means you should stop using it. Sure if you’re intention is to kill protozoan. But methylene blue is great for an antiseptic dip, treating ammonia burns, nitrate poisoning, or just temporary relief. I use it on every fish. It’s great for initial acclimation (especially after shipping) it gets oxygen back into their blood, and relief from the ammonia in the bag. I’ve always found it gives the fish a great jump start before QT and have had good results from using it. I don’t really use malachite green very often though.