quarantine tank
- Thread starter beredovon
- Start date
silverado61
Well-Known Member
Keep it as simple and sterile as possible. Put a piece of floss or sponge in the display to collect beneficial bacteria. Place it in a HOB filter on the QT to cycle. No sand, rock or ornaments. Just a couple pieces of PVC to give them a place to rest and feel safe. Heater for obvious reasons. Power head for gas exchange and aeration. Ghost feed the tank to keep the beneficial bacteria going. Test your parameters to make sure that they are where they need to be. Acclimate one fish and release it into the QT. Observe it for illness, injury or disease for at least four weeks before acclimating and releasing into your display. That's about it. If you have any questions please feel free to ask them here. Slow and steady is the name of the game in this hobby.
just a 2 clownfish What medication I can put in water? copper med?
Can I put copper med in qt tank for a clownfish?
I am thingking to set up a 10g Tank and use the DT tank water 50/50 and new salt mix water, 50w heater,a small powerhead, a sponge filter with air pump and a pvc pipe ? its that simple and good? what med is recommended? brand? copper med?
silverado61
Well-Known Member
Display tank water holds no beneficial bacteria to help the cycle. That's why a sponge or filter floss is used. Despite some popular opinions I wouldn't treat for anything that you don't know the fish even have to begin with. That's why you put them into quarantine for a minimum of four weeks. To observe for any signs of illness. I'd leave all medications out and just let the fish recuperate from all the stress of being caught and transported several times before it reached you. If it has Ich, it should reveal itself within two weeks.
lmforbis
Well-Known Member
I agree don’t add copper unless you need it, it is toxic. Observe the fish very closely several times a day. If the fish shows no sign of disease for 30 days it is safe to add. In my opinion it is good to have the meds on hand, I like copper safe. You need an appropriate test kit for copper as well. For chelated copper like copper safe I believe it is the API test kit. For cupramine I believe the SeaChem is the correct test kit. I also like to have Prazipro on hand. I would also purchase a SeaChem ammonia badge. You just hang it in the tank and it monitors ammonia. You need to act immediately if any ammonia is detected.
Jesterrace
Active Member
The one thing that I might recommend is to get some Kent's Garlic and add a drop or two to the food and let it marinate in it for several hours before feeding. It's a natural way to help build the fish's immune system that won't hurt the fish or the tank any.
silverado61
Well-Known Member
Won't long term use of garlic have adverse affects on the fishes health? I remember Beth advising against it..
lmforbis
Well-Known Member
Long term not good but it can sometimes entice fish to start eating. I haven’t see solid research that indicates it builds their immune system but if it gets them eating it is worth it for a short time. I’d be more inclined to use selcon for long term health. A high quality varied diet will do more than anything. Frozen foods, no brine shrimp and minimal flakes or pellets. I feed mine flakes and pellets once a week so they are used to eating them. I can then use an auto feeder when I am out of town and they will eat the food. That way I don’t need to rely on my husband or kids to feed them correctly.
The only garlic that is really beneficial is freshly minced garlic. Bottle garlic just does not have the any of the medicinal effects. And minced needs to be done then immediately served. Selcon or Zoecon is your best supplement, particular for fish prone to HLLE.
Nothing like hyposalinity in the QT to stimulate appetite.
Nothing like hyposalinity in the QT to stimulate appetite.
Jesterrace
Active Member
I agree that long term Garlic isn't the best. Even my LFS suggested that anything more than a couple of weeks was not good. Also I only dose a drop or two in the food source itself and let it marinate for a few hours in the fridge.
Sharkbait hoohaha
Member
Hello everyone. I'm new to this forum, so please bear with me!
I'm currently towards the end of quarantining my entire population for ich. I put my brown tang in his own isolation at lowered salinity, and put the rest of the fish in a separate isolation at lowered salinity a few days later. The tang has been in hyposalinity for around 16-17 days. He will go into a larger "temporary" display tank while the original display is fallow. All signs of ich are gone, and he is eating well, but I'm concerned that he is getting stressed from being in too small a tank (30 gal quarantine) for too long at lowered salinity.
My question is, how long is it safe to keep him in hyposalinity? My plan was to put him in the new dt at the same (lowered) salinity and then slowly bring it up over the next few days. but the new is a couple of days from completing the cycle (using Biospira).
I'm currently towards the end of quarantining my entire population for ich. I put my brown tang in his own isolation at lowered salinity, and put the rest of the fish in a separate isolation at lowered salinity a few days later. The tang has been in hyposalinity for around 16-17 days. He will go into a larger "temporary" display tank while the original display is fallow. All signs of ich are gone, and he is eating well, but I'm concerned that he is getting stressed from being in too small a tank (30 gal quarantine) for too long at lowered salinity.
My question is, how long is it safe to keep him in hyposalinity? My plan was to put him in the new dt at the same (lowered) salinity and then slowly bring it up over the next few days. but the new is a couple of days from completing the cycle (using Biospira).
lmforbis
Well-Known Member
They do fine in hypo. How hypo is your QT. It needs to be between 1.008 and 1.009 the whole time, 4 weeks. Needs to be tested with a calibrated refractoneter daily not a hydrometer. If the specific gravity goes above that it restarts the clock.
I kept a powder brown and Naso together in hyposalinity for about 6 weeks in a 40 gallon. Never had a problem. It is certainly a better option than copper.
I kept a powder brown and Naso together in hyposalinity for about 6 weeks in a 40 gallon. Never had a problem. It is certainly a better option than copper.
Sharkbait hoohaha
Member
The salinity has been consistent at 1.010 with a refractometer. Does the additional .001 make that much difference?
I also have two air stones in the tank to keep the water oxygenated. I haven't used copper, but I was using a daily half dose of formalin / malachite green for the first week while the spots were prevalent. I have discontinued that since the spots are long gone.
The tang got really bloated for the 2-3 days, then presented a more normal appearance. Now he looks really thin, but he is still eating really well at feeding time. he also grazes on the dried algae I hang for him. Mostly, I think he's bored. I'm thinking Ill transfer him to the new larger display tank as soon as the bacteria levels out, and just keep the salinity low for a couple of more weeks.
I also have two air stones in the tank to keep the water oxygenated. I haven't used copper, but I was using a daily half dose of formalin / malachite green for the first week while the spots were prevalent. I have discontinued that since the spots are long gone.
The tang got really bloated for the 2-3 days, then presented a more normal appearance. Now he looks really thin, but he is still eating really well at feeding time. he also grazes on the dried algae I hang for him. Mostly, I think he's bored. I'm thinking Ill transfer him to the new larger display tank as soon as the bacteria levels out, and just keep the salinity low for a couple of more weeks.
lmforbis
Well-Known Member
I wouldn’t mix treatments. Formalin isn’t a treatment for ich. Malachite green contains copper, that is where the green color comes from it probably wasn’t at a therapeutic level. Ich is cyclic and the spots will come and go. You are probablyOK at 1.010 but I’d drop it to 1.009. Has your refractometer been calibrated? This should be done frequently as they do lose calibration easily. And you may not be where you think you are. I calibrate mine every time I use it. If the SG isn’t low enough it may suppress the ich but once it is brought back up it will likely come back.
When the time comes raise the salinity very slowly. I take a couple weeks to bring it back up. The fish can handle drops pretty well a couple days to bring it down to 1.009 but they can’t go back up fast.
When the time comes raise the salinity very slowly. I take a couple weeks to bring it back up. The fish can handle drops pretty well a couple days to bring it down to 1.009 but they can’t go back up fast.
Sharkbait hoohaha
Member
Thanks guys. I calibrate at least every other day. I was at 1.010 after calibrating yesterday evening. And then I saw another spot after a week of being clear. So I'm dropping the sg to .009.
I also moved everyone into the same treatment tank to save a little on water changes (and to give some of the dining room back to my wife!). I'm a little reluctant to move everyone to the new larger tank since I saw a new spot. I don't want to infect that one and have to start all over.
The formalin / malachite mix I was using was sold as "rid ich plus." Is that not what I should have been using?
I also moved everyone into the same treatment tank to save a little on water changes (and to give some of the dining room back to my wife!). I'm a little reluctant to move everyone to the new larger tank since I saw a new spot. I don't want to infect that one and have to start all over.
The formalin / malachite mix I was using was sold as "rid ich plus." Is that not what I should have been using?
Agree that it is not necessary to hit ich with a variety of different treatments. Hypo at 1.009 EXACTLY is the correct treatment. You start the countdown after all evidence of ich is absent from the fish. 3-4 weeks using the above method exactly.
As for garlic, it does help for treatments such with ich or a bacterial infection, but only fresh garlic juices, not bottled, added to meaty fish food with quick feeding after the garlic has been cut and the juices have soaked in to fish food. I would not really rely on it once the fish has full blown ich. It may help as a preventative for new fish that are not symptomatic.
I would recommend zoecon or selcon for your fish in QT, especially tangs.
As for garlic, it does help for treatments such with ich or a bacterial infection, but only fresh garlic juices, not bottled, added to meaty fish food with quick feeding after the garlic has been cut and the juices have soaked in to fish food. I would not really rely on it once the fish has full blown ich. It may help as a preventative for new fish that are not symptomatic.
I would recommend zoecon or selcon for your fish in QT, especially tangs.