To quarantine or not to quarantine

[Gregcoyote]

That's exactly my point. Make the QT as inviting as the main tank. It needs to be a place of peace and healing. Otherwise it becomes a killing box.


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[54seaweed]

All I can think of is this

.

OMG I just fell off my chair laughing so hard

That's exactly my point. Make the QT as inviting as the main tank. It needs to be a place of peace and healing. Otherwise it becomes a killing box.

I kind of keep my QT like that , it has a thin sand bed and a small rock pile with a cave or 2 on one end so there's a nice swimming section to move around I have a 20 long it also makes it easier to catch them when ready to go to main tank

 

[icydeath]

That is not true in the slightest. This is directly from Randy Holmes-Farley from some time ago on the subject.

Sorry for my mistake. I didn't mean to sound like that was the end all, I was just trying to say that in a QT that would be it's main purpose and the other uses like removing metals are already done by your rodi system. I just meant within the confines of a QT, the uses of carbon are rarely needed.

 

[icydeath]

I agree with gregcoyote here. For those of you who don't QT, the risk is run, but if it works for you that's good and I have had my fair share of not QT'ing. For those of you who do QT, it only makes sense to put in the effort to create a safe and nurturing environment

That being said, do what works for you. But know the risks/constraints of both methods.

 

[Gregcoyote]

OMG I just fell off my chair laughing so hard

I kind of keep my QT like that , it has a thin sand bed and a small rock pile with a cave or 2 on one end so there's a nice swimming section to move around I have a 20 long it also makes it easier to catch them when ready to go to main tank

Very cool. Mebbid and I have been debating on the forum for years and I for one enjoy it. Nobody is right all the time, certainly not me. And having open discussions about topics this important are what drives the forum forwards. You should have seen the debates Mr_X and I had years ago. Wheee. Dary had to referee. We eventually found it was a matter of communication and that we agreed on most everything. This is the best forum I participate in as we as a group tend to treat each other with respect I don't see on other forums.


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[mr_X]

You should have seen the debates Mr_X and I had years ago. Wheee. Dary had to referee.

Debates? Must have been back in the heavy drinking days
Now my glasses are kept half full and watered down with at least 3 ice cubes

 

[jeffaquarius]

If one had QTd all his stuff from the start including LR came from LFS then it is possible that the DT is totally free from parasites and QTing the new comers would help. Remember that parasites can be carried through the water from whatever that came from LFS. That includes the corals, inverts and additional LR.

 

[Mebbid]

That's exactly my point. Make the QT as inviting as the main tank. It needs to be a place of peace and healing. Otherwise it becomes a killing box.


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I like how you word that, ima have to steal that

 

[Rockster2]

Very good discussion. Having experienced the bullet in the chamber (ich outbreak) about two years ago with the addition of that "one last fish", I have quarantined every new addition to my display tank since with no further outbreaks. It was an expensive and painful lesson in my case.


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[jeffaquarius]

Very good discussion. Having experienced the bullet in the chamber (ich outbreak) about two years ago with the addition of that "one last fish", I have quarantined every new addition to my display tank since with no further outbreaks. It was an expensive and painful lesson in my case.


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How big was your tank and your live stock before you added your last fish? I figured you were already on the threshold of overstocking when you added the last one and it created stress to all of them. After adding the last one how long before the outbreak appeared and which fish got it first?

 

[Rockster2]

Good question. It was a 150g tank with about 8 to 10 fish before adding the last one, I don't think it was an overcrowding situation but that last fish was a good size beautiful emperor angel that was offered to me for free by a friend that was moving. He clearly stressed a sailfin tang (known to be ick magnets). Ended up losing 6 fish (including the tang and emperor) and having to tear apart the tank to catch and treat the remaining fish. So called reef safe treatments are useless. Only good thing that came out of it was I learned a greater appreciation for corals and inverts as I kept the display tank fallow for 2 months. So your point is well taken. Could've been stress-induced.


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[jeffaquarius]

I also have 150 gal with minimal stockings. Yellow and blue tang plus flame angel and about ten 1-inch fish. After adding a 5-inch brown powder tang that's when my blue tang got some ich. Moved him to a QT on hyper salinity treatment. It's been 6 weeks now and none of the other fish in the DT shows any sign of ich. Can anyone explain why?

 

[icydeath]

I'd say your blue tang just happened to have a weaker immune system or was stressed and the other fish were able to fight it off. Because ich has a very short period of being water born, perhaps it came from the lfs water. How do you acclimate?

 

[Mebbid]

I also have 150 gal with minimal stockings. Yellow and blue tang plus flame angel and about ten 1-inch fish. After adding a 5-inch brown powder tang that's when my blue tang got some ich. Moved him to a QT on hyper salinity treatment. It's been 6 weeks now and none of the other fish in the DT shows any sign of ich. Can anyone explain why?

A tang's thin slime coat coupled with the stress of adding another tang.

The ich is in the tank, but it's not really going to be noticeable unless something goes wrong or another fish gets stressed out.

 

[Gregcoyote]

I agree.


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[jeffaquarius]

A tang's thin slime coat coupled with the stress of adding another tang.

The ich is in the tank, but it's not really going to be noticeable unless something goes wrong or another fish gets stressed out.

Exactly. I had the blue tang for 2 years. If acclimation was the problem the new fish (brown powder tang) should have developed ich first. This confirms my belief that ich can be present in the tank without bothering your fish until they are stressed.

 

[Gregcoyote]

That's the way it is in the ocean. Live seawater is loaded with parasites and other organisms, look at a sample under a microscope. You will be amazed. Just like humans, if the immune system is working, you are perfectly safe, but let it falter there is always something out there that will take advantage of that weakness. It's a cruel world...


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[Mebbid]

Exactly. I had the blue tang for 2 years. If acclimation was the problem the new fish (brown powder tang) should have developed ich first. This confirms my belief that ich can be present in the tank without bothering your fish until they are stressed.

Salt water ich should never be fatal assuming there's an appropriate and well maintained set up. Their immune systems are fairly adept at keeping it at bay. However, when something goes wrong it will be a problem.

 

[Gregcoyote]

Fish that have no scales, especially tangs, are all much more vulnerable to external parasites as only their slime protects them. They are the canary in the mine. Fish with slime coats and scales present a bigger obstacle to parasites that have to burrow into fish flesh. That's why tangs many times are the initial problem as they become the factor that allows the parasites to bloom into a big problem in a enclosed system. You don't see fish in the wild being wiped out from ICH, because in the wild the parasites have problems maintaining a high spore density.

That's also why I harp on tangs being kept fat and calm as that is what seems to control the health of their slime coats.

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[jeffaquarius]

That's a perfect analogy Greg. You can sterilize your tank from parasites but the question is for how long? I agree that parasites have short life floating in water. Does it mean in seconds, hours or days? You can be careful of not adding the remaining water from LFS with new addition corals and inverts. Just remember that they are not dry.