I have velvet in my tropical freshwater 26g show tank. My plan is to isolate all my fish into a 20 high quarantine tank and treat them with coppersafe. In the meantime, I'm going to leave my shrimp and my snail in the show tank and just wait the disease out there. Obviously I don't want to does with my inverts in there, but I also have lots of live plants, so copper in the show tank is not really feasible.
First, how long will it take for the velvet to die off in my show tank once I've removed all suitable host fish? From what I've read, it seems to suggest around 8 days or so (the site I was reading says 6 days for the 1st feeding stage, 2 days for the 4th freefloating stage, but nothing about the 2nd and 3rd stages)?
Second, how long should I treat my fish with coppersafe? It doesn't give any concrete amount of time on the bottle or in the instructions, as far as I can tell. Some friends have suggested a week, others a month minimum. All the bottle says is one dose is enough for 1 month. I'm very patient so I don't mind waiting, I'm just concerned about over or under medicating. I plan on doing water changes on the quarantine tank as often as needs be, but I'm not sure about frequency or amount. Should I be doing 50% changes daily? Or 25%? Maybe only every other day? Also, should I reduce feeding since I wont be running the filter with carbon during medication?
Third, I heard a rumor (sounds like more of an urban legend to me...) that both copper from coppersafe and also parasitic diseases can remain in the silicone seal of aquariums. Does this mean after I treat with coppersafe in my 20 gallon quarantine tank, I will never be able to use that tank for inverts and plants again? Also, if parasites can live in silicone, how can I be sure they've all died off, given my plan of removing suitable host fish from my show tank? Or will it just remain in my silicone indefinitely? This silicone rumor seems strange to me, but right now I'd like to be certain before sacrificing a tank.
Fourth, I currently have a marineland hang on tank canister on my 26. It's starting to crap out, so I'm planning on buying a Fluval 206. Should I put this on the show tank asap, even with the velvet in there? Or should I wait till the velvet dies off to use it? Seems like more and better filtration would only be a good thing, but I don't want to contaminate it either...
Any help, insight, suggestions...anything would be great. I've never dealt with velvet before and I'm really bummed about this. I just want my fish well again. Thanks.
First, how long will it take for the velvet to die off in my show tank once I've removed all suitable host fish? From what I've read, it seems to suggest around 8 days or so (the site I was reading says 6 days for the 1st feeding stage, 2 days for the 4th freefloating stage, but nothing about the 2nd and 3rd stages)?
Second, how long should I treat my fish with coppersafe? It doesn't give any concrete amount of time on the bottle or in the instructions, as far as I can tell. Some friends have suggested a week, others a month minimum. All the bottle says is one dose is enough for 1 month. I'm very patient so I don't mind waiting, I'm just concerned about over or under medicating. I plan on doing water changes on the quarantine tank as often as needs be, but I'm not sure about frequency or amount. Should I be doing 50% changes daily? Or 25%? Maybe only every other day? Also, should I reduce feeding since I wont be running the filter with carbon during medication?
Third, I heard a rumor (sounds like more of an urban legend to me...) that both copper from coppersafe and also parasitic diseases can remain in the silicone seal of aquariums. Does this mean after I treat with coppersafe in my 20 gallon quarantine tank, I will never be able to use that tank for inverts and plants again? Also, if parasites can live in silicone, how can I be sure they've all died off, given my plan of removing suitable host fish from my show tank? Or will it just remain in my silicone indefinitely? This silicone rumor seems strange to me, but right now I'd like to be certain before sacrificing a tank.
Fourth, I currently have a marineland hang on tank canister on my 26. It's starting to crap out, so I'm planning on buying a Fluval 206. Should I put this on the show tank asap, even with the velvet in there? Or should I wait till the velvet dies off to use it? Seems like more and better filtration would only be a good thing, but I don't want to contaminate it either...
Any help, insight, suggestions...anything would be great. I've never dealt with velvet before and I'm really bummed about this. I just want my fish well again. Thanks.
