Divers den fish QT

[shoelaceike]

Has anyone ever picked up velvet from DD? The way I see it, if they keep the fish in 2 weeks of copper, it would pretty much be impossible for it to have velvet. Im not too concerned with ich.

 

[infinite0180]

Pretty sure they dont run copper but somebody else will confirm

 

[saltyhog]

Has anyone ever picked up velvet from DD? The way I see it, if they keep the fish in 2 weeks of copper, it would pretty much be impossible for it to have velvet. Im not too concerned with ich.

Yes, I have. If the fish had not been in QT it could have easily wiped out my tank.

 

[NYAquatic]

I can't speak to DD per se, but I think this would apply to anyone.
I seller can keep fish in copper 2 weeks, 4 weeks, etc.
Issue 1) During that time, are they scrupulously NOT adding any new fish to the system? That would restart the QT clock indefinitely. I don't think it wise to assume that.
Issue 2) Even if issue 1 was not an issue, catching a fish, putting it in a box and shipping it across the country is extremely stressful on a fish. Even if they appear clean, stress can bring out hidden issues.

Ultimately, if you have a reef, not QTing, regardless of where you get the fish, is playing Russian Roulette. You'll get burnt eventually.
If you're fish only and can treat display if necessary, than normally I'd say don't QT anything.

 

[PDR]

I recently got a fish from DD with a large anchor worm on it. If they can miss that I’m sure velvet can make it through.

 

[ca1ore]

I think it is wise to QT any and every new fish, even if you just observe it for disease.

 

[lion king]

I got an extremely virilent form of velvet from DD, I kept the fish in qt for a month and it didn't explode until he went into the dt, wiped out fish I had raised for years from an inch. The method many of these places use to treat and qt today just suppress the diseases and makes them even more resistant to treatment.

 

[shoelaceike]

Wow ok. I definitely have to be careful. Thanks everyone.

 

[shoelaceike]

https://m.liveaquaria.com/general/general.cfm?general_pagesid=425

If they do all this, there is no reason fish should be coming in with the issues stated above.

How can I tag Liveaquaria to respond?

 

[shoelaceike]

Also, shouldnt the copper kill any tomites that fall off?

 

[PDR]

https://m.liveaquaria.com/general/general.cfm?general_pagesid=425

If they do all this, there is no reason fish should be coming in with the issues stated above.

How can I tag Liveaquaria to respond?

I thought the same thing not long ago, but after experiencing issues myself and reading many others who have had issues, I think it is clear they do not do what they claim. LA is not a sponsor so they cannot be tagged. Also after dealing with them for months (literally) with several issues, I can tell you they really don't care, especially the "managers".

 

[ca1ore]

No, I think they do what they claim; it just isn’t a full quarantine and stuff slips through. I’ve always viewed it as conditioning - getting up to 1.025 and eating. Perhaps they should be clearer about it, but they do state that folks should do their own QT. BTW, QT doesn’t havecto mean a cocktail of meds; it can be a few weeks of observation and non competitive feeding.

 

[saltyhog]

https://m.liveaquaria.com/general/general.cfm?general_pagesid=425

If they do all this, there is no reason fish should be coming in with the issues stated above.

How can I tag Liveaquaria to respond?

There is nothing there to say how they are treated with copper. In fact the inference from that sentence is it's a bath not continuous treatment. Who knows. Never the less they can't possibly eliminate all disease during a 2 week QT which what some of the fish get.

Lastly, the last time I looked at my packing slip they strongly recommended the hobbyist QT their fish.

 

[puffy127]

Interesting. I never paid that much attention to what they state they do since I do my own QT and don't want to pay their outrageous markups.

Here is what caught my attention:

"To combat common bacterial infections such as Vibrio, therapeutic baths containing antibiotics such as kanamycin, nitrofurazone, Neomycin and other commercial antibiotics are given. Open wounds on fish are treated and healed with a special topical treatment. In addition to the baths, all quarantined fish are treated with copper sulfate and a 37% formaldehyde solution to combat Amyloodinium ocellatum and Cryptocaryon irritans."

I wonder if one is planning on QTing on their own with prophylactic antibiotic and copper treatment, you might be better off NOT buying from DD for fear of overtreatment/overmedication. Also in the formalin sticky it states that "There is anecdotal evidence (but never scientifically proven) that some fish exposed to formalin don’t live past 18-24 months." If you believe that anecdotal evidence, maybe that's even more reason to avoid DD.

 

[saltyhog]

Good catch @puffy127 I had not noticed that last bit. For what it's worth I have had several fish from DD that I've kept for years.

 

[shoelaceike]

There is nothing there to say how they are treated with copper. In fact the inference from that sentence is it's a bath not continuous treatment. Who knows. Never the less they can't possibly eliminate all disease during a 2 week QT which what some of the fish get.

Lastly, the last time I looked at my packing slip they strongly recommended the hobbyist QT their fish.

In addition to the baths, all quarantined fish are treated with copper sulfate and a 37% formaldehyde solution to combat Amyloodinium ocellatum and Cryptocaryon irritans."

 

[saltyhog]

In addition to the baths, all quarantined fish are treated with copper sulfate and a 37% formaldehyde solution to combat Amyloodinium ocellatum and Cryptocaryon irritans."

I was saying it doesn't say how the are treated with copper, just that they are. We don't know if it's really a therapeutic dose or not, it doesn't say how long they are treated. Since some fish are only QT'd by them for only two weeks it's probably safe to say that they may not treat long enough to be effective either.

 

[shoelaceike]

I was saying it doesn't say how the are treated with copper, just that they are. We don't know if it's really a therapeutic dose or not, it doesn't say how long they are treated. Since some fish are only QT'd by them for only two weeks it's probably safe to say that they may not treat long enough to be effective either.

Does copper kill the parasites when they fall off the fish?

 

[jsvand5]

Also in the formalin sticky it states that "There is anecdotal evidence (but never scientifically proven) that some fish exposed to formalin don’t live past 18-24 months." If you believe that anecdotal evidence, maybe that's even more reason to avoid DD.

This is clearly not true. I treat almost every fish with an hour bath in formalin and I have fish that are well past 24 months with me.

 

[saltyhog]

Does copper kill the parasites when they fall off the fish?

No, it primarily kills in the free swimming theront stage as I understand. The protomont stage doesn't last very long. But that's not the issue. We don't know how long the fish are treated or at what concentration. Their own recommendation to QT is telling.