WDLV
Skunk Hybrid Freak
Clown QT for Dummies
This subject comes up a lot on all the forums I frequent, and when it doesn't, there's usually an unhappy reefer somewhere and at least one fewer clown in the world. In an attempt to do my part to promote the hobby, I'm posting this everywhere I frequent....
Materials:
10 gallon tank.
Air Pump and Air Stone - OR - a HOB filter.
Appropriately sized heater
PVC fittings big enough to hide in
El Cheapo glass thermometer.
Bottle of Amquel
Bottle of Formalin III
Egg crate or other plastic screen to cover the top
Hydrometer
½ Pint deli container.
Day one:
Install the heater, HOB filter and thermometer. Do not use any carbon in the filter. Fill the tank half way with tank water (1.023-1.025). Catch the fish with the plastic deli container (think slow moving like a jellyfish.) not using a net will help reduce the chance of scratching off the immune aiding slime coat and scales of the fish. Add the fish to the QT tank. Slowly add fresh water until you reach a SG of 1.009 taking care to maintain temperature. An hour for this process is plenty slow. When you reach 1.009.
Your tank should be about full. Fudge the difference to reach the water mark on the heater. Adjust your heater so the water is at a constant 76F-78F.
Add 1mL/Gallon Formalin III to the tank and 0.5mL/Gallon Amquel.
Day two:
Change 50% of the tank water with pre-mixed, pre heated water at 1.009 SG and be sure to add the appropriate dosage of Formalin III and Amquel before adding it to the tank. You should be using freshly made salt water at this point to avoid adding pathogens to the QT. Do this for the first week and twice a week thereafter. Be sure to scrape and syphon off everything from the bottom and sides of the tank to keep cysts at bay. Another option is to swap tanks and clean them out with tap water daily. After the first week you can cut back to twice a week water changes as long as the water continues to look clear. You can clean the filter pads with a heavy jet of tap water or change it out daily if you prefer. I would keep the newcomers in this treatment for at least a month.
Your primary concern is Brooklynella hostilis (brook), your secondary concern is Amyloodinium (velvet), your third concern is Cryptocarion irritans (ick.) I make no claims to my spelling accuracy.
The hyposalinity is to make the paracites expand so fast trying to reach osmotic balance that they explode. The Formalin III is the best known treatment for brook, which will kill your fish the fastest of the three mentioned. It is a mediocre treatment for velvet and is about the same with ick but it is effective for a long term treatment. If you insist, you can switch over to the copper treatment of your choice a week or so after starting this regamin. Be sure to get all the formalin out before doing this. I would also recommend ramping up the copper treatment rather than reaching the full dose all at once.
The three paracites mentioned above all attack the gills first. That's why you see the fish breathing fast and "flashing" before you see any other symptoms. It is also why fish often die while the aquariest is busy looking up the weird skin lesions they just noticed.
This will not save every fish but it has about a 90% or better success rate with new arrivals and about a 75% success rate with mildly sick fish. I exclude the outliars (A. nigripes.) They ship like water in a burlap bag.
This is my version of a treatment recommended to me by a fellow reefer while my leucs were sick and laying on their side with brook. I still have them a year later.
Good luck and feed them flake or pellet food like you're starving them to keep down Ammonia. If they get a bite or two each, they're fine.
I am not responsible if your fish dies. This is a wonderful and sometimes tough hobby. You assume your own financial and emotional risks by indulging in it. My hope is that some of you will use this as a means of finding your own method that works best for you.
Good luck and happy reefing!
This subject comes up a lot on all the forums I frequent, and when it doesn't, there's usually an unhappy reefer somewhere and at least one fewer clown in the world. In an attempt to do my part to promote the hobby, I'm posting this everywhere I frequent....
Materials:
10 gallon tank.
Air Pump and Air Stone - OR - a HOB filter.
Appropriately sized heater
PVC fittings big enough to hide in
El Cheapo glass thermometer.
Bottle of Amquel
Bottle of Formalin III
Egg crate or other plastic screen to cover the top
Hydrometer
½ Pint deli container.
Day one:
Install the heater, HOB filter and thermometer. Do not use any carbon in the filter. Fill the tank half way with tank water (1.023-1.025). Catch the fish with the plastic deli container (think slow moving like a jellyfish.) not using a net will help reduce the chance of scratching off the immune aiding slime coat and scales of the fish. Add the fish to the QT tank. Slowly add fresh water until you reach a SG of 1.009 taking care to maintain temperature. An hour for this process is plenty slow. When you reach 1.009.
Your tank should be about full. Fudge the difference to reach the water mark on the heater. Adjust your heater so the water is at a constant 76F-78F.
Add 1mL/Gallon Formalin III to the tank and 0.5mL/Gallon Amquel.
Day two:
Change 50% of the tank water with pre-mixed, pre heated water at 1.009 SG and be sure to add the appropriate dosage of Formalin III and Amquel before adding it to the tank. You should be using freshly made salt water at this point to avoid adding pathogens to the QT. Do this for the first week and twice a week thereafter. Be sure to scrape and syphon off everything from the bottom and sides of the tank to keep cysts at bay. Another option is to swap tanks and clean them out with tap water daily. After the first week you can cut back to twice a week water changes as long as the water continues to look clear. You can clean the filter pads with a heavy jet of tap water or change it out daily if you prefer. I would keep the newcomers in this treatment for at least a month.
Your primary concern is Brooklynella hostilis (brook), your secondary concern is Amyloodinium (velvet), your third concern is Cryptocarion irritans (ick.) I make no claims to my spelling accuracy.
The hyposalinity is to make the paracites expand so fast trying to reach osmotic balance that they explode. The Formalin III is the best known treatment for brook, which will kill your fish the fastest of the three mentioned. It is a mediocre treatment for velvet and is about the same with ick but it is effective for a long term treatment. If you insist, you can switch over to the copper treatment of your choice a week or so after starting this regamin. Be sure to get all the formalin out before doing this. I would also recommend ramping up the copper treatment rather than reaching the full dose all at once.
The three paracites mentioned above all attack the gills first. That's why you see the fish breathing fast and "flashing" before you see any other symptoms. It is also why fish often die while the aquariest is busy looking up the weird skin lesions they just noticed.
This will not save every fish but it has about a 90% or better success rate with new arrivals and about a 75% success rate with mildly sick fish. I exclude the outliars (A. nigripes.) They ship like water in a burlap bag.
This is my version of a treatment recommended to me by a fellow reefer while my leucs were sick and laying on their side with brook. I still have them a year later.
Good luck and feed them flake or pellet food like you're starving them to keep down Ammonia. If they get a bite or two each, they're fine.
I am not responsible if your fish dies. This is a wonderful and sometimes tough hobby. You assume your own financial and emotional risks by indulging in it. My hope is that some of you will use this as a means of finding your own method that works best for you.
Good luck and happy reefing!
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