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How do you know how much citrated copper is in your system? You'll need to get a good
test kit in order to measure the level. Personally I advise the powdered reagent kits over tablet or dipstick based kits, as they are far more accurate. (I have checked many a test it
against atomic absorption readings, and many are consistently are off, especially when testing marine water).
In the beginning, you may find it difficult to maintain a 0.15 PPM level due to the calcareous material in the system. This is to be expected as the carbonate reacts with the copper,
forming copper carbonate. At first, you will need to check the level twice a day, and add
copper as needed to maintain the 0.15 PPM level. Once you get two consecutive readings of
0.15 PPM, you can consider that day one, and you can begin monitoring the level once a
day, adding copper as needed.
You will want to continue this regime for 14 days. During this treatment period, you will
also want to feed the fish an antibacterial medicated food. Doing so does help the fish fight
off systemic bacterial problems since the copper treatment does tend to compromise the
immune system to a degree. After 14 days, do a 50% water change (to bring the copper level
down), and wait 24 hours after that before adding the fish to your established tank.
As with freshwater fishes, if obvious signs of any other diseases show up, treat with the correct proprietary medication for the appropriate period of time. For copper sensitive species,
you can use malachite green at 0.10 PPM (which ends up being 8 drops of a 0.75% solution
per 10 gallons). Treat every other day for three treatments, wait two days, and repeat. As
always, monitor water quality and take appropriate action if it degrades. Please note that this
treatment is NOT as effective as copper, and will not result in the same kill rate of parasites.
There are other non-copper based medications that can be used (such as chloroquine phosphate, pyrimethamine,quinacrine and other proprietary medications. In my experiences with
them, most are FAR less effective than is copper, and should be used only as a last resort.
Also note that I have not mentioned the use of formalin as a viable treatment. There are
MANY chemotherapeutic mixtures that contain formalin. However, IMO and IME, formalin
should NEVER be used as part of a mixture. If one is to use it (and there is no reason why
one should), it should be dosed separately, and at its correct therapeutic dose. The fact that,
if dosed incorrectly, you can kill your fish quickly and that it can be injurious if gotten into
ones eyes is reason enough to stay away from formalin.