Should i remove Blenny from qt?

[new2scene]

I had to put in my yellow wrasse yesterday, as i noticed him scratching alot on the substrate. I also put in my L. Blenny. the 2 are in a 10g. i have dosed with Coppersafe. it says 5ml for every 4g's so i have put in 12.5. the problem is my blenny has hardly been eating in the main tank. everything that i put in for him algea tablets, seaweed and he swims around just eating the hair algae. since he is in the qt with the wrasse, he is not eating. he hasn't shown any signs of ich in the mt, so i'm wondering if he could go back in, and just leave the wrasse in qt.

the other problem i have is nitrates in the qt. it seems the trates are 20 everything else is fine, but since i don't have a copper test, i am thinking of emptying the tank every three days and then redosing.

would this be okay?

He's not looking good belly sunken in and not eating.

[Reeses]

Did you QT these fish before you put them in your tank? Are you sure that the wrasse is showing signs of disease (ich), and not normal behavior? They bury themselves to sleep or when they get scared.

Lawnmower blennies have a thicker slime coat than most fishes, so although they can contract ich, they don't as often. If your blenny absolutely refuses to eat in QT, I think you may have to roll the dice and put him back in.

QT tanks, especially those that are undergoing chemical/medicinal treatment often need very frequent large water changes to keep the levels under control. It is not uncommon to have to do DAILY water changes to keep things from spiraling out of control. You really need to purchase a copper test. One should never dose a toxic chemical like copper without a test. If your copper level is too low, it's ineffective. If it's too high, it's toxic. So please, save yourself an accident, and buy a test. Make sure that the test you buy is compatible with the kind of copper you are using. Copper comes in cleated and non-cleated, and not all tests are compatible with both kinds. I think off the top of my head that the AP brand is.

I hope this helps.:)

[new2scene]

thanks for the response. i have posted this yesterday and finally someone with an answer. I put him in the mt. as for the wrasse, he's still in qt i will get a coppertest on friday. are you familiar with coppersafe by mardel. it doesn't say. what is chelated and non-chelated? AP is what's usally available at my lfs.

[Reeses]

Well, in a nutshell (and I am no chemist here :lol:) non-chelated copper, also called "free", is because the ions are, well, free. It's makes them less stable in the water to the point that they are very readily absorbed by surfaces (like substrate and rock) and need to be measured and replenished daily. Non-chelated copper is thought by many to be more effective, but with that comes a higher toxicity level.

Chelated copper's ions are bound together making it more stable in your water, which means a longer period of time it remains effective. That does not mean, however, that it doesn't also get absorbed, because it does. It just takes a bit longer. Chelated copper is slightly less toxic, making it (generally) favored by the public and is the kind Mardel manufactures.

And yes, I originally spelled it wrong, the correct way is chelated, not cleated. :lol:

If you don't mind me asking, I am guessing that you didn't QT your fish when you first got them? Have you seen your wrasse bury himself in your substrate? What kind of substrate did you choose?

[jepuskar]

I would put a picture of Sanjaya up against the QT tank for atleast 12 hours.....if the fishes survive that than they must be ok.

J