New Copperband - help Quarantining

[Playdope]

Just picked up a new copperband....and I'm drip acclimating it to the quarantine tank water right now. A few questions..

When should I first feed? I got frozen mysis for it... how much should I feed per session, and how many times a day should it be fed?

Any other types of food recommended for these guys? Cyclopeeze was recommended, but they didn't have the squeeze bottle (only dried), so I was going to wait for the bottle later in the week.

Should I keep the lights off during the whole QT period? If not, when should they go on?

Should I put a blanket over the tank for the first day?

How often should I change water (it is a 29 gal tank, and I have a remora skimmer running on a it, and a sponge filter)?

Any other info I should know would be appreciated.. its my first time QTing.
Thanks!

 

[Anonymous]

There are several lines of thought on this, but one that I find has a significant amount of merit is to skip the quarantine altogether. It is very stressful on the fish, and with a delicate fish like a chelmon to begin with, it is almost a certain death.

 

[Playdope]

I should take the fish out of Quarantine and just put it right in the tank now???! I never heard that before, I thought quarantining was supposed to get the fish eating, and settled in. What if it breaks out with a parasite or disease?

 

[Playdope]

BTW- i just read that I shouldn't have netted it.. and thats how I got it from the bucket I drip acclimated it in to the quarantine tank. What could netting it have done?

 

[Playdope]

I should add there are no fish yet in the display tank, so there would be no competition for food in there. Still I have always had it beaten into my head (from articles, books, and other enthusiasts) that quarantining fish is an absolute must.

 

[Playdope]

To add to my questions (sorry, hehe) ... should I lower the salinity of the water in the quarantine tank only after a disease was to break out (knock on wood)?

 

[danmhippo]

As long you didn't break their fins when you are netting them, you are OK. For some of the finely fined fish, people do not recommend netting them as their fins gets stuck on the net.

As far as feeding 'em, frozen mysis is a good start. Some may feel otherwise, but I prefer Q them for a couple of weeks. It's your call. I would keep him in full strength saltwater first, and only drop salinity when I do see signs of parasites.

Training the delicate fish is quite hard in the display tank, food usually goes to waste and you end up with fouling water. Whereas in smaller tank, a tank of its own, they would have no choice but to accept food you selectively offered to them, or starve. If you can shield up the 3 sides with black paper/cloth, it will help calm him down. For Q tanks, I do not recommend painting the sides. If you use something removable such as cardboard, you can take the black borders away one at a time to get it use to haveing people around.

But, on the second note, copperband really isn't a tough fish to train......

 

[danmhippo]

BTW, feed enough that they will finish within 2-3 minutes. In a Q tank, siphon up whatever they do not finish right away to prevent water fouling.

 

[Playdope]

I added it to the tank 4.5 hrs. ago, and about an hour ago it started repeatedly swimming up and down the walls of the tank. It keeps doing it fairly rapidly .. up and down and up and down ... etc..
Anything to worry about?

When do you recommend trying to FIRST attempt feeding it? If it eats, should I be feeding it 3 times a day?

Won't it get really stressed everytime I put my hand in the tank to siphon out excess food? Should I just use a baster for this?

I put a large plastic Y on the bottom of the tank for hiding... the diameter is plenty large, but he doesn't seem to be wanting to go inside of it at all. I worry he may feel anxious (no hiding places that it really likes).

Should the lights stay off for a while?

 

[danmhippo]

Yes, lights off as soon as possible. How big is the tank and how big is the fish? How's the ammonia level and nitrite? Has the tank been cycled yet?

 

[dizzy]

I always feed the copperbands live brine as a first food. If they won't acept this you have problems IME. Once they begin eating the adult live brine they usually accept other food. Mysis is a good food for them. They usally learn to enjoy chopped table shrimp as well. They love tube worms and such. Add a new piece of decent live rock and watch them go to town on it. Skipping quarantine is a risk. If your qt is too small it is a risk too. I like to dip them in a formalin based dip and keep them in a qt with live rock and live sand if possible. A healthy copperband that accepts food is a wonderful fish and some are good aptasia control. Good luck.
Mitch

 

[Playdope]

I filled the tank a couple weeks prior with water from the display tank. It is a 29 gal quarantine tank. There is a sponge filter and a remora skimmer on it. The fish is about 3-4 inches.

I notice it has some whitening/white specks on the clear tail fin. Is this ich? How do I know its not something else? Which treatment should I use? Should I lower the salinity (if so, by how much and in what span of time?) or should I buy a medication?

I have not fed since I added it yesterday evening... when should I first feed?

Thanks

 

[Playdope]

Anyone???

 

[danmhippo]

I think the size factor is OK, and you need to administer hyposalinity on the fish.

Since copper has been used on the fish in the LFS, it's a good call not to put him immediately into display. I doubt the fish was in LFS long enough to rid the ich.

 

[Playdope]

I'm not so sure it even has ich. It's just when I get up close.. i could see some very faint speckles .. or like a mustiness on it's tail fin. I'm concerned with its anxious swimming up and down the walls.. I'm getting tired just watching him.

Should water changes be done everyday? I put a remora skimmer on to limit water changes, but having never really worked with such a small SW tank before .. im a little concerned about water changes.

It didn't take to the mysis I just put in the tank. Totally ignored them... seems to anxious. Should I try a clam or mussel later in the day or should I wait to feed again until tomorrow? I really need some advice on how often I should be attempting the feedings, and how often I should be changing the water. I mean if it didn't eat any of the mysis i put in, that stuff is just gonna sit there and decay! With the lights off, how am i supposed to get such small little things out of the tank ???

Sorry about the panic, but as a newb to this QT thing, it's really got me anxious myself.
Thanks

 

[danmhippo]

Try live brine in there to stimulate it's feeding instinct.

If he is unresponsive to the live brine..............I think it's in trouble.

 

[dizzy]

I'd put a cleaner shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis) in with the CB. While they are not enough to eliminate all the parasites they will often show that your fish has them. It will also help to clean up uneaten food.

PS
Did the lfs tell you it was eating? If so what?
Mitch

 

[Playdope]

I saw take a bite of mysis at the LFS. I tried feeding it some mysis this afternoon with no success.

Oh man, I came home tonight with some fresh live mussles + clams to try with the Copperband, but now its at the top of the tank poking its nose out of the water surface. The only thing I can imagine is that it is trying to get more oxygen. What should I do???

Thanks

 

[dizzy]

Make sure you have plenty of water movement in the tank. You might also try a freshwater dip, but that can add stress. The temp needs to be the same and the water declorinated and buffered to raise the ph to the same as the tank. Duration of 1-2 minutes. Also check for ammonia in the tank.
Mitch

 

[Playdope]

I will test the ammonia. I just added a small powerhead to the top side of the tank - and its breaking the surface tension more.

The fish seems anxious and in addition to breathing at the surface before, its gills are moving pretty rapidly.. its darting around.. swimming in circle like patterns, up and down the walls, and occationally going to the surface to breathe(but that stopped a bit after adding the powerhead).

Like I said, I fed some mysis a bit earlier, and it ate nothing. So, its still in the tank. I didn't get it out... so some ammonia could have been produced. I just dont know how to get it out without seeing it with the lights on (the stuff is so small and fine).

I put the live clams and mussels I got in the fridge for now. How should I go about feeding these, and when should I do it?

Thanks for any advice... I really want to do anything I can.