Another QT question....

[Stew18]

Sorry to keep asking questions I'm just trying to get the hang of it.....

I have a QT tank and it was started due to ich in my tank. I am going treat with copper soon.

My question is.....

If I buy a fish from my LFS and know that it is quarantined and they use copper for a month do I still need to do the same thing when I bring the fish home? I am personal friends with the salt water guy at the fish store.

Again thanks for your help

 

[melypr1985]

I would never trust the QT procedures of a LFS (i even work at one) We do our best there, but who's to say that the copper level didn't drop below the .35 ppm that it needs to be at for the full 30 days? I would - at a minimum- QT and observe for a few weeks and decide if additional treatment is needed at that point.

better safe than sorry right?

 

[Flashy Fins]

You should treat ALL store fish as if they have not been quarantined in any way. Stores have livestock coming in on a regular basis and usually share plumbing between tanks, which means disease makes its way in on a regular basis. Even with copper in the tanks, new additions are problematic for true quarantine.

If a store existed that did isolate certain fish for thorough QT, I still wouldn't trust it, because who knows how many times their hands, fish nets, and other tools touched infected water, then went into the QT tank?

When it comes to QT, trust only what you do yourself.

 

[Stew18]

Ok I understand thank you

another question - If I am in the middle of quarantining (say one or 2 weeks in) Is it ok to add fish to QT in the middle of the treatment?

 

[Duke4Life]

Ok I understand thank you

another question - If I am in the middle of quarantining (say one or 2 weeks in) Is it ok to add fish to QT in the middle of the treatment?

If you do then the timeline starts all over is the only big downside.

 

[melypr1985]

^^ true. Plus you run the risk of bringing in new parasites and introducing them to the fish that are already being treated. There is also the possibility of introducing the same parasite, but a different more difficult strain. It's best to treat one batch of fish at a time.

 

[Stew18]

thank you

 

[Stew18]

Can a mandarin get ich? I heard not? How well do Mandarin's do in a QT?

 

[melypr1985]

Can a mandarin get ich? I heard not? How well do Mandarin's do in a QT?

Yes it can. If the infestation is bad enough it can overcome the thick slime coat a mandarin has and become quite a problem. I personally have seen it happen. For the most part though, a mandarin has a certain level of protection from it. If you need to treat one, I would utilize TTM and either hope it eats frozen or buy a supply of pods (kept separately from your display) and feed those to it during treatment and the fallow period.

 

[Stew18]

Meredith,

So a mandarin should be QT'd the same way as other fish?

 

[Flashy Fins]

Mandarins are less prone, but they can definitely bring in disease. I once had a mandarin bring in brooklynella and lost all my fish in a matter of days. Not fun! Never skipping QT on a mandarin again.

Use the QT time to train the mandarin onto prepared foods. Just have plenty of pods available while training, as it can take a while. Tisbe copepods are the specific species you want, and they are easily cultured.

 

[melypr1985]

Meredith,

So a mandarin should be QT'd the same way as other fish?

Mandarins are less prone, but they can definitely bring in disease. I once had a mandarin bring in brooklynella and lost all my fish in a matter of days. Not fun! Never skipping QT on a mandarin again.

Use the QT time to train the mandarin onto prepared foods. Just have plenty of pods available while training, as it can take a while. Tisbe copepods are the specific species you want, and they are easily cultured.

What Flasyfins said ^^^

Yes always QT every fish.... even a mandarin. Keeping a culture of pods in a little 2.5 or 5.5 gallon tank is really easy to do and will save you money on purchasing them all the time. Attempting to train them to eat frozen is a big bonus if you can do it.