Fish in QT dying

[fishoholic]

Some fish can not handle copper treatment, I have seen it kill small fish within minutes of treatment. While it's good to QT unless the fish shows signs of being sick and needing treatment, I would just moniter them in the QT tank for a couple of weeks and then transfer them over or if signs of illness occur then treat as necessary. Also remember water quality is very difficult to maintain in a QT tank so 30-50% water changes every few days is needed to help keep ammonia from building up.

[amy]

I'm so upset, this is my first loss and to think it was at my own hand
I was under the impression that the whole point of QT was the copper in the water.
Another hard lesson learned!

[reefwars]

Originally Posted by fishoholic

Some fish can not handle copper treatment, I have seen it kill small fish within minutes of treatment. While it's good to QT unless the fish shows signs of being sick and needing treatment, I would just moniter them in the QT tank for a couple of weeks and then transfer them over or if signs of illness occur then treat as necessary. Also remember water quality is very difficult to maintain in a QT tank so 30-50% water changes every few days is needed to help keep ammonia from building up.

+1 copper's not that safe especially if your fish aren't in dire need of it, personally i would also just monitor them at first.... keep him or her happy and if you like you can even do hyposalinity.

remeber theres two types of quarantine one for isolization and observation where you can have live rock and other helpful things like carbon and then theres a hospital tank like you have set up where its just a tank some pvc pretty much the bare essentials as you will be medicating.


also after adding copper to that 15 g its unusable for anything else besides medication so i would write on it in permanant blak marker "copper treated"
the tank is still usable for some things but theres high limitations and risk on what you could use it for now and the permanant marker will help you to remember its been dosed with copper


sorry to hear about your fish, in the future amy read up on hyposalinity its a much safer alternative to copper but remember theres alot of things a fish can get besides ich or velvet so the rule of thumb when using meds is to have a positive id on what your trteating unless theres no other way to do so

[amy]

So can I still use it as an observation tank once it's cleaned well? without live rock and never putting inverts in? Or will those trace amounts of copper still cause damage to any further fish?
This bites

[marie]

Originally Posted by reefwars

also after adding copper to that 15 g its unusable for anything else besides medication so i would write on it in permanant blak marker "copper treated"
the tank is still usable for some things but theres high limitations and risk on what you could use it for now and the permanant marker will help you to remember its been dosed with copper


......

Not quite true, granted it was cupramine that I used but I have since used my tank to house corals and inverts and had no problems

[globaldesigns]

IMO, quaranting just causes more stress. I personally never treat, nor quarantine. If an environment is in good shape, and if the fish is healthy, there should be no problems... And if there is ever an issue, like ICH for example, then again if the environment is healthy and the fish is strong, it should recover without any treatment.

Just remember the more you do to your environment and livestock, the more stress that is created. Best practice is to just leave things alone.

[reefwars]

Originally Posted by globaldesigns

IMO, quaranting just causes more stress. I personally never treat, nor quarantine. If an environment is in good shape, and if the fish is healthy, there should be no problems... And if there is ever an issue, like ICH for example, then again if the environment is healthy and the fish is strong, it should recover without any treatment.

Just remember the more you do to your environment and livestock, the more stress that is created. Best practice is to just leave things alone.

i agree completely holwever sometimes we dont get fish that have enough time to fight it so if say you help a friend whos got a fish showing bad symtoms and you offer to treat for him(ive had this alot because people are afraid to take that step and be the one who fails on the fish...understandable) then throwing him into your display would be bad especially if he is getting bullied.......but i do agree that if you practise safe buying, dont buy fish every couple days and let things stabilize and maintain a healthy tank then its easier for fish to fight it off and even hyposalinity can be bad if done wrong so there are no easy fixes


it always comes down to not rushing and understanding all the things you do with your tank and asking questions and reading and discussing it..... it will go a long way and end up with a healthy tank.

[globaldesigns]

Originally Posted by reefwars

i agree completely holwever sometimes we dont get fish that have enough time to fight it so if say you help a friend whos got a fish showing bad symtoms and you offer to treat for him(ive had this alot because people are afraid to take that step and be the one who fails on the fish...understandable) then throwing him into your display would be bad especially if he is getting bullied.......but i do agree that if you practise safe buying, dont buy fish every couple days and let things stabilize and maintain a healthy tank then its easier for fish to fight it off and even hyposalinity can be bad if done wrong so there are no easy fixes


it always comes down to not rushing and understanding all the things you do with your tank and asking questions and reading and discussing it..... it will go a long way and end up with a healthy tank.

I 100% agree... take your time, and don't rush. Buy from a reputable LFS if that is where you are. I myself have learned the hard way and bought fish that I shouldn't have. Personally I will always ask for the LFS to feed the fish I am wanting and see if it is eating, especially pellets. See how it is reacting during feeding if it is with other livestock. Seeing its behaviour and feeding helps.

The LFS stores I deal with, do the work for me. They do whatever treating that is necessary in their environement and won't let the fish go until it is 100% healthy looking and eating. Sometimes I had to wait 3-4 weeks for a fish, but well worth the wait, as I have NEVER lost a fish through this type of process at the LFS.

[naesco]

I agree.

I think the secret is to buy first class quality fish.
Too often reefers see a fish they like, one that is not often available or is simply a great deal and buy it and overlook "imperfections".

If the fish is free of spots, tears or redness, is plump with clear eyes take a second look at it. If it appears just as interested in you as you are in it, and actively swimming, buy it.

If not, pass on the fish as there will also be another one available.

Also avoid fish that are problematic like the powder blue tang and difficult to keep species as the chances are that it will get sick and die often taking a few of their tankmates with it.

I treat all new fish with a week of food saturated in Garlic Extreme and avoid putting any LFS water or the net in the tank.

[jamesjackkson]

Some fish can not handle the copper treatment, I have seen the treatment of small fish kill in minutes. Although this is a good QT interval, unless there are signs that the fish are sick, in need of treatment, I just want to moniter Tamen in the quarantine tank a couple of weeks, and then they end of transmission or signs of disease, if at the time treatment Is necessary.