clown-lover
Member
If the LFS uses copper in their fish tanks, would I still have to QT a fish for ich?
QT question
- Thread starter clown-lover
- Start date
J
jstdv8
Guest
Ok, so a new fish comes into the system (or even worse a bunch of new fish) and they may or may not have ich in them. To be completly ich free you have to always asume the worst. So we will assume that every fish that comes into the LFS has ich. We will then assume that it is possible that once the fish was put in the tank with the copper in it that id starts dropping the cysts off of the fish and then the stickly little cysts are attached to the tank walls, rocks, corals, plants anything they can get ahold of. So then it takes up to 28 days for that sticky little cyst to ruture and release the free swimming tomites. This is the only stage that copper is effective, it kills the tomites before they can free swim thier way back to that fish, or another fish and start the cycle all over again.
So to answer your question, yes you still need to QT. The reason being is that the copper is indeed preventing all future tomites from reaching your new fish, BUT what if that fish you are looking at just came in yesterday and you are buying it today? it could have had ich from the ocean/distributors holding tank and still does, burried in its gills and hasn't dropped the cyst off it's body yet.
The cycle where they are actually on the fish lasts 3-7 days, So, if I'm thinking right, if you watched that fish you like for a week and nobody bought it out from under you then there is a strong possibility that it may be ich free if its in a coppered tank.
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issu...2003/mini2.htm
maybe joe or someone can come along and add to this. If I know Joe, I'm probably wrong lol
I use the link posted above as my bible for ich. Thanks again to Joe for posting.
So to answer your question, yes you still need to QT. The reason being is that the copper is indeed preventing all future tomites from reaching your new fish, BUT what if that fish you are looking at just came in yesterday and you are buying it today? it could have had ich from the ocean/distributors holding tank and still does, burried in its gills and hasn't dropped the cyst off it's body yet.
The cycle where they are actually on the fish lasts 3-7 days, So, if I'm thinking right, if you watched that fish you like for a week and nobody bought it out from under you then there is a strong possibility that it may be ich free if its in a coppered tank.
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issu...2003/mini2.htm
maybe joe or someone can come along and add to this. If I know Joe, I'm probably wrong lol
I use the link posted above as my bible for ich. Thanks again to Joe for posting.
clown-lover
Member
Ok, that makes a lot of sense to me. Just because they use copper doesn't mean it will kill ich, more so if it is a fish they just got in. That's understandable.
Now, I just got a fish from the LFS. I have my QT set up already, but the reason for asking about the QT thing, was because the guy told me "you don't have to worry about ich or anything, we use copper in all our tanks that we use for fish". So, that got me wondering...if this LFS does that...does that mean if I get fish from here, do I not need to QT for ich (unless the fish has some other problem that is visible that I should QT for, that is).
I have already added my new fish (Flasher Wrasse) to my QT. Mostly because I don't want to chance anything bad happening again to my DT.
Thank you for the explanation!
Now, I just got a fish from the LFS. I have my QT set up already, but the reason for asking about the QT thing, was because the guy told me "you don't have to worry about ich or anything, we use copper in all our tanks that we use for fish". So, that got me wondering...if this LFS does that...does that mean if I get fish from here, do I not need to QT for ich (unless the fish has some other problem that is visible that I should QT for, that is).
I have already added my new fish (Flasher Wrasse) to my QT. Mostly because I don't want to chance anything bad happening again to my DT.
Thank you for the explanation!
J
jstdv8
Guest
might wanna check the wrasse to see if copper can be used, some of them are really suceptible to copper poisoning, my sixline did great, but I've heard of otehrs that didn't do well with it. I don't know which ones.
clown-lover
Member
Really? Well I don't plan on using copper, but that makes me feel for the fish in the store...they also had a sixline there...
He ate in the store (which I know only means so much). He has stayed in one place in the QT, but he did accept food already.
This is actually the first time I've seen them in person...I've only seen pictures of them online and in books...but is it normal for him to move so fast? His fins (and I don't just mean the top 'flasher' fin) move constantly and very fast...
He ate in the store (which I know only means so much). He has stayed in one place in the QT, but he did accept food already.
This is actually the first time I've seen them in person...I've only seen pictures of them online and in books...but is it normal for him to move so fast? His fins (and I don't just mean the top 'flasher' fin) move constantly and very fast...