QT with no meds ?

[angelsandtangs]

So if I just use observation as QT for 75 days and fish has zero issues ich velvet flukes etc would these fish be good to go to put in your main DT ? Do you have to treat every fish regardless in order for them to be 100% safe to go into your main display ? I’ve done hypo I’ve done copper and have lost healthy fish doing both probably due to stress possible or maybe just a fluke ?

 

[MnFish1]

a 'fluke' - no pun intended....

I personally think a 75 day QT - observation - where there is no evidence of disease, the fish are eating etc etc - is suboptimal but may be 'ok'. With a couple comments:

1. Its still not a guarantee - as CI, velvet and other things can be present but not visible in small amounts - and can pop up later. some can also be passed back and forth at the same time - and not be visible.
2. Its stressful for the fish to be in QT (depending on what kind of tank you are using) for 75 days. Most people would do an observation-type quarantine for 2-4 weeks.
3. If you do a copper and perhaps a de-worming medication at the proper dose, with the proper aeration, the proper levels, etc - it seems like it should be far less 'risky' than a 75 day QT with nothing.
4. If your QT tank contains live rock etc - after the 75 days it will have to be left fallow for 76 days - before adding new fish.

If your afraid to QT with medications on your own I would highly suggest that you go to one of the sites that pre-quarantines their fish - and THEN do your observation for whatever time you like. Then - you're not using the medication - and still doing the observation

Hope this helps!

 

[angelsandtangs]

a 'fluke' - no pun intended....

I personally think a 75 day QT - observation - where there is no evidence of disease, the fish are eating etc etc - is suboptimal but may be 'ok'. With a couple comments:

1. Its still not a guarantee - as CI, velvet and other things can be present but not visible in small amounts - and can pop up later. some can also be passed back and forth at the same time - and not be visible.
2. Its stressful for the fish to be in QT (depending on what kind of tank you are using) for 75 days. Most people would do an observation-type quarantine for 2-4 weeks.
3. If you do a copper and perhaps a de-worming medication at the proper dose, with the proper aeration, the proper levels, etc - it seems like it should be far less 'risky' than a 75 day QT with nothing.
4. If your QT tank contains live rock etc - after the 75 days it will have to be left fallow for 76 days - before adding new fish.

If your afraid to QT with medications on your own I would highly suggest that you go to one of the sites that pre-quarantines their fish - and THEN do your observation for whatever time you like. Then - you're not using the medication - and still doing the observation

Hope this helps!

Qt would be in a 65 and just a pair of clowns and 2 dwarf angels .. I know how to use meds and refer to humblefish if needed he’s also local to me .. tank has no substrate nor rock .. it’s well filtered and I also do biweekly water changes since there is no skimmer on the tank I also feed 3 times daily .. thanks for the advice

 

[Miami Reef]

I personally wouldn’t trust it. Why?

Because quarantining for 76+ days takes too long and doesn’t “guarantee” parasite free fish.

We know fish can develop immunity to ich and become asymptomatic. If your goal is to just manage parasites, that’s a good option.

But if your goal is to never see those ugly spots on your fish ever, eradication is much more fool proof.

 

[angelsandtangs]

I personally wouldn’t trust it. Why?

Because quarantining for 76+ days takes too long and doesn’t “guarantee” parasite free fish.

We know fish can develop immunity to ich and become asymptomatic. If your goal is to just manage parasites, that’s a good option.

But if your goal is to never see those ugly spots on your fish ever, eradication is much more fool proof.

But to medicate just to medicate I’m really on the fence especially with a healthy fish that passes the eye test .. copper can have side effects like hlle some heal some don’t hypo is a 65 would have to be so precise with a auto top off would be difficult maybe I’ll go the hydrogen peroxide routs since it’s yielding promising results .. cupramine with dwarf angels I’ve had terrible luck with now I use copper power and haven’t tried that on dwarf angels yet

 

[moz71]

So I do a lot of observation QT. Is it a guarantee, no but I have seen many cases where even if you Medicare it still sneaks though so NOTHING is a guarantee. And I am a avid QT person. Would never just put in display tank. It is all personal comfort. When I get fish in mail. Do the whole gambit of meds. When I get from a trusted source I may just observe for a long time I in QT. Especially if fish is sensitive to certain medications

 

[angelsandtangs]

So I do a lot of observation QT. Is it a guarantee, no but I have seen many cases where even if you Medicare it still sneaks though so NOTHING is a guarantee. And I am a avid QT person. Would never just put in display tank. It is all personal comfort. When I get fish in mail. Do the whole gambit of meds. When I get from a trusted source I may just observe for a long time I in QT. Especially if fish is sensitive to certain medications

I got these fish from tanks that never showed velvet flukes nor Ich but they were breaking down their tanks ..

 

[moz71]

To be honest I would just observe if there was anything it would break out in QT with all the stress they went though and it would show up then you can treat accordingly. Sounds like a situation best not to vet Medicate

 

[vetteguy53081]

Actually, you can BUT have meds available in case needed. Afterall, the purpose of QT is to reduce stress during acclimation and to allow for easy observation of new fish in case of disease before they reach the display tank also reducing chance of loss due to disease.

 

[angelsandtangs]

Actually, you can BUT have meds available in case needed. Afterall, the purpose of QT is to reduce stress during acclimation and to allow for easy observation of new fish in case of disease before they reach the display tank also reducing chance of loss due to disease.

I keep all meds on hand just in case ..

 

[Dom]

So if I just use observation as QT for 75 days and fish has zero issues ich velvet flukes etc would these fish be good to go to put in your main DT ? Do you have to treat every fish regardless in order for them to be 100% safe to go into your main display ? I’ve done hypo I’ve done copper and have lost healthy fish doing both probably due to stress possible or maybe just a fluke ?

I QT for 90 days. I monitor for signs of disease. If after 90 days there is no sign of disease, I move them to DT.

If during the 90 days I observe symptoms which suggest disease, I begin treatment. When symptoms clear up, I restart the 90 day clock.

 

[Harold999]

I'm in the no-med camp. If they eat well, look well fed, behave normal and have normal looking poop for a couple of weeks they are fine.
Copper may take years of a fish life, it's poison. Meds are simply not good for their natural immune system.

 

[TheOldSalt]

If you want to get crazy, you could do the no meds method of transferring the fish every day for a month to a new container in a series of containers.
Each day, parasites drop off of the fish to reproduce, but the fish would be long gone by the time the new swarmers hatched out.

Labor intensive, but totally drug free.

I've DONE it. It works. It's best for those fish that can't handle more conventional treatment.

Another option is to use that Herbtana stuff. It works surprisingly well.

 

[angelsandtangs]

If you want to get crazy, you could do the no meds method of transferring the fish every day for a month to a new container in a series of containers.
Each day, parasites drop off of the fish to reproduce, but the fish would be long gone by the time the new swarmers hatched out.

Labor intensive, but totally drug free.

I've DONE it. It works. It's best for those fish that can't handle more conventional treatment.

Another option is to use that Herbtana stuff. It works surprisingly well.

This does not stress the fish out and they still eat and retain weight ? That’s 30 tank moves in 30 days correct ?

 

[Harold999]

If you want to get crazy, ...

Yeah that's crazy.
Better to avoid any stress, stress is the main reason for getting sick.