10 replies to this topic

[Substratum]

Hi all.

 

I've got a bit of an outbreak of snails and am looking at going down the path of using copper sulphate.

 

I've read that it can be a bit nasty on fish and that careful dosing is needed.

 

I've got three questions.

 

1: Has anyone had experience with dosing copper sulphate with L-Series catfish and Whiptails?

 

2: Is it a better idea to remove the fish and then dose the crap out of the tank?

 

3: Does copper sulphate kill the bacteria in my media filters?

 

thanks in advance.

 

Nic.

[Westie]

Catfish and loaches are two fish I would be worried about when using meds
If you have a spare tank, I would put the catfish in that tank, then nuke the snail affected tank
keep in mind that when killing all the snails, your water will be dirty and need some extra water changes

[Substratum]

I was afraid that would be the answer....

 

I have got lots of L-Series in this tank and they will be fun to catch.

 

How long does it take to kill the snails?

[humbug]

I have a real aversion to using any copper based products in any of my tanks. 

Do you have plants in the tank?  I have heard, but not tried it myself, that high levels of salt will knock out snails without adversely affecting your filter.  Obviously you would have to remove all fish and plants, but the idea is to pour enough table salt into the tank to get a saturated solution, then leave for 24 hours with filter running.  Then do a 100% water change or two to remove most of the salt.  A small amount of salt left in the tank won't harm your fish and is probably better than copper residue. 

As I say - I've not tried it personally, but it may be an option to consider.

[living1978]

Mate.

 

Just use KUSURI... it will 100% kill your snails...

[Substratum]

Do I apply this straight to the tank water with everything in it?

[bigjohnnofish]

Mate.

 

Just use KUSURI... it will 100% kill your snails...

 

and it will burn the crap out of your stingrays although it says stingray safe on the packet.... not a fan of kusuri - lost pair of nice rays because i read the label first... 

not a fan of using copper based meds either... tends to kill more than the targetted species.... 

 

im assuming its a cone snail breakout?  

 

salt is an option i'd be happy with but need another tank where you can house your fish in the mean time....

 

cone snails are near on impossible to get rid of without starting afresh... just bait them to some food and scoop them out to reduce their numbers... 

[Substratum]

no stingrays. .. and yep it is the pointy snails. too hard to start afresh. would rather try my luck with needs meds and risk 1.5k of l series

[Buccal]

Agree with living 1978,,,,, also with Johnno, but now Kusuri I'm sure has changed the directions based on stingray compatibility.
Just half dose it and go from there, the snails should easily be effected.
Kusuri is a very effective treatment against many types of disease as what it's designed for.
It's a shame I've been restricted to Kusuri in nearly all cases as stingrays are present in my settings (centrifugal sump system).
Discus keeping became a whole lot easier since this stuff came out,, Definetely kiss that waisting goodbye.
And feel more confident about spending big bux on quality discus.

[bigjohnnofish]

rather try my luck with needs meds and risk 1.5k of l series

 

depending on how poor/rich you are - 1.5k worth of l's is nothing.... obviously dont have anything rare... if you did you'd never risk killing snails and losing fish you'd prob never get again in a hurry... sounds like a stupid risk to me... regardless rich or poor.... 

 

if you want to get rid of them that bad it'd be cheaper to buy another identical tank and cycle some new filters and do a complete change over, sell your old tank and filters... and job done....

[Gav79]

Borrow some Clown or Pakistani loaches for a few days, they'll sort them problem. I agree with Johnno... bait them over time as it wouldn't be worth the risk of losing your L numbers over some snails. Either that or you can sell the L numbers to me and ill take some snails to help out haha....