Copper and LR/LS

[lj1064]

does copper kill off LR/LS...have a FOWLR and a blue regal is starting to show signs of ich.

I have a qt tank but it is only a 20 gal long and the br is almost a ft...no it is not in my 75, he is in a 550.

Thanks

[paulamrein]

copper will kill the live rock and live sand, and it will also leach copper back into the water your best bet is to clear out the rock and sand and run a hypo salinity treatment. You can put your rock and sand in the 20g, doesn't have to be pretty, just has to fit under water with some flow. A royal pain, but a solution. If you are not familiar with hypo salinity, read up on it in the top threads of this forum.

[bluedevils32701]

i would qt the tang....copper works wonders for external parasites but it kills your filter bed and most inverts

[Percula9]

Copper inhibits nitrification, but doesn't wipe out the live bacteria. It will definitely kill all inverts,and is absorbed by your rock and sand. Best to treat in a bare bottom tank in Qt.

[lj1064]

Thanks... unfortunately with the # of fish I am dealing with this is going to be tough. The owner does have a couple of corals in the tank (pretty easy to find them a temp home). The 2 puffers are the ones showing the most signs of ich, possibly the BR tang also.

Two much LR/LS to remove. No inverts (puffers/triggers). Can I do a hypo treatment w/o affecting the LR/LS bio-filtering? I could add more LR right after the treatment if needed. I need some advice on how to help this guy. He has -

3 triggers
1 Emperor Angel
1 Large Dog Face
1 Small Porcupine
Small Tomato Clown
1 Large Yellow Tang
2 PR Blue tangs 1 ex large 1 large
1 Orange Shoulder Tang
1 Ex large Naso Tang
1 Wrasse not sure
1 Ex Large Sail Fin Tang
2 torch corals
I think that’s it…

Any other suggestions are needed …thanks!!!

lj

[paulamrein]

Put all the fish in the largest container you can find. It doesn't have to be a tank to treat the fish. I've even seen one or two people use a kiddy pool. QT by it's nature needs to be cheap and easy set-up. So really your only limitations are your imagination and your equipment.

[lj1064]

Is hypo in the display just not a good idea?

[kevin2000]

Hypo in a ST is something that is usually avoided ... tends to kill inverts including the micro organisms within the live rock and live sand which in turn will contribute to water quality issues.

If you do use hypo in the ST make sure you are prepared to do significant water changes in order to maintain water quality.

[Radioheadx14]

I am currently doing a DT hyposalinity. I took out all my LR and put it into a large tub with a powerhead and heater. I'm not worried if my sand bed is destroyed since it is only an inch deep anyways... i just started today. I didn't want to QT cause i only have a 10g and i have 3 semi large fish that would dirty it too fast... i figure it would be easier to keep steady in a larger tank. Its a FOWLR... I'm concidering taking out the sand and adding crushed coral if its a pain.

[Captain Bucket]

Use cupramine, worked just fine for me. Just make sure you get a compatable test kit. The Seachem one is best for that.