Coppersafe?

[Tlc]

I am treating the 55 gallon with coppersafe started 5 days ago. I did a water change today as i found a snail I missed when I as taking them out and the snail was dead. I added more coopersafe to the new water as directed. My question is that my clowns started really rubbing and flashing after the water change is this normal? When will it be ok to put my shrimps,snails,LR back in? When is it safe to not add any more?

[ccCapt]

Is this your display tank you treated with copper?
Nothing should be in the tank when using copper. No sand or live rock.
Are you testing your copper levels? Are you testing ammonia?
The treatment should be at least 10 days.

[Tlc]

Live rock and all invertebrates are out. Yes this is one of my display tanks. I had a lawnmower blenny who developed some respiratory virus and it slowly picked different fish so we had no choice ammonia levels are fine and I'm picking up a copper test today to make sure there is 0 when I put my shrimps back. I'm just wondering of they were flashing cause the parasites were dying? They are also now missing pieces of fin?

[ccCapt]

Did you also remove the substrate...sand or crushed coral?

Copper must be tested during the treatments, not after it. If the copper levels are too low they have no effect on the targeted parasite. If they are too high they can lead to other issues with the fish, even death. Also, copper has no effect on viral, fungal or bacterial infections. Viral infections are rare in saltwater fish. The missing fins are probably a bacterial infection caused by poor water quality. The best treatment is lots of partial water changes to improve water quality.

[Tlc]

I didn't remove the crushed coral or base rock. I know the water quality is perfect cause i do small water changes twice a week and my tests are always 0. My copper level was 0.25 and my clowns are still rubbing so I assume I need more copper

[ccCapt]

The crushed coral and base rock will absorb the copper. You will never be able to use either with any inverts in the same tank.

Your copper level should be between 1.5 - 2 ppm to be effective.

[Tlc]

I'm raising it now to 1.5-2 it seems like its taking along time. I put in what the bottle
Recommended and the levels are still under 1 so I'm not adding anymore unless the levels are the same tomorrow. So I won't be able to put my shrimps back in even if the level is at 0 ?

[melosu58]

You will not be able to use that tank for inverts and corals for a while if any more. Always only treat copper in a QT. It`s in your substrate and seals.

[ccCapt]

What brand test kit are you using? There are 2 type of copper medication (chelated copper and non-chelated copper) and each uses a specific type of test kit. CopperSafe is chelated copper and an API test kit works properly with it.

The crushed coral and base rock absorbs the copper. It will reach the same levels as the water it's in. It will take a long, long time for it to leech out back into your water. You can do a 100% water change and it might test 0 ppm copper, but it will still be in the crush coral and base rock and slowly leech out. It just takes a little to kill an invert. The safest option at this point is throw it away or never add any inverts.

[Tlc]

I'm using marvel coppersafe and the API test kit. I am aware that treating with copper in a QT is safest but t wasn't an option as I need to kill the parasites in my tank as well not just on my fish! Well I guess I'll keep my shrimps in the QT. Will snails be allowed back in? Are they really sensitive as well? I don't plan on keeping corrals as I have beginners experience in this hobby and i believe in keeping the oceans alive

[Krypt]

Unfortunately, snails are sensitive to it as well. The tank you have is now is only good for keeping fish. Any crabs, snails, shrimps, or other inverts you place in the tank will die.

[ccCapt]

Originally Posted by Tlc

I'm using marvel coppersafe and the API test kit. I am aware that treating with copper in a QT is safest but t wasn't an option as I need to kill the parasites in my tank as well not just on my fish! Well I guess I'll keep my shrimps in the QT. Will snails be allowed back in? Are they really sensitive as well? I don't plan on keeping corrals as I have beginners experience in this hobby and i believe in keeping the oceans alive

If you would have put the fish in the QT and left the tank fishless for 8 weeks it would have been ich free. Inverts would have been fine. Ich is a fish only parasite and doesn't/can't live off inverts.

[Tlc]

Yea my problem was that it wasn't ich we were treating it was some other parasite! My hippo just decided after months that she was gonna break out in ich she has "hives" all over her now I think I'm just gonna get rid of all my inverts cause there to sensitive lol

[ccCapt]

Ich is either in the tank or not. If a fish is ich free it will not get ich no matter how stressed it becomes. The parasite had to be introduced into the system. A living creature (parasite or not) can't appear from nowhere.