This outlines my QT protocol: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/how-to-quarantine.189815/
Prazipro OR Copper? What do you use and why
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JVH
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JVH
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Thanks humblefish! I read this before and it is very through!
well you are smart for being scared to do it. really need to know the fish and their tolerances.
butterflies, tangs, wrasses, angels etc can tolerate it.
id be hesitant with a mandarin.
just fill a bucket from the faucet. have a pale of mixed salt water from the tap also handy.
drop fish in.
watch him pass out. looks like you killed him!
he will come too after a couple minutes and gasp at the top of the water.
at this point SLOWLY take your salt water and feed it in to the fresh water bucket. like over the course of a couple minutes.
once that is done, keep him there for a few. he is still at half salinity of your original salt water.
then you can either drop him in the DT or slowly bring it up to your DT's salinity.
little word of caution. it doesnt solve cysts lodged deep in a fish. you could wait a couple weeks and see he got ich.
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Just to add; those who have an aversion to using chemicals/meds on fish should really look into tank transfer method: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/tank-transfer-method.192655/
TTM is a chemical-free solution to ich, and IMO much more effective than hypo.
You also have the option of just passively observing in QT; not using any meds until symptoms present themselves. You can even do this in a miniature version of your DT or a frag tank, so long as you have another tank to use in case the fish requires treatment. While there is the possibility that ich or flukes could slip thru passive observation due to their tendency to harbor in the gills, you would at least be protecting your DT from the #1 fish killer in this hobby - velvet - because that almost always shows itself in 2-3 weeks.
TTM is a chemical-free solution to ich, and IMO much more effective than hypo.
You also have the option of just passively observing in QT; not using any meds until symptoms present themselves. You can even do this in a miniature version of your DT or a frag tank, so long as you have another tank to use in case the fish requires treatment. While there is the possibility that ich or flukes could slip thru passive observation due to their tendency to harbor in the gills, you would at least be protecting your DT from the #1 fish killer in this hobby - velvet - because that almost always shows itself in 2-3 weeks.
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JVH
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I was wondering how long to observe if I'm not using meds.. I know Ick would need to be a long time if that was present but other type of worms I was hoping 3 to 4 weeks should be enough for a basic observation of health. Then if I notice anything I will treat with meds before I put in the main tank.
At lease that's my plan for the moment!
At lease that's my plan for the moment!
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JVH
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well you are smart for being scared to do it. really need to know the fish and their tolerances.
butterflies, tangs, wrasses, angels etc can tolerate it.
id be hesitant with a mandarin.
just fill a bucket from the faucet. have a pale of mixed salt water from the tap also handy.
drop fish in.
watch him pass out. looks like you killed him!
he will come too after a couple minutes and gasp at the top of the water.
at this point SLOWLY take your salt water and feed it in to the fresh water bucket. like over the course of a couple minutes.
once that is done, keep him there for a few. he is still at half salinity of your original salt water.
then you can either drop him in the DT or slowly bring it up to your DT's salinity.
Russ, thank for all that! But I gotta tell ya, after reading: watch him pass out. looks like you killed him! he will come too after a couple minutes and gasp at the top of the water. There is NO WAY, NO HOW I'm trying it!LOL! If I ever am unlucky again to get Ick, I would possibly and I mean a very SLIGHT possibility I would try it but for a new fish QT, no! I would dump them directly into the DT than try that..Like you said, I don't know enough about the fish or what they can tolerate so I really glad you told me that!
Brook & velvet usually shows in 3-4 weeks max, with the first week or two being more the norm. A fish with internal parasites will usually have a shrunken belly and white stringy poop. A fish with gill flukes will often display behavioral symptoms (yawning, head twitching, scratching targeting the gill area and lethargy), but you can check for flukes at any time just by performing a 5 min FW dip.
Ich is the problem. It can harbor inside the gills, almost indefinitely, and display little to no symptoms.
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I would still do at least a couple of roudnds of Prazi in QT or preferably in an introduction tank to minimize stress on the fish. I do treat with copper when see signs of ich during observation period. It has to do with which fish you're dealing with and your source.
4FordFamily
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They treat completely different ailments. Both.
Also treating all fish is good practice, many fish harbor parasites that do not show symptoms. My wrasse lived in a tank with velvet for months. Angels dropped in days but wrasse had no trouble. Once I diagnosed the problem (no outward symptoms that are typical until a chevron tang took one for the team) I felt pretty bad.
Anyway those wrasse showed no symptoms but add them to your DT and your entire tank would have been infected.
Also treating all fish is good practice, many fish harbor parasites that do not show symptoms. My wrasse lived in a tank with velvet for months. Angels dropped in days but wrasse had no trouble. Once I diagnosed the problem (no outward symptoms that are typical until a chevron tang took one for the team) I felt pretty bad.
Anyway those wrasse showed no symptoms but add them to your DT and your entire tank would have been infected.
4FordFamily
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Many fish show a resistance to ich as well, so even though they show no symptoms they harbor a few parasites - particularly in the gills. Add them to your DT and same thing.
Many wrasse are quite resistant to ich as well.
Many wrasse are quite resistant to ich as well.
^^This. Copper treats ich & velvet; Prazipro treats gill flukes and some intestinal worms. Since flukes & ich can both hide out in the gills, IMO it is advisable to prophylactically treat for both. However, copper is just one option for treating ich: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/how-to-treat-ich.191226/
Paranoiattack91
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With all due respect, to everyone that is telling you that it ok to not qt, as long as you buy from someone that tells you that they qt their fish....DO NOT DO IT!!!! You have no idea if they added another fish to their system mid qt of another fish (which starts the cycle all over again). I have done that and it didn't turn out well, just look at my recent posts. (Lost a sailfin, purple, and a chevron tang withing a few days)
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JVH
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Thank you! I appreciate all advice! Can you tell me how long you QT for? And do you treat for anything initially or just observe?
I have a yellow tang and pajama cardinal In QT now. NO meds. Just observation. 1 week down! How long do you suggest? I hate the thought giving meds or doing a FW dip unless sickness or parasite are evident. So what would you do for an observation QT only?
Paranoiattack91
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Just read humblefish's qt thread on here about qt. I can't give you any solid advice on qt because I'm just setting up my qt. I learned the hard way, was told that fish were qt'd and ok and had $500 worth of fish gone in a few days. Think of it this way, you can have a totally established tank with healthy fish that you have built over years, and then have ONE fish ruin everything that you have built destroyed in a matter of days.
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JVH
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I've read it! Its very through and informative..I am in a QT phase now. 2 weeks in.. I was just curious how long people QT without meds when QTing just for observation. But ill figure it out. thanks
Now made by Fritz Aquatics. I just hope they didn't change the chemical formulation, as Coppersafe was great stuff back in the day. They did something different to Maracyn 1 & 2 - as it now turns the water very cloudy. I also miss the Vitamin B complex that used to be added in as an appetite stimulant.
