Copper Treatment In Hospital Tank Versus Shrimp

[Ltygress]

I have never actually kept shrimp in my 25+ years as a freshwater hobbyist, but finally got some 3 days ago (cheap ghost shrimp for starters). The problem is, they will eventually go in with guppies and mollies who are undergoing individual treatments for diseases.

The tank the shrimp will stay in is NOT currently undergoing treatment. The actual FISH are, but in a separate hospital tank. None of them are currently getting any copper-based medications, but they may get it soon.

If the fish are successfully treated in the hospital tank with copper meds, is it safe to put JUST THE FISH back in the tank with those shrimp? I'm sure a particle or two of copper would be on or in the fish when I move them back (even though I always net, I don't dump - no water mixing here). But would it be a small enough amount not to affect the shrimp? Or would those treated fish pretty much be banned from a shrimp tank forever?

 

[Baccus]

Provided the fish go back into the tank and only the fish (don't even dip the net you used to catch the fish out of the treatment tank into the shrimp tank) then the shrimp should be fine with any minute residual cooper that may still be either externally on the fish or ingested and later extruded in waste.

 

[Bubble.Guppy]

You could possibly do a salt dip on the fish before adding them to the tank with the shrimp to clean them.