This all seems so complicated. I have such a limited amount of space. I never used to quarantine when I had an aquarium before and never had outbreaks like I'm having now. Unfortunately I'm at a point where a diease is running through my tank and any hospital tank I'd set up now will need to be cycled.
What do you do with a hospital/quarantine tank when it's unoccupied?
- Thread starter SCM_2123
- Start date
Quarantine is completely unnecessary...until it isn't. If you don't do it, and just keep buying new fish and blithely plopping them into your existing tank, it is inevitable that this practice will eventually bite you on the behind. Maybe sooner, maybe later...but it will happen. The bigger your tank, and/or the longer it's been running, the worse the pain will be when you introduce some pathogenic nasty that goes on a spree.
It is not complicated. An empty tank in your cupboard or closet and a spare sponge filter left operating in your tank or sump is all you need. When you buy some fish, fill that tank with clean, treated water, install the sponge filter, and you have for all intents and purposes a cycled aquarium ready to go. Go easy on the feeding for the first few days and you're golden.
It is not complicated. An empty tank in your cupboard or closet and a spare sponge filter left operating in your tank or sump is all you need. When you buy some fish, fill that tank with clean, treated water, install the sponge filter, and you have for all intents and purposes a cycled aquarium ready to go. Go easy on the feeding for the first few days and you're golden.
That last time I had fish there was a small chain in town so I must have gotten lucky. There was a local pet store that consistently sold me good quality fish.Unfortunately you can't depend on some local fish stores to quarantine fish especially the big box stores. I totally agree with
If you're already dealing with disease it's too late this time but i get it man, not everybody has a fish room or 180 gallon sumps running. Some of us are single tank keepers. If you don't quarantine you run the risk of fighting disease and losing fish. But it doesn't have to be complicated. You can get a small 10 or 20 gallon tank and keep it on the counter for a month or 2. Use a small Hob filter on it, and keep an extra bag of media or sponge in your main tank filter that you can plop into the qt hob when you need it to be ready to go. Once you've quarantine for whatever time you decide, pop the fish in the main tank and put the media bag back in the main filter.
What do you do with those fish if you have to put a sick one in there though?
Since we don't have a clue which disease you are dealing with. its hard to recommend anything. ( Protozoal,;, bacterial, vira)l_
Some fish diseases are easy to deal with, such as with the protzoal Ich parasite.
Add 3 lbs of salt per 100 galloms and if luck is on yout side in a week its cured.
If your fish have been exposed to a bacterial dsease such as Columnaris, it would be better to euthanize all the fish in the tank, and disinfect the entire system with bleach (including anything that touched the water) and start over.
The bacteria that cause Columnaria can exist in an inert state in a smudge of dry for years, and reinfect whenever water is again added.
Most viral diseases are incurable, such as Lymphocytes, your fishes immune system, will need to be strong enough to fight it off.
What are the symptoms in your tank?
Some fish diseases are easy to deal with, such as with the protzoal Ich parasite.
Add 3 lbs of salt per 100 galloms and if luck is on yout side in a week its cured.
If your fish have been exposed to a bacterial dsease such as Columnaris, it would be better to euthanize all the fish in the tank, and disinfect the entire system with bleach (including anything that touched the water) and start over.
The bacteria that cause Columnaria can exist in an inert state in a smudge of dry for years, and reinfect whenever water is again added.
Most viral diseases are incurable, such as Lymphocytes, your fishes immune system, will need to be strong enough to fight it off.
What are the symptoms in your tank?
There are white spots around the mouths. I have been treating it with erythromycin. I'm getting lots of different information on what to do. It does seem that the spots have decreased around the mouths of red eye and congo tetras. There is a Colombian tetra that has some white that is more on the nose. I was finally able to get a tank to set up a hospital/quarantine tank.
