Methylene Blue vs Antibiotics Treatment

[Fishfunn]

Do I need to get all new water? Or will the treatments take care of the water? We have done water changes but not sure how much water change I need

If you use copper, do not dose until 48 hours after a water change. This only applies if you use a de-chlorinator to neutralize chlorine in the water. It takes 48 hours for the de-chlorinator to go inactive. The de-chlorinator, if active (less than 48 hours), will react with the copper in the medication and make it 10x more potent, which could kill the fish.

The cases of velvet I had in my tank were so hardy that only copper really took care of them for me. Copper will kill all the parasites in the tank, so that is an added plus for me. SeaChem Cupramine is formulated to be less toxic to plants and fish, so I used that.

 

[Colin_T]

If you use copper, do not dose until 48 hours after a water change. This only applies if you use a de-chlorinator to neutralize chlorine in the water. It takes 48 hours for the de-chlorinator to go inactive. The de-chlorinator, if active (less than 48 hours), will react with the copper in the medication and make it 10x more potent, which could kill the fish.

What sort of dechlorinater did you use?
They shouldn't make any difference to medications in the water.

 

[Colin_T]

Do I need to get all new water? Or will the treatments take care of the water? We have done water changes but not sure how much water change I need

Not sure what you mean by needing new water?

Just do a water change and treat the tank with the ich medication.
Normal weekly water changes should consist of 50-75% of the aquarium volume.
eg: you drain out 50-75% of the water and replace it with dechlorinated tap water.

If you are trying to dilute nutrients or chemicals in the water, do a 75% water change because it will remove more of the bad stuff.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

 

[Fishfunn]

What sort of dechlorinater did you use?
They shouldn't make any difference to medications in the water.

Most de-chlorinators are sulfur-based. SeaChem makes this warning in its Cupramine FAQ. Better safe than sorry.

What if I need to do a water change with tap water and use a dechlorinator like Prime® during the Cupramine™ treatment?
A: You will need to prepare the water 48 hours in advance of doing the water change. Add the Prime® to your buckets of replacement water 2 days prior to doing your water change. The water will immediately be dechlorinated, and 48 hours later the Prime® will no longer be active and you can perform your water change safely. Remember, that you will also have to add Cupramine™ back to the replacement water to bring it up to the final concentration of the tank. This should be done just before doing the water change.

Here is more info: Can I use Prime with Cupramine
It's safe to use Prime® alongside any of Seachem®'s products except Cupramine™. If Prime® is added to a tank that contains Cupramine™, it converts the Cupramine™ into a more toxic form. If this happens accidentally, you'll need to remove the Cupramine™ right away using activated filter carbon or CupriSorb™. We recommend avoiding the use of Prime® during treatment with Cupramine™ entirely if possible, but if you need to do a water change, treat the new water with Prime® 48 hours before dosing the Cupramine™ so that the Prime® will be completely exhausted and there is no possibility that it will react with the Cupramine™.

Prime® will not directly interact with any of the other Seachem® products, but a large overdose of reducing agents (conditioners like Prime®, ammonia detoxifiers, stress reducers, and some medications) can start to reduce the oxygen levels of the tank. It's just fine to use multiple reducing agents if you have good filtration and you're not using extra products unnecessarily, but if you need to use 3 or more reducing agents at the same time, it may be best to wait an hour or so between products to avoid a sudden drop in oxygen levels.

 

[Grammy16]

If you use copper, do not dose until 48 hours after a water change. This only applies if you use a de-chlorinator to neutralize chlorine in the water. It takes 48 hours for the de-chlorinator to go inactive. The de-chlorinator, if active (less than 48 hours), will react with the copper in the medication and make it 10x more potent, which could kill the fish.

The cases of velvet I had in my tank were so hardy that only copper really took care of them for me. Copper will kill all the parasites in the tank, so that is an added plus for me. SeaChem Cupramine is formulated to be less toxic to plants and fish, so I used that.

I have well water so I use gallons of drinking water to fill my tanks. Thank you for the information. I ordered it and waiting for it to get here

 

[Colin_T]

I have well water so I use gallons of drinking water to fill my tanks. Thank you for the information. I ordered it and waiting for it to get here

If you are using well water, you shouldn't need a dechlorinater.

It's a good idea to get well water tested annually by a professional water testing company just to make sure it's safe to use and isn't contaminated by anything.

 

[Grammy16]

If you are using well water, you shouldn't need a dechlorinater.

It's a good idea to get well water tested annually by a professional water testing company just to make sure it's safe to use and isn't contaminated by anything.

I do not use the well water I buy gallons of drinking water and I have tested it and it’s fine