How do you know if your fish are disease free?

[c147258]

I have a smaller tank two clownfishes, one lawnmower blenny, and one firefish. I’ve had them for over two months none of them appear to be sick. I did not quarantine them.

I am thinking about introducing them to my display tank. However, I want to be sure they are disease-free.

Can I be sure? I know some people who have observe their fish for a minimum of six weeks. they do not proactively treat them with copper or prazi.

I think I’m pretty much doing the same thing.

 

[HotRocks]

Well all of the fish you listed are very parasite (ich/velvet) resistant fish. So they could be carrying it asymptomatically.

You could do Molly test. Get a FW black Molly. Convert to SW and place with your fish. If there are parasites present the Molly will get "hit".

 

[Reefahholic]

I have a smaller tank two clownfishes, one lawnmower blenny, and one firefish. I’ve had them for over two months none of them appear to be sick. I did not quarantine them.

I am thinking about introducing them to my display tank. However, I want to be sure they are disease-free.

Can I be sure? I know some people who have observe their fish for a minimum of six weeks. they do not proactively treat them with copper or prazi.

I think I’m pretty much doing the same thing.

Sometimes it's really hard to say bother. It really depends on where the fish came from, the condition the fish are in, if they were fed well, previously been treated, etc. Multiple things honestly.

A lot of medications will mask the symptoms for weeks! If you've had them for over two months I think you'll likely be OK for the most part.

The only caveat is that if you haven't really studied the fish daily under really bright lighting and watched for visual symptoms or any different behavior....what you may believe are perfectly healthy fish may indeed be carriers of ich or other things that could potentially cause issues down the road. I've seen fish with ich only break out in maybe 1-2 spots and if you weren't really looking for it...you would probably never know.

I'd personally put them through TTM at the very least and if you're doing that you might as well hit them with a little copper.

 

[Acroporaaddict]

Well all of the fish you listed are very parasite (ich/velvet) resistant fish. So they could be carrying it asymptomatically.

You could do Molly test. Get a FW black Molly. Convert to SW and place with your fish. If there are parasites present the Molly will get "hit".

How long before I should expect the Molly to get hit. I lost my fish to what I believe was velvet. I was also dealing with dinoflagellates at the same time. I've been fallow for a little over a month, but had a slight algae out break and added a Molly to graze. It's been a few days and no sign of sickness. The tank is barebottom and I'm now running UV. Could the velvet, if that's what I had be gone already?

 

[c147258]

Sometimes it's really hard to say bother. It really depends on where the fish came from, the condition the fish are in, if they were fed well, previously been treated, etc. Multiple things honestly.

A lot of medications will mask the symptoms for weeks! If you've had them for over two months I think you'll likely be OK for the most part.

The only caveat is that if you haven't really studied the fish daily under really bright lighting and watched for visual symptoms or any different behavior....what you may believe are perfectly healthy fish may indeed be carriers of ich or other things that could potentially cause issues down the road. I've seen fish with ich only break out in maybe 1-2 spots and if you weren't really looking for it...you would probably never know.

I'd personally put them through TTM at the very least and if you're doing that you might as well hit them with a little copper.

If I am to put them into copper and they are indeed carriers of velvet or ich, will symptoms ALWAYS show under the first dose of Cupramine?

 

[KMench]

They won’t show symptoms in the copper
Treatment if they aren’t showing symptoms now. But they could be carriers as stated above. You may never have a problem or you may immediately have a problem. Copper is meant to break the life cycle of the parasite (ich or velvet) and must be done for 14 days at a minimum followed by a transfer to a clean tank.

 

[Reefahholic]

If I am to put them into copper and they are indeed carriers of velvet or ich, will symptoms ALWAYS show under the first dose of Cupramine?

If you dose copper it will likely mask the symptoms. You stated above that you want to be sure. If you want to be sure, it's better to prophylactic treat the fish so that you CAN be sure.

There is not a fish that goes into my tank that I don't prophetically treat. You need to treat internally too. Intestinal worms don't typically scare people that much, but they can cause your pet a lot of issues down the road.

This fish I scoped in this picture really had no visual symptoms. Yet look what was inside the intestinal track. I've been treating "every" fish internally since that day.

[URL=http://s48.photobucket.com/user/JaredJHarms/media/General%20Reefing/3C6665B1-3F0F-45FD-A8EC-069584EA8DA3_zpsvgcnv5bc.jpg.html][/URL]

 

[c147258]

If you dose copper it will likely mask the symptoms. You stated above that you want to be sure. If you want to be sure, it's better to prophylactic treat the fish so that you CAN be sure.

There is not a fish that goes into my tank that I don't prophetically treat. You need to treat internally too. Intestinal worms don't typically scare people that much, but they can cause your pet a lot of issues down the road.

This fish I scoped in this picture really had no visual symptoms. Yet look what was inside the intestinal track. I've been treating "every" fish internally since that day.

[URL=http://s48.photobucket.com/user/JaredJHarms/media/General%20Reefing/3C6665B1-3F0F-45FD-A8EC-069584EA8DA3_zpsvgcnv5bc.jpg.html][/URL]

Prazi Pro?

 

[Reefahholic]

Prazi Pro?

I like API General Cure.

 

[User]

I like API General Cure.

At least tell the new guy why!

GC contains both praziquantel and metronidazole.

2 for 1, broader spectrum treatment

 

[Reefahholic]

At least tell the new guy why!

GC contains both praziquantel and metronidazole.

2 for 1, broader spectrum treatment

That is correct sir!

 

[Halal Hotdog]

Any new fish I acquire I treat if they are sick (if they present with symptoms or not). Humblefish is a great resource on this forum, and messages I have exchanged with him have changed how I treat fish. Cholorquine phosphate is a wonder drug in my book. There is only a few fish that cannot tolerate it (anthias, wrasses and hippo tang), there might be more but I am not aware of them. I have never had a fatality due to CP. I try to avoid fish that cannot tolerate CP, do not enjoy using copper. It is less harmful to the fish that can tolerate it compared to copper. Based on the life cycle of cryptocaryon you can clear it with 2 weeks of treatment. Amyloodinium ocellatum even less time. You can also use it with hydrosulfite or API General Cure. GC should not be combined with a hydrosulfite. Most important thing about CP is making sure you get pharmaceutical grade.

If down the road you discover you do have a parasite in your DT then it is a nightmare to try to clear it. It seems you already have the fish isolated, great time to treat before introducing into DT. I treat every fish that goes in my DT.

 

[c147258]

Any new fish I acquire I treat if they are sick (if they present with symptoms or not). Humblefish is a great resource on this forum, and messages I have exchanged with him have changed how I treat fish. Cholorquine phosphate is a wonder drug in my book. There is only a few fish that cannot tolerate it (anthias, wrasses and hippo tang), there might be more but I am not aware of them. I have never had a fatality due to CP. I try to avoid fish that cannot tolerate CP, do not enjoy using copper. It is less harmful to the fish that can tolerate it compared to copper. Based on the life cycle of cryptocaryon you can clear it with 2 weeks of treatment. Amyloodinium ocellatum even less time. You can also use it with hydrosulfite or API General Cure. GC should not be combined with a hydrosulfite. Most important thing about CP is making sure you get pharmaceutical grade.

If down the road you discover you do have a parasite in your DT then it is a nightmare to try to clear it. It seems you already have the fish isolated, great time to treat before introducing into DT. I treat every fish that goes in my DT.

I guess that's an over the counter drug you can easily get?


I am wondering what your dosage is.

 

[Halal Hotdog]

In the United States you require a Rx. Other countries it is available OTC. It is used to treat malaria in humans. A veterinarian can write you a Rx for your fish. The only time I have read CP not working is when purchased from eBay or similar vendor. I believe the dosage was 40mg/gallon. Humblefish has a great thread on how to use it effectively. Would recommend looking at that before attempting, but it is relatively very easy to use. I wouldn't buy a fish without it.