Critique my new quanrantine procedure

[Naraku]

day 1: formalin dip (50 min) , followed by fw dip (10 min) and transfer into tank with metronidazole

day 4: Formalin dip (50 min) followed by fw dip and transfer to a new tank with metronidazole.

day 7: Formalin dip (50 min) followed by fw dip and transfer to a new tank with metronidazole.

day 10: Formalin dip (50 min) followed by fw dip and transfer to a new tank with metronidazole.

day 13: Formalin dip (50 min) followed by fw dip and transfer to a new tank with metronidazole.


It will be fed mysis soaked in antibiotic (to cover bacteria) and betaglucan (for immunostimulation)


So in theory, this should cover bacteria (via antibiotics), flukes (via formalin and freshwater), uronema, brook, ich (via the transfer, dips, and metro)



How can I control ammonia? Are there any media that removes ammonia?

 

[Naraku]

This will be a brand new quarantine.

I have a pending order of a large Heniochus chrysostomus with liveaquaria.

It will be a single fish in the quarantine.

 

[Naraku]

I will be getting 4 brand new quarantine tanks from Walmart.

2x10 gallon and 2x 20 gallon

That way each tank will be completely clean

 

[ThRoewer]

Short (= less than 3h) formalin and freshwater baths may catch some flukes, but for sure not all. I had skin flukes (Capsalidae) that just took shelter under the scales of the fish during the freshwater bath (I watched them under the microscope). And that was after the fish had been through a formalin bath before.
Those guys would have been killed by hyposalinity and likely PraziPro as well.
Though hyposalinity has the advantage that it is gentler to the fish and that they can stay in it for weeks on end to make sure you also get the second generation of flukes that may hatch from eggs laid before the start of treatment.
Hyposalinity can easily be combined with TTM and pretty much all other chemical treatments, even PraziPro to catch the flukes that tolerate lower salinities.

 

[Naraku]

Won't hypo encourage uronema?

I'm more concerned about uronema than flukes.

I don't think I ever had fish with flukes. Nothing ever came off with the dips.

 

[Naraku]

I think chrysostomus is amongst the most picky heniochus.

Therefore, I think it will be a struggle between managing appetite and meds ruining the appetite.

 

[ThRoewer]

Won't hypo encourage uronema?

I'm more concerned about uronema than flukes.

I don't think I ever had fish with flukes. Nothing ever came off with the dips.

Nothing came off my ventralis anthias, yet they had flukes and they killed them. Don't think flukes will always come off in a freshwater or formalin bath. And even if they come off, some are so small that you won't see them without a microscope.
The flukes looked like ich and the fish also behaved the part, which is why I missed them until it was too late.

As for Uronema: hyposalinity doesn't kill or promote it, but it helps the fish. The only things I know of that kill this one are formalin and CP (double dosage).

 

[Naraku]

So what you are suggesting is to incorporate hypo or prazipro into the protocol
am I correct?

 

[Naraku]

I read that hypo promotes uronema by user Jhemdal (I think) a while ago.

 

[Naraku]

Oh man... I really want to succeed this time.

 

[Naraku]

I feel like adding hypo is just too much for the fish to handle.

Will performing hypo during the observation period (after the transfer) be ok?

 

[ThRoewer]

Hypo reduces stress for the fish by making osmoregulation easier and increasing oxygen saturation.

Hypo may also promote bacterial blooms. Uronema, if present, will feed on those, so it may indirectly promote it if you let the bacteria go wild.
But if Uronema makes it into the QT it doesn't really make much difference anyway.

Generally, less is more when it comes to new fish, especially finicky fish.
For that reason I would keep the prophylactic treatments to a minimum and only treat when the fish actually have something that warrants treatment.

Beyond a formalin bath I would just do close observation for a couple of days to see if there is anything.