Another Copper Treatment Question! Adding new fish to QT already under treatment?

[mandyplo]

So I was under the impression that the reason you slowly bring the copper concentration in your tank up to 0.5g/L, in 2 doses over 48 hours is to slowly acclimate your fish to the poison.

Others are telling me you can add new fish to your quarantine tank which is already at 0.5g/L of copper at any time.

My assumption was that I would have to finish this 4 week copper treatment on my current 3 fish, and when I transfer them back to my display tank I could remove the copper from the water with carbon filtration, and start a new treatment with new fish from square 1.

Do I have to start at square 1 with new fish? Or can I add new fish to my QT tank which is already at 0.5g/L copper, and leave that new fish in there for 4 weeks, even if my other fish are already 2 weeks into their treatment...

Thanks hoping someone can provide clarification.

[howdy20012002]

I personally have my quarantine tanks all at around the .5 level and add fish to them constantly with little loss.
I do lose some fish, but lose is expected and usual when bringing over boxes of fish from overeseas so it is hard to know what exactly was the cause of death.
I certainly do not have more losses now by adding them directly into the systems that are at .5 than previously when I only treated when I noticed signs of disease.
This being said, it also depends on the fish.....some fish have less tolerance.
What you could do is drop the level a bit lower - say .30 - .35 this will be less hard on the fish.
At the same, as far I understand it, will still be sufficient enough to defeat ich and marine velvet.
I believe that cupramine is typically considered effective at the .25 mark, they just have the .5 to ensure that you have a safety parameters on either side.
hope this helps
good luck
Neal