Quarantining?

[Bowin]

Hey guys I got a quick question? For those of you who use qt, would you suggest medicating even when your fish show no signs of disease or only in case they do? I plan to qt a couple of fish in a little over a week and am researching the process. Don't want to repeat a past failure I had back in December. Also what meds do you like? I was thinking of getting some Prazipro and I already have Cupramine.

 

[Pete polyp]

I really think quarantine tank should be renamed to observation tank. Medicating should be administered in a separate hospital tank.

 

[Bowin]

I really think quarantine tank should be renamed to observation tank. Medicating should be administered in a separate hospital tank.

Thanks! I thought of that but since I'm gonna have two separate tanks set up for two different fish it would cause trouble with the wife if I had all those extra tanks all over the house. I've got enough as it is already. But am I correct in deciphering your response to mean that you're suggestion is to observe and medicate only if needed?

 

[Pete polyp]

Yep. Treatments are going to be stressful. There's no reason to stress a healthy fish with unnecessary medication.

 

[Bowin]

Yep. Treatments are going to be stressful. There's no reason to stress a healthy fish with unnecessary medication.

Kinda what I was thinking but checking with the pros first. Thanks!

 

[schooleyosis]

I personally observe for 30 days. I find that this gets the fish used to prepared foods that I feed and gets the fish used to my schedule.
I already know that my main tank has some form of parasite/disease in it, so I will not treat a healthy fish that looks ok and is eating. Now if the fish I just bought shows signs of something then I will treat with Cupramine.

I know there are others in this club who fatten the fish up for one week, treat for 3 weeks, then acclimate to their displays...

I think the biggest thing is to keep the new fish in a separate system that way you can monitor if it is "healthy enough" or prepared to be introduced into your tank. In my experience, anything that will not make it won't make it much past the 7-10 day mark.

 

[Bowin]

I personally observe for 30 days. I find that this gets the fish used to prepared foods that I feed and gets the fish used to my schedule.
I already know that my main tank has some form of parasite/disease in it, so I will not treat a healthy fish that looks ok and is eating. Now if the fish I just bought shows signs of something then I will treat with Cupramine.

I know there are others in this club who fatten the fish up for one week, treat for 3 weeks, then acclimate to their displays...

I think the biggest thing is to keep the new fish in a separate system that way you can monitor if it is "healthy enough" or prepared to be introduced into your tank. In my experience, anything that will not make it won't make it much past the 7-10 day mark.

Thanks Ryan. I cut the sponge you gave me in two and put one half in the sump the same day I got it. When the other half went in earlier this week. Do you think it'll be ready for use by next weekend. If not I can still grab some rubble from the sump.

 

[schooleyosis]

I think it will be ready for you to use, it's almost been a month if not more already hasn't it?

Also get you some Microbacter 7 or Dr. Tim's One and Only to help with the cycle...

 

[Bowin]

I think it will be ready for you to use, it's almost been a month if not more already hasn't it?

Also get you some Microbacter 7 or Dr. Tim's One and Only to help with the cycle...

I've used the Micro 7 once before but ordered it. Does anyone sell either locally?

 

[Kworker]

I am an advocate of Prazipro, its a real safe medication and a dewormer. So if a fish has an internal worm of some sort, treating it with prazipro right away would be great. If the fish is healthy otherwise, Prazipro should not bother it. Best not to mix medications.

 

[Bowin]

I think it will be ready for you to use, it's almost been a month if not more already hasn't it?

Also get you some Microbacter 7 or Dr. Tim's One and Only to help with the cycle...

I'm up late researching this because I don't want to make a mistake. My 29 gal qt is sitting empty in it's chosen location. Wanted to get some input. I'm going to take water from the display after a water change in the morning. Is there going to be a cycle or will it be ready to go by this week with the bacteria already built up in the sponges?

 

[schooleyosis]

You will still have a cycle. Bacteria doesn't live in the water, it lives on surfaces...

The AC sells MB7. I can give ya some to use until you can get up there to get some
Once they open back up then you can replenish what ya borrowed.

 

[Bowin]

You will still have a cycle. Bacteria doesn't live in the water, it lives on surfaces...

The AC sells MB7. I can give ya some to use until you can get up there to get some
Once they open back up then you can replenish what ya borrowed.

Ok great. I was aware that bacteria needs a surface to grow on and not just free floating in the water. I thought that's why I was culturing it on the sponges and was wondering if it would still cycle regardless of introducing them to a new tank. I've done something similar when moving fw systems. I'll give you a shout later on today if that's ok.

 

[schooleyosis]

Sounds good man. I'm home for the rest of the fay

 

[ajones2n]

I don't want to hijack the thread but what exactly would be the best setup for a QT tank? What if any sort of filtration would be needed. and is it best to use water from your DT to start the QT. Sorry if these seem like a load of dumb questions I'm new to the whole reef tank set up type deal.

 

[TankedNTn]

I use a 20 gallon tank and start it up with water from display after a water change. You can use a simple HOB filter like you use on freshwater tanks. I have small heater and a couple of larger diameter PVC pipes in there for the fish to hide in. If I'm just observing and not medicating the fish, I have a few pieces of rock I pull out of my sump and put in to help with the bacteria.

 

[schooleyosis]

Exactly what David said. I "seed" the filter material in my sump for roughly a month before using it in the HOB of the QT to help with bacteria.

I would also suggest the ammonia gauge as a quick reference to dangerous levels/types of ammonia. This is the one I use and found that they are very accurate compared to testing ammonia levels against a Red Sea Pro test kit. Seachem Amonia Alert Aquarium Amonia Detector | Ammonia Testers | PetSmart

Remember that in the beginning a water change of roughly 25% will be needed roughly every 3 days to keep the ammonia levels in check. This will last for about 2 weeks and then once cycled will require a WC every week.

My 20 long is right next to my main display so I drain 5 gallons out of the QT and refill with water from the DT. This gets a 25% WC on the QT and also allows me to perform a small WC on the DT. Enough acronyms for ya yet? LOL

Also, when I started the tank I used 15 gallons from the DT to start the QT.

Remember that bacteria needs a surface to grow on, it does not live in the water, but on surfaces.

I would also suggest using bacteria in a bottle of some sort to help with the cycle. I personally use Microbacter 7 and follow the instructions for setting up a new tank.

Hope this helps. Please feel free to ask as many questions as ya feel necessary.

 

[nphsmith]

FWIW, I treat prophylatically in QT. I use Chloroquine for 20 days, Praziquantel for a 6-hour bath, and give a FW dip with Myzaxin (Not sure if that is available in US).

My reasoning is:

Prazi - there is low chance of my spotting an internal worm, it is very non-stressful for fish.
Chloroquine - kills a wide spectrum of pathogens, less stressful on fish than copper, and will help avoid WS out breaks.
Myzaxin/RO dip - kills a further range of external parasites, many of which may not be obvious to my amateur eyes.

 

[Mike2112]

I use a 20 Gallon tank for Quarentine. I use Mr. Saltwatertank's No-Nonsense Guide to Saltwater Fish, Diseases, Treatments and Quarantine guide. I give a dip when I first get the fish and then place them in the QT for 48 hours then treat with Cupramine as a profolactic treatment against Ich and Marine Velvet. After the cupramine treatment, I observe for 30 days. Total time in QT is about 50 days, I use SeaChem's Stability to assist with the Bio Filter and Hang on Back filter. I agree with Mark that I want to assure that I am not bringing anything in to the DT even on a seamingly "healthy" fish...it may be a carrier and I don't want to risk it.

 

[reeffirstaid]

When a fish is in quarantine, it's best to observe. Nearly all the medications on the market cause stress, and some cause undesirable side effects. A few things you can treat with our stress coat marine, and anything aloe vera based that aids in healing damaged fins and tissue. If a problem arises, it is very important to properly diagnose and treat, based on what is taking place. Many people create a chemical soup of un-needed treatments, that ultimately do more harm than good.

Some folks run their quarantine set-up in hypo-salinity. This is an option, as the lower salinity aids a fish in osmo-regulation, providing a relaxing atmosphere. This also kills any parasites, but doesn't harm bio-filter. Hyposalinity is about 1.010 specific gravity, and you need to balance your ph to around 8.2 with buffer if you choose this route. Just remember, a hypo quarantine is only safe for fish. Any coral or invert, will perish in hypo conditions.

While quarantining I recommend feeding a diet of food fortified with both Selcon and Brightwell Aquatics Garlic Power. I used those on all my fish feedings, but they can be crucial helping a fish recover from the stress of capture and shipping.