Don't get complacent!

[SarahBravo]

I started off being really good and alwasy quarantining my new fish, even just for a few days. Never had any problems with them, either during quarantine or when i put them into the main tank. Then I got a betta, and he got put in the quarantine tank to live. So I make an impulse buy ( doh ) from my usual LFS, haven't got a quarantine tank, so stick 'em straight in the main tank.....

Lost: all 6 new diamond tetras, 1 black widow tetra, 2 peacock gobies, 1 badis badis, 7 dwarf chain loaches, 2 guppies, 2 otos and a bulldog plec.... and the last remaining dwarf chain loach and my fave fish, the apisto agassizi are still looking decidedly peaky.

So the moral of the story... always quarantine (and always listen to your mother, she's usually right!!!) and if you want to buy something, but you can't quarantine, then DON'T. It isn't worth the heartache.

edit: spelling

 

[Dwarfs]

That's terrible, chain loaches are so hard to find Hopefully this can help non-quarantiners change their ways ASAP

 

[Mr Miagi]

Thats terrible. I wanna set up a mini planted tank with nothin but shrimp and i could use that as a quranteen!

 

[NinjaSmurf]

What the HELL did the fish you bought have

 

[Inchworm]

What the HELL did the fish you bought have

Hi SarahBravo

I'm sorry to learn about your disaster.

But, I have to admit that I wondered the same thing that NinjaSmurf asked.

You are right about the advisability of quarantining new fish. It is very little trouble to set up a tank just for this purpose. Even if you just have a tank that's uncycled and the water quality kept up by daily water changes for a week or so, the benefits far outweigh the effort involved.







Of course, I'd be less than honest if I claimed that I always do it myself. )

 

[iggy01]

So the moral of the story... always quarantine (and always listen to your mother, she's usually right!!!) and if you want to buy something, but you can't quarantine, then DON'T. It isn't worth the heartache.

That's a great piece of advice SarahBravo!

Your not the first and you won't be the last to lose fish because of failing to quarantine. It's happened to me in the past. I once ordered some Chain Loach via mail order. That afternoon I spotted a Rainbow fish with fungus. I put it straight in the quarantine tank with medication. It was too late to stop the arrival of the Chain Loach, they were already on their way. When they arrived the next morning I put them straight in the main tank. Everything was ok for a while and then... WHAM!!!!..... ICH!

I lost all my Chain Loach, new and old, even though I medicated the tank straight away

I decided this wasn't going to happen to me again, so now I have two quarantine tanks

 

[SarahBravo]

They just had ick. It just started out with one spot, then bam!!! and you could hardly see the fish for it. Started with the tetras then everything had it. I think the chain loaches were affected by the medication as well - I had to half dose cos they're scaleless, I think they still got hit by the meds, and of course the other fish only had a half dose to attack their ick. Turned up the heat, switched off the lights, did 2 courses of the treatment with water changes and gravel vacuumings in between, and they're still flicking somewhat.

Now I'm at the point where I don't know whether prolonged exposure to the meds is more harmful than the ick parasites, so am undecided about whether to repeat again.

 

[sarah-j]

I was just wondering about the quarantine tank do you set it up as you would a normal tank? cycle it etc. what equipment should be in it? you see i 've had a tank for about three weeks but would like to get a smaller quarantine tank for any new fish as I've had casualties myself already. What size should a quaratine tank be?

 

[Bloo]

That's really terrible ! But may I ask what brand of ich meds you use ? I usually use interpet no. 6 and have used it at full dose strength in a community tank with loaches before (it doesn't say anything on the instructions not to, and the lfs said it will be fine too) and it worked fantastically and I had no ich within a matter of days (the visible part of the cycle that is). I very rarely ever get an ich outbreak, but if it does happen I do a 50-60% water change, dose up and voila no more ich. Though saying that, I check my fish with a hawks eye morning and night and can spot the beginnings (of the visible part of ich) almost straight away.

 

[One_Trick_Pony]

thats real bad news sarah but come on girl you got enough tnaks!!!! lol

im wiht inchworm i try to do but don't always manage to

 

[SarahBravo]

Enough? ENOUGH!!!!!! you can never have enough

Lounge: Rio 180, Rio 125, 4 footer, Rekord 120.

Kitchen: Rekord 60, Tropiquarium 55, Aqua 40, Elite series 3 and Clearseal 25 litre.

Dining Room: 4 footer on stand, getting 3 footer on Sat to go underneath, getting 2 x 3 footers on double stand on Sunday

Garage: Leaking 3 footer that needs one seam resealing - anyone wants it they can have it! Bracing got broken and re-siliconed, looks a bit messy but hey it's free!

I used a Waterlife ich medication - says for anything other than a UGF filter use half dose plus use half dose for scale less fish..... dunno whether I should've used a 1/4 dose in that case?!?!?!

 

[Bloo]

yikes that's a fair few tanks you have there !
Why don't you give Interpet a try next time? All I know is that it works for me with no side effects on my fish or filter whatsoever.

 

[chishnfips]

I used king british, I think thats what its called or is it british flag? To treat my ich.