Quarantine time and medications

[camellia]

I'm in a bind. I've read different opinions about minimum days to quarantine and use of different medications. I've had my new guys in a QT for 13 days, they are doing great. I really need to put them in the DT on Wednesday. Anyone see a problem with two week quarantine?

I'm hoping to get some experienced opinions on which medications they prefer as well, thanks.

 

[brick fish house]

Now you've done it!

This is one of those topics that gets a whole bunch of people into a hot controversy argument.

First and foremost, this is a hobby with a lot of information and a lot of opinions, each based on each person's research, hearsay, and/or experience.

...and most have their own merit. Some fish need special acclimation practices, and at the same time, others have gone straight into tanks with no ill effects (I don't recommend this).

In my experience, here's what has worked for me:

Generally speaking, I like to qt for over two weeks. It allows parasite eggs to hatch, spores to do their things, and bugs to die. Does it always happen? No. But I want to do everything I can before adding them to a display.

If I see flukes, I freshwater dip. If I see ich, I cupramine. If I see something, I treat. Otherwise, I leave it alone.

However, most fish I qt are in there for about three weeks to a month because there is something else I want to accomplish before adding them to the display. I want to make sure that they are becoming fat and happy. I don't want to put a fish into the display without giving them the strength to put up with the domination/pecking order routine. I want the fish to be relatively strong so that it doesn't get completely stressed out after going in.

Then again, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong.

 

[camellia]

Thanks Brick, your advise it sounds very resonable.
If I could leave them as is for two more weeks I would but that's an issue. I'm currently looking for options, trying to work somthing out.

 

[ringo®]

Going out of town or do you have another fish coming in that needs the QT room?

 

[dawgface]

Brick Fish House;980844 wrote: Now you've done it!

This is one of those topics that gets a whole bunch of people into a hot controversy argument.

First and foremost, this is a hobby with a lot of information and a lot of opinions, each based on each person's research, hearsay, and/or experience.

...and most have their own merit. Some fish need special acclimation practices, and at the same time, others have gone straight into tanks with no ill effects (I don't recommend this).

In my experience, here's what has worked for me:

Generally speaking, I like to qt for over two weeks. It allows parasite eggs to hatch, spores to do their things, and bugs to die. Does it always happen? No. But I want to do everything I can before adding them to a display.

If I see flukes, I freshwater dip. If I see ich, I cupramine. If I see something, I treat. Otherwise, I leave it alone.

However, most fish I qt are in there for about three weeks to a month because there is something else I want to accomplish before adding them to the display. I want to make sure that they are becoming fat and happy. I don't want to put a fish into the display without giving them the strength to put up with the domination/pecking order routine. I want the fish to be relatively strong so that it doesn't get completely stressed out after going in.

Then again, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong.

+1

QT like said here 14 days is sufficient.

If something nasty is observed then either the QT tank turns in to or they are taken to a hospital tank for treatment. I keep most in hospital status curing for another 21 days.

I can't agree enough with the bolded paragraph. Ultimately the fish tells you when it should be introduced to the display. Once past the observation stage I move to a fat, happy and healthy regiment plan. This is where I start to add rockwork, lights replicating the display and generally I transfer over my mollies since they are peaceful, hardy and serve to help bring out the shyness. When ready they all go back in the display and I break down my QT .

 

[oldedb]

How does the deal with the mollies work? Are you talking about black mollies? They are brackish fish right? Where do you keep them when they are not welcoming the new fish in QT? How did you acclimate them to the salinity of the QT?


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[dawgface]

oldedb;981030 wrote: How does the deal with the mollies work? Are you talking about black mollies? They are brackish fish right? Where do you keep them when they are not welcoming the new fish in QT? How did you acclimate them to the salinity of the QT?


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Mollies if acclimated properly acclimate perfectly to salt. I've found no replacement for their hunger thirst for algae. I've always had atleast two in almost every tank I've had except nanos, of which my 16 nuvi has one.

The two I swap around are only done after QT and at the beginning of my acclimation into the reef tank. At this point the fish in that tank has no known parasites or disease and am only keeping them in the QT to acclimate them to the other fish, fish in general and the reef type climate i.e. Intense lighting and high flow.

 

[camellia]

Ringo®;980862 wrote: Going out of town or do you have another fish coming in that needs the QT room?

Both!

 

[camellia]

Well on day 15 they are still looking, acting and eating great. I considered moving them to a different QT and taking them to a fish sitter but from posts above, it sounds like I'm safe.

Thanks

 

[morganatlanta]

I've done only two weeks recently for the same reasons, but I medicated with Prazi and CP during those two weeks.

You roll the dice with anything less. Chances are good you'll be okay, but then again, maybe not. I put fish strait into the DT for three years before I lost the dice roll, and it wiped out everything.

 

[mcphock]

I agree with virtually everything said above. QT is a SOP at every reputable wholesaler.

I will mention though that some, limited sensitive fish are better off without QT, as they:

1) Generally carry much lower parasite loads
2) Suffer from the absence of a traditional reef environment

In other words, you weigh the small(er than normal) risk of disease introduction against the significant stress placed on the isolated individual.