Quarantine methods?

[yikai]

Hello reefers! In the anticipation of my upcoming project, i have given alot of though to my stock list. Most of them consist of delicate fishes and some of them being quite costly. I have decided to go with standard QT for my fishes.

Just a quick question. Do anyone actually QT their fish? And if so, mind sharing your QT practices?

I was thinking, QT set ups consist of just a bare tank with a simple filter with no decorations except maybe some PVC pipes.

When you QT your fishes, do you dose copper straight away? or do you observe for any signs of disease, then treat? What if the fish is already carrying some form of parasites but it just doesn't show up? How do we know then if we must treat it or not?

Hope to learn a thing or two from reefers with regards to QT. it's a livesaver and is very seldom used.

[[V]tEc]

what size of QT r u planning to make? some fishes will feel stress if they r "trapped" in a small area for 1 mth....i skip QT cos i cant add a proper QT system in my house. i tried a powder blue in a 2ft QT b4, end up it gt so stress up n die....

[yikai]

tEc' date='05 May 2010 - 02:18 AM' timestamp='1272997135' post='906884']

what size of QT r u planning to make? some fishes will feel stress if they r "trapped" in a small area for 1 mth....i skip QT cos i cant add a proper QT system in my house. i tried a powder blue in a 2ft QT b4, end up it gt so stress up n die....

QT tank size will be 2ft.. yeah i know some fish cannot tolerate QT. but smaller fishes that do need QT, a 2ft tank should be ok?

[stevenkoh08]

ok i've done QT for most of my delicated fish before

1. I'll hypo it at a S.G of 1.005 - 1.010 for around 2wks

2. Next feed it with food that u intend to let it have in ur main tank for the rest of the time u keep it (slowly it'll recognise it as food)

3. Look out for bacteria burn in fin

4. let it to be alone in partition (no physical contact with others fish)

5. Drop it in ur main tank and monitor futher

[[V]tEc]

QT tank size will be 2ft.. yeah i know some fish cannot tolerate QT. but smaller fishes that do need QT, a 2ft tank should be ok?

not that some fish cant tolerate QT, but rather some fishes need the room to swim so trapping them in a small tank do them more harm than good. last time i was like u, wanted to get up QT, get a spare skimmer, but in the end still find it too troublesome. some fishes as u know need colder water, so gt to set up chiller for the QT. Fan is not good for small tank as it make the perimeters swing too much... also although with copper, it very good against ich, but u gt to measure it everyday to make sure u dun under or over dose. we have hobby to help destress ourselves. but if reefing is so troublesome, i rather i dun reef....anyway if u wan to try copper, can get from u. i buy liao never gt the chance to use. its brand new. never even open the seal yet....see when u going iwarna let me know. i go there pass to u

[comycus]

2ft should be ok ba. Actually for me the concern is maintaining water quality in the QT system. I have no confidence in maintaining good water parameters during the 4-6 weeks of qt and it's requires alot of discipline in doing very frequent wc. Actually had a 1.5ft cube set up as QT in my room but was unable to stabilise it, so ended up not doing qt.

If you are setting up a dedicated qt tank that will be running continously then I guess this shouldn't be a problem. If you are planning alot of delicate fishes, then might be good to invest in this to provide a stable, good environment for qt?

I found this website when I was just starting out and still believe in it (even though I don't practice QT)

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-10/sp/feature/index.php

[CFOh]

Hello reefers! In the anticipation of my upcoming project, i have given alot of though to my stock list. Most of them consist of delicate fishes and some of them being quite costly. I have decided to go with standard QT for my fishes.

Just a quick question. Do anyone actually QT their fish? And if so, mind sharing your QT practices?

I was thinking, QT set ups consist of just a bare tank with a simple filter with no decorations except maybe some PVC pipes.

When you QT your fishes, do you dose copper straight away? or do you observe for any signs of disease, then treat? What if the fish is already carrying some form of parasites but it just doesn't show up? How do we know then if we must treat it or not?

Hope to learn a thing or two from reefers with regards to QT. it's a livesaver and is very seldom used.

2 type of QT required....

1. new stock (Mine setup a small ~2ft tank with PVCs and tiles link to sump, found is very useful to reduce stress and feeding for new stock, and also transfer to treatment tank easier when needed)

2. Sick Fish (a simple ~2ft white foam boxes + air pump is good enough, I get mine from LCK for free, just act as emergency for copper treatment)

Cheers and enjoy your new setup.....

Cheers and Happy Reefing...

[Terryz_]

A QT doesn't necessary be a glass tank... Can use those Ikea Plastic container or Toyogo Container.. The space and water volume is sure bigger than a 2ft tank... You just need a canister or a large sponge filter... And chiller if the fish is a cool water species..

[yikai]

hey everyone thank you for the constructive comments. the principals of qt, basics and of course, individual fishes i know very well. Especially with regards to which individual fish from each genus or family and their ability to tolerate QT. sensitive deepwater fishes with special requirements eg cool water etc might not be suitable for QT.

also there are many fishes that naturally are very resistant to disease and do not carry parasites as often as other fishes. these fishes therefore can do without QT.

what i want to know is how you guys QT your fishes. I think bro stevenkoh brought up a very good idea on hypo. Although it's not for all fishes, it's definately good for hardier species.

i have a 2ft empty tank that will be used to QT smaller fishes. as for bigger fishes, i have a 4ft toyogo box, and another 3ft toyogo box. at least i can QT more than 1 fish this way :-)

thanks vtec for your offer on the copper! it's certainly going to come in handy! my tank will be ready in 3 weeks, then plus cycling time etc, maybe only ready by week 5-6. will contact you then if you still have the copper but don't keep it for me if you need to dispose of or pass to someone else hehe.

[CFOh]

hey everyone thank you for the constructive comments. the principals of qt, basics and of course, individual fishes i know very well. Especially with regards to which individual fish from each genus or family and their ability to tolerate QT. sensitive deepwater fishes with special requirements eg cool water etc might not be suitable for QT.

also there are many fishes that naturally are very resistant to disease and do not carry parasites as often as other fishes. these fishes therefore can do without QT.

what i want to know is how you guys QT your fishes. I think bro stevenkoh brought up a very good idea on hypo. Although it's not for all fishes, it's definately good for hardier species.

i have a 2ft empty tank that will be used to QT smaller fishes. as for bigger fishes, i have a 4ft toyogo box, and another 3ft toyogo box. at least i can QT more than 1 fish this way :-)

thanks vtec for your offer on the copper! it's certainly going to come in handy! my tank will be ready in 3 weeks, then plus cycling time etc, maybe only ready by week 5-6. will contact you then if you still have the copper but don't keep it for me if you need to dispose of or pass to someone else hehe.

Hi, Probably can check with Jacky for Copper too.. I passed one to him previously.. provided Jacky still keep it... Cheers

[yikai]

Hi, Probably can check with Jacky for Copper too.. I passed one to him previously.. provided Jacky still keep it... Cheers

Ok thanks!

Actually i'm not a fan of copper and will not use it unless ultimately necessary. There are many many species of fish that cannot handle copper well even in the correct level of dosage. There are some fishes that cannot handle copper period, like mandarins, lions etc.

Knowing what fish you are dealing with is just as important as knowing how to use copper.

Copper isn't expensive, if i forsee the need, i will just get one and keep it. Or i could take vtec's one since he suggested haha.

[[V]tEc]

hey everyone thank you for the constructive comments. the principals of qt, basics and of course, individual fishes i know very well. Especially with regards to which individual fish from each genus or family and their ability to tolerate QT. sensitive deepwater fishes with special requirements eg cool water etc might not be suitable for QT.

also there are many fishes that naturally are very resistant to disease and do not carry parasites as often as other fishes. these fishes therefore can do without QT.

what i want to know is how you guys QT your fishes. I think bro stevenkoh brought up a very good idea on hypo. Although it's not for all fishes, it's definately good for hardier species.

i have a 2ft empty tank that will be used to QT smaller fishes. as for bigger fishes, i have a 4ft toyogo box, and another 3ft toyogo box. at least i can QT more than 1 fish this way :-)

thanks vtec for your offer on the copper! it's certainly going to come in handy! my tank will be ready in 3 weeks, then plus cycling time etc, maybe only ready by week 5-6. will contact you then if you still have the copper but don't keep it for me if you need to dispose of or pass to someone else hehe.

it sitting in my cabinet for some time already.... will be glad to hand it to u n prevent death of fishes.....juz remember to let me know when u need it...

[FuEl]

Once you decide to QT, QT all the way. Don't think that a certain fish is tough/delicate and should skip the QT. QT is not so much about saving the fish that you have just bought. It is more about saving the lives of your other established fish from any pathogen introduction. I would rather kill the fish in QT than to put it in a display tank to risk the lives of so many other fishes.

[yikai]

Once you decide to QT, QT all the way. Don't think that a certain fish is tough and thus can do without QT. QT is not so much about saving the fish that you have just bought. It is more about saving the lives of your other established fish from any pathogen introduction. I would rather kill the fish in QT than to put it in a display tank to risk the lives of so many other fishes.

actually i disagree with you on this. If i know that the fish is very disease resistant by nature, costs a bomb, is very rare and does very poorly in QT due to certain requirements, i would just risk it all together and place it in the display straight away. At most a freshwater bath before going into display

the risk is still there but at least it's a very slim chance. Then again different people different mindset.

[FuEl]

actually i disagree with you on this. If i know that the fish is very disease resistant by nature, costs a bomb, is very rare and does very poorly in QT due to certain requirements, i would just risk it all together and place it in the display straight away.

the risk is still there but at least it's a very slim chance. Then again different people different mindset.

Most hardcore American reefers would disagree with you. But then again different mindset.

I mean if you are willing to take the risk of losing all your established fish just by the introduction of that single rare fish, then by all means. If that happens, you will wonder why you did QT for the previous fishes in the first place anyway. All your previous effort of QT would have gone down the drain.

[yikai]

Most hardcore American reefers would disagree with you. But then again different mindset.

I mean if you are willing to take the risk of losing all your established fish just by the introduction of that single rare fish, then by all means. If that happens, you will wonder why you did QT for the previous fishes in the first place anyway. All your previous effort of QT would have gone down the drain.

guess this isn't america, isn't it? lol.

Strict QT procedures in US are very common but in asia it's seldom done. Its also proven that some fishes cannot survive in QT and are always advised in some hardcore american websites and forums to be placed into the display straight away after a freshwater bath at least. The fishes in the display are already healthy, disease free and the likelihood of them dying from a potential disease outbreak by the new fish is, i guess, pretty slim. Especially if the new fish is already disease resistant by nature and have undergone a freshwater bath. I won't say it's not possible to have all your livestock dead and end up slashing your wrist in misery from a disease outbreak, and if that happens then it's really unlucky. But the chances are super reduced..

Like this i won't consider my previous efforts to have gone down the drain, having greatly reduced the chance of pathogenic outbreak, and pathogenic resistance greatly increased. It's extremely difficult and taxing to have a tank with completely no parasites, and i'm contented with a tank that might have ich but not to a potentially harmful (i won't say deadly) level.

after all, you of all people should know that sometimes, pathogens do manage to find their way into our systems despite QT. :cry:

[yikai]

Will be glad to know how you guys actually QT your fishes? What salinity do you keep them at should you go hypo? how long? what are your daily regimes if it's such a case.

How about copper users? do you jump into copper straight away? or observe first then copper.

I'd rather have answers on how to do a proper QT than to actually be questioned on what i should be doing. that's the whole idea of asking isn't it?

[FuEl]

If that's the case, add the rare & un-QT-able fishes first. Quarantine the future introductions.

[FuEl]

Liveaquaria's method. You can't go wrong following it.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/general.cfm?general_pagesid=425

[ayane]

I am a copper user when it comes to new fishes or sick fishes. However, my tank is a fish with only rocks(can be considered dead less than 5% coraline algae). From my experience,i had tried various reef safe medications such as paraguard etc, the treatment was not effective.

In my opinion, i felt that the medications will only provide a little help to control the spread of the disease etc ich and not fully eradicate.

The only successful way that i had tried is using mardel coppersafe.

Firstly, I would use a quarantine about 2ft with a hang-on filter with the addition of some pvc pipes and biohome. The tank will be cycled for about 2 months. Follow by that i will dose for the half recommend amount of copper to the tank for the fish to get used to the copper concentration in the water.

Secondly, I would observe the fish for about 3-4 days if that appears any sign of infections.I would not feed the fish on the first two days. Feeding will done sparely on the 3rd day.

Thirdly, if the fish shows symptoms of infections i would up the copper concentration to the required level. Feeding will be continue if the fish is feeding.

On the other side, if the fish does not show any symptoms, i will continue observing it for about 2 weeks before releasing the fish in the main tank. about 20% of the water will be change every week.

Usually i will not choose fishes that arrived in new shipments. Choice of fishes will depend on the several factors below based on my own preference:

1.Feeding properly (eager to feed)

2.Been in the dealer's tank for about a month. (But i know by the time, the fish would have already found a new home, the advantage is that the fish had been already qt. You may want to re-qt it when you brought back just in case perhaps 2-3 days which will not stress the fish for too long.)

3. Reputable dealer such as sealife or marine life

4. Hand-caught

For the above factors, i hope it will answered certain questions on bigger fishes such as pbt or emperor angel etc being kept in 2ft qt. Resulting in death due to stress.

However, the copper treatments work for certain fishes only. I believed that ich(most commonly faced disease) can be eradicate completely.

[Terryz_]

Once you decide to QT, QT all the way. Don't think that a certain fish is tough/delicate and should skip the QT. QT is not so much about saving the fish that you have just bought. It is more about saving the lives of your other established fish from any pathogen introduction. I would rather kill the fish in QT than to put it in a display tank to risk the lives of so many other fishes.

This is what I did and regretted.. Even a speckle of ich can escalate to a breakout and wipeout of your tank...

[Terryz_]

actually i disagree with you on this. If i know that the fish is very disease resistant by nature, costs a bomb, is very rare and does very poorly in QT due to certain requirements, i would just risk it all together and place it in the display straight away. At most a freshwater bath before going into display

the risk is still there but at least it's a very slim chance. Then again different people different mindset.

I dun think there are many fishes that take very poorly in QT.. Maybe I haven encountered it...

The QT shouldnt be much different from a normal tank.. Just that it is bare and maybe medicated and free from diseases...

[FuEl]

This is what I did and regretted.. Even a speckle of ich can escalate to a breakout and wipeout of your tank...

Talking out ich, there are many strains of it. There is even one strain that is both resistant to hyposalinity and copper treatment, only responding to chloroquin. If you get hit by that strain...

[Terryz_]

Talking out ich, there are many strains of it. There is even one strain that is both resistant to hyposalinity and copper treatment, only responding to chloroquin. If you get hit by that strain...

CHOY!!! Touchwood leh.. Been haunted by ich for years is enough somemore this kind of not dying strain is really suay..

[Dispar_Anthias]

I dun think there are many fishes that take very poorly in QT.. Maybe I haven encountered it...

The QT shouldnt be much different from a normal tank.. Just that it is bare and maybe medicated and free from diseases...

Angels does particularly poor in QT. Chances of having HLLE in QT is also much higher for angels, reason? I am not sure as well, probably the inability to maintain constant and good water parameter.

Do note, once you a hypo or copper certain fishes esepcially pomacanthids family, the colours may nv be as vibrant as before.