# Copper and Driftwood



## waterbox (Nov 26, 2011)

I'm (still) attempting to treat an unknown worm parasite which no one has been able to identify. It sometimes appears as tiny (.5mm thick) worms coiled inside transparent pouches which hang off the fish's fins or body. At other times, pinkish nodules appear on the body--usually near the mouth and head. I don't know if I have one disease or two.

Anyway, after trying two separate doses of Prazisole (which seemed to make it go away temporarily, but might also just be coincidence) it's back. I've decided to try something stronger, and have reluctantly moved on to copper. Mostly I'm reluctant because I've got hundreds of Malaysian Trumpet snails in the tank, and I like them. Anyway, I've removed as many of them as I can, but I'm sure there are still hundreds of the little bastards in there. Nor, I understand, will copper do anything for my plants.

I chose Cupramine because it was cheaper and claims to be safer and more effective than Coppersafe. I dosed the tank as recommended, testing the concentration with a copper test kit. So far, so good. But the next morning I tested the copper levels and there was almost no copper in the water at all.

My question: I'm not running any kind of chemical filtration, just mechanical and biomechanical cannisters. But I do have a huge stump in the tank.

Could wood be absorbing the Cupramine?

Thanks!


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## sunshine_1965 (Aug 16, 2011)

The stump is it from a pet store or found outside somewhere? Have you had it in the tank long? Did you notice the parasites after you put it in the tank?The parasites might be coming from it. Just a thought.


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## waterbox (Nov 26, 2011)

I've had the stump in the tank from the time I began it, about a year ago. The parasites first appeared perhaps six months ago. They could have come from the stump, although it seems unlikely to me. The stump is quite heavily weathered and had been sitting on a beach (a salt-water beach) for decades. If any parasites were in there, I would think they would have succumbed to the elements a long time ago, having no access to a host.


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## Lamplighter (Aug 3, 2012)

There's copper in most plant foods but I suppose it depends on the concentrations. Copper of course is a snail killer and some fish can't tolerate copper. Way back when copper sulfate was used to kill parasites and other organisms. I've emptied my piggy bank many times to produce a copper sulfate solution. Copper sulfate will also kill plants or weeds and it's a herbicide.

I think its possible for the wood to absorb the Cupramine. The thing is that it does not matter what I think or anyone else for that matter. You need PROOF. The only way that you'll know with reasonable certainty whether the wood absorbed the product would be for you to remove the wood and treat the tank. Run the test to see what results you get.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Is it possible that the copper ion has been converted to something else or used up during the process of combating the parasite or whatever illness there was?


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## waterbox (Nov 26, 2011)

@ Rookie

It's possible, but it only seemed to take about 9 hours for the Copper to be converted or absorbed, and I don't have any of the processes (charcoal filtration, UV sterilization) going on in the tank that are warned against on the bottle's label. I would assume that they're going to warn against doing any of the common aquarium practices that could neutralize the medication.

Also, I don't think copper works that quickly. I have to maintain a certain concentration of the chemical in the water for two weeks.


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## waterbox (Nov 26, 2011)

*A Silver Lining*

Okay, so I've now moved on to stage two, which involved raising the concentration of copper in the water to .25ppm. This has involved a bit of trial and error dosing while keeping a close eye on the levels with a copper testing kit.

So far, I haven't lost any fish.

But as a surprise bonus, a fairly heavy infestation of green hair algae which I've been battling for weeks completely disappeared overnight.

Unfortunately, all my higher plants are probably next. But I have to do something about this parasite; it must be awful for the poor fish.

Wish me luck.


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