New Fish QT Method

I don't mean to be "that guy" but this topic is just so widely covered already. Have you done a search?

Let them ask the question, thats what these boards are for. Not to go off topic but we do not wany anyone to feel they cant ask a question. Bring them on, we help each other.
 
Corals are dipped in Coral-Rx and spend 8-10 weeks under close observation in a fishless environment before they make it to the display.

Since a good QT process seems to include corals also, lets discuss this some more too. What are the thing you are looking for on the corals during those 8-10 weeks?
 
I QT fish that I can. I did not QT my mandarin, jawfish or yellow eye kole tang as I have heard that these don't fare well in barren tanks. So far I have been ok. I treated my tank with prazipro to take care of internal parasites and feed new life spectrum pellets.

My QT is a 40 gallon breeder with an aquaclear HOB filter and some PVC tube and fake aquarium decorations. I QT for 1-2 months depending on the fish as some are more prone to others. I always treat with prazipro in QT as well.

For corals, I dip in coral RX before putting them in my tank and that's as far as I have gone with them.

you are going to find widely different answers for QTing fish and corals. Basically just take a bit of everyone's advice and find what works for you. Some things might and some might not. Glad you are taking precautions though!
 
I am going to just observe for 4 weeks. No sign of disease, no treatment. I do not want to risk losing a fish in treatment if its not needed. They are stressed enough. If I ever add a fish to DT that was in QT for 4 weeks and still had a disease then I will treat standard. Everyone has a great method, with great results. I am open though, what ever is best for the fish.
 
I am surprised that no one has mentioned a fresh water dip for fish. I have done this numerous times on newly acquired fish and seen lots of flukes falling off. Does Prazipro take care of flukes?
 
I tried to freshwater dip before, and many of the mods and experts on this site do not consider it a very efficient way to get rid of parasites. I do not know necessarily if it actually works, because i perform hypo anyway and the fish that go into my DT have no diseases.
 
I keep mostly angels. All total I do 2 5-day treatments of prazi back to back with a 25% WC in between. plus 3 weeks of .3-.5ppm cupramine. I will do the prazi and cupramine treatment together.


I added 1 fish that wasnt QT personally be me. I will never do that again.

I've done quite a few 45min-1hr formalin baths too. Did it to fish that was continuously flashing(scratching against rocks) after my parasite outbreak and going fallow.
 
how about corals does everyone qt them and how? learning some ways to qt everything since my first saltwater tank is almost up and running
 
Im a newbie and i will probably have to learn the hard way but IMO there is a levle of stress at every transition of a fishs path to my tank and that has to include the transition from the QT to the DT. With that being said i cant see the benefit of just watching a fish without activly treating it via meds or hypo or special feeding. IMO i could just watch it in the store if im not activly treating it. Just my theory of course
 
I am surprised that no one has mentioned a fresh water dip for fish. I have done this numerous times on newly acquired fish and seen lots of flukes falling off. Does Prazipro take care of flukes?

yep prazi takes care of flukes :) plus other internal parasites.
 
You are correct, there are many diseases and parasites a fish can have that are invisible to the naked eye unless the fish is at death's door. QT-ing for observation alone is pretty silly IMO.

As for corals, I use a CoralRx (or Revive) dip for most things, sometimes a Lugol's dip also, sometimes a FW dip. Then observe it in a fishless QT for a few weeks to see what sort of nasties may develop on it, and also to allow things like ich to die off.

BTW, I have also been experimenting with hydrogen peroxide dips for frags with bubble algae, bryopsis, hair algae, etc. So far I am a big fan of this, with a 100% success rate even when deliberately overdoing it some.

Also - I never allow any piece of rock or rock rubble from another system into mine. Rock carries cooties of all kinds.
 
You are correct, there are many diseases and parasites a fish can have that are invisible to the naked eye unless the fish is at death's door. QT-ing for observation alone is pretty silly IMO.

As for corals, I use a CoralRx (or Revive) dip for most things, sometimes a Lugol's dip also, sometimes a FW dip. Then observe it in a fishless QT for a few weeks to see what sort of nasties may develop on it, and also to allow things like ich to die off.

BTW, I have also been experimenting with hydrogen peroxide dips for frags with bubble algae, bryopsis, hair algae, etc. So far I am a big fan of this, with a 100% success rate even when deliberately overdoing it some.


So are you saying you always treat fish in QT or you do not QT fish? I agree, how could you identify the invisible stuff and unless you know all fish diseases, you cant really diagnose properly. So does that mean all fish go through treatment?

Also - I never allow any piece of rock or rock rubble from another system into mine. Rock carries cooties of all kinds.
 
You are correct, there are many diseases and parasites a fish can have that are invisible to the naked eye unless the fish is at death's door. QT-ing for observation alone is pretty silly IMO.

As for corals, I use a CoralRx (or Revive) dip for most things, sometimes a Lugol's dip also, sometimes a FW dip. Then observe it in a fishless QT for a few weeks to see what sort of nasties may develop on it, and also to allow things like ich to die off.

BTW, I have also been experimenting with hydrogen peroxide dips for frags with bubble algae, bryopsis, hair algae, etc. So far I am a big fan of this, with a 100% success rate even when deliberately overdoing it some.


So are you saying you always treat fish in QT or you do not QT fish? I agree, how could you identify the invisible stuff and unless you know all fish diseases, you cant really diagnose properly. So does that mean all fish go through treatment? Dont you risk losing a possible perfectly healthy fish to medication and it might not even be needed. Its like treating a human for cancer with radiation when you do not know if the cancer exists.

Also - I never allow any piece of rock or rock rubble from another system into mine. Rock carries cooties of all kinds.
 
Yes, I QT everything. Fish go through treatment like jailbirds get de-loused. I take no chances. I would much rather lose a single fish to aggressive QT/medication than to lose every fish in my tank ... which has happened to me TWICE.

It will not happen again.
 
Sounds like nobody is doing fresh water dips anymore. Is that true?

Also, anyone try the tank transfer method? That seems like it would be the least amount of impact on the fish - no copper, no hypo.

Great input here everyone! Keep the info coming.

Dave
 
Sounds like nobody is doing fresh water dips anymore. Is that true?

Also, anyone try the tank transfer method? That seems like it would be the least amount of impact on the fish - no copper, no hypo.

Great input here everyone! Keep the info coming.

Dave

I'll be using this method for the "medication-sensitive fish" like Mandarin Gobies/Dragonets...

Just set up two 10 gallon tanks and switch back and forth (emptying each tank and cleaning after each removal).

At least this would deal with ich, but not internal parasites (but I don't think Mandarins are known for having this problem).

-Chad
 
If you are debating, hypo, copper, meds, FW dips, etc., I would look at the specific piscine species, because reactions to certain methods differ greatly.

I have a hard time hitting a fish prophylactically with substances that may tax their system, or perhaps even harm them, but I do believe that with certain species and the prevalence of infection upon possession, that is just what you might have to do to give that species the best chance of survival. Tangs, particularly PBlueT and hippos, always seem to get Ich. Most folks I know around here (SoCal) treat them upon arrival, regardless of symptoms. I obtained a purple tang and didn't, and it had Ich within 48 hours and I was treating anyways.

I have done short FW dips for corals. But I seem to get better results with CoralRX, MediCoral or Lugol's, so I have no discontinued. FW dips for fish infected with Ich can work, but (from my experience), the benefits are only temporary...the Ich life cycle won't give up that easily. If it gets into an established tank, unless you can yank the fish, medicated food (garlic, metro, focus) has been the most successful for me. And if I can get them (and by them, I mean all of the fish, not just the infected ones), then QT with either copper or hypo has been my most successful (but never both!).

Please understand these are just my personal experiences/beliefs, so take them for what that is worth.

As for QT, I have a 20 and 40, glass, cleaned and sealed (saran wrap), ready to go a moment's notice. I use an aquaclear 20 or 40, heater, and have a few left over maxi-jets if needed. I use an old T12 fixture.
 

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