Canthigaster valentini with Crypt – 01/02/2008
Hi,
<Hello.>
I have a Valentini Puffer fish that has ich and has had it for about 2 weeks. He's doing fine, been eating well and looking healthy other than the white spots. I first tried soaking all his food in garlic and Zoë and then went about using some organic rid ich med (because it was more an organic deal and not a med). The tank he's in is a FOWLR tank and some of the live rock was more base rock then anything. I decided to use CopperSafe in the DT tank (don't kill me)
<I won’t, but just can tell you that quarantine tanks are much more efficient.>
and have a chelated copper test kit for API to watch closely. After looking all over the web, it seems that I should keep this particular brand copper at about 1.4-2ppm. I have kept it about 1.5 or so as I'm worried about using copper with this puffer as it is.
<Should be okay. This is a chelated product (those chelated molecules are heavier than ionic copper) that aside of copper consist of other chemicals. Therefore the necessary level is high compared to ionic copper recommendations. The good thing with chelated products is that they release the copper over time. However, substrate and rock will influence the copper efficiency, one reason why all copper products should only be used in quarantine tanks.>
I think that CopperSafe is the least toxic copper treatment out there. This morning he puffed up for the first time when no other fish was around or messing with him. I've heard that this is normal but that it might also be stress. What should be my next steps? Thanks.
<Monitor with your chelated copper test kit, keep the level, and also check your ammonia level daily. Read http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ichartmar.htm and the linked FAQs to learn about the life cycle of the parasite. Keep the copper level for at least 7-10 days. After that time and if the spots disappear use activated carbon to remove the copper from the system. Change the carbon every 14 days. If the spots come back in a new cycle use a quarantine tank without rocks and substrate for treatment. Cheers und good luck, Marco.>

Canthigaster valentini with Crypt – follow up – 01/02/2008
So it’s now day 5 of copper treatment and everybody is doing great. The spots on the puffer are gone and I test for copper both AM and PM and test daily for the ammonia levels and PH levels. I will probably go through day 10 before I start using the carbon and after a while I will add some more live rock to seed the, now, base rock. If my research is correct, I will have killed off the parasites and, unless brought in to the tank again by a fish, should never see ich again... correct?
<Yes, hopefully!>
Its my understanding that fish don't create ich out of nothing, but that they get it from somewhere and pass it along....
<Right, these are ciliate Protozoans, they have to come from somewhere. Only their free swimming stage (theronts) is affected effectively by chemical treatments. In a bare bottom tank you’d also have the possibility to remove many/all of the protomont and tomont stage (by siphoning the bottom every day), which are encysted and now my rest in the substrate. I do hope none of them survives the 10 days of treatment in your tank, chances are not too bad. However, if the spots (this is the trophont stage infesting the fish) return, because a few tomonts survived in the substrate, move the puffer to a bare bottom quarantine tank and treat, while the display stays fallow for at least 4 weeks. This seems to be the most effective procedure. Good luck, Marco.>