• Why not take a moment to introduce yourself to our members?

jacobchemical

Advanced Reefer
Location
Long Island
Rating - 100%
22   0   0
I bought a flame angel and I have had it in qt for about 2 weeks and i noticed it has ich today. I have been reading that flames do not tolerate copper. I have cupramine available but not sure if I should use it. Anybody have any experience using copper with flame angels? Any other options besides hyposalinity?

Thanks for any help
 

marrone

The All Powerful OZ
Staff member
Vendor
Location
The Big City
Rating - 98.8%
80   1   0

marklugo23

Advanced Reefer
Rating - 96.3%
78   3   0

jacobchemical

Advanced Reefer
Location
Long Island
Rating - 100%
22   0   0
I tried hyposalinity once in the past and lost all my fish since then I have just used copper. But did not use a refractometer.

Also how do you check and adjust the ph? " If the pH starts to drop, water should be changed or buffer very carefully added to the system." I am assuming if do a water change with R/O(ph 7 )to my qt tank(ph8.2), the ph of the qt tank will drop. Can i still use the same marine test kit to measure ph? And will the marine buffer i have still work with the lower salinity. I have seen some people recommend baking soda
 

marrone

The All Powerful OZ
Staff member
Vendor
Location
The Big City
Rating - 98.8%
80   1   0
First you need to make sure that your fish have ich, as Hypo only works on ich. You really need to use a Refractometer, as you need to keep the SG below 1.009 for it to work. If you let it slip over 1.009 there is a good chance that your fish will be reinfected again, which means you need to start all over again.

As for the Ph, you need to get a test kit and check it, and the same marine test kit will work. As you start to go lower, below 1.012, you're going to need to use some type of buffer to bring the Ph back up. I've always used Marine buffer and once I bring the Ph back up to around 8.0 it usually stays there. Also good water movement and breakage will help keep it up and try not to feed that much.
 
Last edited:

d5332

Advanced Reefer
Location
Newark
Rating - 96.9%
94   3   0
If you plan on using Cupramine, 32 to 34 drops into a 10 gallon qt will work, no test kit required, leave the fish in that tank for 3 weeks.

if at any point on those 3 weeks you feel a water change is needed, perform a complete 10 gallon water change, rinse equipment and add another 32 to 34 drops.

Research how much copper a flame can tolerate, I have not had to medicate a flame so far.
 

edd

Advanced Reefer
Location
nj
Rating - 100%
96   0   0
i wouldn't use copper without a good test kit. like marrone said, if it goes low even for a day then you wasted your time. if it goes high you kill the fish. same for hypo, you have to keep salinity with in the parameters for 30 consecutive days, or you will waste your time.
 

jacobchemical

Advanced Reefer
Location
Long Island
Rating - 100%
22   0   0
I have the Seachem Multitest Copper test kit. Is that a considered a good test kit.

Also the cupramine recommends a copper level of 0.5 mg/l. But I have read that I should use a lower dose for flame angels. Anybody know the lowest dose of copper needed to kill ich



i wouldn't use copper without a good test kit. like marrone said, if it goes low even for a day then you wasted your time. if it goes high you kill the fish. same for hypo, you have to keep salinity with in the parameters for 30 consecutive days, or you will waste your time.
 

marrone

The All Powerful OZ
Staff member
Vendor
Location
The Big City
Rating - 98.8%
80   1   0
I have bin told and seen otherwise are you sure? It works for me and a lot of people I know I was actually thought this by someone ?


You've been told wrong, and what you've seen is not the fish being cured by the fresh water dips but actually something else. The ich that you see on the body of the fish, white spots, is the final stage before it falls off of the fish and starts the cycle over again. At that point the fresh water dips aren't going to cause the ich to release from the fish, and the ich can live in the fresh a lot longer than the fish can, so a fresh water dip or bath isn't going to do anything to it. Also, the ich is still living inside the fish, inside the body and the gills area, which the fresh water bath will do nothing to remove.
 

Sponsor Reefs

We're a FREE website, and we exist because of hobbyists like YOU who help us run this community.

Click here to sponsor $10:


Top