another fish quarantine question

[Bos]

So there are two schools of thoughts on quarantine
1) QT and watch then treat as required
2) QT and treat from day 1 even if they look healthy, eat well etc

Although quarantining doesn't guarantee anything especially against ick, is one of the theories behind qt to stress the fish out slightly (its usually in a smaller tank, no real place to hide, reflections everywhere) to see if it has ick so that you can treat it?

is this correct info?
-a fish can live with ick in its system but shows no sign since its immune system is good, it takes a stressor to 'reactivate' the ick.

-If you QT a fish and for some unlucky reason the fish loves the QT, it could show zero signs for the entire QT period but once introduced into the DT, it could be stressed for whatever reason....(large powder tang picking on it etc) and breakout.

By the way, I'm not discounting QT, I will QT my fish too

 

[Murica]

I can already hear the arguments starting.. But I've never quarantined fish. I keep the tank healthy and buy from reliable sources. The only fish I've bought from an unreliable source had a hypo resistant strain of flukes.. Two fish died, one from the flukes and another was a wrasse because they're sensitive to prazi. I'll never buy from there again but I've been disease free since. Key is, as stated, to make sure the tank stays healthy.

Yes I know qt is probably the best option out there, but there's more than one way to do things. As long as you become good and knowledgeable with a certain method, there's nothing wrong with doing things your own way. You just have to keep up with whatever you have to do to keep everything healthy, as soon as you slack, things can go wrong

 

[starypotter]

I don't think there's any current theories about using QT to intentionally stress a fish. Quite the opposite really, you want it to get used to living life in a tank. A lot of the times fish were captured from the ocean, shipped all over from bag to tank to bag and now they're in your system, they're already stressed you don't want to add more to that. That's why many times people will cover up tank walls with paper or paint them, that's why you make sure you add PVC in there for them to hide. They need to recuperate after all of that stress so it should be calming, get them eating again, get them used to things, get their weight up if needed and once they will eat well then you may treat. If a fish shows disease you may want to start treatment right away, but if there's no signs of disease it's usually good to get them eating before you do any treatments.

Also there's a lot more that you're QTing for other than ich, a lot more deadly things, velvet, bacterial infections, intestinal worms, many of these things could be present even without presenting. Things that can and have wiped out entire tanks in a matter of days. I guess overall my impression from your post is that you seem to be thinking of QT as a place to look for ich, not any of the other things that are rampant in some of the supply lines.

As for your understanding yes, a fish could live with it in it's system for a while, stress could cause it to crop up for some and not others. Something that would stress a sensitive wild caught tang might not stress a clownfish raised in captivity. That is one of the reasons why it's good to treat before going into the DT because if a stressful event happens in there it's a lot harder to catch, treat, and run fallow than if you were to treat from the start.

 

[4FordFamily]

By the time you realize you have a sick fish, it can be too late— particularly with the plethora of nasty bacterial infections that are everywhere right now. I agree with the previous post.

 

[4FordFamily]

Here’s a wonderful thread on ich management versus ich eradication.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/ich-eradication-vs-ich-management.188775/

 

[davocean]

I agree no need for stress.
I would only treat if needed.

The other advantage to QT is when you get very shy fish it's a good way to get them eating w/out competition or fear of other fish.

Things like uronema are difficult to see in beginning stages regardless of how good of an eye you think you have

 

[Bos]

......

Also there's a lot more that you're QTing for other than ich, a lot more deadly things, velvet, bacterial infections, intestinal worms, many of these things could be present even without presenting. Things that can and have wiped out entire tanks in a matter of days. I guess overall my impression from your post is that you seem to be thinking of QT as a place to look for ich, not any of the other things that are rampant in some of the supply lines.

True, Velvet and Ich are the most common things people seem to talk about on forums. I do RODI freshwater dips too, to reduce/kill Fluke.
For both Velvet and Ich, copper based treatment is the only way to go, what about Intestinal worms? Should I do the Praziquantel dose with the Copper?

 

[davocean]

I can already hear the arguments starting..

Well, I guess this very first line out the gate would be intro of an argument against it! lol

Fortunately that's not the question being asked, whether to qt or not, but how to do it properly, so hopefully no reason for arguments.

 

[starypotter]

True, Velvet and Ich are the most common things people seem to talk about on forums. I do RODI freshwater dips too, to reduce/kill Fluke.
For both Velvet and Ich, copper based treatment is the only way to go, what about Intestinal worms? Should I do the Praziquantel dose with the Copper?

Others will be able to help you about the actual execution of which medications, when, and how a lot better than I could. 4Ford from above could help with that and here is a good resource to use as well.
An overview- https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/how-to-quarantine.189815/
Compatibility of medications- https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/medication-compatibility-guide.313491/
Another helpful guide- https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-dos-and-don’ts-of-quarantine.203898/

 

[Murica]

Well, I guess this very first line out the gate would be intro of an argument against it! lol

Fortunately that's not the question being asked, whether to qt or not, but how to do it properly, so hopefully no reason for arguments.

The portion under is this correct info, I was saying as long as you keep your fish healthy it'll prevent a lot of problems. A fish can live with ich.

 

[squampton]

I go with quarantine for all fish. Its not difficult allows me to make sure the fish is eating and doing okay and if it does end up ill can easily be treated.

Public aquariums qt for a reason and I find its best to qt at home.

I live in a 500sq foot apt so its doable with a small space.

 

[Skep18]

Although quarantining doesn't guarantee anything especially against ick,

While nothing is guaranteed in this hobby, I feel like this is a misguided statement. Ich and others of its like are parasites, not magic. They have a well understood lifecycle and can absolutely undergo prophylactic treatment to provide a very high liklihood of not making it into your tank.

This isn't to say anyone is wrong for not QT'ing fish (at least IMO) but I just don't want others to misunderstand the situation which might persuade them to decide to not QT their fish.