Still signs of ich at end of Cupramine treatment

[acronce]

Hi all,

I've been treating 3 fish in a 10g saltwater hospital tank with Cupramine for 2 weeks. I've tried to keep the copper level at 0.5, as per the instructions. I add a little copper after each daily 1 gallon water change to keep the level up.

I had one lapse early on where I let the copper level drop to around 0.15 for a couple of days while dealing with an ammonia problem. I had to do some larger water changes and the fish were stressed, so I let the copper level drop. I figured I'd extend the treatment period for a few days to make up for this. At this point, I've been treating for 10 days.

The concern I have is the first and only fish that demonstrated ich symptoms still seems to have it. He's still breathing fast, and I can still see just a few little specks on his back and side that look like tiny salt crystals. I *think* there are fewer of these specks than when I started treatment, but it's hard to tell definitively.

Maybe I just have the wrong expectations? Does Cupramine kill an existing infestation in the fish, or does it just kill the larvae? Maybe any infected fish just has to wait it out until the adult ich in their body die? Maybe I've misdiagnosed the problem and it's not ich?

So should I end the Cupramine treatment? I plan to keep the fish in the hospital for another 6 weeks, giving a full 8 weeks for the main display tank to lay fallow. I guess I could give them a break and treat again if the infected fish still shows symptoms.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Best,
--
Allen Cronce

[Tech Support AN]

Thanks for the post and for using Cupramine!

During treatment of a parasite, regardless of medication, you will typically see the fish get worse before they get better and this is indicative of the parasite going through its life cycle. For this very reason, it is important that you maintain the appropriate concentration (0.5mg/L) for a minimum of three weeks and this will ensure that you eradicate them in all stages of their life cycle.

The only time that the parasites are susceptible to the copper is when they are free swimming or attached to the fish. If they are in their cyst form laying in the substrate, the medication will have no impact on them. Again, this is why it is important to treat for the full 3-4 weeks.

If you are seeing a "salt" like appearance of the fish's body, than you have more than likely diagnosed correctly. I would recommend continuing with the Cupramine for 4 weeks, especially since there was a short period of lower concentration levels. If you notice that your fish are showing excessive signs of stress, beyond the normal stress of the parasite, than you may want to try a different treatment.

I hope this helps! Let us know if you have any further questions.