Let's talk about quarantine

[LobsterOfJustice]

Hey guys,

Sorry if something like this has been done before, but...

I'm getting back into the hobby and I want to discuss best practices for quarantine of fish. Tell me about your QT setup and procedures, exceptions, and experiences. Open for all discussion, but some topics I'd like to discuss:

Use of separate "quarantine" (observation, with a focus on comfort) and "hospital" (treatment, with a focus on sterility) tanks.

Pros and cons of prophylactic treatments, which treatments, which diseases.

Before getting out of the hobby, my theoretical procedure was fish go into a quarantine tank with live rock, sand, etc... focus here is to make them comfortable, get them eating and used to my schedule, get some fat back on them. After they spend a few weeks here, move them to a hospital tank and prophylactically treat with prazi-pro and cuprimine. After this, move them to the display.

One problem I had with this is fish that come home, go into the quarantine tank, and the next day break out in ich. Now I have to either treat a tank with rock/sand, or move a sick stressed fish for the second time in two days.

Another problem I had is that I always ended up with ich in the display tank one way or another no matter what (not to a point that is was a problem, but a few spots would pop up if fish were under stress). This time around I do not think I will prophylactically treat with copper as it seems even this will not result in a completely ich free tank.

 

[Dr Colliebreath]

I use a 20 long or 37 gal tank for quarantine, with a hang-on filter and powerhead for extra circulation. I have PVC pipe for hiding (3" tee and a 4" elbow). I treat prophylactically with PraziPro and Cupramine, so I just use a single tank for quarantine and treatment. No sand or live rock.

You can avoid ich with proper treatments. You may have introduced ich in your old tank via coral, live sand, fish that showed no signs, insufficient Cupramine duration (i use 3.5-4 weeks at .35 ppm).

Your old procedures were pretty comprehensive. If you got ich in your qt, you would really need to let it set fallow for 8-10 weeks to eliminate the ich. You couldn't just treat with Cupramine as your rock and sand would bind some of the copper and reduce the concentration of copper, possibly below a therapeutic dose.

 

[snorvich]

I use tank transfer for all new specimens to insure against cryptocaryon irritans.

The initial receiving tank is temp and SG adjusted to the bag water( SG a few points couple of points lower than the bag water is ok but not higher) This obviates the need for drip acclimation and prolonged stays in bag water where pH can rise and ammonia toxicity can increase once the bag is opened.It is particularly important after prolonged stays in the bag.
During the 12 day tank transfer process ( 3 day stays 4 transfers) I observe for other maladies. Since there are no meds to interact with in the transfer tanks which contain freshly mixed salt water aged and aerated overnight , I can use an ammonia detoxifier during the 3 day period. Bound copper products for example can't be safely used with ammonia detoxifiers as more toxic free copper occurs with lethal copper toxicity,even though total copper measures the same.
If there is reason to suspect infestation with brooklynellosis, velvet or flukes , I'll do a formalin bath before starting treatment with copper for velvet, formalin for brooklynella or prazipro for flukes.

Since not all maladies will present symptoms in the 12 days( flukes can easily be missed ) ,I use a larger cycled qt tank for an additional 2 to 4 weeks of observation depending on the condition of the fish with treatment as necessary.

Most fish receive no medications yet all are effectively prophylactically treated for ich,the most common killer

Ammonia is monitored and has never been an issue during the 3 day stay but a detoxifier is added just in case, The cycled tank takes care of itself.
BTW there is no need to worry about nitrite or nitrate.

 

[rishma]

Snorvich -

can please you elaborate on your comment:

"The initial receiving tank is temp and SG adjusted to the bag water( SG a few points couple of points lower than the bag water is ok but not higher) This obviates the need for drip acclimation and prolonged stays in bag water where pH can rise and ammonia toxicity can increase once the bag is opened.It is particularly important after prolonged stays in the bag."

When i receive fish from LA, I typically drip aclimate. I dont think I understand your method. Do you simply calibrate the recieving tank's salinity to the bag salinity and then release the fish? I always thought slow aclimation of the bag pH to the tank pH was important.

Thanks

 

[solitude127]

If there is reason to suspect infestation with brooklynellosis, velvet or flukes , I'll do a formalin bath before starting treatment with copper for velvet, formalin for brooklynella or prazipro for flukes.

Can you elaborate on your formalin bath for velvet?

 

[Daniel Reef]

Can you elaborate on this comment. I was confused by it. TIA

During the 12 day tank transfer process ( 3 day stays 4 transfers) I observe for other maladies.

What do you mean by 3 day stays 4 transfers?

 

[snorvich]

Snorvich -

can please you elaborate on your comment:

"The initial receiving tank is temp and SG adjusted to the bag water( SG a few points couple of points lower than the bag water is ok but not higher) This obviates the need for drip acclimation and prolonged stays in bag water where pH can rise and ammonia toxicity can increase once the bag is opened.It is particularly important after prolonged stays in the bag."

When i receive fish from LA, I typically drip aclimate. I dont think I understand your method. Do you simply calibrate the recieving tank's salinity to the bag salinity and then release the fish? I always thought slow aclimation of the bag pH to the tank pH was important.

Thanks

LA and DD of LA having a fixed SG for shipping. Simply make the salt water SG of the receiving tank (first tank in tank transfer) equal to the expected shipping SG. Given that, temperature acclimation is all that is needed.

 

[snorvich]

Can you elaborate on this comment. I was confused by it. TIA



What do you mean by 3 day stays 4 transfers?

Received into tank 1 on day one and stays there for three days. On the morning of the 4th day, the fish is moved to tank 2 which has identical SG and temperature. Tank one is drained, cleaned with RO water, dried and becomes "tank three" in the process on day 7. And so forth. Total of 12 days.

 

[snorvich]

Can you elaborate on your formalin bath for velvet?

Velvet is not embedded as deeply as crypto and formalin provides temporary relief in the gills. Treatment with a therapeutic dose of cupramine follows.

 

[klepto]

Simply make the salt water SG of the receiving tank (first tank in tank transfer) equal to the expected shipping SG. Given that, temperature acclimation is all that is needed.

Aren't you assuming that other parameters are also identical (pH, dissolved O2 etc)? Or are those parameters less of a concern in contrast to salinity?

I have had good results by; starting a siphon (from the tank the fish will be added to) using a piece of airline tubing running into the bag/container of the new arrival. Then I let it overflow into a bucket until a couple mintues have passed and the shipping water is significantly dilute. It isn't anywhere nearly as lengthy as a classic drip acclimation, but still allows for gradual introduction without the concerns of pH shift or ammonia spikes associated with drip acclimation.

 

[Daniel Reef]

Received into tank 1 on day one and stays there for three days. On the morning of the 4th day, the fish is moved to tank 2 which has identical SG and temperature. Tank one is drained, cleaned with RO water, dried and becomes "tank three" in the process on day 7. And so forth. Total of 12 days.

Interesting. What are the advantages of the tank transfers?

 

[snorvich]

Interesting. What are the advantages of the tank transfers?

Ich free fish after 12 days. Downside is equipment although not much is really needed. I wrote a sticky on it somewhere. But remember this will not have any effect on Brook or Velvet.

 

[snorvich]

The tank transfer sticky and thread is found here.

 

[Daniel Reef]

Thanks Steve. That helps a lot.

 

[rishma]

what is LA's and DD's shipping salinity?

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

Shipments I've gotten from LA in the past have been low, we're talking like 1.018-1.022 low. Too low to acclimate to 1.025 over an hour or two.

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

Wanted to bump this thread up a year later and get some more responses. I know a lot of people on here are into rare expensive fish and I would love to hear what their QT procedures are.

Does anyone use dither fish in a QT to help shy or delicate fish get comfortable and start eating?

 

[rssjsb]

Does anyone use dither fish in a QT to help shy or delicate fish get comfortable and start eating?

I did this with my solorensis boxfish. I picked up a skinny little toby from my LFS and QTd them together in the hopes that, in addition to functioning as a dither, the toby would help the boxfish learn that dead frozen mysis is food. Of course, I can't know what was going on in the boxfish's head, but it seemed to work. I've still got both fish three + years later.

 

[marty9876]

Shipments I've gotten from LA in the past have been low, we're talking like 1.018-1.022 low. Too low to acclimate to 1.025 over an hour or two.

1.023-1.024 when I checked my shipment 2 weeks ago from Divers Den.

 

[mos90]

1.023-1.024 when I checked my shipment 2 weeks ago from Divers Den.

did you quarantine your divers den fish?

i normally do for a week or 2 but never treat.