I think that Duanes method is the most ideal, although to that I also feed presoaked 3% epsom salt pellets for for 5 days as a preventative for internal pathogens such as spiro/hex, and if possible give the fish a 1 hour dip in Seachem Paraguard as a preventative for external parasites. (or treat the tank with copper)
One thing that I will add to this discussion, in years past most of us didn't have to deal with some of the super bugs that are currently present in this hobby. Bacteria & various pathogens that originate from ponds in Singapore, Vietnam, China, and then later mutate in ponds in Florida, etc.
I've posted this a few times over the past year, but for those that haven't read it here it is again.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/23294440/
Imported ornamental fish are colonized with antibiotic-resistant bacteria. © 2013
And a follow up article from that study.
http://oregonstate.edu/ua/ncs/archi...industry-faces-problems-antibiotic-resistance
Worst case scenario is you wipe out years worth of healthy livestock, on a gamble ......
One thing that I will add to this discussion, in years past most of us didn't have to deal with some of the super bugs that are currently present in this hobby. Bacteria & various pathogens that originate from ponds in Singapore, Vietnam, China, and then later mutate in ponds in Florida, etc.
I've posted this a few times over the past year, but for those that haven't read it here it is again.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/23294440/
Imported ornamental fish are colonized with antibiotic-resistant bacteria. © 2013
Abstract
There has been growing concern about the overuse of antibiotics in the ornamental fish industry and its possible effect on the increasing drug resistance in both commensal and pathogenic organisms in these fish. The aim of this study was to carry out an assessment of the diversity of bacteria, including pathogens, in ornamental fish species imported into North America and to assess their antibiotic resistance. Kidney samples were collected from 32 freshwater ornamental fish of various species, which arrived to an importing facility in Portland, Oregon from Colombia, Singapore and Florida. Sixty-four unique bacterial colonies were isolated and identified by PCR using bacterial 16S primers and DNA sequencing. Multiple isolates were identified as bacteria with potential to cause disease in both fish and humans. The antibiotic resistance profile of each isolate was performed for nine different antibiotics. Among them, cefotaxime (16% resistance among isolates) was the antibiotic associated with more activity, while the least active was tetracycline (77% resistant). Knowing information about the diversity of bacteria in imported ornamental fish, as well as the resistance profiles for the bacteria will be useful in more effectively treating clinical infected fish, and also potential zoonoses in the future.
And a follow up article from that study.
http://oregonstate.edu/ua/ncs/archi...industry-faces-problems-antibiotic-resistance
Worst case scenario is you wipe out years worth of healthy livestock, on a gamble ......