I am a fool bought a clown a petco and he has developed ich

Aidanwolf · Mar 3, 2019

So I did a copper test and I am not sure exactly what it is reading. Can you tell? If it is to low how much more copper do I need to put in to raise it? I will post a pic with and with out flash if that makes a difference.

Aidanwolf · Mar 3, 2019

Without flash

Sashaka · Mar 3, 2019

#reefsquad

Sleepydoc · Mar 3, 2019

Seachem provides a reference sample which you can use to check the accuracy and compare colors. Your photos look like it's about 04, but this is exactly the problem with the copper tests, though. You're left trying to interpret shades of blue and the degree of error in interpretation is greater that the therapeutic window. I would Either do tank transfer or order a Hanna checker.

HotRocks · Mar 3, 2019

Color tests are extremely hard to match on a picture.

I would recommend viewing outside in natural light. That's your best bet. @Big G has a trick as well. If we can get him to weigh in. If I recall it's squinting while reading the color chart, it's been so long since I've used one I forgot!

Big G · Mar 3, 2019

HotRocks said:
Color tests are extremely hard to match on a picture.

I would recommend viewing outside in natural light. That's your best bet. @Big G has a trick as well. If we can get him to weigh in. If I recall it's squinting while reading the color chart, it's been so long since I've used one I forgot!

Yep. Squinting the eyes when doing color comparisons seems to work with some/most people, according to my wife the artist. I think it works better with women. Lots of us guys are color blind or color challenged to say the least.

That plus knowing actually how many gallons the tank holds (need to measure and use one of the tank calculators online) and using that "one drop per gallon" dosing Cupramine has on their box should give you a nice reference from which to compare the two and get accurate dosing for your fish.

Aidanwolf · Mar 4, 2019

Big G said:
Yep. Squinting the eyes when doing color comparisons seems to work with some/most people, according to my wife the artist. I think it works better with women. Lots of us guys are color blind or color challenged to say the least.

That plus knowing actually how many gallons the tank holds (need to measure and use one of the tank calculators online) and using that "one drop per gallon" dosing Cupramine has on their box should give you a nice reference from which to compare the two and get accurate dosing for your fish.

The aquarium is a 29g biocube, I was going to follow the dosing instructions on the box but I was reading that could over dose the aquarium with copper, so I added a little less copper to be safe.

Aidanwolf · Mar 4, 2019

Also the clown hasn't had any visible ich since the day after I put him into the aquarium. So I am wondering if the copper is high enough to kill of the ich already.

Big G · Mar 4, 2019

Aidanwolf said:
The aquarium is a 29g biocube, I was going to follow the dosing instructions on the box but I was reading that could over dose the aquarium with copper, so I added a little less copper to be safe.

Aquariums are seldom the gallon size that you buy. Your 29 might be 27-28 actual gallons. That's why people either measure the tank ahead of time with a known container or measure the tank and use one of the online calculators to determine as closely as possible actual gallonage.
The danger is that you under dose with Cupramine. The therapeutic level is fairly narrow and if you fall below 0.35 ppm, successful eradication of the parasite is questionable.

Aidanwolf · Mar 4, 2019

Big G said:
Aquariums are seldom the gallon size that you buy. Your 29 might be 27-28 actual gallons. That's why people either measure the tank ahead of time with a known container or measure the tank and use one of the online calculators to determine as closely as possible actual gallonage.
The danger is that you under dose with Cupramine. The therapeutic level is fairly narrow and if you fall below 0.35 ppm, successful eradication of the parasite is questionable.

I will make sure that the copper level is correct but it has been about a week since I added the full dose of copper.

Aidanwolf · Mar 4, 2019

Sleepydoc said:
Seachem provides a reference sample which you can use to check the accuracy and compare colors. Your photos look like it's about 04, but this is exactly the problem with the copper tests, though. You're left trying to interpret shades of blue and the degree of error in interpretation is greater that the therapeutic window. I would Either do tank transfer or order a Hanna checker.

If I had more money to spend I would definitely get the Hanna copper checker. But I would like to get some of the other Hanna testers that I would use more first.

ngoodermuth · Mar 4, 2019

I’ve spent A LOT of time staring at this particular test kit. You look to be pretty close, but may need to bump it up just a tad.

As mentioned there is a .5 sample in the kit, the best way to make sure you are at the right level is to do the sample and your tank at the same time and see if they match. I realized I was still a bit under-dosed by doing the same.

Sleepydoc · Mar 4, 2019

Aidanwolf said:
If I had more money to spend I would definitely get the Hanna copper checker. But I would like to get some of the other Hanna testers that I would use more first.

What hanna checkers are you considering? The copper checker is easily the most valuable one, IMO. As we've discussed here, it's critical to dose copper accurately due to its narrow therapeutic index and the traditional copper kits are not that accurate. The Hanna checker is absolutely the most accurate hobbyist copper test on the market.

The phosphate checker is also more accurate and easier to use than traditional tests but knowing the phosphate level is not as critical as knowing the Cu level.

I have an Alk checker, and it's nice, but you can easily get accurate results from a standard titration test like salifert or Red Sea. The other available checkers are for Ca, Nitrate and ammonia, all of which have other tests available that are still accurate.

Sashaka · Mar 5, 2019

Aidanwolf said:
I just checked him and all but maybe one spot has disappeard.

Aidanwolf said:
Also some of the ich has come back and I am going to go ahead and do a copper treatment.

Aidanwolf said:
Alright so the clowns ich is back with a vengeance. I just added copper and beneficial bacteria to the QT and I am now acclimating him.

Aidanwolf said:
Also the clown hasn't had any visible ich since the day after I put him into the aquarium. So I am wondering if the copper is high enough to kill of the ich already.

Ok, so I've been following the journey of ich on your fish and you can easily see how the reoccurring infestations reveal the cycle of ich. Even when an untreated fish no longer shows visible signs of ich, it can still be in the gills or reinfect the fish if left in the same tank. If the fish does manage to gain an immunity to ich, it can still infect other fish later...maybe healthy fish...with less immunity later in the MD. Never introducing the bug in the MD means never having to fight off reoccurring infestations down the road.

In this hobby, there is almost always "something else" that crops up that needs our attentions.

Aidanwolf said:
If I had more money to spend I would definitely get the Hanna copper checker.

Sorry, if I sound like this hobby is just one problem after the other. I guess it sometimes can be until a tank is mature and stable...and that takes time, effort, and...bummer...more money. I assume you plan on getting more fish. You won't be sorry if you get the Hanna Copper Checker. It makes getting/treating new/sick fish SOOOOO much less stressful in the long run. Keep in mind most test kits rely on color charts. Digital reading is easier and accurate no mater what degree of color perception of color blindness you may be dealing with. And better accuracy means more fish surviving copper treatments. It is a poison, so accuracy is important. Good luck!

Aidanwolf · Mar 5, 2019

Sashaka said:
Ok, so I've been following the journey of ich on your fish and you can easily see how the reoccurring infestations reveal the cycle of ich. Even when an untreated fish no longer shows visible signs of ich, it can still be in the gills or reinfect the fish if left in the same tank. If the fish does manage to gain an immunity to ich, it can still infect other fish later...maybe healthy fish...with less immunity later in the MD. Never introducing the bug in the MD means never having to fight off reoccurring infestations down the road. In this hobby, there is almost always "something else" that crops up that needs our attentions.
Sorry, if I sound like this hobby is just one problem after the other. I guess it sometimes can be until a tank is mature and stable...and that takes time, effort, and...bummer...more money. I assume you plan on getting more fish. You won't be sorry if you get the Hanna Copper Checker. It makes getting/treating new/sick fish SOOOOO much less stressful in the long run. Keep in mind most test kits rely on color charts. Digital reading is easier and accurate no mater what degree of color perception of color blindness you may be dealing with. And better accuracy means more fish surviving copper treatments. It is a poison, so accuracy is important. Good luck!

I will get the Hanna copper tester soon or later. I need to get a ato for the main Biocube first because the water evaporates so fast I have to put water in every night.