New tank/Q-tank/Stupid questions?

[harm89]

Lets say...you have a 180/200gl tank. You run a good cycle w/ a few damsels, let it age a couple months, add just enough lr/ls in it, buy all the right filters, and equipment needed and so on and so on. Then after all that, you start buying fish,about 2-4 weeks apart or more, quarantine them for three weeks each with hyposalinity or a SWF recommended bacteria/parasite fighting product, and THEN put them in the main tank and maintain it to the best of care. Will they STILL be prone to ick? Or any other parasites/bacteria? I just don't understand what would bring these BAD,BAD things to my fishies! Is it even possible to make your tank parasite proof? Is this a stupid question? I hope not! Please help me out here. Or tell me where I can go to get ALOT of info on preventing these things.I'm starting a new tank and I want to do it RIGHT this time!!! THANX for any replies!

 

[fshhub]

i believe nothing is 100%, but you can do alot to prevent ick,
i use garlic bi-weekly, and suppliment with vitamins, this will HELP(ONLY HELP) the fish against contracting certain diseases and ick, q tanks are amust in ick prevention and are probably the best tool you can have, always q a fish for 3 weeks minimum before introducing to tank, and it may be used for treatment if needed
and a DEFINITE MUST is to maintain good water quality and don't overcrowd, stress is one of the biggest contributors to ick, stress can be caused by improper diet, poor water, overcrowding and putting a fish in a tank tha tis too small for it(ie a tang in a 30 gallon) so a healthy happy tank carries some weight in ick prevention
as i said there is NO uarentee here, but prevention does go much further than any tool or additive you can buy
some say a uv will also help, but IMO, they are marginal for their effectiveness, and kill much more than the desired parasite, to include the denitrifying bacterias in your system
one last thng is preparation and observation, keep an eye out for the signs and be prepared to take action if need be, don't put it off, if you see one sign of possible ick, look for others, once you are sure it is ick, ACT, early detection also carries alot of weight
HTH

 

[harm89]

Mr.tang I lost a tank to ICK & I did'nt want it to happen again, so I asked a few of the guy's at the lfs what it is that they do. They told me to Qtank them, & that's what they did. I am doing so to my purple tang cause he had a small case of Ick when I got him. Other than that I have never done it before, so I'm not sure if it was ok to do this to every fish you get. Like I said this is what they told me. So what is the correct way to introduce a fish to your main tank??

 

[volitan]

Fshhub, I agree 100% with you on your opinion on UV filters. They're great on qt tanks, but do more harm than good on display tanks. As for ich, you cannot completely prevent it. Every fish is prone to getting it. Some fish are more prone to it than others. After introducing a fish, if you keep stressors to a minimum, ich shouldn't be a problem.

 

[fshhub]

yes, you should q everythign befor adding it to the tank, you would not believe what yo could loose by not quarentining your fish, first, because, the q time will save lives of other fish too, if you add a fish, then you discover that you have a problem, ick or otherwise, once it is noticable, it is a problem for everything in the tank,
and volitan, i gave tips on prevention, i never said it could be avoided 100% by any means(infact, i specified may help), but you can be ready for it and try to prevent it, these are only things that MAY HELP, as i said, but none of them will hurt one bit at all
HTH

 

[harm89]

Thank's to everyone who responded, your info will help!! I will definetly Qtank every fish I purchase!!!!!