Supposed ich

[Puffer Lover]

Not sure if I should transfer to a quarantine or leave as be. I’ve been treating with Copper Power. Used half amount recommended on day one and continued the same dose for 2 days. The bottle says to just treat once and not repeat the dose. However, I chose to repeat as I left an experimental crab in the tank as a measure to ensure I’m not too high above the recommended therapeutic dose. I’m thinking that maybe the Aragonite substrate may be absorbing it, as the crab and snail I have in the tank are alive. The ich has not changed and I see the spores falling off the fish, but just as many were on him the next day. His appetite has not changed and eats very well. Any suggestions on how to proceed? I don’t mind if the Copper Power kills the crab and snail if I have to increase, but I do see copper stains on the glass already and the spores aren’t going away.

 

[Old Fritz]

It takes time for it to go away the "spores" is actually mucous build up and copper only kills ich and velvet during the free swimming stage when it's looking for a host; not while it's on the fish. Don't use inverts as a test just buy a copper test kit they are like 12 dollars. Crabs can be resilient to copper medication. When I was at Petco there was a pom pom crab that I found was in copper for over a year and was doing just fine (had no anemones though lol). Also if the inverts die it'll just mess up your water parameters.

Edit: forgot to add I have successfully treated fish in tanks with aragonite. It takes a while for the tank to hit an equilibrium with copper levels (under a week) but I don't know if you'll be able to add inverts back into your tank for a very long time if ever.