QT Questions

[ryshark]

After my 6-weeks of hypo treatment is over, and after I put my fish back in the main and wait a couple weeks, I would like to get a powder brown tang.

1. Considering this fish is ich prone (tang) should I do a hypo treatment while it is in the QT by itself? I never ever want to have ich again. What do you guys do? Just observe or hypo treat just in case?

2. Who puts corals,snails,shrimp etc in a QT before putting them in the main just in case there is a little ich or something bad in the water they came in?

3. Both of my LFS say that most fish have ich and it is ALWAYS there but only comes out when they get stressed. Do you guys believe it is always there? I would like to think not since the hypo should kill it in the QT and the fallow tank should kill it in the main.

 

[ccCapt]

1- I would put it in a QT and watch it for a few weeks. I wouldn't do any treatment unless something shows up.

2- I don't QT anything but fish, but it definitely won't hurt to do so.

3- FALSE We are talking about a living creature, even tho it is a parasite. It is either present or not present and it must be hosted by a fish. If you treat a fish with copper or hypo (assuming both were done properly) and keep him alone in a tank, it will never develope ick. It can't appear from nowhere. I have heard of people who's fish occasionally get small outbreaks and the fish are able to fight it off to an extent, but I have never had that experience.

 

[roka64]

I agree with the 1st two. I have read that ich can become dormant in a fish and not ever show up or it can if the parameters are just right, which would explain the small outbreaks. I haven't been able to track down how long it can remain dormant. I soak my frozen in garlic guard, I have read this can help to boost the fish's immune system and help them fight off parasites and infections.

 

[cmor1701d]

1. Just observe for a 30 day period
2. Inverts just get drip acclimated. Then they are removed and placed in the main tank. The possibility of introducing Ich is negligible (not zero, but close).
3. If that were true then I think there would be a much higher incidence in the wild. I too have heard that a healthy fish can fight off the parasite but I'm not sure I put a lot of stock in that. If a fish has it, it gets worse with time, and spreads to other fish.

 

[Innovator]

Well I was going to let this pass, but I tend to disagree with common quarantine procedures often advised. There is no professional industry, other than perhaps lfs', that allows for passive quarantine. Strict guidelines of quarantine usually involve immediate medicating for internal parasites and protazoans. By waiting and hoping a fish does not develop some sort of infectious disease or parasite, you are allowing the immune system to weaken. In many cases, by the time the aquarist is made aware of any problems (usually visual) you are treating to save the animals life with harsh medications/procedures. Also considering that most hobbyists probably purchase their fish from lfs or other entity that relies upon flow-through systems, you can bet those animals with developed stages of disease are contaminating the main supply line.

 

[austinsdad]

If you never want ick again, I'd really think about another kinda tang. Powder blues, and browns are sensitive ones IMO. Thought about purple? Yellow? Other, more hardy tangs?

 

[ryshark]

Yeah I like those too but read they are much more aggressive than a powder brown.

 

[austinsdad]

What, the purple? They seem friendly IMO.

Which one are you talking about? If an agressive tang is chosen, you might consider putting him in near or last. That should do it.

 

[Ziggy953]

I have a Powder Brown and it is the most aggressive fish in my tank. Dont thing just because it is written about a fish that it is how they all will behave.

 

[Innovator]

Behaviors in fish are simply observations by those who have kept/studied them and by no means specific to each individual. As far as crypt is concerned, there are some fish that are more prone; however, that should not deter your judgement as long as you provide proper quarantine. Upon purchasing any fish, it would be wise to just assume they need medicating in one way or another.

 

[ellisz]

I agree with Innovator. If you are going to QT, do it right the first time. Many wholesalers have disease and most animals come from a few suppliers. Some LFS now QT and also treat their fish systems with de-wormer and copper but most do not.

As for inverts and corals, I think you all should reconsider. Ich can be brought into your sutem by other things other than fish. I used to be a person that never QT's inverts and corals. I have lost my zoos colonies via nudibranchs and I have treated for Red Bugs on my acros. Let me tell you that both of these issues are a PITA.

I have been in the hobby for almost 13 yrs with the last 5 being reef dominated. I was clean for most of that time but the last 2 have been very trying. With frag trading and the increase of popularity of the hobby, more parasites and diseases are being introduced. If it has not happened to you, it will. You *should* QT anything wet.

my .02

 

[ryshark]

.....and I thought after getting married I wouldn't have to worry about contracting diseases anymore! But I didn't realize I would be so into aquariums when I was 19.

 

[ellisz]

We have a lady in our local club that speaks on disease and QT in the hobby and after hearing her talk about what she sees in some wholesalers in this country, it is pretty dis-heartening.

If you go through an ich treatment or similar pest eradication, it will tax you love of the hobby

 

[Innovator]

ellisz, the old saying and still to this day goes something like: Only the strong survive. Those that die, weren't meant to be displayed.

Tis a sad truth, but reality shows that anything is expendable for the right price. Wholesalers get large volumes of fish in everyday so their treatments, if they do, usually are a bit more harsh. Luckily within the profession, advances are being made that virtually render copper and hyposalinity a thing of the past.

 

[melosu58]

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-10/sp/feature/index.php

 

[ryshark]

Great article thanks. Just yesterday I put a new zoo in my fallow main and when I set it down I thought I saw some sort of small crab/spider run off of it into my live rock.....hopefully I was seeing things. I already took one c. isopod out of my tank a few weeks ago. Now every night I go hunting with a flash light inside of a see-through red cup. So far everything has been good since catching that isopod. However, Im sure what I thought I saw yesterday will pop up sooner or later. I think I'm going to start wearing gloves in that tank now. Are regular latex gloves ok to put in there?