Frustrated please help!

[cashemin44]

I have a 10g qt that is housing my inverts b/c I'm treating my main tank w/ copper for ich(don't ask, biggest nightmare ever). We took the H20 and live sand from our DT for the QT about three weeks ago. The water levels are not good at all. How much of a water change can I do to the tank? My fiance says that he has done 3- 10% water changes in the past three weeks, but is afraid the tank will start to cycle if he does a water change any larger than 10%. The problem is the levels are getting worse not better. Our fire shrimp is - death's door and I'm afraid that I might lose my cleaner and other hermits.
Water levels currently:
ammonia: 0.25
nitrite: very dark .50 (i think dark purple but not really a color on the chart)
nitrate: at least 40- 80
pH: 7.8 but I added buffer
salinity: 1.021 (with swing arm hydrometer)
please help!!!
Shannon

 

[drew2005]

Not an expert on diseases but i think you did the treatment backwards. You should have treated what needed to be treated in the QT not the DT. Once you put copper in a tank it pretty much stays there. You cant get rid of it. I dont even think you can put your inverts back in there. Has your sg always been 1.021. If so, thats way too low for inverts. Should be 1.025. Are those levels in the DT or the QT?

 

[promisetbg]

Drew is right...copper will get into everything in the tank. The inverts will never be able to go back in the tank. The QT tank is cycling..that is the problem. Do you have any LR in there? It would definately help if not.Stop doing water changes and just let it cycle. Raise the SG/sal slowly to 1.025 by using SW instead of fresh for top-offs. Are you using RO/DI water or tap?