Filter Sock For QT

[cham]

Has anyone had experience using a QT that is plumbed to you DT with a 100 micron sock in the drain to "isolate" it from your DT?

I know I have ich in my tank but my healthy fish keep it in check. My main conern are flukes and some others.

When I find a random prize fish that I want to add to my already healthy system I'm turned off by the idea of adding a potentially dirty fish to my tank and I never have my QT set up and cycled in time to snatch it up. I've been thinking about plumbing a small tank to my sump and putting a 100 micron filter sock in the drain to keep flukes from making it into my DT.

Even when I do properly cycle a small QT the fish that I prize (like a PBT) are very fragile and not likely to do as well in a new tank vs my established tank water. I like the idea of my very well oxygenated established tank water to bring in stressed fish to give them the best chance of survival and recovery from their long trips to my home.

Bad idea?

 

[Dr Colliebreath]

I wouldn't mix the two tanks. I suspect many of the problem organisms would get through the filter sock, and your medications would get into the display tank if you had to medicate. It is a good idea to use your DT water in your QT. I would find a way to have biologically active media in your DT that you can transfer to the QT. I have been using Fluval ceramic small tube filter media in a mesh bag and a sponge filter. You don't want to transfer either back to the DT after using for quarantine so I keep a bag of the filter media in my DT's sump to I can put some in the QT and then throw away when done rather than reusing.

Use substantial water changes with water from your DT to help manage ammonia and nitrites (and to give the quarantined fish good water and acclimate them to your DT's water parameters). This also helps you make small water changes from your DT.

A QT is important to success in acquiring healthy fish but difficult to maintain in a manner that doesn't stress the fish.

 

[cham]

I wouldn't mix the two tanks. I suspect many of the problem organisms would get through the filter sock, and your medications would get into the display tank if you had to medicate. It is a good idea to use your DT water in your QT. I would find a way to have biologically active media in your DT that you can transfer to the QT. I have been using Fluval ceramic small tube filter media in a mesh bag and a sponge filter. You don't want to transfer either back to the DT after using for quarantine so I keep a bag of the filter media in my DT's sump to I can put some in the QT and then throw away when done rather than reusing.

Use substantial water changes with water from your DT to help manage ammonia and nitrites (and to give the quarantined fish good water and acclimate them to your DT's water parameters). This also helps you make small water changes from your DT.

A QT is important to success in acquiring healthy fish but difficult to maintain in a manner that doesn't stress the fish.

Great feedback, thank you.

I'm friends with the owner of the LFS and I know he's had the fish for over a week with prazi pro and copper in the system that the PBT is in (I'm not crazy about the copper) and the fish shows no signs of flukes or ich. Although my tank has ich I have sensitive fish that are able to deal with it.

I'm more of a coral guy than a fish guy but IME flukes seem most common and I wanted to continue the prazi treatment while watching the fish and fattening him up.