Copper?
Forum rules
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
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crazedpuffer
- Former Staff Member
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1xValentini - Location: Long Island, NY
Copper?
Would using copper based meds at too high a dosage be able to cause diseases in puffers such as Vibrio?
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Nick
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Re: Copper?
Using copper based meds at any dose with puffers damages them quite a bit, it's generally not recommended except for velvet that I know of.
No matter how magnificent your successes or devastating your failures, the worlds' approximately 5 billion impoverished people could not possibly care less.
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crazedpuffer
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 1755
- Joined: Sat Aug 06, 2005 11:57 pm
- My Puffers: 1x Porcupine Puffer
1xValentini - Location: Long Island, NY
Re: Copper?
Yeah I only did it because there was a disease my puffer kept getting like every other week so the owner of my LFS said to use it. He told me the dosage to use which was lowere then reccomended since I had a puffer. But at the time I thought my tank was 110 gallon not 90 (it was sold to me as 110) so yeahh you think that was the cause of my puffers death?
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Pufferpunk
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burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
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Re: Copper?
Could very likely be. Also, did you use in in your main tank or QT?
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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crazedpuffer
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 1755
- Joined: Sat Aug 06, 2005 11:57 pm
- My Puffers: 1x Porcupine Puffer
1xValentini - Location: Long Island, NY
Re: Copper?
My main. I didn't have a quarantine tank nor space to put one up, and didn't learn about giving them med baths till sometime after.
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Nick
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 3231
- Joined: Sun Oct 22, 2006 8:47 pm
- My Puffers: Mine:
GSPs - Shakespeare and Jillybean
F8 - Velvet
My fiance:
DP - Emma Goldman
Narrow Lined Puffer - Ulrike - Location (country): Northeastern USA
- Location: Middletown, CT
- Contact:
Re: Copper?
It can poison tanks long term, so it's important to know whats in your tank since it was copper treated. Copper pretty much nukes live rock in SW setups, making it toxic and at risk of leeching copper later, and can absorb into and discolor silicone in any setup...
No matter how magnificent your successes or devastating your failures, the worlds' approximately 5 billion impoverished people could not possibly care less.
-
crazedpuffer
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 1755
- Joined: Sat Aug 06, 2005 11:57 pm
- My Puffers: 1x Porcupine Puffer
1xValentini - Location: Long Island, NY
Re: Copper?
Yeah it was just FO with all fake decor. What's the best way to make sure there is no copper left in my tank other then water changes? Carbon works right?
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Boxermom
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Re: Copper?
Copper soaks into gravel, decor, etc., which leads to toxicity. There are copper removing products which I have heard are fairly safe.
Tina
Puffers: Auriglobus silus x1, Tetraodon travancoricus x1, Tetraodon turgidus x1, Tetraodon miurus x1, Tetraodon nigroviridis x2, Tetraodon baileyi x2, Tetraodon lineatus x1, Tetraodon palembangensis x1
Puffers: Auriglobus silus x1, Tetraodon travancoricus x1, Tetraodon turgidus x1, Tetraodon miurus x1, Tetraodon nigroviridis x2, Tetraodon baileyi x2, Tetraodon lineatus x1, Tetraodon palembangensis x1
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Puffer Queen
- Mentor
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Re: Copper?
Seachem cupramine is a safe copper to be used on puffers, other delicate fish like angels and butterflies and Sharks. I have used this copper on these fish for over 10 years without death due to copper use.
Copper can not lead to vibrio infections. External parasites can weaken the immune system and leave a fish vulnerable to secondary pathogens - vibrio. Also external parasites can leave openings in the skin where bacteria have an easier portal of entry.
Any medication can kill if not used properly - antibiotics can destroy kidneys when overdosed, cause other damage to other organs as well - liver.
Copper unlike antibiotics can be monitored (levels) thus decreasing the chance of overdosing. When dosing copper make sure you have the proper test kit for the type of copper you are using (chelated vs nonchelated) and Check the levels daily!
Copper removing agents, carbon and water changes can be done in a bare bottom tank to remove copper. Test the water in the tank after several days to check for copper and then add a couple snails (quarantined for a minimum of 4 weeks) to test if any residual copper present.
Copper can not lead to vibrio infections. External parasites can weaken the immune system and leave a fish vulnerable to secondary pathogens - vibrio. Also external parasites can leave openings in the skin where bacteria have an easier portal of entry.
Any medication can kill if not used properly - antibiotics can destroy kidneys when overdosed, cause other damage to other organs as well - liver.
Copper unlike antibiotics can be monitored (levels) thus decreasing the chance of overdosing. When dosing copper make sure you have the proper test kit for the type of copper you are using (chelated vs nonchelated) and Check the levels daily!
Copper removing agents, carbon and water changes can be done in a bare bottom tank to remove copper. Test the water in the tank after several days to check for copper and then add a couple snails (quarantined for a minimum of 4 weeks) to test if any residual copper present.
Kelly
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Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32979
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Puffers I have kept:
T lineatus
T miurus
A modestus
T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
C lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Greenville, SC
- Contact:
Re: Copper?
I suggest getting rid of any LR & subtsrate.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
-
crazedpuffer
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 1755
- Joined: Sat Aug 06, 2005 11:57 pm
- My Puffers: 1x Porcupine Puffer
1xValentini - Location: Long Island, NY
Re: Copper?
Yeah I plan on tkaing down the tank and setting it up with LR and LS instead. Thanks for the help.