Quarantine -- is 4 weeks good?

ps2cho · Jul 16, 2014

This is for a small yellow tang.

The LFS had the fish for at least a week. No signs of ich on any of their fish. I ran it in QT with prazipro for 10 days, ran carbon for 3 days, water change then started cupramine. No signs of anything obvious, so will 2 weeks with cupramine be good? I would have figured any signs of disease would have shown up by now right? But to be safe I still want to do a regiment of cupramine...

What do you guys think?

BTW on a side note -- the bacteria in a bottle worked amazingly for me. I set up the tank same day, put in a whole bottle of instant ocean (30g version) for the 10g tank then dosed the seachem bacteria 2.5ml per day. I saw a hint of ammonia for the first few days then nothing. Before when I even used media that had been in my tank a month, I still had high levels of ammonia for the same size fish same tank and had to keep doing water changes. The $20 spent for both was totally worth it!!

scruggyj · Jul 16, 2014

I would maybe do a week or 2 more after the cupramine is removed. Just to observe and make sure nothing pops up.

Just be very carful with the cupramine. Dose it very slowly and don't do what the bottle says. I would take 5-7 days to get it all the way up to .5.

Like maybe 4 doses instead of 2. I recently had a cupramine issue and killed a fish so be careful. I have also used it without issue. Trust me take it slow.

saltyhog · Jul 16, 2014

4 weeks of Cupramine is what I've been told. Even then failures don't seem to be rare. I've changed to tank transfer for Ich prevention/treatment.

ps2cho · Jul 16, 2014

Well too late from the bottle instructions. I don't see any issues though so far. I'll check my copper levels and make sure they are good.

fishroomlady · Jul 16, 2014

this is JMO but I don't think it's always the best idea to medicate a fish in quarantine without obvious signs of disease. Copper is very intense and to use it as a preventative seems drastic to me.

Salty, what is tank tranfer?

Kworker · Jul 16, 2014

I've decided to go with Hypo for Ich prevention vs Cu. Cu is very hard on a fish.

DVeit · Jul 17, 2014

I've used cupramine without issue on all my fish. Dosing lightly to start and ramping up to .5 while using prazipro during the same time. I usually give the fish a week before I start any medication as well as make sure they are eating well before hand. Cupramine is probably the easiest of all copper on fish. The way I see it, is if I'm spending all this extra time on QT. I'm going to medicate my fish just for good measure whether I see anything at first or not.

revhtree · Jul 17, 2014

I have learned the hard way and it is 6 weeks for me now. I'm going to do a pre-dip and then use hypo to treat if need be.

specvjeff · Jul 17, 2014

I always always always, treat every new addition with Cupramine for 2 weeks and Prazi Pro for 2 weeks. It simply is not worth the risk.

nphsmith · Jul 17, 2014

I always treat prophylactically with a 20-day Chloroquine course, 6-hour Prazi bath, and a 5 minute FW dip. Done properly there should be no issues...so I do about 6 weeks, with a week either end for pure observation.

saltyhog · Jul 17, 2014

fishroomlady said:
this is JMO but I don't think it's always the best idea to medicate a fish in quarantine without obvious signs of disease. Copper is very intense and to use it as a preventative seems drastic to me.

Salty, what is tank tranfer?

This is a method of Ich treatment that plays on the life cycle of Ich. Basically you have two identical tanks (for me, bare bottom with HOB filter with poly floss, airstone, ammonia badge and heater) Day 1 introduce fish to first tank, Day 4 transfer to second tank with as little water as possible and clean and air dry the first tank. Day 7 transfer back to the first tank. Day 10 to the second tank and Day 13 to a cycled QT to treat with Prazi for flukes, etc.

The stage on fish that we can sometimes see is called the trophont and they stay on the fish 3-7 days. When they leave the fish they are called protomonts and they travel to the substrate (tank walls, equipment, rock, etc) and after 2-8 hours encyst (then called a tomont). This is a non infectious stage that can last 3-28 days. After this time period there are many daughter parasites that hatch (called theronts). This is the infectious stage of the parasite.

With tank transfer the infectious stage is never allowed to develop (Protomonts and tomonts can't survive air drying) and all the trophonts will have fallen off the fish in the 13 days it takes to complete the process.

Aloha Corals · Jul 17, 2014

Quarantine and Treatment are two different things.

Quarantine, by definition, is process used to isolate a person or animal for a period of time to be sure there are no infectious diseases present. You got about 11 months before marine ich will not be able to reproduce anymore. As long as there is not any more introduced.

I also agree with "fishroomlady"... How many of you go to the doctor for chemotherapy, just to be safe? :) sounds crazy huh?

As "saltyhog" mentioned, transfer method is the best and fastest route. If i see ich, i like to treat first. as soon as the ich drops off, change tanks. Don't treat again unless you see ich again, wait it out like the fish was in "quarantine". :) If it rears its ugly head. repeat.

I'd rather have to deal with ich, than any other disease in this hobby.