When buying fish from fellow hobbyists or from display tanks from LFSes where copper is not being used and no obvious signs of disease, would a 4 week observation only QT be sufficient for all diseases to be manifest?
Obervation Only QT
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Not necessarily. Many symptoms of disease can be subtle, and it's not practical to spend 24x7 in front of the QT watching for signs of disease. Realistically, an observation-only QT would be closer to 10-12 weeks to minimize the risk the fish is disease-free. The reality is that most of the fish we purchase are carrying some form of parasite, as the parasite-host relationship in the wild is much different (i.e. causing fewer mortalities) than that in the aquarium. That's why it is more practical to implement some form of prophylaxis when it comes to disease (TTM, prazi etc.)
Whether or not to prophylactically treat has more to do with YOU than the FISH.
Are you an overly observant person? Will you notice little things like elevated breathing, head twitching, yawning, etc. which necessitates further investigation/treatment? Do you have 15-20 minutes every single day to sit in front of your QT to watch for scratching, flashing, swimming into the flow of a powerhead, etc. etc.? If so, passive observation might just work for you.
However, if you are always on the go, busy/hectic schedule or just don't notice the little things; then as suggested above, it would be wise to implement some form of prophylaxis when it comes to diseases.
Are you an overly observant person? Will you notice little things like elevated breathing, head twitching, yawning, etc. which necessitates further investigation/treatment? Do you have 15-20 minutes every single day to sit in front of your QT to watch for scratching, flashing, swimming into the flow of a powerhead, etc. etc.? If so, passive observation might just work for you.
However, if you are always on the go, busy/hectic schedule or just don't notice the little things; then as suggested above, it would be wise to implement some form of prophylaxis when it comes to diseases.
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puffy127
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I definitely do prophylaxis when purchasing from LFS or online. My question was to see if anything should be done differently if well established fish are coming from copper-free systems with no apparent diseases. The quick killers (velvet, brook, uronema) would most likely be ruled out, leaving just ich and flukes, correct? More akin to the observation period after prophylaxis. Especially if they stated they were already treated with prazi and copper. I definitely would not plop them straight into the DT, but was wondering if these fish should be handled any differently.
The challenge is that fish can be carriers of disease without showing symptoms (subclinical infection). Personally, I would put any new acquisition through my standard QT protocol (TTM + prazi + observation) before introducing to the DT. It all comes down to your level of risk aversion.
