Velvet, otos, and copper dosing

[CuznHottie]

Ammonia level = 0ppm
Nitrites level = 0ppm
Nitrates level = 5ppm
Water hardness = pH 7.8
Specify other chemical levels that might be relevent = GH off the chart KH 8
Volume of tank = 75 L/20gal
Size of tank = 30" long
Filtration system = HOB Whisper 20
Temperature = 78 degrees F
Age of tank setup = ~ 1 month
If a new tank when was it cycled and how? = fish cycling (mistake, I know) finished cycling two/three weeks ago
Number and amount of water changes weekly = 20% weekly, just did 50% water change when fish started itching
Age of fish <if known> = two barbs 4 months or less, two fully grown, otos unknown
Any recent changes = otos added last thursday, hospital tank uncycled so no quarantine

Okay, so I know I have velvet and I know copper does the trick VERY nicely with barbs (had this problem in a different tank). My problem is that I have no idea if copper is safe for otos. I've read a little bit that says it is. I've also read and heard that copper isn't safe for any fish, but only in large amounts. I've dosed 3 tsp of coppersafe (the directions say to do 5) because I knew about copper overdose before but now I'm not sure what to do with the otos. The barbs aren't looking any better since two days ago when I dosed the first copper. My hospital tank is almost cycled, so should I move my otos and dose the full amount of copper? Or should I leave them and finish the dose?
Reply With Quote

 

[roark fishies]

I'm using coppersafe in my tank right now. They seem to be tolerating it just fine.

 

[CuznHottie]

Thanks so much for letting me know! I've finished using the full dose and have blacked out the tank for two days. We'll see how well it works!

 

[CuznHottie]

swim bladder caused by velvet?

Treated tank with copper, bought copper testing kit, only show .5ppm of copper in the water. Isn't it supposed to be between 1ppm and 2ppm? It's Mardel Coppersafe, so I added a little more and nothing. Now one of my fish is having trouble swimming. Breathing hard and floating. He's righted himself now but I am worried. I added some Melafix to hopefully help him relax. Any ideas on what I should do? I'm thinking of going out and buying chelated copper myself and just adding it to the tank and monitoring with my test kit. Please let me know what to do about the sick fishie.


pH - 7.8
ammonia - 0
nitrite - 0
nitrate - under 5ppm
temp 78 F
treated w/copper for two weeks, blacked out for 4 days
lost one fish due to velvet already
4 tiger barbs, 2 otos in tank
have hospital tank but pH is at 8.4 (haven't lowered it enough yet)

 

[Lotus]

It sounds to me like you overdosed the CopperSafe. Do a small water change and hope for the best.

 

[TabMorte]

I'm using Mardel's Coppersafe in a tank full of Ottos and having no problems. It's a 10G and the dosage is 1 tsp (not tablespoon!) per 4 gallons. At dosage they're doing fine.

Mardel recommends you use a bit of their antibiotic in conjunction with the copper safe because the Velvet stresses the fish and makes them vulnerable to secondary infection. I wouldn't use Melafix with it though. You should never mix medicines unless they're specifically made to be used together.

 

[CuznHottie]

He's fine now. Nothing wrong with his swimming. The melafix seemed to help a lot.
What do you mean overdose on copper? Isn't it supposed to read between 1ppm and 2ppm? My test kit tests for both free and chelated copper. Plus the sheen on the fish hasn't gone down much and the treatment should be half over.

 

[TabMorte]

You know I've never used a copper test kit when dosing with copper safe. I just followed the instructions on the bottle and all was well