# Quarantine Procedures



## jd lover (Mar 11, 2011)

I will attempt to keep this as short as possible.

* Things you will need:

(2)10g+ tank
buckets and hose
filters
heater
air stone(s)
towels
sponge 
fish net
thermometer

all these things needs to be seperate from the ones you use on your main tank. *

Setting up the tank:

These tank should be keep in a different room from the main tank if possible

you need to make sure you cycle these tank using the fishless cycle method found here: http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/f ... ycling.php

Adjust your heater so it stays at a constant 86-88F (dont worry your fish(es) will be able to tolerate this temperatur for a few weeks with no problems. Add aquarium salt at the dosage of: 1-2 tablespoon per 5 gallon. Increase the dosage every week until the amount of salt is 1 tablerspoon per gallon.

while you're doing the fishless cycle for the quarantine tank, i suggest you do a bit of research on the fish you plan on getting. If the fish in question was an impulse buy i will cover how to set the tank up for it in the FAQ section.
OK do the tank is set up and ready for the fish. I will take you step by step on how to Q-T (quarantine) the new fish(es).
* Steps to accumulating the new fish(es) *
* Step 1: * wash your hands very well.
*Step 2:* Float the fish in the tank for roughly 15 minutes. 
*Step 3:* Open the bag and add about 4 oz of tank water to the fish bag every 5 minutes for a total of 30 minutes. If the bag gets full, simply dump half of it down the drain. (Becareful youre not dumping the fish!)
*Step 4:* Dump the fish into a bucket and net it out and place into the tank.

* Quarantining the new fish(es):*

1: Don't feed for the first day and only once a day after that.

2: If the fish is not eating it's a possible sign of internal parasite and needs to be treated with proper medicine.

3: Change the water by 50% 1-2 times a day. Replace the salt that you have just remove. (Remember aquarium salt does not evaporate of filter out. so only add according to waht you remove. Example: You did a 50% water change on a 10 gallon tank therefore, when you fill up the tank only add salt to the amount of the new water.

4: Remove any dead fish/un-eaten food ASAP.

5: This is the most important step. For the next 4-6 weeks you need to watch your fish carefully for diseases and treat accoordingly.

6: After the Q-T period you take a fish from your main stock (I suggest your least favorite) and one from your new stock to an additional tank. (The reason for this is, it is possible your existing stock are carrying something they have develope an immunity to and can be fatal to your new stock)

7: Observe for another 2 weeks. 
Remember a healthy fish is one that is always hungry for food.
* DO NOT USE QUARANTINE MATERIAL FOR MAIN TANK AND VICE VERSA!!! *
* ALWAYS WASH YOUR HANDS WHEN DEALING BEFORE AND AFTER DEALING WITH THE Q-T TANK!!! *

* FAQ *

*A:* Why do I need to quarantine?

*Q:* To reduce the chance of introducing disease into your established tank.

*A:* When should i quarantine?

*Q: * Whenerver you're adding a fish to a tank. whether is a new fish you have just bought or ones from one of your own tank. only exception to this is if you are moving a fish or fishes from one tank to another that is connected to the same sump or filter system.

*A:* After I'm done with the Q-T procedures can I put the filter on the Q-T tank on my main tank to keep the bacterial alive?

*Q: * I would not do this simply because like said from above, your tank might be carrying something your fishes are immune to, and to use a diseased filter on a Q-T tank is pointless.

*A:* I bought a fish on impulse how can I set up a Q-T tank right away?

*Q:* There is no way to get a Q-T tank set up instantly and be 100% safe. The way i have manage to get through this process is to set up the tank and do 25-30% water changes multiple times a day. It is best to avoid this situation whenever possible.

I hope this helps. if you have suggestions/corrections please alert me so I can edit. I will attempt to write a final verson once all the errors have been corrected and more ideas/ approach are added.


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## rich_t (Nov 26, 2009)

Interesting recommendations.

I am looking forward to seeing others comment on this.


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

I apologize, but i cannot agree with the post/article.

There should be no "standard" or one size fits all tank size for a q tank
Dump and float is not appropriate for every cichlid species
The temperature and salt recommendation seems randomly suggested
The feeding regime makes no sense and could be lethal if followed for 40days for fry of some species

Jdlover, can you tell me what cichlids you have quarentined with the above procedures?


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## jd lover (Mar 11, 2011)

Number6 said:


> I apologize, but i cannot agree with the post/article.
> 
> There should be no "standard" or one size fits all tank size for a q tank
> Dump and float is not appropriate for every cichlid species
> ...


thats why i stated 10g+

its not "dump and float" i suggest you take a closer look its an accumulation that most hobbyist uses.

temp is not "randomly" suggested neither is the salt does. 84-86 is to speed up the process of the ich cycle incase the new fish(es) has. salt is to get rid of parasite. yu cant just dump salt into freshwater you have to built them up to it.

feeding regime is to keep the tank as clean as possible and to make sure they are eating. yes i admited that its dangerous for **** but i doubt anyone who reads this is keeping **** as they are alot more sensitive. this is aim more at the bigger sizes fish often sold at lfs and on online dealers. like i admited it needs to be edit and a full verson is to be posted once enough errors are corrected and suggestions are put it.

i have done this with discus, angels, oscars, jack dempseys, convicts, gouramies, flowerhorns, jewels, texas, green terror, black ghost knifes, arowanas, african knifes, tiger shovelnose cat fish, varies cories, red tail cat, kois, channel catfish, marble catfish, pictus catfish, various tetras, just a few off the top of my head.

im curious as to what your accumulation and Q-T procedures are. why not share and help improve the thread?


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

jd lover said:


> im curious as to what your accumulation and Q-T procedures are. why not share and help improve the thread?


Acclimation. Your autocorrect keeps changing it to accumulation.

I am happy to share, but quarantine practices for koi will differ greatly from Discus, even if yours dont, so i will need to ask what species you would like me to share the procedure I would use.

In general, acclimation is best when the change is minimized from wherever they came from to your quarantine tank. Knowing the gh, kh, pH of the lfs tank is step 1. Knowing if they added junk including NaCl to their tanks can do wonders for a new purchase, especially if the new purchase is sick after all. Matching the quarantine tank water chemistry to the waters they were born in or are fully acclimated to is a great way to avoid stress. Its not as impossible as i know some may think... And nothing makes you buy a fish from a completely unknown source... Would i do this for a tetra? Of course not... But an $80 fish? A must.

Overtime, i like to alter the qtanks water chemistry to match my tap water.

For a quarantine tank, many factors will go i to what i would use for filtration, size of tank and sump, what pvc pipes, dinner plates, flower pots are used as a temp home will depend on the fish.

There are even logical times to skip quarantine...

Golden rule? Never begin treating for illnesses not seen and/or not identified.

86 degrees and salt as a treatment for ich in advance? Is that really how you quarantined Discus? 
Really? Are you locking in that answer? opcorn:


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## jd lover (Mar 11, 2011)

since its possible for ich to be at a stage we cant see with the bare eye and better safe than sorry. 4 week in 86 tempt wont hurt any fish neither will adding salt. not only will it speed up ich cycle so you can treat it if they have it but to also speed their matabolism (spelling?) so you can make sure theyre eating healthy and not worry about internal parisites. i agree to an extent that you shouldnt treat for disease a fish dont have by dumping medicine into the tank, but when it comes down to the bare fact everyone should deworm all new fish.

all qt are the same wether is kois or discus. the basic is the same. you may be able to find out the water chemestry from your lfs but what about from where they came? a fish goes through many water chemestry before settling in your tank. that is why you add tank water to the bag water in minimal amount so the fish can get use to it but is not shock by it. basicaly water chemestry needs to be ease into same as tank temp.

you alter qt tank to match that of the lfs but tell me what happens when you put it in the main tank? will it not be shocked?

and for you not to qt is a foolish move. you dont know what your tank has that can effect your new stock and vice versa. why skip qt at all?


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

jd lover said:


> since its possible for ich to be at a stage we cant see with the bare eye and better safe than sorry. 4 week in 86 tempt wont hurt any fish neither will adding salt


 yes, that could easily stress a fish. If a fish had a bad case on intestinal flagellates, i would predict a dead fish before quarantine was over.



jd lover said:


> , but when it comes down to the bare fact everyone should deworm all new fish.


 i disagree. Why deworm fish that i bought from fogelhund?



jd lover said:


> all qt are the same wether is kois or discus. the basic is the same.


If the word basics means "in water" then ok... Otherwise i would tell folks to please plan according to the very different requirements of each species.



jd lover said:


> you alter qt tank to match that of the lfs but tell me what happens when you put it in the main tank? will it not be shocked?


you missed the part where i said that i alter the qtanks water chemistry over time to match my tap water.



jd lover said:


> and for you not to qt is a foolish move. you dont know what your tank has that can effect your new stock and vice versa. why skip qt at all?


If you cannot see when it can be skipped, then do you truly understand why we do it in the cases when it is needed?

True story: bought clown pleco, 16 cardinals, and whiptail catfish. No need to quarantine as they came from a store with central filtration. Waited 6 weeks... Bought a group of Discus from a breeder and added to tank. No quarantine. 
Why no quarantine? Simple... There would have been no point. No quarentine procedure would have helped avoiding a risk to the Discus.

So... I know i can be blunt, harsh even... So for that, apologies... But it gets triggered! If you had put up the original post saying " here are my quarantine procedures, they work well for me" then i dont think i would have even replied. But when you post like its an article written by an expert, then you open it up to peer review.

I can drop off this thread, as i know that soon ( or already) it will be counterproductive to keep replying, but i drop off with the suggestion to either change the tone of the " article" to an opinion piece or else keep researching... As it stands, i am not in agreement and i am sure that others question the content as well.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Procedures need to be set up from knowledge rather than some set of "rules" that may fit somebody else rather well but may kill your fish. The hobby is full of bad information already so I would never recommend using a set pattern for QT. Putting a fish through a salt and high temperature routine is adding more stress than needed for a fish that is healthy. That is missing the difference between QT to see if the fish is well and treatment which may not be needed. I put fish from suspect sources like shipped fish, into QT to watch them and let them show whether they are ill or going to develope problems with my water. I never treat fish until I see they need it. I never take medicine without reason so I never treat my fish until I have reason.


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