Snails and Coppersafe

Question
I have a 10 gallon aquarium with filter, etc. and no other systems other than a few unfiltered unheated goldfish bowls. One of my black mollies got ick. So I went to petsmart, described the problem, they said it was ick, and sold me some Coppersafe. Not knowing any more about it than I did, I bought it. After I got home, I read on the bottle that it said it was not safe for use with snails and invertebrates. Before treatment, I moved my snails and kuhlii loach (because i didn't know if it was an invertebrate or not) into a goldfish bowl which I know can't be too good for them. The Coppersafe also says it is good for up to a month and is in fact so stable in water that you have to do partial water changes to remove it. I need to know a few things.

1. Are my snails and loach okay in the goldfish bowl for a month?

2. How do I tell when the coppersafe is completely out of my tank.

3. How long do I have to wait before the deadly effect on the snails is canceled?

4. Will a male betta in a small bowl kill a snail if I move them in with him?

5. Is a kuhlii loach susceptible to copper poisoning or whatever it is like the snails?

Please advise - I'm worried about my poor fish.

Michael Salley
michaelsalley@bellsouth.net

Answer
Hi Michael;

The first thing we should establish is if your molly does have ick. It is often mistaken for other things. Ick looks like tiny little salt specks. If the spots look more like blotches or patches, it isn't ick. Mollies need very clean water to live in so they often develop problems like white patches and fungus if water changes aren't made every week. The other thing too is that every fish in the tank was exposed to ick (if that's what it is.) Even if they don't have spots they should be treated. The ick spores are in the water of the tank before they attach to the fish.

The loach is fine with the coppersafe. He is a fish like your others. Invertebrates are snails, shrimp, lobsters, slugs, starfish, anemones, etc. They wear their skeletons on the outside, if they have one at all. Just keep the snails out of there until you have made 5 partial water changes. Make one every week of 25%. That's what all tanks need as regular maintenance. Coppersafe in tiny amounts isn't going to hurt them. Especially since you will continue to make water changes and reduce the amounts of it in the water as time goes by. There is a test for copper at local fish stores, but not all of them carry it. If the store has a copper test in their store-use kit, see if they will just do one test for you. Make sure they know how to read the results. Copper tests are a little different than the others.

The snails will be fine in the goldfish bowl for as long as you need them to be there. Just keep it covered. Sometimes they go for little "walks" and dry up on the floor. Change all the water in the snail bowl at least once a week. Give them pieces of romaine lettuce, green peas, squash, cucumber or green beans to chew on too. Snails don't get ick and after being alone for a couple of weeks or more they shouldn't carry it back to the fish. It needs a host or the ick spores die. Sometimes bettas bite the antennas off of snails. Especially if the tank is small. I think they better off separated.

Your mollies need the "green foods" I suggested for the snail too. It is a necessary part of their diet. Even better is spirulina. They do well on the unique nutrients spirulina provides. Ask for it at your local fish store.

Hope your fish feels better soon....

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins