To copperize or not to copperize

[dr. jay]

Hi guys.... My display tank is a 92 gallon corner, but my QT tank is a 55 gallon corner. No live anything. I finished a 3 month cycle recently of this QT tank.
I just bought a beautiful juv. Queen angel, and placed her in there fow what I think will be a 3 week quarenteen. She seems fine and is eating during her first 3 days in the tank. She is alone in the tank as well. (funny I am assuming she is female, although I dont think anything (human or fish) male could be as beautiful.
My question is....
a) Should I assume ick is inevitable and keep a therapeutic copper level for her Quarenteen?
b) if it aint broken, dont fix it, and leaver her alone
c) b with feeding her garlic.
I dont want to try hyposalinity. Many reasons why but lets just leave it at that.
If I dont treat, will I gain nothing by quarenteening her, except rule out ick from the LFS?
In prior QT tanks I copperized mew fish (30 gallon), but this one...tells me maybe I shouldnt.
Thanks and all help is appreciate.

 

[kris walker]

When I get to that stage in reef keeping, if I ever do, I will try the QT with hypo first. If I have problems with that for some reason (as it sounds like you have had), I would do the copper instead. I don't think I would ever QT anything without treating the water first, since ich doesn't necessarily show up in QT if it exists in the attached stage.
c ya,
kris

 

[von_rahvin]

treat with garlic soaked food and skunk cleaners. copper works by iritating the slime coat of the fish and putting it under stress. garlic is a natural ick fighter and cleaner shrimp are also wonderful things.

 

[julie]

Where can you buy garlic and what form does it comes in?

 

[dr. jay]

Thanks Ed. I liked your reply. I have been studying her closely and the first sign of a spot on her fin, in the copper will go. Until then, I will make my favorite garlic mixture that my wife loves me to keep in the fridge, and use that for now.
I take a bunch of fresh cloves, peal them, wash them. Puree them in my wife's blender (another reason she hates it) and keep it in the fridge. I do add a little water to the mixture. I soak the food in it for a couple of hours (I may change to days) and feed them. They didnt even shy away from it. I have seen bottles of this stuff sold for $30.00. i dont know if it is superior, inferior or what to my brew, but it certainly is less expensive.
As far as the qt goes.... I wonder if it is a good idea to add a cleaner shrimp to it. Of course this would make copper impossible, but a QT with only the fish and a cleaner. They tend to be nice animals (shrimp) so I dont think it will be a bad environment for the fish to get acclimated. It can also stay there and be fed to keep up the biologic. Do you guys use a cleaner in the QT??? Also.... Do you cycle the QT? I always have.

 

[kris walker]

"Thanks Ed. I liked your reply."
And you hated the rest, as we wasted your time... Just showing you how some may read your reply differently than you probably intended. I am not offended by it, but just wanted to warn you that another may have been.
kris