How long should a fish stay in copper?

[ddaddy]

I recently bought a fish from a LFS that I know has Ich. I probobly wouldn't have bought it but it was a real nice fish and if I didn't get it then somebody else would later when it was healthy.
Anyway I have a q-tank and I put the new fish in it with a .5mg/L copper solution. How long should I keep the fish in there? I was thinking one week. He's going into an Ich free tank and I wanna just make sure I don't throw him in prematurely.

 

[dreeves]

Copper treatment should coincide with the life cycle of C.irritans. This is typically between 2-3 weeks. This is with the ionic form of copper, and ideally be maintained between .11 and .20 ppm.
If the fish displays signs of Ich, then treatment should generally be extended another 7-10 days after the last sign of the parasite is present.