Copper use in DT

[Friday24]

So as much as we have tried not to we have managed to get ich into the DT. I know the normal process would be to remove all fish and place in a QT to treat, however for me it would be much easier to remove the 5 pieces of coral, 4 starfish, 2 BT anemones, and the random snails and hermits I have and treat the DT. DT does have rock and sand...rock was just put in about 2 months ago after we pulled all the rock to redo it. In doing that we gave all the rock a muratic acid bath as well. If I were to remove said inverts and dose Cupramine in the DT and follow that up with Cuprisorb and poly-filters until there wasn't any detectable copper in the water I'm thinking I would be ok. I know that rock and sand can absorb copper, but I was thinking that after the Cupramine was stopped and I'm using the Cuprisorb and Poly-filters what ever they did absorb would just leach back into the water as the copper was removed. Am I way off or should this work?

 

[4FordFamily]

So as much as we have tried not to we have managed to get ich into the DT. I know the normal process would be to remove all fish and place in a QT to treat, however for me it would be much easier to remove the 5 pieces of coral, 4 starfish, 2 BT anemones, and the random snails and hermits I have and treat the DT. DT does have rock and sand...rock was just put in about 2 months ago after we pulled all the rock to redo it. In doing that we gave all the rock a muratic acid bath as well. If I were to remove said inverts and dose Cupramine in the DT and follow that up with Cuprisorb and poly-filters until there wasn't any detectable copper in the water I'm thinking I would be ok. I know that rock and sand can absorb copper, but I was thinking that after the Cupramine was stopped and I'm using the Cuprisorb and Poly-filters what ever they did absorb would just leach back into the water as the copper was removed. Am I way off or should this work?

People say you can't do this but I've done it many times, added coral back within ten to 12 days and had zero issues. Carbon, cuprisorb, water changes, etc.

I will say though you'll use 5x as much cupramine, as it will magically disappear (bottle and seachem say it can't be absorbed but it certainly does). It does just as easily get removed with the above.

If that's what you want to do, do it.

 

[Friday24]

It's definitely what I would like to do because it will be way easier and I would think less stressful for the fish. If I had a lot of large established coral that could not be removed then I would be attempting to catch them without a doubt. My only concern was if the copper would somehow stay in the rocks, sand, or equipment somehow. Glad to see at least one person has had success.

 

[4FordFamily]

It's definitely what I would like to do because it will be way easier and I would think less stressful for the fish. If I had a lot of large established coral that could not be removed then I would be attempting to catch them without a doubt. My only concern was if the copper would somehow stay in the rocks, sand, or equipment somehow. Glad to see at least one person has had success.

It will, yes. But large water changes, lots of cuprisorb and a refill when you think it's all gone, and lots of carbon and then new carbon again same way.

I've done this probably half a dozen or more times successfully

 

[redfishbluefish]

I would never, ever us copper with rock and sand. In my opinion, that rock and sand is DONE! And if you try to sell it, tell the buyer it's contaminated with copper. Copper is readily removed from glass tanks (and the silicone), but not from rock and sand. Cuprisorb might get the levels down initially, but over time, it will leach out.

Please, set up a hospital tank / QT tank with some pieces of pipe for the fish to hide and treat that tank.

 

[4FordFamily]

My rock has reseeded quickly with new live rock added, and I've never had trouble. Heck I had a hermit that survived .7 ppm of cupramine for 3 months!

It leaches out quickly as long as the levels in the water are low, it will follow the path of least resistance (back out of the rocks)

 

[Friday24]

I thought it would leach quickly as it is being removed from the water.

 

[4FordFamily]

I thought it would leach quickly as it is being removed from the water.

It will move to where less copper is present. If the water column is devoid of copper this is where it will go

 

[ReefMadScientist]

I gave my QT away to a friend. I told him I copper-dosed for a good 3 months in it. He understood and went off buying corals. For the most part...everything is still alive. But it was a bare bottom. I wouldn't use copper with sand or live rock.

 

[Lynn52]

Why not just do hypo salinity. Easier on the fish and no risk of contaminating the tank.

 

[4FordFamily]

Why not just do hypo salinity. Easier on the fish and no risk of contaminating the tank.

Hypo does nothing to address any other parasite besides ich.

 

[Lynn52]

True but works well with ich and that is the problem in this tank.

 

[Friday24]

Never thought of the hypo idea, ich is all I know that I have, I've QT'd all the fish I have for at least 3-4weeks, all get prazipro. But I guess it's possible that if I missed ich somewhere along the line something else may have made it too. Thanks for the hypo idea though, I'll definitely look more into it.

 

[Russ265]

Hypo does nothing to address any other parasite besides ich.

this is possibly correct, however velvet and flukes die to fw dips. evident from before and after photos.

 

[redfishbluefish]

Hate to tell you, hypo in the DT will kill the live rock and sand. You'll have a tremendous ammonia spike. You don't want to hypo a DT.

Hospital tank, Hospital tank, Hospital tank!!!

 

[Russ265]

Hate to tell you, hypo in the DT will kill the live rock and sand. You'll have a tremendous ammonia spike. You don't want to hypo a DT.

Hospital tank, Hospital tank, Hospital tank!!!

im only asking for my benefit.

did you experience the spike? or was this something you read.

thanks

 

[Lynn52]

I have never lost my biological filtration from hypo, I don't even lose my chaeto. Never had an ammonia spike. I do keep my QT cycled all the time so I have plenty of bacteria. I last kept 2 small tangs in my QT for several weeks in hypo and never had ammonia issues. Bio filter was intact when I increased the salinity. You have to lower the salinity slowly and raise it again even slower.

 

[redfishbluefish]

Read......for hypo salinity to be most effective you want to drop to 09 quickly which causes the crypto to lysis (osmotic burst)....as will the bacteria in the rock and sand. Note that after the 4+ weeks you'll want to raise salinity slowly (over a week). Fish can take the drop in salinity quickly, but can't take the rise quickly.

 

[Russ265]

Read......for hypo salinity to be most effective you want to drop to 09 quickly which causes the crypto to lysis (osmotic burst)....as will the bacteria in the rock and sand. Note that after the 4+ weeks you'll want to raise salinity slowly (over a week). Fish can take the drop in salinity quickly, but can't take the rise quickly.

this is my experience with fw dips as well. i can drop it hard. i cannot get them back to nsw without slowly acclimating

or risk a heart attack. (my own experience)