Minimum quarantine time?

[qasim99]

Around the 18th or 19th (Thursday or Friday, 1 and a half weeks ago) I bought a small foxface and a small sailfin tang. The foxface seemed very stressed for the first day or two, but it started eating well etc eventually. The tang was doing extremely well tbh, was eating very well and ate almost anything i fed. I have been feeding them brine shrimp with garlic as well as Formula 2 flakes, chlorella flakes and marine plus flakes. Last night they did not eat and when i came from work this afternoon, i found the tang dead . The foxface is just hiding now and wont eat either.

QT was dosed with a 15mg/l dose of Chloroquine Suplhate the day it was set up. Im worried about the foxface and was thinking of moving it ti the main tank, but u really dont want to be introducing any unwanted parasites or diseases into my system. Ive been extremely careful up until this point what i add to my main tank and my fish have been doing brillianly.

So, my question is, will i be able to move the foxface to the main tank right now safely, or is it way too early to do so. I dont want the poor foxface to stress in the QT, but dont want to expose my other fish to possible catastrophe either. Any advice or recommendations are welcome.

Id also like to point out, that when i first put these 2 fish in the QT, i could see "ich" like markings on the tang (salt like spots on the tail), but the dissapeeared quite quickly (i guess the chloroquine was at work) .

 

[ca1ore]

The worst thing you can do is 'short circuit' QT; you simply move whatever problem is in the QT to the DT. Ich, if that's what it was, goes through is lifecycle during which symptoms may disappear. So that the spots went away may have been a result of the medication, or it may just have been the normal lifecycle.

FWIW, I find it wise to give new fish a few days to a week before beginning treatments. Gets them settled and eating. Were you checking for ammonia?

 

[qasim99]

I haven't been checking for ammonia, fish seemed fine until yesterday. Only been in the tank around 10 days

 

[Zer0.]

I haven't been checking for ammonia, fish seemed fine until yesterday. Only been in the tank around 10 days

Was the QT tank cycled? Also how big is the QT tank? 10 days is along time to put two larger fish in a QT and not check ammonia imo.

 

[qasim99]

Ammonia is about 0.25, should i do a small water change?

 

[wooden_reefer]

Ammonia should be zero in a qt if you had cycled well and have not used a drug that harms nitrification

 

[Zer0.]

Yes, I would probably look into dosing something like Prime as well.

 

[DoubleM 10]

how big is the QT?

 

[qasim99]

50-55 liter

 

[Zer0.]

thats less than 15 gallon tank for 2 larger fish.

I have 2 small clowns in a 30 gallon Qt and still check ammonia.

You never mentioned if you cycled the tank or not.

If you didnt you should probably be doing partial water changes at least every other day to keep ammonia levels down.

 

[qasim99]

I used water from my main tank, along with 10 liters of new water when i set it up.

 

[DoubleM 10]

sounds like to small for big fish. one didn't like the other and see who wins.

or tang got poked by venomous spines.

or tang stressed himself out in a small tank.

or started cause im sure there isnt standing food for him to pick at all day.

 

[wooden_reefer]

I used water from my main tank, along with 10 liters of new water when i set it up.

Did you feed the bacteria with ammonia and allow their number to multiply three or more weeks before you add fish into qt?

 

[Xavibear]

I used water from my main tank, along with 10 liters of new water when i set it up.

Nitrifying bacteria don't live in water.

 

[wooden_reefer]

Nitrifying bacteria don't live in water.

The number waterborne is enough as seeds when ammonia and time are provided to cycle.

 

[qasim99]

Nope i did not let it cycle for more than 2 days tbh. It was my mistake for not checking ammonia and nitrites. Sadly i had to learn the hard way, but i wont make the mistake in the future.

Just recently i QT'd 2 clowns for six weeks with the exact same method and they pulled through with flying colours, so i saw no prob doing it again.. guess i was wrong.

After the small change last night, foxface is eating again, but still relatively shy.

Will carry on monitoring ammonia and nitrite and do small water changes as and when needed

 

[wooden_reefer]

Nope i did not let it cycle for more than 2 days tbh. It was my mistake for not checking ammonia and nitrites. Sadly i had to learn the hard way, but i wont make the mistake in the future.

Just recently i QT'd 2 clowns for six weeks with the exact same method and they pulled through with flying colours, so i saw no prob doing it again.. guess i was wrong.

After the small change last night, foxface is eating again, but still relatively shy.

Will carry on monitoring ammonia and nitrite and do small water changes as and when needed

The point really is not check ammonia and nitrite; it is to go thru robust cycling so that ammonia and nitrite will not accumulate. The only chance that ammonia will accumulate is if a drug that harms nitrifcation bacteria will have to used.

To me, a QT is a FO without LR tank. Cycling in advance very well is automatic.

QT is a process of both accilmation and disease control of many kinds. It is not a rush to finish in the least number of weeks. Besides ich eradication, you want your fish to fully adapt to prepared food, to have the best nutrition before perhaps some bullying by tankmates, to have internal parasites reduced, to have it accustomed to some of the the pathogenic bacteria. QT is also recovery from the ordeal of collection and transport, possibly ten or more days with little food.

 

[qasim99]

I do understand your point, but its too late to cycle now, so the best i can do is monitor the situation i find myself in. In the future i will definitely look at having a QT running for a few weeks before intriducing new fish

 

[wooden_reefer]

I do understand your point, but its too late to cycle now, so the best i can do is monitor the situation i find myself in. In the future i will definitely look at having a QT running for a few weeks before intriducing new fish

A cycle takes about three weeks to complete when the setup is ideal.

It is easy so it doesn't hurt to start now.

You may be forced into tank transfer method with Prime or Amquel to control ammonia now since you do not have cycled medium.

In a situation when ich infestation in a reef tank with fish has already happened, you have to support your fish while the tank is fallow for about 12 weeks. You might face such situation so it is better to be prepared.

 

[qasim99]

A cycle takes about three weeks to complete when the setup is ideal.

It is easy so it doesn't hurt to start now.

You may be forced into tank transfer method with Prime or Amquel to control ammonia now since you do not have cycled medium.

In a situation when ich infestation in a reef tank with fish has already happened, you have to support your fish while the tank is fallow for about 12 weeks. You might face such situation so it is better to be prepared.

Absolutely. Definitely helps to be prepared. Thanks for all the help.