Quarantining a Powder Blue Tang?!?!?!?

[FxdupCobra]

Despite the warnings I have read I finally decided to try it. I purchased a 4-5 inch powder blue that looks pretty healthy with no signs of ich or any other disease (that I can see). He is currently in a Q-Tank. I know these fish are very sensitive. I have decided to soak every other serving of his food in Garlic Extreme and Selcon and drop the salinity in the tank. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to quarantine this fish, is it like any other fish (4-6 weeks in hypo, what is the rate I should drop the salinity and raise it)?

Thanks In advance!

[LargeAngels]

Personally I would quarentine with Cupramine. Hypo only works for ich and not velvet.

Some good reading.

http://www.petsforum.com/personal/trevor-jones/treatments.html

[FxdupCobra]

Thanks for the suggestion. I havent had good luck with copper so I am worried about doing it. :rolleyes:

[LargeAngels]

Not all coppers are the same. leebca has written a very nice summary on the different coppers and I will see if I can find it.

Cupramine is a much less toxic to fish copper medication than all the others out there and extremely affective against parasites. I repeatedly use it on species which are known to be copper sensitive, such as multicolor angels, with no ill effects. If you decide to use Cupramine buy the Red Sea Copper test kit. It only measures up to 0.4 ppm copper and Cupramine recommends 0.5 ppm, but it is affective from 0.25 - 0.5 ppm.

[IPowderBlueTang]

I have a Powderblue Tang and quaratine with copper for 6 weeks and it came down with black ick and cloudy eye and i treated with meds for those within the 6 weeks. The Powderblue Tang is very happy in my 120 gal display and show no signs of sickness! I find if you get a healthy one and it is clean of parasites and other illness it you will have it for a long time.

LargeAngels correct in saying: Personally I would quarentine with Cupramine. Hypo only works for ich and not velvet.

[FxdupCobra]

I definitely agree copper would be the best choice. Hyposalinity has worked for me 90% of the time. Copper has failed me 100% of the time. Last time I tried to do it with a multi-color after the 4th week he just died for no reason. I have had problems with cupramine because it never reads on the testers I have (cupramine tester, red sea tester and pharmaceuticals tester). I currently have in my qtank two pvc pipes a fake plant and some shells. For the filtration I have sponges, bi wheel and a chemical filter (algone). I am afraid of putting the copper and it reading zero like last time. Please any suggestions would help. The LFS told me to try coppersafe if I was going to use copper anybody heard of that ?

Thanks!
:confused:

[taflaw]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7589274#post7589274 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by FxdupCobra
I definitely agree copper would be the best choice. Hyposalinity has worked for me 90% of the time. Copper has failed me 100% of the time. Last time I tried to do it with a multi-color after the 4th week he just died for no reason. I have had problems with cupramine because it never reads on the testers I have (cupramine tester, red sea tester and pharmaceuticals tester). I currently have in my qtank two pvc pipes a fake plant and some shells. For the filtration I have sponges, bi wheel and a chemical filter (algone). I am afraid of putting the copper and it reading zero like last time. Please any suggestions would help. The LFS told me to try coppersafe if I was going to use copper anybody heard of that ?

Thanks!
:confused:


I have tried cupramine on a Powder Blue with very bad results. Conversely, I have successfully treated another Powder Blue who arrived with Ich with hyposalinity of 1.009 SG for 6 weeks. The key for me was doing water changes ever two days and feeding the fish lots of nori/seaweed and frozen foods soaked in selcon.

[IPowderBlueTang]

Coppersafe is what we have up here is made by Mardel and it has worked for me time over time.

Why do you have a chemical filter in you Q-tank! does it remove chemicals, maybe that is why you are getting a zero reading!

[FxdupCobra]

Well the last time I treid it, it was in another q-tank this is my new one and I havent tried it on this one yet. I contacted the makers of algon and they stated their media does not effect the copper treatment in any way. So I guess the question is which copper treatment works best with which tester for a powder blue and a multi-color angel and is it ok to have pvc piping, airstone, plastic plant and some shells in the tank with copper??

Thanks!

[LargeAngels]

PVC, airstone and plastic plant - Yes.
Shells - Can probably absorb copper, altough Cupramine does not bind as easily as others.

Cupramine with Red Sea copper test kit, My personal favorite.