meds in Q.T.?...

[Congaken]

I have a little chalk basslet in QT for a couple of days now...he seems very normal, active, eating cyclops and mysis , adjusted to the light...all good...Would you think that prophylactic meds are a good idea, or just keep observing him...I have Paraguard, Rally, etc. but am reluctant to use it...he is in 1.21 salinity to make him more comfortable and help his immune system...no inverts and all seems fine...opinions please...

 

[CodyRVA]

I would give it more time. I don't personally see the point in medicating a fish if it's not showing any signs of ailment, but again that's just me. I especially wouldn't medicate if it's been in QT for weeks with no issues. Give it more time, it might reveal something needing treatment, then you can target the symptoms and choose the proper medication or; it may be a healthy fish. Time will tell!

 

[Humblefish]

There are two diseases - ich & flukes - which can harbor in the gills out of sight. However, you should still notice behavioral symptoms (rubbing, flashing, head twitching, heavy breathing) if either are present. Being in a "stressful environment" such as QT is actually a good thing for those who wish to just observe, as that makes it more likely to bring out symptoms of a disease. See what I just did there?

Of course, those who do not have time to sit in front of their QT every day to observe for symptoms would do best to just prophylactically treat. You can easily eliminate flukes by using Prazipro 2x - 7 days apart. Do a 25% WC before administering the second dose.

Prophylactically treating for ich is a bit more complicated; most people opt to use copper for 30 days. However, being a chalk basslet is so small you could probably use just a couple of 5 gal buckets to do TTM: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/tank-transfer-method.192655/