Been reading up on QTs that run 24/7 and emergency QTs. Differing advice of course which does your head in- everyone has an opinion. What are you supposed to medicate a healthy looking fish with and how long to keep it in the QT? Isn't the QT meant to observe the fish and then medicate according any actual symptoms rather than a blanket comment "always medicate fish" which implies all new fish? And if I get it out of the tank now I may be lucky enough that it hasn't released any cysts or free swimming parasites into the tank (if it came with it in its gills already)
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To help clarify, how you handle a new fish is determined by how the place you got your fish from handled the fish before you got it. For example, if you got the fish straight from the ocean because you caught it yourself, you can safely assume that is has some parasitic life somewhere on or in it's body and medicating for this is in the fish's best interest as well as your display tank's well being. If your fish has come from a store that medicates it's new arrivals or buys from a wholesaler that medicates it's fish prior to shipping, then "holding" a fish in a separate tank for a period of time ( 6-8 weeks is recommended) is a good idea to confirm that the fish is not still carrying any other diseases and has adapted to your schedules. If you are not sure, there are prophylactic meds that I would use to be on the safe side.
The comment "medicate all fish" means any fish, at any time it is sick, should be medicated, if a medication is being used, NOT in the display tank but in a bare tank so that you have the exact amount of water needed to medicate properly and should this be a parasitic organism that has multiple stages that are not always effected by a certain medication, there will be no place for the organism to hide. Water displacement from decor is one main reason why fish in hospital tanks don't get the proper treatment. Either it is over medicated or under medicated because the exact amount of water is not known or taken into consideration. Depending on the decor, some medications are absorbed out of the water by the decor which again, keeps the fish from getting properly treated. Once the disease has been identified, how you treat your display tank will be determined by what disease your fish has. In certain parasite cases, leaving the tank empty for a period of time will solve the problem without needing to do anything else.
Another +1 to Mebbid's comment about the parasites already being in your tank. Whether your fish are showing it or not, the chances the parasite has not reproduced in your tank by now are remote. It's time for you to be vigilant and watch your other fish for any signs, however insignificant, that they are breaking down.
On a personal note, and in keeping with the "Differing advice of course which does your head in- everyone has an opinion" theme,
While I am in favor of a holistic treatment for certain situations, for parasitic infestations, I tend to use medicine feeling that why should I let the fish suffer for multiple days until a holistic method finally works when I can medicate and relieve the fish almost instantly? It's also possible to do more damage to the fish with improperly administering holistic treatments. Again, it's all situational. In another thread, a fellow AAer took in a Hippo Tang that was not doing well in the tank it was in. After multiple posts about which medication should be used, I offered a "wait and see" approach with using proper dietary and environmental conditions. The OP recently posted that this fish was doing much better, with not using any medications, but with using a better diet and a proper environment. It is just situational.
Hope this helps
