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what is your quarantine process?


gone_PHiSHin

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gone_PHiSHin

i am about to purchase another fish and will be quarantining it before adding to my display.

 

i admittedly have never quarantined any fish before this tank and have only lost one fish due to ich.  i am going to do it the 'right way' this time and not take any chances, but what is the right way?

 

i have been reading a ton on QT and have found there are two basic approaches: treat with medications right away, or observe for weeks and treat only when needed.

 

i see the pros and cons to both methods but i am not confident i will definitely identify that a fish needs treatment if i choose the observation only method.  

 

my current approach was going to be following this article from Advanced Aquarist.  has anyone used this?

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/quarantining-marine-fish-made-simple

 

can we get a discussion going of how YOU do it?  tried and true methods?  any relative online articles?

 

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I do observational for 4 to 6 weeks.  If the fish is eating healthy, pooping and behaving normally, it goes in the DT.  I don't like treating medications in a qt or hospital tank unless absolutely necessary because I'm so paranoid of overdosing (especially copper) or under dosing with water changes.  Also it lets me use prime (which is deadly with cupramine) and carbon or purigen or anything else to make the water safer.

If it makes you feel better, you can not do any water treatments (like cupramine) and feed and mix in metroplex or other anti-parasite foods.

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Buying fish from Live Aquaria's Diver's Den is a good first step.  They are already quarantined, which helps ensure that you receive a healthy fish.  Then you can observe it in your own private QT just to make sure.  No prophylactic treatments should be needed, but you could still treat if necessary.  However, there are some local stores where I would consider treating any new fish with prophylactic treatments a valid protocol.

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3 minutes ago, seabass said:

Buying fish from Live Aquaria's Diver's Den is a good first step.  They are already quarantined, which helps ensure that you receive a healthy fish.  Then you can observe it in your own private QT just to make sure.  No prophylactic treatments should be needed, but you could still treat if necessary.  However, there are some local stores where I would consider treating any new fish with prophylactic treatments a valid protocol.

I got marine velvet from DD.  Thats why I qt now :(

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13 minutes ago, lkoechle said:

I got marine velvet from DD.  Thats why I qt now :(

Yep, it's no replacement for your own quarantine (and no guarantee that the fish will be disease or pest free).  It just improves your odds of receiving a healthy fish.  That's why I still recommended quarantining the fish.  However, it probably isn't necessary to provide prophylactic treatment (just treat as needed).

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gone_PHiSHin

well i have read reports of diseases showing up a month into quarantine.  isn't it possible for diseases to lie dormant for a while without any signs?

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I suppose it depends on the disease.

 

Quote

Quarantine and Observation Period
The quarantine period for each fish ranges from a minimum of two weeks to several months for more delicate species. Throughout the quarantine period, all of the fish are monitored closely, with particular attention to breathing rate, swimming behavior, and overall appearance and demeanor. Once the fish have passed a thorough inspection, they are ready to be acclimated and moved into our main fish system.

From the Diver's Den quarantine protocol: http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/general.cfm?general_pagesid=425

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11 minutes ago, gone_PHiSHin said:

well i have read reports of diseases showing up a month into quarantine.  isn't it possible for diseases to lie dormant for a while without any signs?

theoretically.  but its rare I think.  I have my minimum at 4 weeks.  Any affected fish I have ever had displayed symptoms in the first two.

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fishfreak0114

For observation only, I QT fish for 2.5-4 weeks depending on my patience.  If I buy a fish that I know or suspect has ich, it goes straight into a 5g bucket with Prazipro to do tank transfer method. Then 2.5-4 weeks observation when that's done to make sure the ich is gone. 

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19 hours ago, gone_PHiSHin said:

well i have read reports of diseases showing up a month into quarantine.  isn't it possible for diseases to lie dormant for a while without any signs?

 

I had ich show up on an angel 4 weeks and a few days in. In QT thank god.

 

I pre-treat fish from higher risk places, like petco or the LFS (it's a good fish store but they are so good they have very high turnover so tons of fish have been in that tank spreading cooties).

 

I do not pre-treat from online sources but DO QT 4-8 weeks depending on the type of fish (tangs/angels being more prone to ich get a longer QT). I don't QT some low risk Diver's Den fish (but this is a risk) except for 5 days or so for prazi. 

 

All fish get prazipro regardless as internal stuff is harder to determine visually.

 

If I bought an angel/tang again, I would probably just pre-treat those too as long as they are not a particularly sensitive kind. 

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gone_PHiSHin

i think i am going with the observe for 4-6 weeks method, but also use Prazipro as it seems to be a relatively gentle treatment.  

 

thanks for all the responses everyone.  QT seems to be another one of those areas in this hobby where people have very different ideas of the way to do it, as there isn't any real definite answer.  

i am getting my green banded gobies from Live Aquaria, which i have also heard very mixed reviews about.  i have never ordered from them, but i'm willing to take the chance with a long quarantine period.

 

i'm also getting a porcelain crab and a pom pom crab with this order.  i have never quarantined invertebrates either, and have been told this is not necessary. however i have also been told that i should put EVERYTHING in a QT before it goes in the display.  

 

what are your thoughts on QT invertebrates?

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In general, you can get by without quarantining inverts (especially the crabs you mentioned).  However, it is not that uncommon to get bryopsis or other pest algae from hermit crab shells or snail shells.  IIRC, I've read where some snails were released into a tank and jellyfish larvae hatched.

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  Ive only owned 2 saltwater fish in my whole life and that was 2005 QT never meant much to me until I saw my friend John.M.Cole from r2r run a qt/non qt setup and the difference in mortality rates was 100% night and day, if I ever have fish again in a tank large enough to have them, strict 76 days for me.

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gone_PHiSHin

this may be a dumb question, but if we don't use live rock or sand in a QT, how does the tank cycle?  as in, where does the beneficial bacteria grow without surfaces like rock?

 

do i need to add some Dr. Tim's or microbacter7?  how is the tank's bacteria supported after that without all the porous surfaces?

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In a dedicated quarantine, you would have a working biofilter (bio-balls or some other bio-media).  If you have a separate hospital tank, you could even keep live rock and sand in your quarantine (keeping in mind that it might get exposed to parasites or other diseases).

 

Many people without dedicated quarantine tanks will establish a biofilter in their display system before buying a new fish, and then transfer the media to the quarantine tank when needed.  This could be ceramic rings, a bio-sponge, bio-wheel, or whatever.

 

Yes, you could setup a quarantine tank with new bio-media, a bacteria culture, and some DrTim's Ammonium Chloride.  Just follow their fishless cycling guide to prep the filter:  http://www.drtimsaquatics.com/resources/fishless-cycling

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gone_PHiSHin

so i've had my QT set up for a little over a week now.  it's a 10 gal with an aquaclear 30 HOB filter.  

 

i started using Dr. Tims one and only on the first day, along with the ammonium chloride and the fishless cycle process.  i used this same process on my DT and the cycle was rather fast, pretty much 7-10 days if i recall.  

 

however, in my QT i'm not seeing the ammonia drop nearly as quickly, if at all, as my IM10 cycle.  i'm assuming that is because the amount of biomedia in the QT.  i have read not to use sand or live rock in a QT as they can absorb treatments that are used.  all that is in the tank for a biofilter media is the sponge in the filter and a bag of 'biomax' that is provided with the Aquaclear.  i left out the carbon. 

 

my question is, do i need to add something more to the tank for some surface area for the bacteria to grow on?  it seems this sponge and small bag of 'biomax' is not enough.  should i add some bioballs or ceramic rings to the display part of the QT?  there isn't really any more room in the Aquaclear

 

or, should i just wait and be patient, allowing the bacteria time to grow on what biomedia i already have in the filter?

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One thing that will stall the process is if either ammonia or nitrite exceeds 5ppm.  If this is the case, you need to do a water change to bring it down.  Yeah, the more surface area the better.

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gone_PHiSHin

i have kept the ammonia in the 2 ppm range but haven't really seen a change in nitrite yet, with the exception of this morning where i saw a slight rise in nitrite.  

 

so what's the difference in adding some ceramic biorings or some marinepure bioballs to the display as opposed to just adding live rock?   won't the ceramic rings or bioballs absorb any medications or treatments like live rock would?

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gone_PHiSHin

ahh ok, that makes sense, thank you

 

now i wish they had marinepure bioballs in smaller quantities...might just throw in some cheap ceramic rings in a bag

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On 8/6/2017 at 1:42 PM, gone_PHiSHin said:

i am about to purchase another fish and will be quarantining it before adding to my display.

 

i admittedly have never quarantined any fish before this tank and have only lost one fish due to ich.  i am going to do it the 'right way' this time and not take any chances, but what is the right way?

 

i have been reading a ton on QT and have found there are two basic approaches: treat with medications right away, or observe for weeks and treat only when needed.

 

i see the pros and cons to both methods but i am not confident i will definitely identify that a fish needs treatment if i choose the observation only method.  

 

my current approach was going to be following this article from Advanced Aquarist.  has anyone used this?

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/quarantining-marine-fish-made-simple

 

can we get a discussion going of how YOU do it?  tried and true methods?  any relative online articles?

 

I used their guide except that I use chloroquine instead of copper. I also quarantine them for 6+ weeks vs 3. It's mostly to give the new fish a chance to fatten up before he has to compete for food with other fish.

 

Oh and I use a sponge filter with airpump plus an internal filter I bought at petsmart on clearance. The internal filter does away with any HOB clutter and still provides me space to put carbon and extra ceramic rings.

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Just so I can get the award for most not at all helpful replies and, without reading through....

 

mt qt consists of a five minute drive home in a bag. I don't even float it. Just dump the water out through a strainer that catches the livestock and put right in the tank. Whatever. 

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2 hours ago, seabass said:

@1891Bro, I hear that sticking the bag in a microwave for a minute will kill off parasites. ;)

 

PLEASE DON'T TRY THAT ANYONE!

I think the disclaimer is the funniest part! :lol:

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