snails and coppersafe

Question
I only have one loach and 4 snails, so I went on and moved them out and treated the tank. I had already done this prior to my last email.

Unfortunately, I used to have 2 black mollies. The first died I think because I changed too much water at a time. I think the ick got my second one - I slept over at my grandparents house last night and he was dead when I got home today.

So my only problem now is getting rid of the copper - I think carbon and water changes are the best answer.

Are black mollies generally weaker fish than some of the others? I have 2 red wag platys and 5 neon tetras and they all seem healthy through the whole affair.

Thank you very much,
Michael Salley

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Followup To
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! I'm really sorry to hear about your poor mollies! :(

You might be able to keep the Kuhlis and Snails together in a bowl--if it's at least one gallon--provided you do daily 50% or more water changes...Preferably more. Water in a bowl will get very polluted with ammonia in a day or so so daily water changes are a must. You must watch your loaches to be sure they don't develop ich themselves and if they do, I guess the best thing would be for you to move them back to your current ten gallon. Loaches and snails living in a bowl is risky, it may not work out...
But all medication is very hard on fish--especially scaleless fish like your loaches. The best thing to do is water changes--daily that is!

I'm pretty sure you can buy copper testing kits for your tank water but i've never tried them myself, honestly. As you probably know the best ways to get rid of the copper is with large water changes of 50% or more--maybe twice or so in a week... Carbon should also remove some of the medication.

Bettas live peacefully with snails, he may pick at the snail for a while then figure out it's not anything too much interesting and should leave him alone.

Question 5 depends on what the label says, if it warns against using it with Scaleless fish (your Kuhlis!) then sometimes you can do a half dose and it will be safe but then sometimes medication will really injure scaleless fish and they should be removed. Invertrebrates include Snails, shrimp, and other critters like that. Loaches, however shouldn't be under this catergory, they are fish with backbones...

Anyway, follow the directions closely on your coppersafe. Any medication is extremely hard and stressful on fish and you should try to do water changes every 2-3 days or so to help keep the stress level to a minimum, but you may still lose some fish. :(

I hope this helps! Again, I am so sorry to hear about your ill fish! I really hope they get better and if you have anymore questions, feel free to email me.

Wish you the best!

Happy fishkeeping!
Karen~


Answer
Hi Michael,
I'm really sorry to hear about your mollies... It's really sad to lose a fish. I think of them as just as important creatures as dogs or cats and when they pass, I feel really sorry and miss them. You can't always prevent all illnesses in aquarium fish, sometimes with the best of care, something can go wrong... But as you know, the chances of this happening is quite rare with excellent care and water quality.

Mollies are known to be somewhat sensitive to their water quality...And are prone to a variety of fish diseases if their needs are not met. It is said that if your water has a high pH (like 7.8 or higher) mollies don't require salt in their water for good health. However if your pH is lower than that, adding some rock salt or Aquarium salt will really help them out and keep them thriving. A good stable water temperature of 75-80 is nice, but they have been known to live in irrigation ditches with a temperature as low as 64F. A good quality diet of flakes with plenty of vegetable matter will keep them satisified, along with brine shrimp and other supplemental foods. Don't feel too bad about this all, mollies are known to be not as easy to keep as everyone thinks. Remember with the greatest of care, the usual lifespan of black mollies is only about three years... Unfortunately perhaps it's all the hybridizidation and inbreeding that weakens the black molly like many other species.
And Yes, carbon and water changes are the absolute way to go with removing coppersafe!

Again, I am SO SORRY you lost your mollies. Don't get me wrong, I love mollies, they are beautiful fish but with quite specific requirements to be healthy.

Take care, If you have further questions, feel free to email me...
Happy fishkeeping!
Karen~