Becca
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Yesterday I noticed fish acting strangely in a tank that's been unchanged (other than partial water changes) for at least a month. Nothing new added, nothing taken out, not much fiddling in the tank other than to steal a few snails for a puffer on occasion. Upon looking a little closer I saw what looked like Velvet. As I often do when things seem off or I suspect illness, I did a water change and used Prime. Not long after I dosed the tank with the standard treatment for Velvet... Cupramine.
Some of you who know your chemistry know exactly what I did, some of you who don't are probably going "seems like a sensible approach." I'm not very good at chemistry, and had forgotten a key bit of knowledge that I knew but didn't think of at 9pm with two kids refusing to go to bed, a tank that had gone from looking stellar to godawful in about 24 hours (I check this tank daily with a flashlight because I have a pair of plecos in there that are about due to spawn).
You see, when you mix Cupramine and Prime (or Stress Guard, or other reducing agents), it turns into a much less stable and more toxic form of copper.
It got me thinking about medications and whether it would help to have a sticky in this section that lists what medications get used for various ailments, which can be mixed, and which should never be mixed with other meds and/or common tank additives.
Some of you who know your chemistry know exactly what I did, some of you who don't are probably going "seems like a sensible approach." I'm not very good at chemistry, and had forgotten a key bit of knowledge that I knew but didn't think of at 9pm with two kids refusing to go to bed, a tank that had gone from looking stellar to godawful in about 24 hours (I check this tank daily with a flashlight because I have a pair of plecos in there that are about due to spawn).
You see, when you mix Cupramine and Prime (or Stress Guard, or other reducing agents), it turns into a much less stable and more toxic form of copper.
It got me thinking about medications and whether it would help to have a sticky in this section that lists what medications get used for various ailments, which can be mixed, and which should never be mixed with other meds and/or common tank additives.