How to Quarantine

[VJV]

^^Yes, that would be optimal. Provided the two QTs are at least 10 feet apart.

That 10 feet requirement is freaking me out! I recently installed the small coral QT really close to my fish QT. This Friday the 77 day fallow period is over so i was finally goung to transfer my fish back to the display tank.

Does this mean that I may have ruined the whole process and have to start over again? How likely would airborn contagion be in this case? My fish QT has a lid on on the coral QT only has corals so if any cists have erupted they would not have fpund a host...

Really scared now...[emoji33]

 

[Humblefish]

That information comes from sources cited here: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/aerosol-transmission.190292/

The actual study was done on velvet, but it makes sense to me that it can also apply to ich as well. It certainly explains ich mysteriously showing up in some DTs I've had in the past where a QT was in close proximity and air was flowing from that direction. I also have a buddy it happened to. He was going fallow/treating for ich and the QT was only a few feet from the DT. There also was an air vent blowing from DT to QT. As soon as he lowered the CP in the QT (30 days), he started seeing ich on his fish in QT again.

 

[omykiss001]

Technically you are correct, although I would wait 10 days from the last water change just to be on the safe side. And you don't ever want to lower the Cu level if doing it this way. You want to transfer the fish to a non-medicated HT for further observation.

And while yes, you are technically correct, I don't believe you are leaving yourself any margin for error doing it this way. I also wouldn't trust Cupramine's dosing instructions without confirming it with a test kit.

@Humblefish, have your run across any studies that show if the theronts are killed outright when they leave the cyst in the presence of Cu, do they swim around but are unable to attach to the host, or swim but die shortly after. I've been pondering this when doing a transfer if it would be wise to move them to a bucket with new Cu treated SW (a rinse off so to say), then to the new non-medicated tank. Just a pondering on risk of going straight from hospital tank to observation tank in the 10-14 day range.

 

[VJV]

Technically you are correct, although I would wait 10 days from the last water change just to be on the safe side. And you don't ever want to lower the Cu level if doing it this way. You want to transfer the fish to a non-medicated HT for further observation.

And while yes, you are technically correct, I don't believe you are leaving yourself any margin for error doing it this way. I also wouldn't trust Cupramine's dosing instructions without confirming it with a test kit.

Thanks! Had missed this earlier. On a different subject, my problem with the whole observation thing is that the fish may still carry the parasite and show no signs. That is in fact the reason for prophylactic treatment of all new fish even if they do not show any symptoms.

However, if we are treating for 3-4 weeks with copper and the Tomonts may encyst for longer than that, we always run the risk of re introducing the parasite in our main tank again. If the Tomont were to encyst for 5 weeks and you leave the fish in the QT for another week post treating with copper, the fish will likely be infected again, even if you see no signs of ich.

So transferring to an observation tank would be the next step (provided it's more than 10 feet from the QT) but still, whose to say the net you use to catch the fish will not be contaminated? I mean, when I catch the fish I have to chase them all around the QT and certainly that can potentially lift some Tomonts into the water column and caught up in the net...

I know I may just be paranoid, and in the higher temps we run the QT perhaps the lifecycle is speed up considerably so that in fact 4 weeks are more than enough to kill the parasite with a high degree of comfort. Anyway, appreciate you take the time to address all these doubts. Thanks!

 

[billw]

Just because you are paranoid, it doesn't mean they aren't out to get you .

Anytime I'm removing a fish from one quarantine tank to another, i drain the water down as far as I can first. It doesn't prevent the problem but with less chasing it might minimize it.

 

[clownsrcool]

I was thinking of trying to sanitize my bets by dunking them in a vinegar solution for a few hours after each use. Would this do me any good or just waste my time?

 

[Humblefish]

@Humblefish, have your run across any studies that show if the theronts are killed outright when they leave the cyst in the presence of Cu, do they swim around but are unable to attach to the host, or swim but die shortly after. I've been pondering this when doing a transfer if it would be wise to move them to a bucket with new Cu treated SW (a rinse off so to say), then to the new non-medicated tank. Just a pondering on risk of going straight from hospital tank to observation tank in the 10-14 day range.

Unfortunately, no studies I've read say whether theronts are killed immediately when they come into contact with Cu or if there is a delayed effect. I suspect the latter, which has always bothered me because what if a theront were to reach a fish before Cu finished it off? Like, say, a bottom dwelling species that just happened to be next to a tomont when it ruptured. Also keep in mind many fish sleep near the bottom at night, and the substrate is a favorite place for tomonts to encyst.

So transferring to an observation tank would be the next step (provided it's more than 10 feet from the QT) but still, whose to say the net you use to catch the fish will not be contaminated?

There is no 100%, not in anything.

I was thinking of trying to sanitize my bets by dunking them in a vinegar solution for a few hours after each use. Would this do me any good or just waste my time?

A few hours in vinegar may not be long enough. But in bleach it would be.

 

[horseplay]

I have a question on setting up a QT. I have aquaclear 70 power filter. I keep the sponges in the sump. When it's time I move them to the filter. The question is when the SG of the QT is dropped to 1.017 - 1.020 will the nitrification bacteria survive?

I have done this a few times but always wondering about this.

 

[melypr1985]

I have a question on setting up a QT. I have aquaclear 70 power filter. I keep the sponges in the sump. When it's time I move them to the filter. The question is when the SG of the QT is dropped to 1.017 - 1.020 will the nitrification bacteria survive?

I have done this a few times but always wondering about this.

Some will die off, but not all and not enough to cause major problems if it's an established colony and filter.

 

[Humblefish]

Some will die off, but not all and not enough to cause major problems if it's an established colony and filter.

^^Agree. You'll lose more nitrifying bacteria to copper/antibiotics than shifting salinity. But suppressed bacteria bounce back quickly.

 

[horseplay]

Thanks. Now I know.

 

[Humblefish]

Thanks. Now I know.

And knowing is half the battle ... GI JOE!

 

[clownsrcool]

When you all say you take sponges from your DT sumps where they are seeded. What do you do after you run a round of fish through the qt? Chunk the sponge and bring out a new and previously seeded one from the DT or put it back in the DT to get seeded again and use later? I'm guessing not the second one since you could introduce bad things back to the DT that way.

 

[Humblefish]

When you all say you take sponges from your DT sumps where they are seeded. What do you do after you run a round of fish through the qt? Chunk the sponge and bring out a new and previously seeded one from the DT or put it back in the DT to get seeded again and use later? I'm guessing not the second one since you could introduce bad things back to the DT that way.

Sometimes I'll use the same sponge to QT 2-3 batches of fish. Then I just chuck it (they are cheap enough to replace: http://www.amazon.com/Aquaclear-50-Gallon-Foam-Inserts-3-Pack/dp/B0002AQK4S).

If you wanted to be thrifty you could sterilize them in bleach, let dry thoroughly and then re-seed down in the DT sump.

 

[clownsrcool]

I'm cheap and I have the aquaclear 110 and the filters are $9 ea so I'll go the bleach route

 

[Humblefish]

I'm cheap and I have the aquaclear 110 and the filters are $9 ea so I'll go the bleach route

Just let them dry thoroughly afterwards, so any residue has time to break back down into salt.

 

[clownsrcool]

Ok

 

[mandylv23]

What is this infecting this Hippo?

At the local Petco and this is horrible

 

[omykiss001]

What is this infecting this Hippo? View attachment 306059
At the local Petco and this is horrible

Looks like a bad bacterial infection. Can't tell but looks like the fins are pretty rotten as well so maybe started as fin rot and has spread. @Humblefish and @melypr1985 might have a better clue.

 

[omykiss001]

What is this infecting this Hippo? View attachment 306059
At the local Petco and this is horrible

I don't know why Petco bothers with SW fish it's pretty clear they don't have anyone knowledgeable to run or train their employees. Seems most who buy from them have sick or dead fish. Don't know who goes back to buy more unless they are specifically looking for sick fish so they can work out the most effective treatment [emoji856]. Wink wink nudge nudge. Every time I've been in there at least one of their saltwater tanks has one or more dead fish in it and many look pretty bad [emoji47] they do nothing good for the hobby. Maybe there are a few stores with folks who know, but does not seem to be the norm.