Treating fish with a copper base med upon initial quarantine

[swishyfishies]

In my book "The Marine Aquarium Problem Solver" by Nick Dakin, he states in the quarantine chapter that:

"Once a fish has been purchased & introduced into your quarantine tank build up a prophylactic dose of a copper-based medication to 0.25mg (1.1mg /gallon) over the next few days and test frequently. This protection against many of the commonest diseases will allow the subject to settle in its new surroundings without threat of illness."

I was under the impression it's too stressful to the fish to treat it with any medication unless it is indeed infected with a disease. What is your take on this so called preventive practice?

 

[Guest]

I would check with your LFS, There is one here that I went to, that dosed their display tanks so that when you receive the fish, it has been medicated. This was their philosophy behind it...
Copper Based medications I believe are not a cure all med.

I think that a quarantine tank is just that. It is a tank that you put your new arrivals in away from the main population, so you can observe them and medicate if you need to. I wouldn't recommend just putting copper in there and treating an un-diseased fish...Others may have more to this, but I find it un-neccessary.

 

[Dr.Nate]

Well, I tell ya, I've battled ich with the best of them, and it is not fun. I hated it. So, because of my ordeal, I do treat new acquisitions in QT with copper and here is why: many fish (especially hardy ones like clown fish and chromis) can be a carrier of ich and not show signs of it. Then, you stick them in your main, and boom....everybody gets ich. I know.....it happened to me! So for me, I'd rather lose a new acquistion in QT from copper treatment (btw, I never have) than to lose everyone in my main.

My .02

 

[i have crabs]

yep all fish are getting coppered after losing a whole tank worth of fish to ich even though no new fish were added in 6 monthes