Qt errors

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Griff

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I drained the qt poured half a gallon of white vinegar in wiped everything down including equipment. Swished the vinegar around then rinsed. I'm drying everything in front of a fan now. If I fill on Monday seed with microbacter 7 will I be ok?

I still am unsure of what to use as bio media. I have some filter floss I can put in the hob filter. I can also go to petco to get something but the Lfs isn't so local. Over an hour away. I also have some spare rock but last time I used rock it absorbed to much of the copper safe.
 

Brew12

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I drained the qt poured half a gallon of white vinegar in wiped everything down including equipment. Swished the vinegar around then rinsed. I'm drying everything in front of a fan now. If I fill on Monday seed with microbacter 7 will I be ok?

I still am unsure of what to use as bio media. I have some filter floss I can put in the hob filter. I can also go to petco to get something but the Lfs isn't so local. Over an hour away. I also have some spare rock but last time I used rock it absorbed to much of the copper safe.
Sounds like you will be fine.

Filter floss should work. It has quite a bit of surface area for the bacteria to cling to.
 

Humblefish

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Humblefish does the ammonia reading on a seneye monitor get skewed when dosing Cupramine? I am not sure if I can trust the reading?

I believe @VJV uses a seneye monitor w/Cupramine. He can confirm.
 

VJV

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In my experience it was always extremely accurate, measuring down to 0,001 while the Seachem sensor below 0,01 will show no NH3. Always used it with cupramine.

One thing it also highlighted was that it would usually take some months to come down to 0,001 with a newly established quarantine tank (even using a bacterial product such as Seachem stability to kick start the biological filter), and I finally understood why I was loosing fish in QT such as tangs, which seem to be (in my experience) very sensitive to the combination of NH3 and cupramine.

Having said this, you need to change the slide every month, soak it for 24h in advance, etc. a bad slide can produce bad readings I guess.
 

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I have noticed the readings climbing daily. With fresh water I start at .001 then gain .010 daily on a new qt tank. I thought my sponge filter was seeded but I think the copper shut a bunch of bacteria down. I did a 100% water change when I hit .020 and rinsed our the sponge filter. Now for the last week I have been adding only about .001 daily. I can see that the bacteria are bouncing back.
Thank you for the feedback!
 

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Np. That also matches my experience. That stopped happening to me when I started using Seachem Matrix media that I have in my display tank permanently, and a lot of it. I now also reverse the QT procedure to allow time to the bacteria to further stabilize. Unless there are clear visible signs of illness that requires copper treatment, what I do is treat first with Praziquantel, than wait/observe fish for 4 weeks, and than treat with copper. This allows the fish to fatten up and de stress from the new environment before being submitted to copper, AND the bacteria population to further stabilize. I do this in spite of the fact that I am using a significant quantity of Matrix media that has been in my sump for over 3 years and never again had any trace of NH3.
 

Chitown tom

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@VJV So how long do you QT? You mentioned treat with Prazi then observe for 4 weeks then copper. Do you run them in copper for 4 weeks too? 8 week total qt?
 

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Hi, I guess you probably already did but in case you did not please check out the "How to Quarantine" thread, that has a wealth of info on proper procedure.

To answer your question I tend to do it for about 7 weeks:

- Week one: two rounds of Prazipro 7 days apart, followed by
- 4 weeks of observation and getting the fish fat, followed by
- Two weeks of copper (5 days to bring the concentration up and 9 days at full therapeautic dose)

At the end of this process you need to remove the fish from the QT and move them into either a new sterilized Hospital tank, or straight into your display.

Know, this is not your traditional 4 weeks of copper and only works if you remove your fish to another tank at the end of the copper process.

The reason why it works is related to the lifecycle of the parasite. During full copper dose free swimming parasites are killed by the copper in the water, so (theoretically) no new ones will attach to your fish. Also, the ones that ar attached to your fish will drop at the end of up to 7 days, and also be killed. This means that at the end of a 9 day (to be safe) full dose your fish should be parasite free. So by removing it at this time (without lowering the copper concentration) to a separate tank you should be parasite free. Remember however that in your QT there possibly are some Tomonts still encysted that have not hatched. The copper does not attack this stage so the QT may still be infected.after taking the fish out you can either just leave the tank running at full concentration for another 3 weeks, or empty it, sterilize it and get it ready again.

As I said, this is not the conventional method but it works well for me, with the advantages of

1- only subjecting the fish to 7-9 days of full concentration copper instead of 4-6 weeks. Copper is a poison;

2- it allows the fish to get fat before going through the copper

3- it also allows for another month of biological filter stabilization prior to copper.


If you have two separate QT, you can speed up the process with prazi (two rounds over two weeks), copper the next two weeks and immediately remove it to another sterilized QT for observation. You could in theory be done in just 4 weeks. However, I prefer my way so that the fish gets fat before copper. Also, in my e pertence it is best not to rush things. A good 7-8 week quarantine allows plenty of time for illness to manifest and taking it slowly also allows the fish to improve its health.
 

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I like your procedure except I would keep the fish in copper at therapeutic levels for 14 days; not 9. The 5 days that the levels are rising don't count. Other than that your qt looks awesome. [emoji108]
 

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I like your procedure except I would keep the fish in copper at therapeutic levels for 14 days; not 9. The 5 days that the levels are rising don't count. Other than that your qt looks awesome. [emoji108]

Thanks. I know the ramp up period does not count, but with this process your fish will be clear of parasites in 3-7 days (which is the duration of the Trophonts feeding stage. The extra two days is just for bit of headroom but I see no point in going for 14 days.
 

Yuen

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Sorry for the lost .... Personally , I wouldn't encourage anyone start this hobby - marine Aquarium with debt....
This hobby require discipline, time & financial management.... Doesn't "chasing /copy" other people tank , start what you affordable with your current knowledge, finance, and available tool..

Enjoy reefing ..
 

Reefahholic

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I never really trust those alert badges. Has anybody had good success with them? I just feel like they can't be too trustworthy. I don't know.
 

Reefahholic

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I'm still on the track of 8 days in 40-60 mg of CP (therapeutic level) with Prazipro dosed on Day 1 with the CP. After the 100% water change and transfer on day 8 and going into a 4 week observation period...I'll dose prazipro again and do some antibiotic therapy if needed.

VJV....I like your style, but feel like you can tweak that method a bit. I believe it works no doubt as long as your hitting the therapeutic level for at least 7 days.

I do want to note that I lost a blue Damsel during this current CP treatment on the 4th day in. He started rapid breathing and kinda hanging on the bottom on one side of the tank by himself, but there were no visible signs of any developing disease process. Found him dead the following morning next to a PVC fitting. Bless his little heart.

Sometimes you just lose a fish I believe. I think some fish die from stress. Makes me think of SW Shad...those things die if you just look at them. :)

Another sensitive little fish is a blue-green Chromis. They are so active that I believe they die from severe stress and hypoxia.
 

melypr1985

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I never really trust those alert badges. Has anybody had good success with them? I just feel like they can't be too trustworthy. I don't know.

I have, more than a few times. I just don't understand why they fail for some people and not others.... maybe a defect in the manufacturing process?
 

Humblefish

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I never really trust those alert badges. Has anybody had good success with them? I just feel like they can't be too trustworthy. I don't know.

I've had pretty good success with them, although I would not take the reading as gospel. But I also have the uncanny knack of being able to smell or taste even slight traces of ammonia in the water. I know ... I'm weird. :rolleyes:
 

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going to try this again. I know ich was in the qt. Plan is to drain qt let dry 24 hrs wipe down with h202 let dry. Refil with display tank water during normal water change. Should this sanitize it enough?

Also I have nothing for bio filtration what do I do to ensure I do t get an ammonia spike? I'll also get a new ammonia badge.

Ny aquatic has both the fish I want so looking to do this right away.
Had bad experience with NYA...my kole tang got velvet the first day...lost a blenny...not sure that is the best place to go...just my opinion...Oh, and I've heard the same from others...
 

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