Need some help with challenging QT/Fallow period

niQo · Feb 2, 2019

In a nutshell:
- DT has been fallow for over two months, but I introduced new inverts at the beginning of December, so maybe just short of 60 days
- 4 fish are doing well and are fat in QT
- leopard wrasse (in QT) is getting more and more skinny, less active and does a lot of sleeping in the sand. Does not feed with the same gusto as it used to. I'm wondering if this is due to disease or due to the fact that the QT tank does not provide pods and other things for it to hunt and eat.
- I have not seen any disease symptoms (other than the wrasse maybe). I had a few fish die this fall and they would show symptoms and typically die within a few days/week.

Challenges
- No Chelated copper can be found in Canada other than the Kordon stuff, which is terribly diluted and thus expensive to use. On Dec. 31 I got .45 on my hanna checker and then my bottle was pretty much empty. The copper level has stayed about the same as I have not been able to find a better product.
- I am afraid of using Ionic Copper. The wrasse is already so skinny I don't think he will make it.

What should I do? I am very tempted to put my fish back in the DT to save the wrasse, but I am worried then I'll be starting all over again. Even though I have not seen the same symptoms I was dealing with in the Fall. This was my issue this fall: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/possible-fish-disease-id-sixline-wrasse.488994/#post-5305047 After this a new fox face al off a sudden stopped eating and died a few days later. Shortly after I caught all my fish and put them in a 20H tank. Its been very frustrating and I'm thinking of just taking my chances...

Big G · Feb 2, 2019

Trying to catch up here. So the fish were flashing but there was not the usual white spots of Ich/velvet?

niQo · Feb 2, 2019

Big G said:
Trying to catch up here. So the fish were flashing but there was not the usual white spots of Ich/velvet?

Some fish were scratching the rocks, but I have not observed this in QT for a while. Some fish seemed to have a few white spot in the Fall, but I have not observed this in QT either.

Phlynamjax · Feb 2, 2019

Did you check for flukes? I maintain my QT with Cupramine at .5 all the time. I drop all my new fish directly into this tank and my success rate is pretty good. I found that copper doesn't do much to fluke. Few month ago at the end of my QT cycle, I loss few fairy wrasses in this QT and some of my other fishes were scratching (mostly tangs). I fresh water dipped the dead wrasse and found bunch of flukes (I already did 2 treatments of prazi at this point). Some fishes weren't as active and hiding all the times. I dosed prazi every 3 days for a month. Although it helped with symptoms, it did not eliminated the flukes. Then I found Humblefish's post about doing hypo for flukes. So I went one week of hypo along with prazi treatment and it worked.

niQo · Feb 2, 2019

Phlynamjax said:
Did you check for flukes? I maintain my QT with Cupramine at .5 all the time. I drop all my new fish directly into this tank and my success rate is pretty good. I found that copper doesn't do much to fluke. Few month ago at the end of my QT cycle, I loss few fairy wrasses in this QT and some of my other fishes were scratching (mostly tangs). I fresh water dipped the dead wrasse and found bunch of flukes (I already did 2 treatments of prazi at this point). Some fishes weren't as active and hiding all the times. I dosed prazi every 3 days for a month. Although it helped with symptoms, it did not eliminated the flukes. Then I found Humblefish's post about doing hypo for flukes. So I went one week of hypo along with prazi treatment and it worked.

I do remember putting a dead fish in Fresh Water (see above link), I did not see anything. Thanks for the suggestion. I find this part of the hobby to be no fun and kind of difficult.

Big G · Feb 2, 2019

niQo said:
I do remember putting a dead fish in Fresh Water (see above link), I did not see anything. Thanks for the suggestion. I find this part of the hobby to be no fun and kind of difficult.

If the flukes were mostly inside the gills, they usually don't fall off in a FW dip. It's the body, tail flukes that will drop off.

niQo · Feb 2, 2019

Big G said:
If the flukes were mostly inside the gills, they usually don't fall off in a FW dip. It's the body, tail flukes that will drop off.

This is part of my issue, I never got a clear ID on what kind of disease/parasite was present in my tank. So I am not 100% how to treat it, and I'm tempted right now to cut corners to try to save my leopard wrasse who has always done really well in the DT, but has not been happy in the QT.

Big G · Feb 2, 2019

So you haven't treated you fish for flukes with General Cure or Prazipro and Metro?

niQo · Feb 2, 2019

Big G said:
So you haven't treated you fish for flukes with General Cure or Prazipro and Metro?

No I started chelated copper, but did not make it past the 0.5 due to it being so diluted, I have PraziPro as well, but haven't used it yet.

Big G · Feb 2, 2019

Wrasses are "fluke" magnets. Would recommend you treat either with General Cure, which has both metro and prazi (at a lower dose than Prazipro) so it will treat your fish for both flukes and internal parasites. Or treat with Prazipro + metro.

niQo · Feb 2, 2019

Big G said:
Wrasses are "fluke" magnets. Would recommend you treat either with General Cure, which has both metro and prazi (at a lower dose than Prazipro) so it will treat your fish for both flukes and internal parasites. Or treat with Prazipro + metro.

Should I first remove the copper from the water? Its hard to know what is up with the wrasse, he hasn't moved much today, he lays on some sand. Which is not unusual for him as that is sometimes how he sleeps, but today he hasn't gotten up and swam around as far as I know. Just worried he's on his way out.

Big G · Feb 2, 2019

If it was my fish, I'd remove the copper and give it a few days and observe for a few days. If all is well, then I'd treat with General Cure if you can get it.