14 days of observation to copper or not to copper?

Liron Mishal · Jan 20, 2019

I currently have 3 tangs (yellow, purple and scopas) in my 35g QT.
I was trying to avoid using copramine as it is whats available around here and ordered some copper power online, it should arrive in about a month.
all fish looks great (knock on wood) and eats like frickin pigs. I feed frozen mysis twice a day and a small piece of nori about every 3 days.

my question is which way to go:
1. Should I quarantine for another month for the copper to arrive, treat for 30 days and observe for 2 weeks before introducing them to my DT
2. just go ahead and treat with copramine for 30 days, observe for 2 week
3. do a FW dip, observe for another week (total of three weeks) and put them in the tank

as I said, no signs of any disease, eats everything (the scopas even tried to nibble on my finger) and no stringy white poop.

what would you do?
L

Frtdrmrose7 · Jan 20, 2019

Depends on your preference, when I QT I treat fish with copper, GC laced food, and at the end two rounds of Prazi.
With the current state of the fish distribution system you would be hard pressed to find 3 tangs that don’t have something.
I’ve just seen too many posts on here that start with “fish looked great for two weeks then placed him in DT and.....”
If you are more of the management type of person then I would treat with GC laced food and Prazi to ensure no flukes. Then do an extended observation period to hopefully rule out a carrier of ich or velvet.

Wowkuh · Jan 20, 2019

Also I'd feed nori more often as its loaded with vitamins. and switch them to a more meaty food.

Liron Mishal · Jan 20, 2019

What would you call a more meaty food?
Chopped shrimp? Krill?

Frtdrmrose7 · Jan 20, 2019

Liron Mishal said:
What would you call a more meaty food?
Chopped shrimp? Krill?

With three Tangs the Mysis will be ok but I’d bump up from a small piece of Nori. My PBT gets a full sheet of Nori daily and it’s consumed in an hour or so and then Mysis before the lights go out. The fatter the Tang is the healthier he will be.

Liron Mishal · Jan 20, 2019

@Frtdrmrose7
Would a fw dip that comes out clean rules out fluks? GC is not available around here, I do have prazipro though.
Can it be mixed with copper treatment?

Wowkuh · Jan 20, 2019

Yes. I make my own mixture. Grocery shrimp, clams, brine shrimp along with selcon an i freeze a batch in a zip lock. break a piece of and let defrost in fridge.

Frtdrmrose7 · Jan 20, 2019

Liron Mishal said:
@Frtdrmrose7
Would a fw dip that comes out clean rules out fluks? GC is not available around here, I do have prazipro though.
Can it be mixed with copper treatment?

A FW dip could greatly reduce the suspicions of flukes but not rule them out 100%. A FW dip is enough though to give you an idea if flukes are present or not. Prazi will work just like GC. The only difference is GC is Prazi and Metro mixed that’s all.

PatW · Jan 20, 2019

I have lost fish to cupramine. But maybe I am just blaming copper for losing fish that would have died.

I have never lost a tang to cupramine. I would say do at least 2 weeks and better 3 weeks. My tangs have sailed through it. But it is a small sample and might be luck.

There are 2 schools of thought. One is to observe fish and not treat. This school usually goes for long quarantines like 12 weeks.

The other is treat prophylactically. Usually copper followed by prazipro. This can be done is 6 weeks.

dwest · Jan 20, 2019

Liron Mishal said:
I currently have 3 tangs (yellow, purple and scopas) in my 35g QT.
I was trying to avoid using copramine as it is whats available around here and ordered some copper power online, it should arrive in about a month.
all fish looks great (knock on wood) and eats like frickin pigs. I feed frozen mysis twice a day and a small piece of nori about every 3 days.

my question is which way to go:
1. Should I quarantine for another month for the copper to arrive, treat for 30 days and observe for 2 weeks before introducing them to my DT
2. just go ahead and treat with copramine for 30 days, observe for 2 week
3. do a FW dip, observe for another week (total of three weeks) and put them in the tank

as I said, no signs of any disease, eats everything (the scopas even tried to nibble on my finger) and no stringy white poop.

what would you do?
L