QT basic question

reefboarder

reefboarder

Intelligent Donkey
I have a different thread looking for a hob skimmer, but the question of what I am treating with was brought up, so now I have questions (newbie ones too)
1. Should I be treating the yellow tang? My goal is to add a disease free, healthy fish to my display.
2. If I should treat what should I treat with?
3. Should I remove the small amount of live rock to treat? I want the rock back in my main system after the quarantine. I placed it in the qt and used water from my display to jump start the qt tank to avoid any cycling issues.
 
I hate to even admit this but now my head is spinning with all that information and the many different ways. It would seem as though you need to treat, retreat, and then treat for something else rinse and repeat.
 
I think the tank transfer method is a good start. After that, I would treat with Prazipro and observe for a couple weeks.

No need for rock in QT. Just PVC caves are fine.
 
I'd go with the tank transfer method as well. Tangs don't always respond well to hypo (from what I remember).
 
I wasn't planning on hypo I guess I really didn't have a plan. There's no room for the tank transfer method. And I definitely don't have an established qt other than my display. I'm gonna sleep on it and think more on it tomorrow. For now it's isolated an if the need should arise I can treat immediately. I'm going to do something just not sure what. I don't really want to treat with chemicals but at this time I don't know whether or not the tank it's in has had chemical treatments used in it, so it will only change the unknown into a known.
 
Well based on the white spots this morning, I will be treating. Any recommendations on a brand or type of treatment for ich? I'm gonna buy the stuff at lunch time and come home and treat the tank.
 
Here's what I would do:

1. Get rid of any live rock in the tank and replace it with PVC sections for hiding spots. (Don't put this live rock back in your display or sump for at least 8 weeks. Longer is better.)

2. If you're not going to use the tank transfer method, you will probably want to treat with copper. (I would shoot for tank transfer- much easier.) You will also need to get the appropriate test kit. The two most common medication/test kit combos are Seachem Cupramine with the Seachem copper test kit OR Mardel's Coppersafe with the API copper test kit. DO NOT INTERCHANGE THE MEDICATIONS AND TEST KITS. They are not compatible as these are two different types of copper (one is chelated, the other isn't). REMOVE ANY CARBON FROM YOUR CANISTER FILTER.

3. Get an ammonia alert badge for the tank. Make sure you have an ammonia test kit on hand as well.

4. DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT USE AN AMMONIA DETOXIFIER (like Ammolock) WHEN YOU ARE TREATING WITH COPPER. This will kill fish quicker than anything. You will need to monitor ammonia and deal with it using water changes if your biological filter is not fully established.

When using copper, I like to ramp up over a couple of days rather than administer the full dose at once.

Keep us posted and let us know if you have any questions. Hopefully Tom (tmz) will chime in as well.
 
I have water ready, can I just use buckets? Should i just wait until tomorrow am? I can get a cheepo heater and sterilize the canister and tank and dry overnight. I am unfortunately going to dry the rock for a few weeks and return to the sump later on. It wasn't from my display so it isn't a huge loss except one of the pieces was a nice tonga branch just purchased. Oh well it shall live again.
Conesus, thanks for all your help. You can read all the information you want but having 2nd opinions always eases my mind.
 
Buckets or rubbermaid totes are fine. Just keep a heater and some sort of water movement (airstone, small powerhead) going.

The trophonts fall off the fish when it's dark, so you want to do the transfers in the morning every three days.

Feel free to use Ammo lock or another ammonia detoxifier preventatively, although you most likely won't need it.

Here's a lengthy thread on this method: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1996525&highlight=tank+transfer+method

Good luck!
 
Good advice Kid....

Good advice Kid....

....he is 100% on the money. I know how your feeling. I recently lost all but 2 of my fish due to what I now am pretty sure was Marine Velvet. I managed to remove the last 2 to a QT and did the tank transfer method x4. Then I treated with Cupramine then Prazipro. Only 2 good things came from this exp. One, I was able to have a fish free system during treatment which hopefully disrupted any life cycle the Parasites needed and two, finally made me pull my head out of my butt and get what I needed for a proper QT system.
If you can, petco has that dollar-a-gallon sale 2-3 times a year. I just picked up a couple of 40 breeders for QT. I also now have Cupramine, PraziPro, Para Guard, Melafix and Pimafix and I will NEVER let anything into my system again till it goes through a min x4 weeks QT. Best of luck!.
 
I have a ten gallon that was used as a topoff tank and plenty of buckets. I'm going to ready everything and transfer the fish in the morning.
 
Can I treat for other infestations while doing the transfer method? Or should I wait to see signs? I must have been imagining things this morning I have been home most of the day and haven't seen a sign of anything on the yellow tang. I did however set up a ten gallon tank with an airstone and heater and the transfer will start tomorrow in the morning.
 
t would be a difficult since you would have to redose each transfer. Some meds are contraindicated for use with ammonia detoxifier too. The most prevalent infestation is ich. Others may show up but less often. If symptoms appear they can be teated. I sometimes use another cycled tank for extra observtion for an additonal week or two of obervation and treatment of other maladies that may show up. During that period sometimes use prazi pro preventatively.
 
The tang Is transfered. I was not hallucinating there are spots on it but they're not really white. He seems very healthy and is eating well and the spots are only noticeable under very low light.
 
Remember that the spots will come and go as the parasite drops off the host and then reinfects a few days later.

If there's still spots or other things on the skin after the tank transfer, or if you see the fish in respiratory distress over the next couple of days, you may need to consider copper treatment (if it's velvet).
 
He looks great. And is eating hikari seaweed extreme pellets as soon as they touch down. I haven't picked up any ammolock or treatment of that kind, but can/should I do a gallon or two water change tomorrow? I'm guessing that ammonia shouldn't be a huge problem in the three day stay in any of the tanks. I'm feeding 6-8 pellets twice daily an making sure they get eaten. If/when I see any poo ill syphon it out
 
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