More info about copper: humble.fish/cop... The Copper Window: tinyurl.com/2s... DIY copper med: tinyurl.com/yp... Black Molly Quarantine: tinyurl.com/yc...
Ive tried several ways of stopping ich from entering my tank and this method is the only way that works. Ive now quarantined 3 sets of fish and havent lost one. Thank you thank you thank you
my display tank has sand and a good amount of rock. only one of my fish, a tobacco basslet, had a few spots of ich on it so i treated the tank as fast as possible
Hey Humble! Thank you for all the info. I wouldn’t have been able to jump into this hobby if not for people like u and the crew at BRS. I do have a question… and this may be an obvious answer but what is the proper way to physically transfer a fish from QT to a DT. Is it as simple as “netting” the fish and dropping them right in to the DT? Thank you for any incite.
So long as salinity and temperature are the same between the two tanks, you can just transfer the fish over. I personally prefer to use a colander instead of a net. To avoid tangling the fish’s spines.
Awesome explanation. Being I have a six line wrasse. No I don’t think I should do this copper power ,any thoughts thx for all info. I gonna listen again
Wrasses can be tough to quarantine. Most sixlines will tolerate Copper Power, but here is an alternative way to QT them: humble.fish/community/index.php?threads/tank-transfer-method-all-versions.6800/
Hi humble nice and informative video. I’m new here and I have 2 yangs with ick and they are in my QT tank. I have cooper power but they don’t have the ml instructions on how to dose to get it to the desired level. My qt tank is a 10gl. Any advise on how many ml to dose daily till I get to the desired 2.0/2.5 and how many ml to dose to maintain it?? Any help guys will be appreciated!!! Thanks you all!
How you do water change on qt the safest or do I need two qt tank ? So biomedia live on copper? So I need to cycle a tank: qt tank first before adding ammonia? And can I feed food soaked in focus and kanaplex on copper power qt tank?
Hello, videos are great. Straight info. So my tank has velvet. Everything died within 4 days of the introduction of one fish. My wrasse however has survived and seems to be fine.Ive read the tank needs to go fallow for 72 days having no animals with gills in the tank. So i am going to get some new fish and do your copper/general cure treatment with the wrasse as well. My question is copper levels will drop over time? Thr treatment only takes 30 days but I have to house these fish sonewhere for 72 days. Do i really need to setup another fish tank? Very quickly im being surrounded by fish tanks. Thanks so much for any help
@@payno6643 Basically, you want to treat all the fish with therapeutic copper for 30 days; and then do water changes + use Cuprisorb/poly filter to lower the Cu level. The fallow (fishless) period in the DT can be reduced to 6 weeks if you raise water temp to 81F. Read this: humble.fish/community/index.php?threads/new-ich-fallow-period.1824/
Can you talk about using copper with Angels and Wrasses as well as other fish that are sensitive to copper? What levels are safe for them? How slowly should you bring it up? My local pet store said wrasses were okay up to 0.5 but didn't know about Angels. That said, at that level, it isn't therapeutic, is it?
Generally speaking, angels & wrasses tolerate chelated copper (e.g. Copper Power, Coppersafe) better than Cupramine & copper sulfate. The therapeutic range for chelated copper is 2.0-2.5 ppm, so I would treat @ 2.2-2.3 for copper sensitive species.
Question - where does the 30 days of copper recommendation come from? Was there some scientific study that showed 30 days was required to kill 100%? Or is it just based on your experience? If there’s a paper, I’d like to read it.
30 days is just the "accepted" timeframe because: a) 30 days is usually long enough to eliminate Ich & Velvet b) Most species can tolerate copper for up to 30 days. After that things can get dicey. I actually prefer 14 days in therapeutic copper and then transfer the fish into an observation tank. This strategy works because after 14 days any Ich or Velvet trophonts should have dropped off the fish. The presence of copper in the water shields your fish from reinfection from any unhatched tomonts (which release free swimmers). It’s these unhatched tomonts you want to transfer your fish away from. Just understand that nothing from the QT/treatment tank can be reused to setup the observation tank (to avoid cross contamination), AND the observation tank should be housed at least 10 feet away from the QT (to avoid aerosol transmission).
Thanks for the thorough response! My royal gramma will be on day 30 of therapeutic levels of copper tomorrow and day 39 of having her . She’s been doing great but appetite has been interesting. For a day or two, she’ll just peck on a pellet or mysis shrimp here and there and then at least every 3 days, she’ll aggressively come out and devour food. I think over feeding might be part of it, been dropping in a bit multiple times a day, but I siphon out all extra right after each feeding. Looks very healthy and has grown quite a bit since I got her. I’m excited to more her to the DT soon. I know you recommend a 14 day obs period after to be extra careful
Why would you need to test daily if the copper stays in the water and if you’ve tested the water you’re using for water changes to ensure it’s at the therapeutic level?
Sometimes there is something in an aquarium (e.g. rock, sand, porous biomedia, a filter pad, carbon, etc.) that absorbs copper and may even drop it below therapeutic. So, I would at the very least test your Cu level for 4-5 days (and get a consistent reading) before calling it good. I would also test it one last time before moving a fish out of QT just to be sure it hasn’t fluctuated. This might seem like I’m being overly cautious, but I believe in checking & rechecking everything when it comes to fish quarantine.
Another thing to consider: Environmental impacts can change your Cu level. Increases in salinity will decrease the binding (adsorption) of copper to surfaces, and possibly raise the Cu level in the water. In salt water at more neutral pH (e.g., pH of around 7), copper is surrounded by chloride molecules. Decreases in pH will release previously bound copper, and increase levels in solution, thereby increasing the risk of toxicity. This can be an issue if fish arrive in low salinity, and you are raising salinity in the QT to match your DT.
Very helpful, I just have PVC, a heater and a HOB with sponge and biomedia so I wasn’t expecting too much absorption. I also have the temp, salinity etc. already matching DT so wasn’t expecting copper shifts from that. I figured I’d check at least daily until I get to therapeutic levels and then anytime I do a water change
I already have my fish in QT as they had what I believe is a velvet outbreak they are being treated in 0.5 cupramine however I am doing 25% water changes a day for ammonia? Can I dose a bacteria product to sort the ammonia out so my water changes can be relaxed down to a few days apart or something?
Unfortunately, copper in the water will kill most of the bacteria that you dose. You have to dose the bacteria in a bucket or something with biomedia, and after a week transfer the biomedia to your QT. This allows enough time for the bacteria to get established inside the biomedia, so they don't just all die once exposed to copper water.
Question, you stated if the levels drop below therapeutic, that the clock has to re-start. While preforming a water change to drop the ammonia, obviously the levels will drop, and I will add more copper power to offset it. Do I have to re-set the clock or because it was such sort time that I can continue with the 14 days? Thank you
I would mix the proper amount of copper in the bucket or vat before adding it to the QT. I get what you’re saying about it being below therapeutic for such a short period of time,. However, if a tomont were to release even just 1 free swimmer during that time, and it found a fish to latch onto, that would restart the parasite’s lifecycle.
@@HumblefishReef Thank you for the reply. So I have a QT that's 25G, take 5 out for a chance, how would I mix the proper amount of copper in without knowing the amount lost? I currently have my copper set at 2.0ppm.
@@DesertRider760 You can use this calculator to figure out how much copper to dose back:: www.calconic.com/calculator-widgets/copper-power-calculator/5c1f3b80cfbb64001b85c089
I starting treating all my fish in QT looks to be salt grains on some of them head shakes and some rubbing I'm not sure if it's ich or velvet. I'm pretty depressed lost 3 fish hope I can get this fixed.
@@HumblefishReef when will I start to see the copper working? on day 3 now Fish seem to be eating. My hippo amd clown look like they are very fuzzy kinda. Is that the parasite dead on the fish?
@@tcmarineaddiction6609 Copper in the water only shields your fish from reinfection. This is why you have to treat for a full 30 days if utilizing just 1 QT.
(7:50) Are boxfish and cowfish intolerant only of copper sulphate or Cupramine as well? Unfortunately Coppersafe and Copper Power are not available in my country.
Unfortunately, chelated copper (e.g. Coppersafe, Copper Power) is the best copper treatment option for boxfish, cowfish, puffers, etc. I've not had success using copper sulphate or Cupramine. Can you get Chloroquine? humble.fish/chloroquine-phosphate/ Or how about Hybrid Tank Transfer Method: humble.fish/community/index.php?threads/hybrid-ttm-to-treat-all-parasites.87/
@@HumblefishReef Yes, I can get Chloroquine asking a veterinary for a written prescription. I will follow your protocol. Your website is fantastic! Is Chloroquine just a little gentler than copper or do they really tolerate it well (specifically boxfish, cowfish and puffers)?
@@marcosrj3545 In my experience, Chloroquine is gentler on almost all species of fish EXCEPT Hippo Tangs, Anthias, and two genera of wrasses: Paracheilinus and Pseudocheilinus..
You don't want to expose fish to copper (and other medications) indefinitely, as that will eventually cause side effects from the toxicity. Somewhere, there's a study which describes internal organ failure after fish were exposed to extremely high copper levels for 3-4 months straight.
Ive tried several ways of stopping ich from entering my tank and this method is the only way that works. Ive now quarantined 3 sets of fish and havent lost one. Thank you thank you thank you
Love this channel. One of the most informative videos out there..
More videos are coming! :)
Thank you!!! Keep the videos coming!
Wish i saw this video before putting copper in my main display tank. Probably going to set up a new quarantine tank tomorrow.
my display tank has sand and a good amount of rock. only one of my fish, a tobacco basslet, had a few spots of ich on it so i treated the tank as fast as possible
informative. thanks
This is a great vid Bobby
Didn’t know u had a channel new subscriber 😁
Hey Humble! Thank you for all the info. I wouldn’t have been able to jump into this hobby if not for people like u and the crew at BRS. I do have a question… and this may be an obvious answer but what is the proper way to physically transfer a fish from QT to a DT. Is it as simple as “netting” the fish and dropping them right in to the DT? Thank you for any incite.
So long as salinity and temperature are the same between the two tanks, you can just transfer the fish over. I personally prefer to use a colander instead of a net. To avoid tangling the fish’s spines.
Awesome explanation. Being I have a six line wrasse. No I don’t think I should do this copper power ,any thoughts thx for all info. I gonna listen again
Wrasses can be tough to quarantine. Most sixlines will tolerate Copper Power, but here is an alternative way to QT them: humble.fish/community/index.php?threads/tank-transfer-method-all-versions.6800/
Hi humble nice and informative video. I’m new here and I have 2 yangs with ick and they are in my QT tank. I have cooper power but they don’t have the ml instructions on how to dose to get it to the desired level. My qt tank is a 10gl. Any advise on how many ml to dose daily till I get to the desired 2.0/2.5 and how many ml to dose to maintain it?? Any help guys will be appreciated!!! Thanks you all!
There is a Copper Power dosing calculator here: fishotel.com/quarantine-help/
How you do water change on qt the safest or do I need two qt tank ?
So biomedia live on copper? So I need to cycle a tank: qt tank first before adding ammonia?
And can I feed food soaked in focus and kanaplex on copper power qt tank?
Hello, videos are great. Straight info. So my tank has velvet. Everything died within 4 days of the introduction of one fish. My wrasse however has survived and seems to be fine.Ive read the tank needs to go fallow for 72 days having no animals with gills in the tank. So i am going to get some new fish and do your copper/general cure treatment with the wrasse as well. My question is copper levels will drop over time? Thr treatment only takes 30 days but I have to house these fish sonewhere for 72 days. Do i really need to setup another fish tank? Very quickly im being surrounded by fish tanks. Thanks so much for any help
@payno66 Are you going to treat with copper in a QT or in your DT?
@@HumblefishReef i just finished setting up a qt tank.
@@payno6643 Basically, you want to treat all the fish with therapeutic copper for 30 days; and then do water changes + use Cuprisorb/poly filter to lower the Cu level. The fallow (fishless) period in the DT can be reduced to 6 weeks if you raise water temp to 81F. Read this: humble.fish/community/index.php?threads/new-ich-fallow-period.1824/
Can you talk about using copper with Angels and Wrasses as well as other fish that are sensitive to copper? What levels are safe for them? How slowly should you bring it up? My local pet store said wrasses were okay up to 0.5 but didn't know about Angels. That said, at that level, it isn't therapeutic, is it?
Generally speaking, angels & wrasses tolerate chelated copper (e.g. Copper Power, Coppersafe) better than Cupramine & copper sulfate. The therapeutic range for chelated copper is 2.0-2.5 ppm, so I would treat @ 2.2-2.3 for copper sensitive species.
Question - where does the 30 days of copper recommendation come from? Was there some scientific study that showed 30 days was required to kill 100%? Or is it just based on your experience? If there’s a paper, I’d like to read it.
30 days is just the "accepted" timeframe because: a) 30 days is usually long enough to eliminate Ich & Velvet b) Most species can tolerate copper for up to 30 days. After that things can get dicey.
I actually prefer 14 days in therapeutic copper and then transfer the fish into an observation tank. This strategy works because after 14 days any Ich or Velvet trophonts should have dropped off the fish. The presence of copper in the water shields your fish from reinfection from any unhatched tomonts (which release free swimmers). It’s these unhatched tomonts you want to transfer your fish away from.
Just understand that nothing from the QT/treatment tank can be reused to setup the observation tank (to avoid cross contamination), AND the observation tank should be housed at least 10 feet away from the QT (to avoid aerosol transmission).
Thanks for the thorough response! My royal gramma will be on day 30 of therapeutic levels of copper tomorrow and day 39 of having her . She’s been doing great but appetite has been interesting. For a day or two, she’ll just peck on a pellet or mysis shrimp here and there and then at least every 3 days, she’ll aggressively come out and devour food. I think over feeding might be part of it, been dropping in a bit multiple times a day, but I siphon out all extra right after each feeding. Looks very healthy and has grown quite a bit since I got her. I’m excited to more her to the DT soon. I know you recommend a 14 day obs period after to be extra careful
@@ManiacalMangoes It’s probably the copper that is suppressing her appetite sometimes.
Why would you need to test daily if the copper stays in the water and if you’ve tested the water you’re using for water changes to ensure it’s at the therapeutic level?
Sometimes there is something in an aquarium (e.g. rock, sand, porous biomedia, a filter pad, carbon, etc.) that absorbs copper and may even drop it below therapeutic. So, I would at the very least test your Cu level for 4-5 days (and get a consistent reading) before calling it good. I would also test it one last time before moving a fish out of QT just to be sure it hasn’t fluctuated. This might seem like I’m being overly cautious, but I believe in checking & rechecking everything when it comes to fish quarantine.
Another thing to consider: Environmental impacts can change your Cu level. Increases in salinity will decrease the binding (adsorption) of copper to surfaces, and possibly raise the Cu level in the water. In salt water at more neutral pH (e.g., pH of around 7), copper is surrounded by chloride molecules. Decreases in pH will release previously bound copper, and increase levels in solution, thereby increasing the risk of toxicity.
This can be an issue if fish arrive in low salinity, and you are raising salinity in the QT to match your DT.
Very helpful, I just have PVC, a heater and a HOB with sponge and biomedia so I wasn’t expecting too much absorption. I also have the temp, salinity etc. already matching DT so wasn’t expecting copper shifts from that. I figured I’d check at least daily until I get to therapeutic levels and then anytime I do a water change
I already have my fish in QT as they had what I believe is a velvet outbreak they are being treated in 0.5 cupramine however I am doing 25% water changes a day for ammonia? Can I dose a bacteria product to sort the ammonia out so my water changes can be relaxed down to a few days apart or something?
Unfortunately, copper in the water will kill most of the bacteria that you dose. You have to dose the bacteria in a bucket or something with biomedia, and after a week transfer the biomedia to your QT. This allows enough time for the bacteria to get established inside the biomedia, so they don't just all die once exposed to copper water.
So every water change is an additional dose of cupramine right?
Yes
Question, you stated if the levels drop below therapeutic, that the clock has to re-start. While preforming a water change to drop the ammonia, obviously the levels will drop, and I will add more copper power to offset it. Do I have to re-set the clock or because it was such sort time that I can continue with the 14 days? Thank you
I would mix the proper amount of copper in the bucket or vat before adding it to the QT. I get what you’re saying about it being below therapeutic for such a short period of time,. However, if a tomont were to release even just 1 free swimmer during that time, and it found a fish to latch onto, that would restart the parasite’s lifecycle.
@@HumblefishReef Thank you for the reply. So I have a QT that's 25G, take 5 out for a chance, how would I mix the proper amount of copper in without knowing the amount lost? I currently have my copper set at 2.0ppm.
@@DesertRider760 You can use this calculator to figure out how much copper to dose back:: www.calconic.com/calculator-widgets/copper-power-calculator/5c1f3b80cfbb64001b85c089
I starting treating all my fish in QT looks to be salt grains on some of them head shakes and some rubbing I'm not sure if it's ich or velvet. I'm pretty depressed lost 3 fish hope I can get this fixed.
I’m sorry to hear this. FWIW; copper treats both Ich & Velvet.
@@HumblefishReef when will I start to see the copper working? on day 3 now Fish seem to be eating. My hippo amd clown look like they are very fuzzy kinda. Is that the parasite dead on the fish?
@@tcmarineaddiction6609 Copper in the water only shields your fish from reinfection. This is why you have to treat for a full 30 days if utilizing just 1 QT.
@@HumblefishReef ahhhh ok gotcha I will continue to treat then after that I'll treat them with prazipro.
cant copper absorb in a humans skin so we put hands in aquarium isnt safe?
Technically yes, so it’s probably best to use waterproof gloves.
@@HumblefishReef thank you bud thats what i was thinking as well
(7:50) Are boxfish and cowfish intolerant only of copper sulphate or Cupramine as well? Unfortunately Coppersafe and Copper Power are not available in my country.
Unfortunately, chelated copper (e.g. Coppersafe, Copper Power) is the best copper treatment option for boxfish, cowfish, puffers, etc. I've not had success using copper sulphate or Cupramine.
Can you get Chloroquine? humble.fish/chloroquine-phosphate/
Or how about Hybrid Tank Transfer Method: humble.fish/community/index.php?threads/hybrid-ttm-to-treat-all-parasites.87/
@@HumblefishReef Yes, I can get Chloroquine asking a veterinary for a written prescription. I will follow your protocol. Your website is fantastic!
Is Chloroquine just a little gentler than copper or do they really tolerate it well (specifically boxfish, cowfish and puffers)?
@@marcosrj3545 In my experience, Chloroquine is gentler on almost all species of fish EXCEPT Hippo Tangs, Anthias, and two genera of wrasses: Paracheilinus and Pseudocheilinus..
@@HumblefishReef Thank you, Bobby! Chloroquine will be my choice!
anyone running copper power everyday non stop?
You don't want to expose fish to copper (and other medications) indefinitely, as that will eventually cause side effects from the toxicity. Somewhere, there's a study which describes internal organ failure after fish were exposed to extremely high copper levels for 3-4 months straight.