Are there fish you CANT quarantine in copper?

[cmross13]

I remember reading somewhere you can’t QT Mandarins in copper because they don’t have scales or something to that effect and I thought I’d come here and just ask the community if that’s legit, and if so, are there other fish you can’t QT in copper?

FYI I currently have an Aquatop Recife 40G set up as QT with a custom media basket(bought here!) holding a 2” red sea sock, two OE baskets full of Marinepure spheres and gems, Finnex Ti heater with Inkbird for double redundancy, MP40QD, and AI Prime 16HD. Dosing Cupramine to 0.5-0.6ppm and checking every other day with Hanna checker. 1-5 gallon water changes every couple days depending on test results and needs.

I lost a gorgeous Foxface Lo within 18 hours of receipt yesterday, made me curious.

 

[bmeily]

Your right mandarins don’t tolerate copper. They and other sensitive fish may need to be fattened up before starting QT if they look thin.
Also wrasses, angels, anthias, and puffers are sensitive to copper.
Check out humblefish’s list, he even has a section for mandarins.

Difficult Fish to QT guide

** This information was originally posted here: https://humble.fish/community/index.php?threads/difficult-fish-to-qt-guide.56/ ** Below is a list of difficult fish to quarantine, with specific recommendations on QT strategies for each group of fish. Angelfish (and their sensitivity to copper)...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Reefing_addiction]

I know there are fish
I’m not sure which ones
So
Bump

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

You can medicate mandarins in copper. Some may be more sensitive but I'm 3 weeks in and my boy is putting on weight.

 

[Squidward]

I wouldn't do it. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/fish-and-treatment-guidelines-with-chart.283450/

 

[Jekyl]

Just don't treat them if there is no issue in my opinion. Copper is toxic for all fish to some degree. Some more than others for sure. However if you're concerned about one of these fish why not just simply observe it. If there happens to be an issue that requires medication then this discussion is moot.

 

[cmross13]

Just don't treat them if there is no issue in my opinion. Copper is toxic for all fish to some degree. Some more than others for sure. However if you're concerned about one of these fish why not just simply observe it. If there happens to be an issue that requires medication then this discussion is moot.

To simply “observe” a fish for 3 weeks means to have a third tank set up. I’ve already got the 40g cube QT tank and a Red Sea Reefer 350 DT. I try to buy locally sourced fish that are already QT but mandarin is a tricky one because you can’t feed them in QT unless they are already trained to eat frozen or dry foods.

 

[Squidward]

To simply “observe” a fish for 3 weeks means to have a third tank set up. I’ve already got the 40g cube QT tank and a Red Sea Reefer 350 DT. I try to buy locally sourced fish that are already QT but mandarin is a tricky one because you can’t feed them in QT unless they are already trained to eat frozen or dry foods.

You can feed them in qurantine but you'll need a ton of pods to dump in daily who knows how many times per day? That trouble of qurantining them stopped me from keeping them this time. Years ago I just plopped them in but they did however still died from ich/velvet. I did find that the spotted mandarins tend to eat pellets, dry foods, and frozen a lot quicker than the common green/red mandarins.

 

[Hot2na]

clowns don't fare well at all.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I remember reading somewhere you can’t QT Mandarins in copper because they don’t have scales or something to that effect and I thought I’d come here and just ask the community if that’s legit, and if so, are there other fish you can’t QT in copper?

FYI I currently have an Aquatop Recife 40G set up as QT with a custom media basket(bought here!) holding a 2” red sea sock, two OE baskets full of Marinepure spheres and gems, Finnex Ti heater with Inkbird for double redundancy, MP40QD, and AI Prime 16HD. Dosing Cupramine to 0.5-0.6ppm and checking every other day with Hanna checker. 1-5 gallon water changes every couple days depending on test results and needs.

I lost a gorgeous Foxface Lo within 18 hours of receipt yesterday, made me curious.

That is too broad of a question to really answer. It depends on a variety of factors including what type of copper medication is being used, and how it is being measured.

Assuming organically bound copper products, (not copper sulfate solutions) measured with a Hanna Checker, the following is true:

Sharks, rays and eels will often go off feed when treated with copper. Mandarins can be treated with copper, but they will be severely stressed by being housed in a bare tank (no food) so they often die as a result of that. Flashlight fish will lose their lights, so should not be exposed to copper.

Foxface are fine in copper, your fish must have had some other issue. Given the 18 hour timeframe, it is some acute issue. Two things come to mind - a large salinity rise as it went into this tank (you shouldn't acclimate more than 2 or 3 ppt per day) or - since you are using Cupramine, you need to be very careful about using Prime ammonia remover, as that can break the amine/copper bond, releasing toxic amounts of free copper into the tank. I'm also suspicious of using Cupramine with ANY reducing agent - Amquel or even excess dechlor. I can't test this without exposing the test fish to harm, so no way to prove it, but that would account for many of these "copper toxicity" incidents that people report.

Jay