I have a flame angel flashing and white spots on blue spot puffer.

[4ktvs]

So this was not a good winter. Lost power for over 6 hours & decided based on the estimate of it not coming on for another 8 hours to take my fish up to a petco that was still open and then picked them up the next morning when power returned.

Blue spot puffer has white spots on his fin, but I don't want to put him in QT with copper. I think it would kill him. The Flame angel is in QT and I just started at half the recommended dose for copper so it's not too harsh on him. So basically it will take twice as long to get up to the recommended treatment level. I am considering putting the clownfish in, but I don't like the idea of putting a fish though copper twice unless need be.

Does anyone think if I put the blue spot puffer in QT with lower copper increases is best to treat him or is it better to allow the puffer a few months alone to fight the illness off on his own like I did the last time?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

So this was not a good winter. Lost power for over 6 hours & decided based on the estimate of it not coming on for another 8 hours to take my fish up to a petco that was still open and then picked them up the next morning when power returned.

Blue spot puffer has white spots on his fin, but I don't want to put him in QT with copper. I think it would kill him. The Flame angel is in QT and I just started at half the recommended dose for copper so it's not too harsh on him. So basically it will take twice as long to get up to the recommended treatment level. I am considering putting the clownfish in, but I don't like the idea of putting a fish though copper twice unless need be.

Does anyone think if I put the blue spot puffer in QT with lower copper increases is best to treat him or is it better to allow the puffer a few months alone to fight the illness off on his own like I did the last time?

Hi, With copper, you run a very fine line between the dose needed to kill the parasite and the level that can cause fish stress. Ramping copper up slowly sometimes is an issue because until you hit a full dose, the copper won't be killing the parasites. As long as you are testing accurately, you can get to a full dose of coppersafe or copper power in 24 hours.

First, what brand of copper are you using and what test kit do you have?
Puffers can handle CP or CS just fine - they have trouble with ionic copper, but that is rarely sold in the US anymore.

Jay

 

[4ktvs]

Hi, With copper, you run a very fine line between the dose needed to kill the parasite and the level that can cause fish stress. Ramping copper up slowly sometimes is an issue because until you hit a full dose, the copper won't be killing the parasites. As long as you are testing accurately, you can get to a full dose of coppersafe or copper power in 24 hours.

First, what brand of copper are you using and what test kit do you have?
Puffers can handle CP or CS just fine - they have trouble with ionic copper, but that is rarely sold in the US anymore.

Jay

I am using cupramine. I have the Salifert Aquarium Copper Test Kit.

It worked for my clownfish last time. I've just read Flame angels are at higher risk from copper treatment and that blue spot puffers normally die from copper treatment.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I am using cupramine. I have the Salifert Aquarium Copper Test Kit.

It worked for my clownfish last time. I've just read Flame angels are at higher risk from copper treatment and that blue spot puffers normally die from copper treatment.

Cupramine is harsher than coppersafe or copper power - flame angels and puffers are both sensitive to ionic copper but cupramine is safer than that. Lots of "copper sensitivity" stems from old reports using ionic copper or ramping copper up too slowly (the fish dies from the disease but people mistakenly blame the copper) or they use cupramine with a reducing agent and that frees up the bound copper and that kills the fish. You need to avoid Prime, formalin and possibly other reducers when using cupramine.

Your other option might be hyposalinity....


Jay

 

[4ktvs]

Cupramine is harsher than coppersafe or copper power - flame angels and puffers are both sensitive to ionic copper but cupramine is safer than that. Lots of "copper sensitivity" stems from old reports using ionic copper or ramping copper up too slowly (the fish dies from the disease but people mistakenly blame the copper) or they use cupramine with a reducing agent and that frees up the bound copper and that kills the fish. You need to avoid Prime, formalin and possibly other reducers when using cupramine.

Your other option might be hyposalinity....


Jay

The flame angel seems to be tolerating the copper at the needed level. When I put my clownfish though this he quit eating for a short period, but the flame angel doesn't seem impacted. He eats whatever he is given.

For some reason the flame angel seems to be a very shy fish now that he has no one to pick on. I have to stand really far back for him to come out and be comfortable swimming around. It's honestly very hard for me to get a good look at him.

I plan on keeping an eye on the other fish and seeing if they need treatment or not. Issue is I'm going to need another QT tank set up. Because the Flame angel will not play nice with others in the 10G QT since he has become established in it.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

The flame angel seems to be tolerating the copper at the needed level. When I put my clownfish though this he quit eating for a short period, but the flame angel doesn't seem impacted. He eats whatever he is given.

For some reason the flame angel seems to be a very shy fish now that he has no one to pick on. I have to stand really far back for him to come out and be comfortable swimming around. It's honestly very hard for me to get a good look at him.

I plan on keeping an eye on the other fish and seeing if they need treatment or not. Issue is I'm going to need another QT tank set up. Because the Flame angel will not play nice with others in the 10G QT since he has become established in it.

I'm not sure if it will work in this case, but one thing people do is to set up their phone to video a fish, and then leave the room while recording. The fish is then more comfortable and will swim around more - then you can come back and review the video and try to get a better look at the fish that way.

Be sure to monitor the ammonia level in the QT.

Jay

 

[4ktvs]

I'm not sure if it will work in this case, but one thing people do is to set up their phone to video a fish, and then leave the room while recording. The fish is then more comfortable and will swim around more - then you can come back and review the video and try to get a better look at the fish that way.

Be sure to monitor the ammonia level in the QT.

Jay

The QT has been running non stop for over 6 months. It's got an oversized filter on it that seems to be good at keeping the ammonia level in check. I have a sea chem ammonia alert sticker on the tank and API test kit so I think odds are good the ammonia level won't be hard to keep in check.

I might try the phone idea.

 

[4ktvs]

Update: The angel fish was fine at 10pm. Then I checked on it at 1am before going to bed. Seemed bloated and laying on it's side. I have done a %40 water change.

It might have warms. I don't know if it will survive the night.