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scuglass
10-30-2005, 12:20 AM
just wondering about quarantineing and who does it. what techniques used? methods? setups? lengths? ect.

Ruth
10-30-2005, 12:23 AM
I was honest and voted no but I should. :redface: It seems every tank that I set up as a quarentine I end up with "stuff" in it and it is no longer a quarentine.
I have one now as a spare that I will use in future.

scuglass
10-30-2005, 01:13 AM
do u treeat with pizine or something like that in order to get rid of worms?

BMW Rider
10-30-2005, 02:58 AM
I chose the last option, but I don't always keep corals and such for that long. Just long enough to verify that ther are no nasty hitchhikers. Fish get the full 4 weeks.

Johnny Reefer
10-30-2005, 02:59 AM
Chose Fish Only.
20g.
Bare Bottom.
AquaClear 150 filter. Foam only. No carbon.
Start with 50% main tank water, 50% new water.
Medicate with Coppersafe.
Change 20% water daily, with water from main tank.
Additional Coppersafe daily to replenish that removed with the 20% water changes.
Light off.
QT at least two weeks, ideally three.

scuglass
10-30-2005, 04:08 AM
do u use hypo salinity treatment?? or formaline baths for fish which are susseptable to certain diseases such as clowns and brook??

outtafocus
10-31-2005, 01:01 AM
I dont understand the use of the daily 20% water change.
What purpose does this serve?

I currently have a bicolor blenny in my QT, I have not medicated this tank. I use it mostly to observe the fish. A black clown I picked up last week just got moved into my 25gal as he was showing no ill signs and is doing well in the 25.
The last time I QT'd a pair of clowns I used Seachems Cupramine with horrible results, I lost both fish. I believe this was due to the panic use of the QT. I had added the fish to my 10gal and within a day they developed white dots, knee jerk reaction was to dump both into a QT and add cupramine. I believe there was an ammonia spike and both fish died within 2days. I feel that if I had left the fish as they where in the 10gal, they would still be alive.
Several people have told me they do not use a QT.

Gizmo
10-31-2005, 01:09 AM
I know most people won't like this, but I have never quarantined a fish, coral or other thing, never will. Oh wait thats a lie, I did perform a quarantine on a fish once, and it DIED. Part of buying a fish is watching it for a good while to make sure it is healthy. I was going to buy a regal from the LFS and I watched it for over 20 mins then I noticed it scratching itself on rocks etc. Good sign of illness, didnt buy it. Same goes for corals, watch them for critters crawling out. Just my three cents

OCDP
10-31-2005, 01:22 AM
I voted no but I should.

Lately anytime I add a new fish (im up to my limit now) I feed with garlic for the first couple weeks just to build a good immune system...

scuglass
10-31-2005, 01:34 AM
gizmo how do u monitor for parasites and such do u treat in the display??

Gizmo
10-31-2005, 01:46 AM
I've had a reef for 3 years this november, Never treated for anything other than Cyano and thats cause of crappy tap water.
I use a red filtered flashlight to look for critters I dont want, maybe once a week, but usually, unless something looks horribly out of place, I let my reef live like a reef.

Bob I
10-31-2005, 02:07 AM
The only fish I ever lost were fish I quarantined. I do NOT quarantine any more. :eek:

Ruth
10-31-2005, 02:22 AM
To be honest I have heard of more fatalities and horror stories from quarentine than I have heard from fish etc. intoduced into the display. I do know that a fish that is stressed stands a far better chance in my display that is stable and has good water quality maintained on a daily basis.
Even with that said I still know I should quarentine.

Johnny Reefer
10-31-2005, 03:11 AM
I dont understand the use of the daily 20% water change.
What purpose does this serve? ....

I believe there was an ammonia spike and both fish died within 2days.
....

You just answered your own question. :smile:
Doing a daily 20% water change helps keep ammonia levels in check.

Cheers,

outtafocus
10-31-2005, 03:17 AM
With an established bacterial culture in your filter media, an ammonia spike will never happen.
The only reason I had an ammonia spike was that I was so worried about the Ich that I forgot all about the nitrogen cycle.

Johnny Reefer
10-31-2005, 04:18 AM
I'm talkin' about a QT tank that is used only when it's needed.
In other words, it sits cleaned, empty and idle when it is not used.
Thus, when I get it going for QT I get ammonia spikes immediately.
Having said that, I would think the same thing might happen to an established QT tank, depending on its size and the number and size of specimens put in for quarantine.

scuglass
10-31-2005, 05:12 PM
many peopel keep spare sponges in there sumps which populate with bacterian then when the qt is needed u just pop one of those in the filter and u already have the backteria to help reduce these level s and no cycle .

BMW Rider
10-31-2005, 05:49 PM
many peopel keep spare sponges in there sumps which populate with bacterian then when the qt is needed u just pop one of those in the filter and u already have the backteria to help reduce these level s and no cycle .

That's exactly how I keep mine ready. I usually try to fill the QT with half new water and the other half from my tank. I like to plan my purchases and have the QT tank set up a few days or a week ahead to help avoid amonia spikes.

outtafocus
10-31-2005, 11:47 PM
I had my current QT setup a week before I bought my fish. I had a bunch of live rock rubble from my sump in the QT for bacteria and even a few pods.

Heres another question which I never really have got a straight answer for: Does any one quarentine shrimps and crabs? What about snails?

If your dealer tank has aiptasia, and you buy a frag, could you potentially get aiptasia even with out any sign of them on the frag?

scuglass
11-01-2005, 03:10 AM
heres a good thread on qting fish http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=684888&perpage=25&pagenumber=1

Murminator
11-01-2005, 03:44 AM
I voted # 2 I bought all my fish and put them in my display tanks if I had bigger tanks where it would almost impossible to catch with out ripping down a tank I WOULD quarantine but only a couple weeks. I think quarantine puts more stress on a fish going from a reef setting to a bare glass box IMO

scuglass
11-01-2005, 06:18 AM
they are in a glass box at the fish store and it would be less stressfull for a fish to be alone rather than have other fish harassing the new fish untill it has regained its strength.