How to treat QT tank

[AquaPeanut]

Hi, I was wondering what kind of treatments I should do for new fish while in QT. Do I treat them as a prevention or only if I notice any illness/disease? And, what about plants? What should I rinse them in to make them safe for my aquaria and prevent algae, planaria, etc? Thanks in advance!

 

[jcolon]

Hi, I was wondering what kind of treatments I should do for new fish while in QT. Do I treat them as a prevention or only if I notice any illness/disease? And, what about plants? What should I rinse them in to make them safe for my aquaria and prevent algae, planaria, etc? Thanks in advance!

I only treat new stock in QT if I see an illness. As for plants dip them in. Hydrogen peroxide for a minute to kill off unwanted microbes... + snails.

 

[LyndaB]

Rinsing your plants won't remove the chances of your tank getting planaria and algae. Planaria can be caused by overfeeding. Algae can be caused by many things including excess lighting.

A QT only increases the odds that you will have a healthy tank. It can't guarantee it.

I know that professionals use dewormer in their QT's. I don't add anything unless there's an issue. You're always better keeping meds to a minimum, so if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

 

[AquaPeanut]

fair enough, thanks for the tips, everyone! I just get confused when i read so many conflicting things.

is there a need to rinse plants then? just want to make sure I keep my tanks healthy.

 

[LyndaB]

If you do rinse the plants, you are pretty much eliminating the possibility of getting pest snails introduced to your tank. That's the main reason people rinse the plants.

 

[meegosh]

I don't treat my QT inhabitants unless I can see something wrong. Like Lynda said, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Save your money!

As far as plants, I did bleach dips in a 1:19 ratio of bleach:water. A quick dip and then rinse in double dosed dechlorinated water does the trick for snails, eggs, and any other nasty critters that might have hitched a ride. I'm not sure if it does anything to algae, luckily all my plants were algae free.

 

[AquaPeanut]

sounds like great advice from everyone! thanks!