Quarantine tank questions

[larrysaltisfun]

I’m getting ready to quarantine my fish for marine ich using copper Power

Questions:

I have six medium size tang all 4 inch or less and three small angels

Can I use some of the existing water from the tank They are in as opposed to 100% brand new saltwater.

Realizing it may be a little more difficult to control copper levels is there an opinion as to when I can put a couple pieces of live rock in there to help seed bacteria

Am I better off getting two tanks at about a 55 gallon size given the fish load?


Is there an opinion as to whether or not, I should put a light on top or should daylight be sufficient in terms of feeding them?

I’ve quarantined before, but it’s always been less fish and prophylactically never for treatment

thanks a lot fish medics

 

[Saltyreef]

You should not be using liverock or sand when you treat with theraputic levels of copper. You should keep your tanks sterile and plan to monitor ammonia and change the water frequently. No lights and some pvc for the fish to hide.

 

[larrysaltisfun]

I get it about the live rock, but if I keep the copper levels constant, which I’ve done before with live rock, is there a theoretical benefit regarding keeping ammonia stable in an effort too reduce the amount of water changes.

I appreciate your comments, but I have kept levels steady in a quarantine tank. As leaching from rocks was the same rate of absorption.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I’m getting ready to quarantine my fish for marine ich using copper Power

Questions:

I have six medium size tang all 4 inch or less and three small angels

Can I use some of the existing water from the tank They are in as opposed to 100% brand new saltwater.

Realizing it may be a little more difficult to control copper levels is there an opinion as to when I can put a couple pieces of live rock in there to help seed bacteria

Am I better off getting two tanks at about a 55 gallon size given the fish load?


Is there an opinion as to whether or not, I should put a light on top or should daylight be sufficient in terms of feeding them?

I’ve quarantined before, but it’s always been less fish and prophylactically never for treatment

thanks a lot fish medics

uSE STERILE/NEW WATER, NO ROCK BUT RATHER LG PVC TUBES AND SEEDED SPONGE

 

[larrysaltisfun]

Ok

 

[larrysaltisfun]

Thanks Vette

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I get it about the live rock, but if I keep the copper levels constant, which I’ve done before with live rock, is there a theoretical benefit regarding keeping ammonia stable in an effort too reduce the amount of water changes.

I appreciate your comments, but I have kept levels steady in a quarantine tank. As leaching from rocks was the same rate of absorption.

Amine-chelated copper, like copper power, doesn't absorb/adsorb into rock and sand nearly as much or as fast as ionic copper does. Still, some will absorb, and the leaching rate tends to be episodic - it can be stable for a long period, but then release copper if/when the pH of the tank water drops for some reason. Because of that, I tell folks to avoid re-using copper treated rock in tanks with invertebrates.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I’m getting ready to quarantine my fish for marine ich using copper Power

Questions:

I have six medium size tang all 4 inch or less and three small angels

Can I use some of the existing water from the tank They are in as opposed to 100% brand new saltwater.

Realizing it may be a little more difficult to control copper levels is there an opinion as to when I can put a couple pieces of live rock in there to help seed bacteria

Am I better off getting two tanks at about a 55 gallon size given the fish load?


Is there an opinion as to whether or not, I should put a light on top or should daylight be sufficient in terms of feeding them?

I’ve quarantined before, but it’s always been less fish and prophylactically never for treatment

thanks a lot fish medics

I commonly reuse tank water (especially relatively pristine water from a reef tank) in less critical use, such as in a fish-only holding or quarantine tank.

I always prefer multiple smaller Q tanks as opposed to a single large one of the same volume - mostly to help avoid compatibility issues, but also to spread the treatment risk out a bit. Having multiple tanks does use more copper test reagents, and takes more maintenance time.

I only use enough light over a QT to observe the fish well, and for the fish to see their food. Lower lights also lower the stress in the fish and helps to manage algae growth.

 

[larrysaltisfun]

As always, J thank you for a incredibly concise well understood answer. Seriously. I

I do have some rock that has been in quarantine tanks from the past that will never be in a display tank with invertebrates or coral I would like to use some of that rock just to give the fish something and to assist with bacterial growth and I think you’re telling me that should be OK as long as I watch my copper levels closely.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

As always, J thank you for a incredibly concise well understood answer. Seriously. I

I do have some rock that has been in quarantine tanks from the past that will never be in a display tank with invertebrates or coral I would like to use some of that rock just to give the fish something and to assist with bacterial growth and I think you’re telling me that should be OK as long as I watch my copper levels closely.

Yes - you may find that the copper level will drop for the first couple of days, but then, the absorption rate is less.

Don't forget that amine-chelated copper products will give you a false positive ammonia reading of about 0.50 ppm on most tests - don't chase a number less than that, only worry about ammonia higher than that, as that is coming from the animals, not the copper product. I'm not 100% on this, but the ammonia badges seem immune to reading that copper-bound ammonia.....but I've had poor results overall with the ammonia badges.

 

[larrysaltisfun]

And that to one of your other comments? Since my tank water is sore, not pristine as it likely has swimming ICH in. My best to go with 100% new salt? I guess my assumption was the copper power would wipe out the free floating immediately.

 

[larrysaltisfun]

I’m sorry I’m not able to edit these messages that should’ve sent back to your other comment regarding using pristine water

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

And that to one of your other comments? Since my tank water is sore, not pristine as it likely has swimming ICH in. My best to go with 100% new salt? I guess my assumption was the copper power would wipe out the free floating immediately.

Since ich is most easily transferred tank-to-tank via the fish's body, moving some water along with that fish is inconsequential. You're correct, the tomite stage, if present in the water that you use, won't be of any real concern.

 

[larrysaltisfun]

Thanks again I reread all those messages. Siri is still not great with voice texting

 

[larrysaltisfun]

@Jay Hemdal

Got everybody in two separate quarantine tanks currently copper is at 1.0 and I am aiming to get it up to 2.25 ASAP. I went a little bit slow because of Watanabe angels

Please take a look at these two videos. I wanna be sure that I’m not dealing with Ich and flukes at the right angle, the powder brown clearly looks like it has salt spots like Ich but the scope and self fin look like they are kind of blotchy more like flukes everyone is breathing rapidly because they were just pulled out of their display tank and are sitting in the quarantines

There was a break in my bio security, because I’ve never had Ich. the Watanabes were conditioned but not quarantined From dr reef I also had a CBB die about 10 months ago which could have been the source if it is flukes at any rate, please take a look at these videos.

Tell me what you think if I should go ahead with 30 days of copper then Prazipro or should I risk doing them together given that the fish are clearly symptomatic and may have both. As always thank you

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

@Jay Hemdal

Got everybody in two separate quarantine tanks currently copper is at 1.0 and I am aiming to get it up to 2.25 ASAP. I went a little bit slow because of Watanabe angels

Please take a look at these two videos. I wanna be sure that I’m not dealing with Ich and flukes at the right angle, the powder brown clearly looks like it has salt spots like Ich but the scope and self fin look like they are kind of blotchy more like flukes everyone is breathing rapidly because they were just pulled out of their display tank and are sitting in the quarantines

There was a break in my bio security, because I’ve never had Ich. the Watanabes were conditioned but not quarantined From dr reef I also had a CBB die about 10 months ago which could have been the source if it is flukes at any rate, please take a look at these videos.

Tell me what you think if I should go ahead with 30 days of copper then Prazipro or should I risk doing them together given that the fish are clearly symptomatic and may have both. As always thank you

All of the fish are breathing heavily and fast. I understand that they were recently moved, but that needs to settle down, it’s pretty severe.

Rapid respiration isn’t a symptom of ich (until later on). The three common causes are; water quality, velvet or gill flukes.

If they don’t start breathing a lot better in a few hours, add aeration.

Get the copper up to 2.25 ppm by tomorrow morning. That will handle any issues with velvet or ich.

 

[larrysaltisfun]

Got the copper up . this has been going on for several days so I don’t think that it’s velvet. My concern is that I might’ve had a chronic fluke infection .,As I said in my last post, I’m seeing some dots on the powder brown and my purple.
Do you still feel like I should address these serially and take care of the parasites first and then go after the flukes or should I add prazipro now to the quarantine?

I guess if it’s a chronic fluke infection that’s just worsened they ought to be able to last another 30 days prior to treatment.? Thanks

No lights are on. It’s a blue wall and it’s cloudy out, but I think you can still assess the breathing.

 

[larrysaltisfun]

Breathing has slowed i think. I know you can’t assess scaled and skin due to the blue hue here. Based on my previous photos, do you think I’ve got both flukes and Ich going on? To me, the scopas and sailfin look flukey but there are dots on the purple tang and powder brown tang

Do you still recommend the treatment plan to treat one dz at a time and go after flukes after 30 days?

Thanks

 

[larrysaltisfun]

Sorry for the similar posts the first didn’t go through until after I had sent in the second one

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Got the copper up . this has been going on for several days so I don’t think that it’s velvet. My concern is that I might’ve had a chronic fluke infection .,As I said in my last post, I’m seeing some dots on the powder brown and my purple.
Do you still feel like I should address these serially and take care of the parasites first and then go after the flukes or should I add prazipro now to the quarantine?

I guess if it’s a chronic fluke infection that’s just worsened they ought to be able to last another 30 days prior to treatment.? Thanks

No lights are on. It’s a blue wall and it’s cloudy out, but I think you can still assess the breathing.

Yes, the breathing is slower, good.

You can dose prazi and copper at the same time, but it is best to use pure prazi powder when doing that, as opposed to liquid Prazipro