Would like more info on QT new fish

[sushiray]

Would like more info on QT new fish

I am hoping I can get more specifics. So I would like to set up a 5 or 10gal QT/hospital tank, with heater & filter (sponge?) & airstone. If I were to get new fish, I would place them in, observe their condition, test water.

But, do you recommend any meds at all, like some multi-tonic type? how about salt additions?

I am of the opinion now (unfortunately had to learn the hard way cuz I was just too anxious to get them in the tanks), getting any fish whether from LFS (for sure) or from reputable online sellers, I must QT. but I would like to add something as a preventative. I have read some meds can be used this way.

and how long should I QT?

thks all.

 

[sushiray]

I'll be looking at CL for small tanks so I can have a hospital QT tank ready. Have been told not to use meds for preventative measures unless I can diagnose if there are issues. no sense treating blindly.

now my Q? is how long should I QT b-4 intro to my tanks?

 

[Lupin]

When I quarantine my new fish, I go with 3-4 weeks. My quarantine/hospital tank usually is barebottom and has a sponge filter only. I did not need a heater since I live in the tropics although I had to use heater for my discus since the temperature keeps varying over the day falling below 28 degrees Celsius which is critical to discus.

You will not need an airstone if you are operating with a sponge filter. Sponge filters have dual purpose: aeration and filtration. Airstones are very redundant and a waste of space. You do however need battery-operated airpumps for emergencies.

Regarding the health issues, the trouble is there appears to be some health issues that cannot be detected easily just from naked eyes alone unless you do have a microscope to do a skin and gill scrape to watch out for flukes and a lot of parasitic infections. You could always do a 0.3% solution of salt (3 teaspoons per gallon) and then praziquantel as preventive measures. The salt solution needs to be administered slowly to avoid osmotic shock. Do treatment course for a week or two. Praziquantel can be done for a week just fine. Go with 5 mg per liter. Some of us do 10 mg per liter but the dosage is a little too strong for most fish. Praziquantel can be bought as Droncit or Prazipro in veterinary clinics and petstores/online sites respectively.

Other essentials include trichlorfon/dimilin treatment, forceps, surgical gloves, clove oil, iodine solution and broad spectrum antibiotics. These are extremely important especially for emergency cases and are quite useful. You would not need to panick around looking for the necessary tools.

I have spare bottles of trichlorfon myself for external parasites since I keep goldfish myself and external parasites are a very common issue since most goldfish were sourced from ponds.

The clove oil can work as a sedative. I used a dosage of 7.5 mL per liter to sedate my goldfish when I did a surgery on it to remove the tumors. It is useful if you attempt to remove manually external parasites that latch on the fish or apply topical treatments such as iodine solution or betadine on the wounds.

Pack up some Maracyn (erythromycin) and Maracyn 2 (minocycline) or tetracycline. Both are broad spectrum antibiotics that can cover a wide range of bacterial infections.

 

[sushiray]

I will be getting 2 baby A-BN's shortly online order. I want to QT but still have not separate tank.

I am going to use my 2gal clear plastic square food container & immerse in the main discus tank. will acclimate with tank water, use an airstone.

I want to prepare a med solution for preventative measures b-4 I intro into the tank. Can I use jungle clear, prazi or combine mela & pima - mix.

I would QT for 5-7days?

thks all

p.s. I didn't get a chance to order maracyn.

 

[Lupin]

Go with 0.1% solution of table salt and praziquantel and quarantine for at least two weeks. Others are best kept aside for now.

 

[sushiray]

thks much, I feel better with this answered.