QT help needed.

[Joe BBC]

My DT is now fallow since Sunday noon. My 11 fish are in a cycled QT 40 gallon tank with power head, heater, ammonia patch and OB filter. Mostly bare bottom with pvc pipe. My Tang was showing signs of Ich or Flukes and was the only fish with issues. I put her in a 5 min. fresh water bath prior to QT. The rest were not!
All parameters are great.
Questions:
1 Is my first step to lower salinity and how low?
2. Do I start with Prazi? fresh water dips needed?
3 When do I start Copper treatment. 1 month - its cupramine.
Is there a timeline of which treatment I should do and when. Also I have no other meds - do I need some. Thank you as always for the help.
My Fish: Hippo Tang, Yellow Tang, Hawk fish, 6 line wrasse, domino damsel, yellow tail damsel, 2 PJ cardinals, b/g chromis, clown fish and fire fish goby.

 

[ngoodermuth]

1. No need to lower salinity, unless you intend to treat via hypo
2. This depends on the fish you did dip... were there flukes present during the dip? You would have seen them around the 3-minute mark, like little clearish-white sesame seeds
3. I would start copper soon if you think it is ich, but that may depend on whether or not flukes are actually present?

What symptoms were you seeing? Do you have any photos?

 

[Joe BBC]

The symptoms have been going on for 2 months or more. The tang had some white spots (posted https://www.reef2reef.com/posts/5776612/) The issues kept showing up on his eyes. 3 times in 2 months then go away. I assumed flukes but will treat for ich also. Lower salinity saves salt is the only reason why since I have 76 days to keep ammonia down. The dip was kind of a fail because sand fell into the black bowl I was using and could not positively diagnose. Even though during the bath I saw small white blotches on fish. I could be crazy though!!! At this point all the fish are healthy and eating great. Part of my decision is to rid my DT of parasites and faithfully QT all new livestock. It seems like the best way to start this hobby. I guess I am looking for a game plan on the QT process without concerns of killing fish.

 

[ngoodermuth]

Ok, yes I remember that post now... I think I would try the dip again, maybe pick a different fish so you aren't stressing the same one over and over (if one has them, chances are they all do) Do you have a clear specimen container? I know most people suggest using a black container, but I prefer hanging a specimen container full of RO right inside my tank. Makes it easier to observe during the dip. This video is exactly how I perform my freshwater dips:

 

[ngoodermuth]

If you don't see any flukes, I would do copper FIRST... for your full 30 days. Take several days to raise the copper to therapeutic, once it is at .5 (make sure you are using the test kit that is made for use with ionic copper for cupramine) hold it there for 30 days, testing frequently to make sure it hasn't dropped. If you do water changes to remove waste or for ammonia control, just make sure you add copper to the new water before it hits the tank so the level doesn't drop and then you are bringing it back up.

You can lower the salinity a bit, to save salt... but I wouldn't go much lower than 1.020. And I would maybe do it in two adjustments, not all at once. And make sure when you bring it back up, you do it even more slowly... it's easy for fish to go down in salinity, going back up is much harder on them.

 

[ngoodermuth]

After your 30 days, remove the copper with cuprisorb and water changes... give the fish a day or two to recover, and then start the prazi treatment. Two doses, 5-7 days apart. If flukes DO show in the second dip, then do your Prazi first and wait to start the copper until after it's completed.

 

[Joe BBC]

Perfect - now I have a starting point. I will fresh dip the next victim and check for flukes. No signs - do copper - if flukes present Prazi. I will follow your instructions to the letter. I did purchase a copper test kit and will check if it is the correct type. (ionic) You are great and thanks for the quick response. Talk to you soon.... @ngoodermuth 74 more days

 

[Frtdrmrose7]

Perfect - now I have a starting point. I will fresh dip the next victim and check for flukes. No signs - do copper - if flukes present Prazi. I will follow your instructions to the letter. I did purchase a copper test kit and will check if it is the correct type. (ionic) You are great and thanks for the quick response. Talk to you soon.... @ngoodermuth 74 more days

You will agree with me after using the basic copper test kit, I recommend getting the Hanna High Range Copper Tester and two extra boxes of reagents. This makes holding your levels at 1.75 a breeze.

 

[ngoodermuth]

You will agree with me after using the basic copper test kit, I recommend getting the Hanna High Range Copper Tester and two extra boxes of reagents. This makes holding your levels at 1.75 a breeze.

Or .5 (using cupramine here) ;)

 

[Joe BBC]

Update: Caught one of the PJ cardinal and gave it a bath. There were no signs of flukes. I then dosed Cupramine 80 drops for the 40 gallons. Used the copper test kit (for this type med) with mixed results. Now I agree with @Frtdrmrose7 about the Hanna high range tester. Plan is to dose again 48 hours later (friday night). Keep testing for 0.5 for 1 month. My only other concern is ammonia level. Any suggestions on when I should do a WC? Do I wait for the patch to change color? My original plan was 10 gallons every 3 days making sure the copper level is maintained. Thank you all in advance. @ngoodermuth

 

[Frtdrmrose7]

Update: Caught one of the PJ cardinal and gave it a bath. There were no signs of flukes. I then dosed Cupramine 80 drops for the 40 gallons. Used the copper test kit (for this type med) with mixed results. Now I agree with @Frtdrmrose7 about the Hanna high range tester. Plan is to dose again 48 hours later (friday night). Keep testing for 0.5 for 1 month. My only other concern is ammonia level. Any suggestions on when I should do a WC? Do I wait for the patch to change color? My original plan was 10 gallons every 3 days making sure the copper level is maintained. Thank you all in advance. @ngoodermuth

I do a 25% WC every four days so I never have to deal with ammonia

 

[ngoodermuth]

If you are using the test kit from seachem they provide a control test (.5) that’s helpful. Once you get to therapeutic, you can test the control next to your tank to make sure they match.

At least once a week water changes are helpful, especially with as many fish as you will be treating. If you notice any heavy breathing or very cloudy water (bacterial bloom), regardless of the ammonia badge reading I would prepare a decent sized water change.

 

[Joe BBC]

Update:( Got home from work and found 6 line wrasse doa. Heard they were sensitive to copper but that was only the 1st dose. Just added 50 more drops as 48hrs is now. Tested copper after 1st dose = .27 +/- .02. No Hannah though . Will test again now but worried about adding more drops.

 

[Joe BBC]

QT tank update - I have completed the copper treatment 5 days ago. I did 5 weeks at .5ppm. (Cupramine) Since the last dose I have done two 25% water changes and then added carbon filter pack to the overflow. I want to start Prazi soon BUT my question is did I miss anything? I plan on putting fish back in DT on May 30th. (60 days only) I have a work trip :) so cut the fallow time by 5 days. Crossing my fingers. @ngoodermuth

 

[Frtdrmrose7]

QT tank update - I have completed the copper treatment 5 days ago. I did 5 weeks at .5ppm. (Cupramine) Since the last dose I have done two 25% water changes and then added carbon filter pack to the overflow. I want to start Prazi soon BUT my question is did I miss anything? I plan on putting fish back in DT on May 30th. (60 days only) I have a work trip :) so cut the fallow time by 5 days. Crossing my fingers. @ngoodermuth

If you had ich in your DT 60 days is not long enough, to eradicate ich the fallow period needs to be 76 days.

 

[Joe BBC]

sorry 70 or 71 days - 76 days is on June 5th. - Work does not care about my fish. I am not 100% sure it was ich but looked more like flukes. This is my first reef tank and bought it used with everything including pests. Doing my best to clean things up. What about Prazi? @Frtdrmrose7

 

[Frtdrmrose7]

sorry 70 or 71 days - 76 days is on June 5th. - Work does not care about my fish. I am not 100% sure it was ich but looked more like flukes. This is my first reef tank and bought it used with everything including pests. Doing my best to clean things up. What about Prazi? @Frtdrmrose7

Prazi is dosed twice 5-7 days apart. For flukes

 

[ngoodermuth]

You can dose the prazi now, and then another dose in 5-7 days like already mentioned.

I’ll +1 to the 76 days... although your chances are pretty good that it’s gone by 70-71 days if you have no other choice. It comes down to how willing you are to take that chance.

I would stir your sandbed a few times pretty good over the few weeks, just in case. Humble has recently reported that the encysted parasites can remain dormant longer in a anaerobic areas of the tank, like under the sand. Exposing those areas to O2 will increase your chances of them emerging and dying off, sooner.

 

[Joe BBC]

Thank you -So conflicted, I am trying to weigh the risks of leaving the fish in QT and extra two weeks while I am gone. As always the issue being a care taker for my pets. ( I only have fish and coral) Water changes have been twice a week with copper in the system - a real task to keep meds at 0.5. (cupramine) I am hoping once the Prazi is over that a 25% WC once a week will suffice. I do have an ammonia patch for a visual gauge. IMO longer is better.

 

[Joe BBC]

QT update. My DT was fallow for 88 days. I slowly returned 8 of the 9 fish back into their home. (started with 11) No signs of any ich. I had issues with the domino damsel attacking and killing the smaller fish in QT. I plan on adding several more fish in the near future. My plan is to keep the 40 gallon QT running with the domino but separate them in the tank. It is so nice to have my DT back to normal.
I will not put 1 drop of any foreign water into the DT so QT is a part of life now. Just want to thank all the help I received in the forum.
I do have one question: Can I leave the QT as is or do I need to remove copper and such. Like bio wheel and wash out HOB etc.... Love this site.