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View Full Version : copper, biological filters... need refresher course


TOURKID
08/19/2006, 02:10 PM
Hello all :) Need a little help from my friends

I bought a sailfin tang about 2 weeks ago. put her quarentine (ten gallon) With a h.o.b. and a really lively sponge from my main tank.

She had a few spots of ick the second day (only seen it on her tail fin and 1 side fin)

I fed her garlic with most of her meals and it was gone the following day. I kept up the garlic rteatment, also selcon and some Zoe.

Well today I noticed icks back, and its about doubled... maybe 10 spots on her tail fin. (Cant see any on her body but I believe its because her markings are so crazy.. its a juvinial)

Ive treated with copper before and know the basics. But Im having trouble remembering 1 thing and hope you guys can clear it up for me.

Adding the copper basicly killed my biological filter... right?

Should I just remove the filter now?

So to keep things healthy.. I need to do small water changes like every other day?? Water taken from main tank?

Its been a long time since using copper and just wanted to make sure I remember correctly.
Thanks so much for reading :)

Maggie

TOURKID
08/20/2006, 02:31 PM
bumping. saturday night was prob. a bad time to post :)

CW from the OC
08/21/2006, 10:20 AM
Leave the filter on, for sure. While copper can effect the bio filter, the tank should cycle and stabilize even with the coppper in there. You should get a copper test kit, so you don't dose it too high. Since it has been two weeks, the filter is already well into its cycle, and may already be nearly done cycling.

The procedure to verify this is to go buy Ammonia and Nitrite (not NirtAte) test kits. If the test show either of them, do water changes to reduce the levels. You may need to do water changes as often as daily. Eventually, the cycle will occur and then you are good to go. One key is if you detect either Ammo or Nitrite, test daily until it is gone. You don't want to eliminate either, because you need some so the filter will cycle. You just want to reduce it so it does not weaken or kill your fish.

When doing water changes, always do it in 5 gallon buckets, and add copper to the bucket in the correct dosage before adding it to the QT tank. This will help prevent you from overdosing copper.

My favorite copper med is Cuppramine (sp?). It works well, and it seems to have help with secondary bacterial infections as well (though it may have just been the fish's immune system handling the bacteria once the Ich had been eliminated).