quarantining new fish

[pwmin]

I'm very surprised I can't find a thread on what to do with new fish you get. I know it says in a few threads to quarantine feeders for a week before feeding them to your fish, but what about regular fish for your tank? Is quarantining a good idea? I bought a couple fish from Petsmart (i know, i know ) and have had them in a separate tank for 3 days now cuz I don't really trust them. What are your thoughts? Is there a good thread I'm missing dealing w/ new acquisitions?

thx
paul

 

[DeLgAdO]

I'm very surprised I can't find a thread on what to do with new fish you get. I know it says in a few threads to quarantine feeders for a week before feeding them to your fish, but what about regular fish for your tank? Is quarantining a good idea? I bought a couple fish from Petsmart (i know, i know ) and have had them in a separate tank for 3 days now cuz I don't really trust them. What are your thoughts? Is there a good thread I'm missing dealing w/ new acquisitions?

thx
paul

quarintining simply means keep any new fish under observation for disease or problems that can affect your main display tank(s), normally if something is wrong with them it will show in the quarintine tank after the first few days or week, then you may proceed on treatment. quarintine should be done for about 4 weeks. if they are still healthy you may go ahead and introduce them to the main tanks.

quarintine is always a good idea, unfortunetly not alot of us have the extra tank or equipment to do it.

 

[greyhoundfan]

I guess the method of q'ting depends on your risk tolerance. I have one tank hodge podge of fish that if I lost the wole batch it woudln't really bother me. I also have a tank full of discus and I wouldn't take such risks.

For brining in new fish to my discus tank, I tend to follow the QT procedures the importers or breeders use. The method and theories can vary.

If I'm brining in a new batch of discus to my established tank, these are the methods I follow.

Keep new fish in their own QT tank for 3-4 weeks. Observe new fish and make sure they eat aggressively and appear to be healthy. During the first week, I dose them with Potasium Permanganate solution. I don't have exact science, just until water in tank turns light purple. I never leave the tank, I want to make sure the fish shows no signs of distress during this treatment. I wait till the water turns copper brown, than I drain water and replace it with aged water. I do this again the day after.

When the 3 wks are up, I get sacrificial discus from main tank and have it live with the QT fish in the QT tank. Leave guinea pig fish in there for another 3 weeks. If guinea pig fish makes it out ok, than it's safe to bring batch in main tank.

That's a bit extreme.. I know. . but worth it.

 

[beblondie]

QUARANTINE
Noun: a state of enforced isolation.
Why should we quarantine?New fish no matter where they are from cna be carriers of all kinds on nasty things.some of which may
not be evident for several days or weeks.It is far easier to observe and fix one fish than an chance
infecting an established tank.
There are two ways to quarantine new fish one is a basic bare tank.This is not a long term display
tank its meant to be emptied and cleaned and stored after the quarantine period. It can also do duty
as a hospital tank if and when the need arises. A tank sized to fit the specimen should be used for
this purpose Remember this is for temporary use.
Why don't we qaurantine?Simply because we are in a hurry to show off our new fish.However after
you have done this and wind up with a tank of sick or dying fish you will understand the importance of
quarantining fish.this applies to store bought feeders also.
The Tank 1
This is as simple as it gets Filter, Heater, and some plastic plants or some kind of structure to
hide in simple huh like I said its not long term .4 weeks in most cases should be fine.Its not pretty but
its not supposed to be .
The Tank 2
You setup the tank with substrate,plants, decorations as you would any display tank and
add the new fish and nothing more.Any future purchases for this tank will need to QT in a tank1 setup.
The Hospital Tank Is basicaly a tank 1 setup its use is to isolate and treat sick or damaged fish not
long term use As little decoration as possible is involved and the amount of water should be
measured so the correct amonut of medication is administered contrary to popular belief all tanks
are incorrectly sized and hold somewhat less water than stated.

 

[vfc]

Quarantining is seasonal. I rarely see sick fish in the LFS during the summer and fall. When winter comes, so do the posts regarding quarantining.

 

[dragonfish]

Quarentine if you are unsure of your supplier. Lost gold nugget, queen arabesque and assorted others from not following my own advice.

 

[guppy]

I also use the quarantine period to treat new wild caught or pond raised fish with a mix of praziquantel and metronidazole. I try to quarantine for 14 days.

 

[Dr Joe]

At least 4 weeks here. Takes that long to break an ich cycle, let alone find flatworms.

Good choice guppy.

Good rule... If you can't quarantine...Don't get new fish .

Dr Joe

.

 

[pwmin]

thanks for all the help and replies. should this be made a sticky in the FAQ section?