My fish have ich yikes i just have a few questions.
- Thread starter ben310135
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I've personally never done that before, but the answer is probably yes. I've read threads where others have successfully mixed metro & hypo. If you wanted a "safer option", you could soak fish food with metro instead for now - obviously, this is only going to be effective if the fish is still eating.
Once you get the SG back up and are able to dose copper you'll have a lot more options. I've successfully mixed copper with metro, antibiotics, Prazipro.
Long story short I think everyone has ich went to two stores both sold out so I got the Cupramine copper and I am just wodering if I could give the one who is showing issues at the least a copper bath in some of the water from the tank ? Or just start dosing as I said earlier the clown still looks good I am just trying to make sure I am doing everything the best way possible given the situation.
Copper doesn't provide any immediate relief for fish suffering from ich or velvet; on the contrary copper is a poison and being in it stresses a fish out. But it works by shielding a fish from reinfection; breaking the cycle. After the "attached stage" of ich/velvet falls off your fish, eventually there will be a "free swimming stage" looking to reinfect. These free swimmers are the only life stage of the parasite that copper can successfully eradicate. They get zapped in copper, so long as you have reached therapeutic levels, and the cycle of parasites will finally come to an end. Copper works because fish are usually able to last longer in it than the parasites. So, as you can see, doing a "copper bath" would provide no immediate relief. Fish need to be in it for at least 2 weeks (preferably 1 month) to have a reasonable chance of success.
Other medications, such as formalin & metro, make a more immediate impact by clearing a fish's gills of some of the parasites (but not under the skin).
It just introduces an "X" factor that is difficult to predict the outcome. I have 0 experience using hypo; let alone using meds in hypo conditions. But I have mixed just about everything imaginable with copper and Chloroquine phosphate. Perhaps someone with more experience using hypo will chime in.
update on the marine velvet
So here is an update. I lost one blue reef but have the other and the clown. So the update is this I did 4 weeks of cupramine copper. Then stopped and my blue reef started to get the spots back. So I emediatly started back on it I am in week 2 but the spots don't seem to be going away. I am not sure if the treatment isn't going to work or if it could be something else. Also the This clown never got a spot on him and has been a little trooper the whole time in qt. Just wondering for suggestions and to see if maybe it might be something else which needs a different type of treatment. Also I have been testing twice daily to ensure the copper stays at .50
So here is an update. I lost one blue reef but have the other and the clown. So the update is this I did 4 weeks of cupramine copper. Then stopped and my blue reef started to get the spots back. So I emediatly started back on it I am in week 2 but the spots don't seem to be going away. I am not sure if the treatment isn't going to work or if it could be something else. Also the This clown never got a spot on him and has been a little trooper the whole time in qt. Just wondering for suggestions and to see if maybe it might be something else which needs a different type of treatment. Also I have been testing twice daily to ensure the copper stays at .50
Looking back over this thread, I think your fish has Brooklynella (possibly IN ADDITION to ich). The pics you posted in #7 look very much like brook to me.
I would keep the fish in copper, but also start doing formalin baths. I outline how to perform a formalin bath if you scroll down here: https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/fish-disease-treatment-diagnosis/189658-treatment-options-my-two-cents.html
Formalin is what I've always used to treat brook, but it is not the only known treatment. Here are the others (taken from: https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/fish-disease-treatment-diagnosis/189284-fish-diseases-101-a.html)
I would keep the fish in copper, but also start doing formalin baths. I outline how to perform a formalin bath if you scroll down here: https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/fish-disease-treatment-diagnosis/189658-treatment-options-my-two-cents.html
Formalin is what I've always used to treat brook, but it is not the only known treatment. Here are the others (taken from: https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/fish-disease-treatment-diagnosis/189284-fish-diseases-101-a.html)
Humble just so you know the fish in # 7 is the bluereef I lost. the last two pics posted are the only fish left. I will start to do the baths tomorrow. If the clown isn't showing signs of it should he be bathed as well. This guy has no spots on him or peeling of any kind.
I would perform baths on both - one at a time. Brook is highly transmissible in clowns & damsels. It's possible the presence of copper is masking full blown symptoms. Just looks like some sort of external protozoa is eating the skin right off him, so to speak. Formalin might be able to accomplish what copper is not.
So I have been doing formalin baths now for about 1.5 weeks and this is the only thing that changes teh spots move copper is still at .5 however the blue reef chromis every time I do the dip a day later he gets this on his tail. I am assuming this isn't normal for formalin baths. Also doesn't seem to be getting any better the spots go away for a day but then come right back. Any help would be great.
The spots on the tail could be Lymphocystis. There are pics here for comparison: FA181/FA181: Lymphocystis Disease in Fish
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