Dosing copper in a fowlr

A friend and I have been discussing dosing copper in a fowlr. Well more like him telling me I should, I dont know much about it. Basically he says marine ich will basically be nonexistent, is this true or is he pulling leg. I understand some of the equipment can never be used for a reef once copper has been dosed. Just wanting some opinions.

 

If you are not having problems I would not dose the copper. You won't be able to keep any inverts including snails and ornamental shrimp.

 

are you having any issues with ich in your tank. My personal opinion is "try to treat with non-chemical means" Copper requires very careful dosing and can easily become toxic very quickly.
In addition copper will leach into your rocks, silicone and other equipment.

If you have ich, the best way to treat it is to feed good quality foods and keep your water parems in check. Also feed foods high in HUFAs.

what kind of fish do you have? certain fish CAN NOT ever be treated with copper

 

I dont have any fish, my tank is still being set up. We were just discussing how quickly ich can kill and to just prevent it by dosing copper.

 

I do know people that dose copper in FO tanks, esp ones that are geared towards tangs. However i believe as others have said that there are better ways to do it. I wouldn't recommend it unless necessary.

 

Copper works because it kills all life. A constant low dose of copper will take a toll on your fish over time. Personally, in my FOWLR tanks, I QT all of my fish with copper and Prazi Pro. Beyond that, good all around living conditions for your fish will keep them healthy. It's a long term investment that should not be rushed.

 

Best preventative is to QT your fish before putting them into your tank. Personally I would never use copper to treat a DT tank. As stated above, some fish cannot handle it, your rock will absorb it as well. Any and ALL inverts will die.

 

freshwater ich=massive death. saltwater ich=not the end all! Tangs (powders, achilles, hippo in particular) are ich magnets. I personally will not get any of those species simply because of that. Most (at least many) of the fish that we buy are carriers of ich. It is kind of like staph with us. It is only when we have a cut, an illness or stress that we have problems with staph infections. Ich is the same way with fish. Not a problem in general (with the exception of ich magnets listed above) as well as the fish is eating highly enriched food, good water paremeters, and enough room to swim/hide.

Freshwater ich is notorious for wiping out a tank very fast, spreading rapidly and killing many. Saltwater ich IMO is not bad. Your best bet is to QT, ensure fish is eating prior to buying and keeping a pristine tank.

Like mentioned eariler, copper can become toxic very fast and in many situations can cause liver problems with fish. Fish such as puffers will die very rapidly iwth copper.