Treating With Copper When to Dose Again

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• #ane

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In the short fourth dimension I've been in this hobby, there have been three categories for copper dosing every bit it relates to the DT. Yes, copper will impale corals and inverts, that is non debatable. Make no mistake. I do non intend to bash anyone who falls into whatever of the categories. My goal is to try to provide some clarity in the clouded space of the world broad web(Www). This journeying is not intended to be the "best do" in reefing. I intend to provide others with some evidence so they tin can make an informed decision on how they want to proceed if yous happen to find yourself in the same position equally me. I go a little long-winded at times, so bear with me. I'll let yous know upfront as of two days ago (4/17/20). I began dosing copper to my DT. Read below for further.

Category 1, "You cannot, under whatever circumstances, ever dose copper in your DT. You will never be able to keep corals. Your rocks/sand will forever leach copper back into the h2o column." Nosotros have no shortage of people in this camp. They seem to exist the bulk past far. I have never seen a postal service from anyone who dosed copper in their display tank. And then after the dosing was unable to remove it, causing long term failure. It's usually quoted from reef urban legend or reef well-known fact. I mean no law-breaking by that at all, I arraign the cyberspace for this problem. Please feel gratuitous to correct me. I volition non exist offended. If you are one of these people, please postal service beneath. Leave photos and a short story to help the community. It would exist helpful to have this information in 1 place.

Category ii, "You absolutely can dose copper in your DT. Afterwards the treatment is washed, you take to make sure y'all run a copper remover and become a 0 reading. Run a few ICP tests to be sure, and you will be all fix. I've done it myself, and now I accept a successful reef, look at my pictures." These folks are very few and far betwixt. Non many autumn into this category that I've been able to observe on my searches. They are by far the minority. I don't know if that'southward considering people don't post or some other elusive reason. If you are one of these people who take establish success, please postal service below, even if it was curt term success, if you've had long term success fifty-fifty better.

Category 3, "I don't know who'due south right. I don't know if I'one thousand simply looking for the reply I want to hear because information technology is more convenient for me(known every bit reply shopping). Or, am I in denial of the truth: you lot cannot dose copper in the DT. Lastly, everyone is afraid to go confronting the grain/ risk the thousands they accept spent on this hobby, which is completely understandable? What am I missing?" This is where I find myself.

Because I autumn into category three, I'll tell you how I got hither. And what lead me to ultimately dose copper into my DT. I volition effort to arrive brief. I ordered a Red Sea 625xxl and got it all set up past the cease of January 2020. This tank replaced my lightly stocked 125 gallon, my second saltwater tank. I filled it with make new Marco Rock (that had been cycling since Febuary 2019 for this purpose). I decided to get bare bottom this fourth dimension around to make things low(er) maintenance. I have heavily invested in Noon and spotter a lot of BRS videos. All of the fish stock transferred over to this new tank, and I added some new guys likewise. I thought I did an excellent job QT my fish, but to my surprise, I did non(sarcasm). I had what I idea was velvet, which may exist ICH (run across my pictures beneath, and you be the guess). Regardless, as the disease progressed, I saw a bunch of spots that appeared to me and all my infinite wisdom to be velvet. Instead of losing all my fish, I decided to dose my DT with copper.

The tank stock:
ane Yellow Tang
1 Desjardini Tang
1 Powder Dark-brown Tang
1 Hippo Tang
1 Coral Beauty
1 Disordered Filefish
1 Pink Watchman goby
1 Melanurus Wrasse
1 Midas Blenny
1 Chromis
1 Royal Gramma
2 Lyretail Anthias
two Ocellaris Clownfish
five Zebra Barred Goby

When I started seeing spots on the Hippo tang, I got worried. I referred to the internet, equally well-nigh of us practise, to try to find some resolve in the situation. I have only been in the hobby for three years, just I researched enough to know that I don't know that much, lol. Equally we all practice, I found @Humblefish, @HotRocks and @4FordFamily threads and used those every bit a guideline. Simply I too have and so much respect for @Paul B and take note of his natural apprach. However, when the Hippo's spots quadrupled in 1 day, then multiplied on my pulverization chocolate-brown and a few other fish as well, I referenced cyberspace photos and believed I had marine velvet. I felt I didn't have the time to enquire the cyberspace to ostend my suspicion. I went over my options weighted everything out and decided I was going to dose copper and document the event for the rest of my category 3 folks.

I had too many fish, and I did not have a QT tank to put them all in. I'thousand enlightened I could have purchased a rubber made tote and put the fish in there for 76 days while the DT ran dormant. But maintaining a big plastic bin of water was not in the cards for me. If this turns out to be the worst-case scenario, I will replace the rock in my DT and start over.

My plan is to document the progression of this and run across if the rocks absorb notable amounts of copper. I will mail the daily copper levels from my Hanna Checker to this thread to keep track of things. I will also practice my best to continue those interested informed on the progression of this dosing experiment.

If you accept any comments or suggestions for me along the manner, annihilation is welcome. Encounter the attached pictures.

@lolmatt Cheers once again.

Last edited: Apr xix, 2020

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• Thread Starter
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• #four

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I began dosing coppersafe in my dt on April six. I had ich in the tank. by April 10 I was at 1.87. thereaputic levels per fritz are 1.5 to 2.0. since April 10 I take inched upwardly slowly to nearly 2.0. I have both the API and Hanna kits that I check off each other as neither is fool proof. April ten I installed a uv sterilizer set up on parasite menses. April 12 whitespot gone and has non returned.

I spoke to fritz several times and confirmed ane.5 or above for 30 days will usually treat nearly cases of ich still I could keep it in there as long as I want if I wanted to wait the 72 days for the ultra rare cases. They stated many petshops run copper indefinitely in their systems and that makes sense.

as you, I scoured the net and found exactly what you did. a very small percentage of people who said their tanks are thriving after copper. I also ran into people who said you lot never always add copper to the display.

my tank is new, I don't accept sand simply I do have rock, no invertebrates, gave away my lone coral and my snails. this rock was all dry and then no worms, cucumbers etc. I didn't want any like I had on my last tank.

it's 210g west 40g sump. I started with 20 fish, some of them just 3 days former when I saw the spots. I lost 3 fish, 2 were within 48hrs of putting them in the tank, probably stress, last fish was lost a couple days ago, probably stress again.

seachem has a product cuprisorb, I plan on running that until copper is out, waiting a few months and then periodically checking. I read cuprisorb is renewable but non sure if I can or should run it forever. nosotros'll see. I call up you'll be fine.

I had someone tell me my fish were stressed even. I believe anyone who is running a tank and knows there is ich in the tank is just request for trouble. one day a pump, heater, circuit breaker will trip and they volition "stress" their fish out again. I chose this route and I remember information technology'south a no brainier not even a question that information technology's the correct way to go.