Quarantine Methods ?

[karlp]

I've always just put fish into the community tank straight from the LFS, but I'm getting a bit fed up with getting white spot outbreaks, particularly since i've now got a planted setup and am worried what the medications will do to the plants. This incidentally is inspite of the LFS rigorously quarantining all their fish for sale.

I don't really like the idea of quarantining fish for 4 weeks before adding them to the community tank at home, so had an idea...

I was thinking of putting all new fish in a small quarantine tank (28 litre) for say 2 to 3 days and treating the water with an anti-parasite medication as a precaution and then transferring them to the main tank after that (providing there's no signs of anything).

What are your opinions on this ? Is it going to unduly stress the fish ?

Thanks

Karl.

 

[annka5]

Not ideal. The lifecycle of the parasite means you could end up failing to kill all of them, making it a pointless exercise.
I agree 4 weeks is a long time to have a bare and unattractive tank set up, but then once your main tank is established you won't be quarantining fish at all often - you won't be buying new fish often.

 

[rdd1952]

I know that quarantining is a good idea, especially if you have to buy your fish from a less that perfect fish store such as a major discount store. I sometimes wonder if the problems that people experience with new additions aren't also related to maybe adding too many fish at once and the stress caused by that (ammonia and nitrite spikes, incompatibility maybe, etc.). I believe the bacteria (edit: actually a parasite not bacteria) that causes ich is always present (edit: I stand corrected, it isn't always present) in a tank unless you're running a UV Sterilizer all the time. The onset of ich is caused by stress so, is it possible that the fish aren't bringing it into the tank but becoming affected once in it (edit: the answer would probably be no)? That's just a random thought and I definitely have no experience with diseases as I have been extremely lucky so far (knock on wood).

 

[The-Wolf]

I believe the bacteria that causes ich is always present in a tank

just had to say that it is a parasite not a bacteria that causes ich.

I don't think your idea would work for many reasons, but mainly I think
it is a bad idea just to medicate for no apparent reason.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Fishy Mad

It's always a good idea to quarantine fish before adding them to your main tank.

It's never a good idea to medicate fish for a disease or parasite that you don't know for sure they have. If for no other reason, it's another stress added to the series of stresses they have just been through from being caught, shipped and sold. This alone is reason enough for them to become sick.

 

[karlp]

believe the bacteria that causes ich is always present in a tank

I thought Ich was a parasite, so once it's irradicated it's gone for good unless you add a new plant / fish / live food that contains the parasite ??

 

[diademhill]

I've always just put fish into the community tank straight from the LFS, but I'm getting a bit fed up with getting white spot outbreaks, particularly since i've now got a planted setup and am worried what the medications will do to the plants. This incidentally is inspite of the LFS rigorously quarantining all their fish for sale.

I don't really like the idea of quarantining fish for 4 weeks before adding them to the community tank at home, so had an idea...

I was thinking of putting all new fish in a small quarantine tank (28 litre) for say 2 to 3 days and treating the water with an anti-parasite medication as a precaution and then transferring them to the main tank after that (providing there's no signs of anything).

What are your opinions on this ? Is it going to unduly stress the fish ?

Thanks

Karl.

If you pre treat everything you could actually make things worse.... any surviving parasites/pathogens will be the ones resistant to the meds and if you get an outbreak in future you will find it more difficult to treat.
There is no reason a QT tank can't look ok.
I keep a thermofilter and a fluval 4 running so I can set up a tank at a moments notice but I have a 40l tank ( it's a tropiquarium 55) which has a picture background & a couple of plant pots that I use for small new aquisitions or a Rio 180 for larger fish as needed. Neither of these tanks is unsightly.
I do worm wild caught fish unless I know the importer has an efective system.
I find four weeks enough to spot any nasties and a small price for peace of mind and I would say two weeks is an absolute minimum.

Sue

 

[rdd1952]

I believe the bacteria that causes ich is always present in a tank

just had to say that it is a parasite not a bacteria that causes ich.

I thought Ich was a parasite?

I stand corrected. ) As I said, luckily, I haven't had to study much on diseases yet.

 

[andywg]

Ich is most definately not present in every tank, it's because people don't treat long enough they think it keeps hangin around. Once eradicated it's gone for good.

If you can spend the money, then a good UV will prevent Ich fantastically, I had a nasty outbreak, fitted UV and it was gone within about 4 days and has never resurfaced.

 

[Paul_MTS]

if your always adding fish and it's going to cost a bit to set up a Q tank then buy yourself a UV instead.

To qurantine a fish it needs to be in quarantine for atleast 1 week, after this time something like Ich would of appeared by then.

 

[Squid]

As a relative newbie, can i ask a dumb obvious question...

How do people have quarantine tanks? Wouldnt they be empty most of the time, and so would not be cycled.. How do people get round this?

Squid

 

[Paul_MTS]

you can have a tank instantly cycled by using media out of a running tank with fish in.

All you have to do to set up a qurantine tank is grab some media out the filter in your main tank and then put it in the qurantine tanks filter.

As long as you don't over feed the quaratine tank then the media will handle any new fish fine.

 

[Squid]

Does the reduction in media in the main tank cause any issues, such as a mini-cycle..

Ive always been a little confused with this. People have had success by running new filters in a tank with the old filter, then rmoving the old filter after 2 weeks. If bacteria dies off if there is not enough food (ammonia source), then how is there enough bacteria to spread accoss both so that you can remove the old one without the tank having a mini-cycle. Or do i just worry too much


Squid

 

[Paul_MTS]

yep you worry too much!

you could cause a mini cycle if you go and feed over the top on either of the tank once shifting media/filters around.

 

[Squid]

yep you worry too much!

Thought so..


Cheers chap..

Squid