Guide to setup a Quarantine Tank (QT).

[Dr. Reef]

bnumair,

Question I have the following meds:

1. crypto-pro
2. paraguard
3. prazipro
4. copper


I know we talked about the tangs I'm buying that I know have ich. Plan is to do a week of prazipro then I am going to do the hypo as discussed.

I was wondering if it would be wise to dose paraguard while hypoing or use it at all?

The crypto pro I have on hand in case the hypo doesn't knock the ich out.

Hi Brando457
Paraguard should only be used in normal salinity and under normal conditions, it will stress the fish to the max so using under hypo will almost be writing death sentence.
Also only 1 treatment at a time. if hypo fail which it shouldnt as long as you have a well calibrated refractometer and water right at 1.009 and hold fish in hypo for as long as last visible ich is gone and breathing returns to normal due to ich in gill (unseen) and plus 2-3 more weeks beyond that point. once those 2-3 weeks are over then u can bring salinity back u very very slow.
then observe for few more weeks.
Good Luck

 

[Brando457]

Is it worth doing prazipro -> hypo -> paraguard?

or is the paraguard really unneeded?

 

[Dr. Reef]

Is it worth doing prazipro -> hypo -> paraguard?

or is the paraguard really unneeded?

paraguard claims to heel external fungal bacterial viral lesions and ich. while prazipro is more for flukes, tapeworm, flatworm, and internal parasites.
so they both work on different stuff.
You can certainly go prazipro -> hypo -> paraguard but make sure you do 50% water change after prazipro and another 50% after hypo.
Paraguard only when fish are stress free and salinity is stable at 1.025-26.

 

[Spork3245]

Hi Spork
i wouldnt go with any of those, if your setting up a 40 gal tank as qt then i would go with atleast a 70-100gal HOB. aquaclear is what i use and they go make a 70. u need the most surface are to harbor bacteria and enough filtration to keep ammonia at bay. also u can use the sponge provided with it (will cause nitrates) or just replace that with ceramic media.
hope this helps

Awesome, thank you!
So this one then: http://www.amazon.com/AquaClear-70-...396488516&sr=8-1&keywords=aquaclear+filter+70
Also, excuse my newb-ness but is this what you mean by ceramic media: http://www.amazon.com/Fluval-Pre-Fi...&qid=1396488742&sr=8-2&keywords=ceramic+media
?

Thanks again!

 

[Dr. Reef]

yes you got both links/products right. 750grams will be just enough for qt tank.
rings should some with a filter bag. place as many in the bag that you can fit inside the HOB. rest you can put in another media bag and place them in the qt near high flow area.

 

[Spork3245]

yes you got both links/products right. 750grams will be just enough for qt tank.
rings should some with a filter bag. place as many in the bag that you can fit inside the HOB. rest you can put in another media bag and place them in the qt near high flow area.

Thank you again for all of your help!
Hopefully last questions
Am I better off with a Hydor Koralia 750-850gph powerhead: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0036RXO3O/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
Or a simple air-stone + air-pump combo?

Also, perhaps a silly question, but will my Diamond Goby be okay in the QT since it will be bare bottom? He loves to dig/sift but does eat pellets, flakes and frozen/prepared food.

Thanks again in advance!

 

[Dr. Reef]

i have personally never used airstones. i have a hydor powerhead in my qt.
Diamond goby will be fine in qt and if you have to really put sand in there use pure silica sand and a tubware 2" deep.

 

[gsgentry]

I watched them for a couple of hours tonight and everything looked safe. I do notice that they both are constantly opening and closing their mouth, almost like gasping for air. But isn't that common for clowns? And when they have they tail towards me, looks like their gills are constantly open. Not sure if that's normal. The one I thought may have something... She does not extend her bottom (pectoral I think) find at all and barely ever her side fins.

Just thought I would add my additional observations in case I need to be doing or looking at something else.

Thanks.

 

[Dr. Reef]

is there a lot of water movement in your tank? lot of air water exchange?
now sure but for now observe them.... did the white marks get any worse? or healing?

 

[shermanator]

I have a kind of silly question...

I'm in the midst of stocking my DT and I currently have two QTs up and running. I'm about to setup a third QT. The problem is that I keep seeing things on Diver's Den (and my LFS) that I really want to get. I'm doing my best to QT everything for at least 4 weeks and do preemptive treatments with prazi and medicated food (anti-fungal, anti-worm, anti-bacterial).

My question is: If fish are properly QT'd (and treated as necessary), is it possible to totally avoid ever getting disease in my DT?

I know anything is possible, but hearing that with proper QT one is 99% likely to not get disease will eliminate my temptation to move fish from QT to DT prior to 4 weeks (so that I can get new fish into QT).

It's funny, I found the cycle easy to be patient, but it's harder for me to be patient with QT. I see the fish in QT and nothing except snails in my DT and keep imagining how nice the fish will look in the DT... And all the fish I keep seeing on Diver's Den.

Maybe I should just setup 6 QTs. Except my wife would kill me.

Thanks for listening to my rambling, silly question. And thanks so much for this thread. It's been SO helpful. And I guarantee without this thread (and reading all of the disease issues with those who don't QT), I would have plopped the fish right into my DT (after acclimation, of course).

 

[mrpergo]

if you have all those QT tanks to quarantine your fish , I would not put them all in the DT at the same time because there is no way your DT would be able to handle the bio load and you would have a major ammonia spike. Be careful.
I'm sure you heard and read to be PATIENT...........lol
It will come and then you can sit back and enjoy, and then tweak the tank a little sit back , tweak ect..........lmao

 

[shermanator]

if you have all those QT tanks to quarantine your fish , I would not put them all in the DT at the same time because there is no way your DT would be able to handle the bio load and you would have a major ammonia spike. Be careful.
I'm sure you heard and read to be PATIENT...........lol
It will come and then you can sit back and enjoy, and then tweak the tank a little sit back , tweak ect..........lmao

Thanks. Right now I have everything spaced such that I will add 1 fish every week (except 2 clowns the first addition). Would that be okay? I've had a fairly large snail CUC for about four weeks now. And never a sight of ammonia since the cycle (which was done with a ton of mature live rock from my lfs).

If a fish a week is too son, I'll keep some in QT longer.

Thanks again!

 

[gsgentry]

is there a lot of water movement in your tank? lot of air water exchange?
now sure but for now observe them.... did the white marks get any worse? or healing?

Yes.. I'm running a bio-wheel which moves the surface water pretty well and also a mj1200 powerhead in a 10 gallon tank.

The whiteness is still there and she is eating a little more, but just seems to swim clumsy. I'll keep watching them.

On a side note... If a fish has ich and is "dormant" so to speak... Would hyposalinity still kill it? Basically if I fish has it but it never shows, how would one know? They have been in prazipro for 2 weeks now and since I'm waiting in observation mode, thibking of doing hyposalinity just as a precaution.

Thanks for all your help so far!!

 

[Brando457]

Question:

I picked up my fish today a yellow tang, naso tang, and hippo tang.

I know we talked about prazipro, should I start treatment immediately today after they acclimate or tomorrow?

Also it appears there is an issue with the hippo tang's eye, it does not look like popeye, but is kind of cloudy.

Thanks

 

[Dr. Reef]

Question:

I picked up my fish today a yellow tang, naso tang, and hippo tang.

I know we talked about prazipro, should I start treatment immediately today after they acclimate or tomorrow?

Also it appears there is an issue with the hippo tang's eye, it does not look like popeye, but is kind of cloudy.

Thanks

Yes i would do prazipro anytime, it wont hurt a thing. i would run prazi for 1 week with first dose then do a 25% water change then second dose for 1 week. do another 25% water change then run either hypo or cupramine as we know they had or have ich.
If cloudy eye doesnt go away you may need some other medicine like formalin-ms (if prazi dont clear it)
Good Luck

 

[Dr. Reef]

Yes.. I'm running a bio-wheel which moves the surface water pretty well and also a mj1200 powerhead in a 10 gallon tank.

The whiteness is still there and she is eating a little more, but just seems to swim clumsy. I'll keep watching them.

On a side note... If a fish has ich and is "dormant" so to speak... Would hyposalinity still kill it? Basically if I fish has it but it never shows, how would one know? They have been in prazipro for 2 weeks now and since I'm waiting in observation mode, thibking of doing hyposalinity just as a precaution.

Thanks for all your help so far!!

If shes progressing i would just watch for signs. hope it recovers soon.
Regarding ich. it can sit dormant on a fish nd keep going through its stages but may not have an outburst or parasite which will kill entire tank likely. So its best you treat with hypo if you even suspect it.

 

[Brando457]

Okay I am going to add prazipro in a few hours then since I just added the fish at 2 pm.

Thanks for your help, you're awesome

 

[Dr. Reef]

Okay I am going to add prazipro in a few hours then since I just added the fish at 2 pm.

Thanks for your help, you're awesome

Thank you for ur kind words and good luck. keep me posted.

 

[gsgentry]

If shes progressing i would just watch for signs. hope it recovers soon.
Regarding ich. it can sit dormant on a fish nd keep going through its stages but may not have an outburst or parasite which will kill entire tank likely. So its best you treat with hypo if you even suspect it.

She seems to be swimming more active today. I increased the air bubbles that the powerhead outputs last night and I am slowly raiding them temp to 81. Then I start hypo just as a precaution.

So you are saying hypo will kill it even if its dormant, correct?

You are so helpful. Thanks for taking all the time to help everyone.

 

[gsgentry]

So I am watching her after feeding. She ate some, not much. She goes up to the heater and stares at it and at times is vertical with it. The she will just go swimming away very rapidly then come right back and does it all over again. When she swims, she is swimming normal side up... just very fast and jerky. Much like a hyper child doped up on candy running around. LOL