Urgent help with qt

ViciousDlishus · Dec 2, 2017

Dosed cupramine as recomended waited 2 days redosed yesterday as directed.

Came home tonight to find my two black clowns very pale, eyes look funny, swimming erratic at tank corners and at top of water.

All was good before.

Testing copper levels now with salifert.

Ammonia badge says things are fine. Will my ammonia test be off?

Humblefish · Dec 2, 2017

I think I would remove all the copper immediately. Are both of their eyes popped out like that?

ViciousDlishus · Dec 2, 2017

Humblefish said:
I think I would remove all the copper immediately. Are both of their eyes popped out like that?

Yes both fish exhibiting the same eyes. Doesn't appear they are popping but almost very dilated. Seem to be swimming into things like my ammonia badge. Fins appear to be fully extended as well (can't remember the term)

Best way to remove copper quickly?

ziczac · Dec 2, 2017

I did a ~ 80% water change and used carbon to remove copper at the end of my cupramine treatment

ViciousDlishus · Dec 2, 2017

Unfortunately I don't have water available. Just did a water change on display and coral qt.

I've removed some water from display into a bucket and have them in there with heat and an air stone. Hope that will do till morning.

VJV · Dec 2, 2017

Sad to hear [emoji20]. I've been using Cupramine for a few years now and this would be my advice:

1- have cuprisorb on hand. It will quickly remove Cupramine from the water. If not, activated carbon will also work.

2- NEVER use the 0,25 one day, wait two days and raise to 0,50. In my experience killed a lot of fish by doing that. I raise 0,1 per day (just make the math for your volume. 2 drops in 10 liters will get you to 0,1ppm). I usually raise 0,1 for the first three days until 0,3, wait one or two days to see if they are still eating, than raise another 0,1 for another 2 days.

3 - NEVER use ammonia reducers of any kind, including Seachem Prime. It will break the copper into something highly toxic

Hope this helps!

ViciousDlishus · Dec 2, 2017

So is the consensus that copper was overdosed or too quickly?

They were fine for over 24 hours after the second dose. Big appetites throughout the first and second dose. Found them like this probably 30 hours into the second dose.

Should I reduce the levels of copper to 0 and let them recover then start copper again with a more gradual increase? Should I reduce copper to a lesser amount and continue the gradual increase? Should I look at different prophylactic treatment?

VJV · Dec 2, 2017

I would say it is a jumenta call... if the fish look really bad I would do as big a water change as I could and add carbon quickly. I would wait until the fish look healthy and are eating well again before raising the copper back up... slowly.

ViciousDlishus · Dec 2, 2017

Fish went back into the qt (from bucket) after a 60% wc. They were timid due to all the stress but color was back and their eyes didn't look like they were running on 10 cups of coffee anymore. They were a bit erratic in their swimming but I think this was due to the stress as well.