Too much copper?

[scarroll0466]

Is it possible to treat with too much copper? Currently treating my 90 for two weeks now and yellow tang still has ich. Crabs and shrimp are still alive, so is it possible the copper treatment wasn't potent enough? Was thinking about doubling the amount of cupramine in the tank. Have not done a water change since starting treatment.
Thanks

 

[Shaddow_wolf169]

Wow I can't believe you put copper in your display tank. Copper is lethal to inverts and corals. It will soak in to the whole tank. Doesnt sound like you put enough if shrimps and crabs are still alive. It will poison them though. A little advise don't ever put coral or anemones or shrimps or crabs in your tank again if you want to keep them alive. Copper will forever be in your system it soaks into the rock sand silicone everything. You can only keep fish in the system now. Keep an eye on the shrimp and crabs they will probably die from the poison.

 

[Shaddow_wolf169]

@saltyfilmfolks advise please

 

[Maritimer]

Is it possible to treat with too much copper? Currently treating my 90 for two weeks now and yellow tang still has ich. Crabs and shrimp are still alive, so is it possible the copper treatment wasn't potent enough? Was thinking about doubling the amount of cupramine in the tank. Have not done a water change since starting treatment.
Thanks

It is very possible to treat with too much copper, especially if there are invertebrates in the tank. Copper is a poison - it generally kills ich (and inverts like your crabs and shrimp) at lower concentrations than it kills fish, but it can kill both at high enough levels.

Copper is also pretty lethal to invertebrates in general, which is one reason why it's important to use it in a quarantine tank - never in the display. In addition, liverock and aragonite sand will absorb copper, lowering the levels in the water unpredictably - and then possibly leach the copper back into the water at a later date.

I'd recommend that you set up a quarantine tank, with no rock or sand. That's where you'll want to use any copper medications. (I prefer chelated copper, such as "CopperSafe" - and you'll want a copper test kit to guage levels of copper in the system - API's kit works well with chelated copper - not all do.) Use PVC pipe fittings to provide hiding places for the fish, and a HOB (hang-on-back) filter, such as the Fluval/Aqua-Clear series. Do not use carbon until you're ready to remove any medication. Use CupriSorb, Poly-Filter pads and water changes to remove as much copper as possible from your display after removing all fish to the quarantine tank - and keep the fish in QT for 76 days. That time period will allow any encysted ich tomonts on your rock to hatch and the theronts to die of starvation before the fish are returned.

If @Humblefish or @melypr1985 tell you anything different .... listen closely! They know what they're talking about!!

~Bruce

 

[melypr1985]

It is very possible to treat with too much copper, especially if there are invertebrates in the tank. Copper is a poison - it generally kills ich (and inverts like your crabs and shrimp) at lower concentrations than it kills fish, but it can kill both at high enough levels.

Copper is also pretty lethal to invertebrates in general, which is one reason why it's important to use it in a quarantine tank - never in the display. In addition, liverock and aragonite sand will absorb copper, lowering the levels in the water unpredictably - and then possibly leach the copper back into the water at a later date.

I'd recommend that you set up a quarantine tank, with no rock or sand. That's where you'll want to use any copper medications. (I prefer chelated copper, such as "CopperSafe" - and you'll want a copper test kit to guage levels of copper in the system - API's kit works well with chelated copper - not all do.) Use PVC pipe fittings to provide hiding places for the fish, and a HOB (hang-on-back) filter, such as the Fluval/Aqua-Clear series. Do not use carbon until you're ready to remove any medication. Use CupriSorb, Poly-Filter pads and water changes to remove as much copper as possible from your display after removing all fish to the quarantine tank - and keep the fish in QT for 76 days. That time period will allow any encysted ich tomonts on your rock to hatch and the theronts to die of starvation before the fish are returned.

If @Humblefish or @melypr1985 tell you anything different .... listen closely! They know what they're talking about!!

~Bruce

You pretty much covered it. I would only add that the fish should be treated with 30 consecutive days of therapeutic copper. If the levels drop below therapeutic, the thirty day clock starts over again. After 30 days the copper can be removed, but the fish stay in the QT for observation while the display finishes it's 76 day fallow period.

 

[Humblefish]

^^ Agree with above; anyone attempting to use copper with rock & sand needs to test their Cu level daily.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

@saltyfilmfolks advise please

I'll defer to the real fish Pro's......

 

[Pijulrs81]

Wow I can't believe you put copper in your display tank. Copper is lethal to inverts and corals. It will soak in to the whole tank. Doesnt sound like you put enough if shrimps and crabs are still alive. It will poison them though. A little advise don't ever put coral or anemones or shrimps or crabs in your tank again if you want to keep them alive. Copper will forever be in your system it soaks into the rock sand silicone everything. You can only keep fish in the system now. Keep an eye on the shrimp and crabs they will probably die from the poison.

For some hobbyist that keep only FO and headche with ich n velvet i personally use n dose cupramine in the display tank.The cupramine will eliminate those parasite in 14days.It the best treatment to eradicate this nasty parasite.