Quarantine troubles? Help please

[catmcgrath]

Hello, I recently added two new fish to my main tank and the fish were fine about 2 days later they broke out with ich. After different options and advice I have started a quarantine tank last night. My main tank is only 29 gallons, so I have a 10 gallon QT. I have several PVC pipes on a bare ground, small hanging filter, heater, 50 watt incandecent light fixture, an air stone, and today added a sponge from my main tank taken off my powerhead. Again after reading up on these forums I have started to slowly increase the temp in the main tank, as I was always told to keep the temp at about 74-76. Now I here that 82 is better.

My question is when is it okay to add my fish to the QT? My coral beauty angel fish is not doing so good anymore. He is still eating but has so many more spots on him today.

Also, I have read about people treating with copper and with hyopsaltinaity. I went to all the fish stores in the area and only one has a copper test kit and it starts at 0.25 which I read is the point at which the fish would be dead, so I don't think I want to do copper. As far as hyposaltinity I again talked to all the fish stores and none of them sell a refactometer. They can order it but it would cost about $80. My hydrometer only goes as low as 1.012, so I would not know if the QT is at the 1.009 level that everyone is talking about. Does anyone have any suggestions for me please? Thanks a million!

 

[leebca]

You have many ?

Once the QT is established, it is ready to use. You check the water quality (chemistries) of the QT just like you for the display and when all parameters are under control, the QT is ready.

HOWEVER, you are in an emergency situation (i.e., fish are sick now and need immediate treatment). You move the fish into the QT as soon as possible. If the QT water quality drifts off from fresh salt water, you do huge (90% if necessary) water changes with freshly prepared or bought salt water. The important thing is to get the sick fish(es) into QT AND begin treatment.

It sounds like your local stores are pretty weak when it comes to fish health and water control. Get on the Internet. Buy refractometers for $40 or less at some mail-order sites (even eBay for this).

For advance cases and under your circumstances (needing immediate action) I would use a copper treatment. I like Cupramine. When you buy the med, get a copper test kit that the medication manufacturer recommends you use with their product. Then, treat the fish(es) with copper and monitor the copper concentration.

In the future, since your local sources are weak, I'd stock a supply of copper medication, one or more copper test kits, a refractometer, and maybe one or two antibiotics or at least, buy these before you put your next fish into QT.

Good luck!

 

[catmcgrath]

Okay I have finally put our fish into the QT on 1/17, and decieded to do the hyopsaltinity treatment since I can not find a reliable copper test kit around here. I have the fish down to 1.016 SG now. My question for everyone now is that my ammonia level seems to be high (0.50), and that is after a 1/4 tank water change. All my other reading are normal. I'm not sure what I should do to get my ammonia reading down, since frequent water changes are not the good for the fish. I am making sure that I watch the fish eat and take out any remaing food right away so I'm not sure what to do. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks again.

 

[leebca]

Water changes. Fish produce ammonia as part of their normal waste.

It's unclear why you think that frequent water changes are not good for fish. If the water used to do the change is the same pH, the same salinity, and the same temperature, it is a good thing.

 

[Puffer Queen]

Cat McGrath,

Hats off to you for recognizing the importance of quarantining new additions.

You must do water changes! When a QT is new and the biological filtration is not caught up with the bioload, the only means for controlling toxic/unsafe water conditions is water changes - sometimes daily.

I agree with Lee - just make sure the water you use for the change is the same salinity, pH and temp.

Best of luck.

 

[Philwd]

When I had to set up an emergency QT I have found Bio spira to work well in setting up the bacteria base needed. I also have found Copper power to work well and its much less toxic than other copper meds. It stays in solution so its not as necessary to constantly test for the copper concentration. I have run it for 10 weeks in a 55g QT and my clarkii clowns and labouti wrasse were all cured. They were no worse for the experience.

I currently have a randall's goby in QT proactively treating with Copper power also.

 

[catmcgrath]

I have been changing my water daily and even after all of these changes my ammonia is still high. Now up to 1.0!!! Should I start changing the water twice a day or is there some other solution? Thanks for baring with me as I'm fairly new to this. Thanks!

 

[BTTRFLYGRL]

How big of a water change? I would be doing 5 gallon changes at least everyday. Small tanks are so hard to keep stable.

 

[baobao]

Phil, Any link for this Copper power? Copper medications I'm familiar with include Cupramine, Pointex. I've been gaining experience with both Cupramine and hypo. As you probably know, velvet(Amyloodinum) is immune to hypo. Yet, many claim that is rare to come across this. I respectfully disagree. Moreover, in the cases whereby velvet is present, it's usually too late by the time one detects this malevolent disease (it is very difficult to diagnose ifish for velvet w/o use of a microscope). Because copper is effective against this and other hypo immune protozoan infestations, I am learning, albeit w/ costly losses, that it's just easier/prudent/conservative/safer to use water at reasonable sg(1.017) and medicate with copper medication.

 

[Philwd]

Copper power is made by Endich Inc. out of New Jersey. I couldn't find the companies site but Googling found several on line vendors. All my LFs in town carry it.

It was a guy here in town who has worked on maintaining tanks etc for years and now works for our premier LFS that put me onto it. He's used it extensively. I really trust him. It claims to be 60X less toxic than other copper meds and does not precipitate so it stays in solution for weeks or months. It does say not to repeat dosages. Dosage is 1 fluid oz/20G.

I've come to the same conclusion you have. After several losses I am now proactively treating all scaled fish with copper in QT before adding to the tank. Scaleless fish I would be more hesitant to use any copper med.

So far I have used it on a carpenters flasher wrasse, labouti wrasse, clarkii clowns and randalls goby.

 

[catmcgrath]

My coral beauty angel fish is really worring me! He was the worst off fish when I put them all in my QT and today he was swimming around fine, eating and all. I have been changing my water in larger quantities like BTTRFLYGRL said I should try. I went to go change the water today just about an hour ago. I made sure my SG was right, the temp right and all and changed the water. Ever since then he has been not really swimming, laying on his side, but still breathing. He was fine earlier, is the water change the problem? Can I do anything to help him? Please help. I am really worried that this is it!!!!

 

[BTTRFLYGRL]

Check your PH, it will drop during hypo and you'll need to add buffer

 

[catmcgrath]

Hello again. I am back. My fish have been in QT for a whille now. As of Feb. 1st. I have seen no spots. I have been doing water changes and watching the fish for anything and last night I saw that my clownfish's eyes are starting to puff out and make him look bugeyed. I have a book called "The New Marine Aquarium" and they say that I should give a course of oral tetracycline, chloramphenicol or kanamycin. Which one do I choose? Is this the right decision? Do I treat the whole QT, or just the one fish? Where do I get this medication, or is there another idea that would work?

Thank you so much for all of your help. The pet stores around here are not very helpful.

 

[leebca]

Those meds are all antibiotics. They fight bacteria infections.

If the fish has a kind of Popeye, it might be caused by an internal bacterial infection. You need a medication that will pass into the circulatory system of the fish.

One of the best meds is Maracyn Two for Saltwater fish. That contains the antibiotic, Minocycline, along with B complex vitamins to improve appetite. This antibiotic is absorbed through the fish's skin and will help it with internal infections.

So that is what I'd use, if I was convinced the fish has a bacterial infection.

I would go ahead and treat the entire tank. It will not harm those fishes that are not ill and yet help others that may be ill that have not shown any signs yet. It's not a stressful treatment.

Contracting this kind of infection indicates the fish is under a lot of stress, not getting the right food, and/or the water quality is not good enough. Sometimes this is brought on by ammonia and nitrites in the water, in between your water changes. Other times, I've seen it brought on mysteriously when ammonia and nitrite levels were okay, but water changes were not being done often enough. That is, there is some other problem with the water that isn't commonly analyzed but which can be fixed by water changes.

Maracyn Two for Saltwater fish should be found at most LFSs. If not, you can order it online. It's something worth stocking, as I do, in case you need it.

Good luck!