Disease prevention

[pufferman]

I wondered that every two months a dose of Rid Ich+ would do any help in preventing parasites.

 

[reefrunner69]

The best thing you can do to prevent parasitic infestation is to quarantine all new fish for several weeks. This gives the fish a less stressful environment to acclimate in as well as makes it easy for you to watch for disease and parasites and medicate if necessary. I do not believe the rid ick once per month would be any benefit what soever.

 

[pufferman]

So what kind of prevention is there when the tank is up and running and when all the fish have been qt and acclimated

 

[reefrunner69]

All that should be needed is maintaining water quality and a stressfree environment. If you qt your fish and take care maintaining your tank, you won't have any issues. Parasites are brought in by new fish, the most dangerous time for any tank is when something new is added, qting lessons that risk and once the tank is stocked...it is not an issue at all.

 

[pufferman]

So quarintining anything that comes into the tank. Qt fish and inverts. Boil fake coral so anything will get killed and mantain good water quality.

 

[ReefLady]

Most important (after quarantining new fish), as reefrunner said, is providing a stress-free environment. This means housing only compatible species, not overcrowding, offering enough & desirable foods, providing rockwork and caves for hiding, etc. Simulating the natural environment as much as possible.

I don't believe it is necessary to quarantine invertebrates - just fish.

HTH,