QUARANTINE QUESTION

[EASTERN INDIGO]

I have killed a lot of fish with copper and chloroquine phosphate. Maybe those new fish were not showing any symptoms, but still were too sick to survive. However, the fact is that I always used PROPER dosages, yet a significant percentage either stopped eating or just died. So I have decided to keep a fully cycled 150 using Turbostart and ammonium chloride to keep it going, and whenever I get a new fish, just put it in that tank and only medicate it if I see obvious symptoms of disease. So far it has worked. I took some foxfaces, moorish idols and a good sized angel out of copper, where some were dying and some not eating, most doing well, and put them in a clean saltwater tank, no meds. It has been three weeks now and everybody looks and acts great. So my question is this: Does there EVER come a point where I can be confident that they are ich and velvet free so I can feel safe putting them in the display tank? 350 gal, medium density population. Thanks in advance.

 

[Cell]

I'd go at least 5 weeks and maybe one or two after that depending on how valuable the existing fish are to me. Needs frequent close observation though to make sure you dont miss any symptoms.

 

[DrMMI]

My tank was running for a year and a half before velvet showed up, killing my powder blue. After that, my tank went fallow for almost 4 months and anything wet going into my tank gets quarantined. So I think it can show up at anytime. Like humans, fish may be asymptomatic carriers for disease and spread it like wildfire when the opportunity presents itself.