hypo vs copper

[jay0705]

Ok folks lets break this age old question down.
hypo is widely recognized as the safest way to treat sw ich. However is it the easier of the two?. You need a refractometer to do it correctly. You have to stay at 1.009 to be effective. Even a slight elevation can cause it to not be effective.
Copper on the other hand, toxic and deadly if used incorrectly. However when used correctly highly effective against ich and other sw nasties. Must be exact on dosage per actual gallons of water.
So folks, lets hear you. I know most of us have been at this awhile but try and look at it from a newbies eyes.

 

[bang guy]

IMO Copper is much much easier. An effective dose is easily more than enough to damage many species of fish though. Ensure the fish species you are medicating are not overly sensitive to copper.

Hypo is far safer I believe even if it requires some extra vigilance. Always remember that water that had a salinity of 14ppt (effective against Ick) can become 16 or 17ppt (not effective).after a day of tank water evaporating. Constant water topoff is required to keep the salinity low.

 

[jay0705]

Very true. To keep this as helpful as possible. Angels, puffers, certain wrasse are a few fish that can be over sensitive to copper. Dwarf angels seem to be to especially. Now that said I have treated a Coral beauty angel w copper. That was 2 yrs ago. Today its still going strong. After doing this I read there sensitive to copper!!! Oops. But in my case the fish is fine

 

[lmforbis]

Between the two I've had better luck with hypo. Easy to maintain with a simple inexpensive gravity ATO. Other advantages in hypo
the fish eat like crazy when copper causes appetite suppression. That makes it easier to keep them healthy and easier to get vitamins in them.
You can use prime if ammonia starts to rise.

 

[beth]

As for copper, lets not forget the cost of taking copper tests daily. It also can have interactions with other meds that might be needed to treat, for instance, a secondary bacterial infection. For me, the biggest issue is adverse effects to fish. Its a toxin. That is what will kill ich. It has the potential to adversely effect fish as well, which, is unnecessary with the safer alternative. Its long term effects on your fish can be uncertain. Hobbyists should have a refract, and not just for hypo.

Hypo reduces stress in an already weak diseased fish. Salt water has higher levels of salinity than the does the internal fluids of marine fish. To compensate, fish expend considerable energy regulating, or balancing their inner workings with their saline environment (osmoregulation). In hyposaline conditions, stress is reduced because the balance between the fish's metabolism and its water environment is more closely akin. That is why hypo is a good choice for newly acquired fish, regardless of the presence of ich.

 

[jay0705]

As for copper, lets not forget the cost of taking copper tests daily. It also can have interactions with other meds that might be needed to treat, for instance, a secondary bacterial infection. For me, the biggest issue is adverse effects to fish. Its a toxin. That is what will kill ich. It has the potential to adversely effect fish as well, which, is unnecessary with the safer alternative. Its long term effects on your fish can be uncertain. Hobbyists should have a refract, and not just for hypo.

Hypo reduces stress in an already weak diseased fish. Salt water has higher levels of salinity than the does the internal fluids of marine fish. To compensate, fish expend considerable energy regulating, or balancing their inner workings with their saline environment (osmoregulation). In hyposaline conditions, stress is reduced because the balance between the fish's metabolism and its water environment is more closely akin. That is why hypo is a good choice for newly acquired fish, regardless of the presence of ich.

Secondary question. Would all fish not kept in a reef tank benefit from lower salt levels? Say the 1.017 range?

 

[beth]

Personally, I think they might, though I have never tried that for extensive periods. The other question is, would the micro-organism in a reef or even FOWLR tank benefit or even be ok? Probably not. Also, its hard to argue with nature in terms of what's best.

 

[jay0705]

In nature its a much more diverse environment. Inverts, coral, ect so the higher but steady salinity is definitely needed.
As for fish only or even fowlr systems, I wouldn't think bacteria would be effected. However the other critters, pods, bristle worms, ect could be negatively effected.
I try to keep mine around 1.022 idk if I would want to try much lower. I know a few suppliers that do, bc I've tested the bad water.