treating new fish in qt

[sergifed91]

i'm getting a white cheek tang delivered today. my question here. since I haven't ordered a fish online before. how long do you wait to start treating the fish? do you do it right after you acclimate them? wait to see if there eating even if it takes 24 to 72 hours for them to eat. etc...? I always do a copper treatment first for all my qt fish, except for ones who are to sensitive for copper.

 

[vetteguy53081]

i'm getting a white cheek tang delivered today. my question here. since I haven't ordered a fish online before. how long do you wait to start treating the fish? do you do it right after you acclimate them? wait to see if there eating even if it takes 24 to 72 hours for them to eat. etc...? I always do a copper treatment first for all my qt fish, except for ones who are to sensitive for copper.

Acclimate to quarantine tank floating for 29 mins to adjust temp and then adding a cup of water to either bag or what I prefer to place fish and water in a clean container and add water until salinity equals that if the quarantine tank or display if no quarantine
Use same cup to capture fish and release into tank thereafter
Use coppersafe at therapeutic level 2.25- 2.5 for 30 days while monitoring ammonia also with reliable copper test kit- no api brand
Increase aeration while using the copper

 

[sergifed91]

Acclimate to quarantine tank floating for 29 mins to adjust temp and then adding a cup of water to either bag or what I prefer to place fish and water in a clean container and add water until salinity equals that if the quarantine tank or display if no quarantine
Use same cup to capture fish and release into tank thereafter
Use coppersafe at therapeutic level 2.25- 2.5 for 30 days while monitoring ammonia also with reliable copper test kit- no api brand
Increase aeration while using the copper

I have the hanna copper checker.

 

[mfinn]

i'm getting a white cheek tang delivered today. my question here. since I haven't ordered a fish online before. how long do you wait to start treating the fish?

I always waiting until they are eating aggressively, even if it takes a few days. Unless it's a emergency.

 

[Spare time]

I usually just recommend putting the fish into the copper right away (as I have done with hundreds upon hundreds of fish). DO NOT FORGET to cycle the qt (you can instant cycle it with a big ol' bottle of bacteria or by using one of the "speedier" bottles out there. I like to use a HOB filter with biosponges, or some other biomedia that can't absorb copper. Under that, I add a filter pad after a few days. This pad can be rinsed easily and will help keep the tank very clean from waste. 30 days in copper at 81-82 degrees F, followed by prazi. If the fish shows very obvious signs of flukes, it is possible to combine prazi and copper.

 

[threebuoys]

The detailed QT guidelines can be found here:

Current Quarantine Protocol

2024 Quarantine Procedures Jay Hemdal David Scarborough Protozoans (Cryptocaryon/ich, Amyloodinium/velvet) and Metazoan trematodes/flukes are by far the most common parasites found on newly acquired fish. A carefully managed, proactive quarantine process can effectively eliminate these...

www.reef2reef.com

Always check the salinity of the water in which the fish arrived. Often, on-line orders are shipped in water in the 1.019 to 1.020 range. If your goal is to raise the salinity to 1.026, you should do it over 2 - 3 days as rapid increases in salinity can be very stressful to the fish. Observe closely during those first couple of days to confirm the fish is eating and no parasites are obvious. If you see parasites, you may need to adjust how quickly you move to full copper treatment.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

i'm getting a white cheek tang delivered today. my question here. since I haven't ordered a fish online before. how long do you wait to start treating the fish? do you do it right after you acclimate them? wait to see if there eating even if it takes 24 to 72 hours for them to eat. etc...? I always do a copper treatment first for all my qt fish, except for ones who are to sensitive for copper.

I usually let a fish settle in for 48 to 72 hours, then start a coppersafe treatment.

One big issue - many shippers send their fish at low salinity. You should match your tank's salinity to that of the shipping bag, at least partially, in order to reduce the rise the fish may be exposed to. Also, don't acclimate for too long - fish arrive with high ammonia in the bag. The pH of the bag is low, rendering the ammonia non-toxic. As you acclimate, the pH of the bag rises faster than the ammonia is being diluted, and I've seen fish die from that.

Jay

 

[sergifed91]

it just arrived. doing a 30 minute drip next to me. then ill take it down to the qt tank.

 

[Dom]

i'm getting a white cheek tang delivered today. my question here. since I haven't ordered a fish online before. how long do you wait to start treating the fish? do you do it right after you acclimate them? wait to see if there eating even if it takes 24 to 72 hours for them to eat. etc...? I always do a copper treatment first for all my qt fish, except for ones who are to sensitive for copper.

I've always wondered, why treat when it may not be necessary?

When someone was exposed to COVID, they didn't treat them, they quarantined them and waited to see if symptoms develop.

It's the same with fish in my view. I acclimate them and monitor for 90 days. If no signs of disease, they can go into the display tank.

If during the QT period, they start showing signs of disease, treat. Once it clears up, I restart the 90 day clock.

 

[Spare time]

I've always wondered, why treat when it may not be necessary?

When someone was exposed to COVID, they didn't treat them, they quarantined them and waited to see if symptoms develop.

It's the same with fish in my view. I acclimate them and monitor for 90 days. If no signs of disease, they can go into the display tank.

If during the QT period, they start showing signs of disease, treat. Once it clears up, I restart the 90 day clock.

1. If they get a disease during the period, the QT has to be longer (you reset the timeline).

2. Disease like ich can only be prevented in a fish, not stop an active infection.

3. Some diseases like velvet kill so quickly that it would not be wise to wait til symptoms start

The prophylactic treatment also does no harm. So essentially there are no cons to doing so. The covid analogy doesn't really work here.

 

[Bxr126]

I've always wondered, why treat when it may not be necessary?

When someone was exposed to COVID, they didn't treat them, they quarantined them and waited to see if symptoms develop.

It's the same with fish in my view. I acclimate them and monitor for 90 days. If no signs of disease, they can go into the display tank.

If during the QT period, they start showing signs of disease, treat. Once it clears up, I restart the 90 day clock.

Not really a good comparison considering the symptoms for covid are far more obvious than a fish carrying parasites. Obviously, it is a personal choice, and IMHO it's all about risk management. If you don't treat you accept the risk and you put your entire . I'm sure far more experiences folks on here will chime in. Speaking for myself, I don't even trust most "pre-quarantined" fish. One fish can appear perfectly normal for weeks even over a couple months, then wipe out your whole tank. Been there and got the T-shirt. Its very demoralizing.

 

[DeniseAndy]

Do not drip acclimate a fish that has been in the bag over 8 hours. Get a bucket and match the temp, specific gravity to the bag water and move the fish into it immediately. Otherwise ammonia will build up. I also try to match the pH by using some acid to get within a point or so. After that, you can drip acclimate to the tank.

 

[Dom]

1. If they get a disease during the period, the QT has to be longer (you reset the timeline).

2. Disease like ich can only be prevented in a fish, not stop an active infection.

3. Some diseases like velvet kill so quickly that it would not be wise to wait til symptoms start

The prophylactic treatment also does no harm. So essentially there are no cons to doing so. The covid analogy doesn't really work here.

Regarding Point 1:
I'm not worried about how long a fish is in QT, as long as it is safe to put it in my display, that's what counts.

Regarding Point 2:
Isn't this is true for all disease?

Regarding Point 3:
I'm willing to take that chance.

There are cons... the time and expense of treating a fish that may not need it.

 

[Dom]

Not really a good comparison considering the symptoms for covid are far more obvious than a fish carrying parasites. Obviously, it is a personal choice, and IMHO it's all about risk management. If you don't treat you accept the risk and you put your entire . I'm sure far more experiences folks on here will chime in. Speaking for myself, I don't even trust most "pre-quarantined" fish. One fish can appear perfectly normal for weeks even over a couple months, then wipe out your whole tank. Been there and got the T-shirt. Its very demoralizing.

It is foolish to trust "pre-quarantined" fish.

My COVID analogy was to illustrate what quarantine is. If more hobbyists understood quarantine, we'd have less "EMERGENCY - all my fish are dying" posts.

The assumption should be that all fish are ill until they show they are not.

If they develop signs of disease, then treat. I think it is more dangerous to put a treated fish in your display. What if you conclude the fish is cured and it turns out that you missed something?

 

[Bxr126]

It is foolish to trust "pre-quarantined" fish.

My COVID analogy was to illustrate what quarantine is. If more hobbyists understood quarantine, we'd have less "EMERGENCY - all my fish are dying" posts.

The assumption should be that all fish are ill until they show they are not.

If they develop signs of disease, then treat. I think it is more dangerous to put a treated fish in your display. What if you conclude the fish is cured and it turns out that you missed something?

I can tell that you are a great dude. Thanks for all the positive comments and constructive input.