Water change in QT stressed out fish.

[Hemlawk]

This QT tank is a at the 2 month+ mark and ready to go back into the fallow main display.
I'm waiting for a triton test before I add the fish just to make sure everything is legit.
I did a 30% water change in this QT yesterday and scrubbed algae off the glass by hand. The fish werent happy and were trying to hide during this.
The next morning my cleaner Wrasse was dead and my Hippo Tang was rubbing. Her colors seem a bit faded compared to normal too.

All parameters are fine.
0.0 Ammonia
0.0 NO3
1.023 salinity
80f
~0.3 Copper (seachem kit, hard to tell)
8.0 pH

What do you guys think about my tangs behavior?

 

[4FordFamily]

Which kind of copper are you using? .3 won’t be enough of either kind (chelated or ionic) to ward off parasites, so that may be an issue.

Did you clean with anything near the tank?

Also, may be a silly question, but was the water you added during the water change the same temperature as the quarantine water? Fish don’t do well with temperature changes, even of a few degrees.

 

[Hemlawk]

I used SeaChem Cupramine

Yes the water heated up to the same temp.

I used a pinky filter floss to clean the glass. (it was a discarded one from my main display)

 

[4FordFamily]

I used SeaChem Cupramine

Yes the water heated up to the same temp.

I used a pinky filter floss to clean the glass. (it was a discarded one from my main display)

You need to be .45-.5 for cupramine to be effective against ich and velvet. Was it in this range for at least 30 days?

If not, that very well may be your issue.

 

[Hemlawk]

You need to be .45-.5 for cupramine to be effective against ich and velvet. Was it in this range for at least 30 days?

If not, that very well may be your issue.

It's been at .2-.3 for the QT duration. I guess I should re-dose and leave them in there longer?

 

[4FordFamily]

It's been at .2-.3 for the QT duration. I guess I should re-dose and leave them in there longer?

Yes, that would not be sufficient, so I would advise this.

 

[Hemlawk]

Thanks for the info.

Someone suggested I get a UV sterilizer for the QT. Im going to look into that.

 

[Maritimer]

UV will help manage ich, if it's oversized. UV has to wait for the parasites to come to it - copper is everywhere in the tank, all the time.

~Bruce

 

[coweyes298]

Do the copper again to .5 first. Don't bother with UV now as UV cannot be used with copper together. And UV won't 100% eliminate parasite.

 

[4FordFamily]

Do the copper again to .5 first. Don't bother with UV now as UV cannot be used with copper together. And UV won't 100% eliminate parasite.

Agreed.