Quarantine Tank question

pepito113

pepito113

Member
I just placed two Clown Fish in my qt tank. They look normal and healthy. I plan on leaving them there for 4 weeks if everything goes to plan. My question is if I should treat them for ick even if I dont see it? Just cause I cant see the ick doesnt mean its not there. They might be healthy and able to fight it but maybe once in my tank then can get sick and the ick can take over... Any suggestions would be great...
 
king_neptune

king_neptune

Active Member
funny joe.
No peppy,
just keeping them in a QT for 4 weeks will be enough to see if they have ICH(or any other disease)
If your in the clear after that time, they are fine for the DT.
This is mainly the period of observation to see what they might develop.
Provided your QT is empty of sand or LR ICH wont have any way of completing its life cycle(that is if there is any ICH).
Just being in the QT alone for 4 weeks is "Treatment" in and of itself.
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
King_Neptune;3270655 said:
funny joe.
No peppy,
just keeping them in a QT for 4 weeks will be enough to see if they have ICH(or any other disease)
If your in the clear after that time, they are fine for the DT.
This is mainly the period of observation to see what they might develop.
Provided your QT is empty of sand or LR ICH wont have any way of completing its life cycle(that is if there is any ICH).
Just being in the QT alone for 4 weeks is "Treatment" in and of itself.
Funny in what way is he thinking of treating with hypo or the toxic copper
now this is funny
just keeping them in a QT for 4 weeks will be enough to see if they have ICH(or any other disease)
even more funny
Just being in the QT alone for 4 weeks is "Treatment" in and of itself.
And the funniest of all
Provided your QT is empty of sand or LR ICH wont have any way of completing its life cycle(that is if there is any ICH).
Click to expand...
 
pepito113

pepito113

Member
I was planning on doing the hypo method. But I have heard and read diffrent things. Some say do nothing to see if anything shows up and some say to do the hypo method to make sure you kill the parasites... Dont know. And I thought ich sticks to fish and not rocks???
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
And I thought ich sticks to fish and not rocks???
ok do as the good doctor spanko suggests and read up on ick and then you tell new hobbyists if this is true
 
beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
Originally Posted by spanko
http:///forum/post/3270687
Pepito my friend please do some reading here. Go to the first link that comes up.
Neptune you might want to do some more reading too.
Joe, what can I say?
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=QuarMarFishes
Wow, now that was cool.
Pep, the only good way to "treat" for possible ich is by using hyposalinity. This may well be a good option for you, since you seem insecure about identifying the parasite. However, you do need a good glass hydrometer or, better, a refractometer.
Otherwise, use a magnifying glass to look at your fish thoroughly, each and every day that your fish are in quarantine. Do this at least twice a day. If your fish have ich, and you diligently observe them, you will see ich as well as any other malady that may be developing. The use of a magnifying glass to observe fish, and all marine animals we keep, goes a long way in catching and resolving developing problems.
Take a look at the info on ich and hyposalinity in the FAQ Topic, located in the Disease Forum.
 
pepito113

pepito113

Member
I did. Thanks. I will be performing the hypo. Even if I dont see ich or any other parasite. I have one question. I know I have to calibrate my refractometer with the temp being 68 degree. The part I dont understand is does the refractometer "The prism" have to be 68 degree or does the distilled water being used have to be 68 degree. I read the article but I want to make sure I get it right.
 
J

jstdv8

Guest
hmm, so I read the thread you posted. So The part you don't hear about often with the QT is the Dip. What exactly does that do? do the parasites litterally fall off within the 3-4 minutes that the fish is in the freshwater?
Are yuo not really QTing if you havent done the dip part?
The reason I ask is I have been just adding my fish to my setup QT tank and keeping an eye on them for 4 weeks.
Why do I get the feeling that this is the part where you tell me that without the dip they won't show if they have the parasite?
 
aquaknight

aquaknight

Active Member
Originally Posted by pepito113
http:///forum/post/3270889
I did. Thanks. I will be performing the hypo. Even if I dont see ich or any other parasite. I have one question. I know I have to calibrate my refractometer with the temp being 68 degree. The part I dont understand is does the refractometer "The prism" have to be 68 degree or does the distilled water being used have to be 68 degree. I read the article but I want to make sure I get it right.
I haven't seen a refractometer on the market that doesn't have ATC. Automatic Temperature Compensation.

Originally Posted by Jstdv8
http:///forum/post/3271006
hmm, so I read the thread you posted. So The part you don't hear about often with the QT is the Dip. What exactly does that do? do the parasites litterally fall off within the 3-4 minutes that the fish is in the freshwater?
Are yuo not really QTing if you havent done the dip part?
The reason I ask is I have been just adding my fish to my setup QT tank and keeping an eye on them for 4 weeks.
Why do I get the feeling that this is the part where you tell me that without the dip they won't show if they have the parasite?
Dip is used more as a preventive for treating other diseases (Flukes), not so much Ich. A dip's effectiveness on Ich is limited, as the trophonts burrows into the fish.
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
Just to add to what my good friend Aqua posts. If your fish is suffering from impacted gills do to ick and something needs to help breathing immediately a fresh water dip may rid enough of the parasites that your fish may live long enough for copper or hypo to take effect
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
You are doing great here Jstdv8. Good questions and a good discussion going on. Agree with Aqua here, most of the newer ones you purchase have automatic temperature control on them. But if you are using one for some reason that does not, it is the water you want to have at temp. Good info on the dips too from both Joe and Aqua. More involved here though with the preparing for dips and a whole different need for studying that process. You are far above most of us in that you are actually doing and studying about quarantine.
Well done my friend!
 
king_neptune

king_neptune

Active Member
OK time for some schooling.Im ready to be put in the punk box.
WHEN did I miss ALL the info Ive ever read on ICH.
You guys are really gonna have to prove your self on this one.
Because all you have ever taught me from your hundreds of posts on the topic is QT everything.
Now you try to say it does nothing?
Speak straight.
And thanks for the insult Joe, that's really totally unlike you. You having a bad day?
I would LOVE to see you pull up an article that tells me keeping your fish separated from LR and LS in a QT is not how you treat for ICH. That defies everything ive ever read. "Ty sir, may I have another"
PS,
I had ICH once.
I pulled all my fish out of the tank to seperate them from the LS and LR.
Guess what, no more ICH. Its gone. hasn't come back, not a trace.
To be absolutely sure I dealt with it, I had the fish out for 10 weeks. Overkill, yes. But its gone.
 
mr. limpid

mr. limpid

Active Member
Pepito, one word of caution test your ammonia and PH during Hypo. Ammonia spikes some times and PH tends to go down, may need to buffer for PH and do water changes for ammonia. The last time I QT I used a product called AmQuel I believe that is how you spell it to lower ammonia it worked for me.
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
Ok King School is in session. First what insult are we talking about , the word “funny” if so it seems you used that word yourself.Now to address your statements on ick
Just keeping them in a QT for 4 weeks will be enough to see if they have ICH(or any other disease)
This is not a long enough time line to see if the ick parasite is present.
I would rather you do your own research on the cycles of ick but if you do not have the time let me know and I will post the time lines defending my position.
Just being in the QT alone for 4 weeks is "Treatment" in and of itself.
Are you confusing this with leaving a tank fallow ?
Provided your QT is empty of sand or LR ICH won’t have any way of completing its life cycle (that is if there is any ICH).
This makes absolutely not sense the ick parasite cycle of life is not predicated on LR or sand You really need to explain your statement
You guys are really gonna have to prove your self on this one.
Because all you have ever taught me from your hundreds of posts on the topic is QT everything.
Now you try to say it does nothing?
when did we say that it does nothing. QT is a time for observation, acclamation in a reduced stress environment and treatment tank if necessary
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
I am not sure where you are with this King. I went back and don't see anywhere by anybody that says QT does nothing.
I also don't see where anybody in any post said anything about separating or not fish from live sand and rock in a QT.
To be clear on my opinion QT is a beneficial way to observe your fish and motile inverts and coral and rocks and just about anything else for a time period prior to placing them into your display. A QT does not have to have anything in it other than something to make the fish feel they have a route to hide. (PVC, Plastic plants). Critters can be treated if necessary in a QT tank or a separately set up hospital tank.
Critters should be separated from the display tank and its rockwork and substrate if the need arises for treatment. This is called, for the display tank, a fallow period (read fishless). This period, some say 4 weeks some say 6 weeks you did 1-0 weeks - good for you, allows the ich to go through the stages of its life without host fish to attach which after the requisite time forces the parasite to die out without any food.
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
And with that I give you the Coop...........................
School's out for summer
School's out forever
School's been blown to pieces
 
ibanez

ibanez

Member
King, you may be confusing the part about not having live rock and live sand when treating with copper because it absorbs the copper, also if you use it in hypo, everything on the live rock and live sand dies causing an ammonia spike. I do think that if your fish is in QT for four weeks, chances are, if you see no ich, you probably won't have a problem, but not a guarantee. If your going to go four weeks, then you may as well do six to eight weeks.
 
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