Starting up QT with tankwater?

[Pigpen17]

So I am in the last few weeks of my 72 day fallowness (?) to rid my tank of Ich. I am about ready to set up my QT tank and probablly ordering my first fish in a few weeks. I had a question though. Might seem silly.

I was thinking of starting up my QT with water from my tank, but I am not sure of the risk. I want to be sure my tank is actually rid of Ich, obviously, and that my fish is Ich free before adding. The only way to tell, I think, is if a fish comes out of QT Ich free and develpoes in tank than it did not work. But I am also worried about my tankwater in QT tranfering Ich to my new purchases if infact I still have Ich. I think that would make it difficult to tell if Ich is inbound on fish, or still in my system as well. So what do you think of starting up my QT with tankwater? Should I just start with new water?

 

[jungleboy]

Bad idea for all the reasons you have stated above. Just start with new water

 

[Pigpen17]

Yeah. I was only thinking that using tankwater would make the QT more stable, and make aclimation easier if the water was the same, but if there is risk of tranfering Ich, it's just not worth it as far as health of the fish, and having a clear picture of where the buggers are coming from.

Done. Thanks.

 

[Spar]

agree with jungleboy it is best to just start with new water. but, really since you are QT'ing new fish then any Ich that comes over with DT water will be cleansed through the QT process anyway.

just keep an eye out on ammonia levels in the QT; use Prime/Amquel as needed (assuming you aren't doing copper anyway).

what QT method are you using for the newcomers?

 

[snorvich]

If your tank has been fallow for 72 days, there will be no ich present. However, you want the SG of the quarantine tank to match the SG of the transport water (from the LFS or online vendor); as such. it should be mixed fresh. That way you will only need to do temperature acclimation rather than an extended drip which can be harmful.

 

[ca1ore]

I always use water from my DT when setting up a QT for new fish and replace in DT with newly mixed water thus effecting a water change. Basically I fill the QT about 3/4 full with DT water and then dilute it from 1.026 to 1.018 so that acclimation can be quick and easy. Obviously one wouldn't do this if ich were in the display, but then shouldn't be buying new fish if that is the case. The other thing to be careful is to not allow any contamination from the QT back to the display. Using DT water hasn't created any problems as far as I can tell and I'd simply prefer to put less salt water into my septic system.

 

[Pigpen17]

If your tank has been fallow for 72 days, there will be no ich present. However, you want the SG of the quarantine tank to match the SG of the transport water (from the LFS or online vendor); as such. it should be mixed fresh. That way you will only need to do temperature acclimation rather than an extended drip which can be harmful.

I knew that! :idea: So much information has been crammed into my little head over the last few months! Great stuff, but it's a lot to remember.

I am not sure 100% what to do or what I am doing as far as my QT plan. I have never run one before, so it's all new. I am going to treat for Ich regardless if I see signs or not, but I don't like copper. Tank Transfer is my favorite so far, but it's an investment in a few new heaters and power heads and a lot of work. Not too bad, but I am still reading through that whole thing and getting the whole picture and comparing it with Hypo which is tricky and you can mess up.

I am in no rush to get a fish and I want to be sure of what I am doing, but I am going to get this 10g QT set up and running so it can sit and chill for a bit then decide if I will have my new fish go though tank transfer on arrival and then into QT or right into QT use Hypo after they get settled.

I am also just about 100% sure of treating for the unseen buggers too.

 

[snorvich]

Actually tank transfer is less work than trying to keep copper at a therapeutic level or Specific Gravity at 1.009. Definitely a shorter time and also, potentially much more effective.

 

[Pigpen17]

Actually tank transfer is less work than trying to keep copper at a therapeutic level or Specific Gravity at 1.009. Definitely a shorter time and also, potentially much more effective.

It's a damn good method. You have me about 95% sold on it. I was thinking of using 2 buckets with heaters and power heads and thermometer. It's a real easy clean up every 3 days from there.

I was also thinking of having my first fish from Divers Den and just acclimate and observe. I know it's no guarantee that the fish won't be ill, but there is a fairly good chance it will be 100% healthy, and it could give me a chance to get my feet wet with the QT tank without adding all the complications of disease.

I know. Dream on.

 

[snorvich]

Divers Den says: Always Quarantine

 

[Spar]

I was also thinking of having my first fish from Divers Den and just acclimate and observe. I know it's no guarantee that the fish won't be ill, but there is a fairly good chance it will be 100% healthy, and it could give me a chance to get my feet wet with the QT tank without adding all the complications of disease.

I know. Dream on.

That is a waste of a 72 day fallow period of you start out by not fully QT'ing your first fish. Keep in mind the fish may be 100% healthy, having a great immune system keeping a major outbreak of Ich from happening to him, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have Ich. You may just not be seeing it on him and he doesn't mind the minor impact. The next fish(es) may not be so lucky.

QT, QT, QT!

Edit--- realized i made the assumption you were talking about putting directly into your DT rather than your QT. Which do you mean?

 

[Pigpen17]

I meant putting it in QT, but just observing and acclimating instead of medicating proactively. It's a pipe dream though.

I am very nervous about getting Ich again, so like I said, I am just thinking about it. The point to me would be to see if I could acclimate a healthy(?) fish in a QT system without adding the complications of treatments and medications right out of the gate. It is risky though with the Ich part.

But I am about 95% sold on tank transfer right out of the bag then into the QT regardless of where I get the fish. Also about 95% on treating for internals as well regardless of signs of illness. I probably can only house about 3 or 4 fish, so I might as well do it right. I say 95% because I am still reading and learning more everyday, and I am open to change if I see somehting better.

 

[sleepydoc]

Actually tank transfer is less work than trying to keep copper at a therapeutic level or Specific Gravity at 1.009. Definitely a shorter time and also, potentially much more effective.

+1 Hypo is much more work than one would suspect. The one disadvantage of TT is your schedule has to allow for doing the transfers at the proper time. Prophylactic copper treatment also has the advantage of being effective against velvet.

Nothing wrong with using tank water. It won't help significantly with the cycle, though, if that's what you're hoping. As ca1ore said, if you're worried about getting ich from the DT water, then you're saying you don't think the DT is ich free and you shouldn't be getting new fish. The only downside to using tank water is it may have slightly higher levels of organic wastes than 'fresh' water.

 

[ca1ore]

+1 Hypo is much more work than one would suspect. The one disadvantage of TT is your schedule has to allow for doing the transfers at the proper time. Prophylactic copper treatment also has the advantage of being effective against velvet.

Must confess I've never done hypo or TT. The former just seems a bit too twitchy, and my business travel schedule makes the latter problematic. I have used cupramine to good effect, but have recently switched to either chloroquine phosphate or quinine sulfate. Though, in the case of the latter two, so far, I have only used them prophylactically rather than treating an active parasite.

 

[Pigpen17]

+1 Hypo is much more work than one would suspect. The one disadvantage of TT is your schedule has to allow for doing the transfers at the proper time. Prophylactic copper treatment also has the advantage of being effective against velvet.

Nothing wrong with using tank water. It won't help significantly with the cycle, though, if that's what you're hoping. As ca1ore said, if you're worried about getting ich from the DT water, then you're saying you don't think the DT is ich free and you shouldn't be getting new fish. The only downside to using tank water is it may have slightly higher levels of organic wastes than 'fresh' water.

It's not that I don't think my tank is Ich free. It should be. it's that there really is no way to be sure without going through the process of adding a fish. It seems obvious to me now though that using tank water to start up your QT serves no purpose and would compromise the integrity of two separate systems, blurring the data when trying to figure if Ich is inhouse, or inbound.

 

[sleepydoc]

You can add the fish to the water or the water to the fish, either way you get the same combo.

As far as confusing the picture, yes, you're right, assuming you suspect the DT may still have ich, but that goes back to the previous recommendation not to start adding fish until you know the DT is ich free.

If you are just finishing a fallow period and your new fish in QT shows signs of ich, you will be treating it for another 4 weeks anyway. If the DT is ich free, and the ich came with the fish, there's no problem. If the DT had an especially long-lived strain of ich and the water infected your new fish, an additional 4 weeks of sitting fallow should be more than adequate to allow the last of the buggers to die off. Either way you should be fine.

 

[Pigpen17]

I hope so. Thanks.