Quarantine New Fish
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Yep, quarantine for at least two weeks - longer if the fish shows ANY signs of illness.
No medication, I try and avoid medication if I can. Partly because I need a script from a vet for everything where I am but mostly because I believe clean water, low stress and good food will fix most problems. So far I haven't had a problem doing this.
Water changes vary depending on where the fish came from, fish size to tank size ratio, if the fish appears ill etc. Decent (50% or more) water changes at least every three days (usually every second day but sometimes I get lazy) larger and/or more frequent changes for fish from bad stores/rescues.
So far so good.
No medication, I try and avoid medication if I can. Partly because I need a script from a vet for everything where I am but mostly because I believe clean water, low stress and good food will fix most problems. So far I haven't had a problem doing this.
Water changes vary depending on where the fish came from, fish size to tank size ratio, if the fish appears ill etc. Decent (50% or more) water changes at least every three days (usually every second day but sometimes I get lazy) larger and/or more frequent changes for fish from bad stores/rescues.
So far so good.
+1 but I qt for a month. I usually dip in a salt bath and methylene blue. The gets treated with prazi as well. Just my preference.Yep, quarantine for at least two weeks - longer if the fish shows ANY signs of illness.
No medication, I try and avoid medication if I can. Partly because I need a script from a vet for everything where I am but mostly because I believe clean water, low stress and good food will fix most problems. So far I haven't had a problem doing this.
Water changes vary depending on where the fish came from, fish size to tank size ratio, if the fish appears ill etc. Decent (50% or more) water changes at least every three days (usually every second day but sometimes I get lazy) larger and/or more frequent changes for fish from bad stores/rescues.
So far so good.
I know that I should do it with all new acquisitions but I hardly do it,if ever.
I like to wait at least 3 months before adding new fish, to a tank with fish I care about, and my friend who runs a public zoo's, aquarium exhibit quarantines for 6 months. There are many diseases that have incubation periods that last for months, and then only manifest symptoms over a lengthy period of time.
I theorize that many of the diseases ending up in posts here on MFK, are due to too short of incubation times.
I theorize that many of the diseases ending up in posts here on MFK, are due to too short of incubation times.
From a post I made to someone yesterday ....
FYI ...... unless you are sleeping with the person supplying the new fish, it's always a good idea to QT new arrivals. Some fish can simply be carriers, without ever showing symptoms, and when exposed (under stress) to new fish with zero immunity to that pathogen, oops, take a guess what happens.
A local discus breeder (RIP amigo) used to take a known healthy subject, and after 90 days of everything looking good in the QT tank, introduce the single known healthy specimen. Then wait another 30 days or more to make sure that fish didn't come down with any issues passed on by the QT fish. He was also uber anal about washing his hands, sterilizing nets, and even the risk of pathogens being spread airborne in his fishroom. When you have thousands of dollars at risk, you tend to think about these things.
In many commercial operations bio-security is huge. http://www.inspection.gc.ca/animals/aquatic-animals/biosecurity/eng/1320594187303/1320594268146
IMO 30 days min, 90 days better, several months more better. Depends on how much you willing to risk.
FYI ...... unless you are sleeping with the person supplying the new fish, it's always a good idea to QT new arrivals. Some fish can simply be carriers, without ever showing symptoms, and when exposed (under stress) to new fish with zero immunity to that pathogen, oops, take a guess what happens.
A local discus breeder (RIP amigo) used to take a known healthy subject, and after 90 days of everything looking good in the QT tank, introduce the single known healthy specimen. Then wait another 30 days or more to make sure that fish didn't come down with any issues passed on by the QT fish. He was also uber anal about washing his hands, sterilizing nets, and even the risk of pathogens being spread airborne in his fishroom. When you have thousands of dollars at risk, you tend to think about these things.
In many commercial operations bio-security is huge. http://www.inspection.gc.ca/animals/aquatic-animals/biosecurity/eng/1320594187303/1320594268146
IMO 30 days min, 90 days better, several months more better. Depends on how much you willing to risk.
One other point, if you've ever (at any point in time) had a disease in your established tank, and it was "cured", this does not mean the pathogen is totally gone.
It just means your current fish have built up a resistance, or even partial immunity.
The incoming new fish probably don't have that same immunity or resistance.
And beside the new addition getting the latent disease, in a closed system, that pathogen can (as it infects the new fish), overwhelm the immune system of all your other fish, wiping out the entire tank.
Some diseases that are easily knocked back like ick, may not be a problem, but other more insidious, nearly invisible bacterial or viral diseases could be a very costly gamble, in more ways than one.
It just means your current fish have built up a resistance, or even partial immunity.
The incoming new fish probably don't have that same immunity or resistance.
And beside the new addition getting the latent disease, in a closed system, that pathogen can (as it infects the new fish), overwhelm the immune system of all your other fish, wiping out the entire tank.
Some diseases that are easily knocked back like ick, may not be a problem, but other more insidious, nearly invisible bacterial or viral diseases could be a very costly gamble, in more ways than one.
Some bacteria and viruses that infect fish can survive for months or even years without a host. The ones that are virulent and lethal will require drastic measures unless one is willing to risk losing entire tanks of fish.
That's why quarantine is something to seriously consider. If I had a tank with fish I felt I simply would not want to lose (or couldn't replace), I'd give it 2-3 months for certain.
That's why quarantine is something to seriously consider. If I had a tank with fish I felt I simply would not want to lose (or couldn't replace), I'd give it 2-3 months for certain.