I’m fairly new to the hobby. Only about 4 months and I never thought it was necessary for a quarantine tank.( I was very wrong) I recently had a fish die to ich and now my two beloved clownfish have it. I want to set up a quarantine ASAP to try and save them. Also to house my only other fish. A diamond watchman goby until the ich dies off in my tank. (About 6 weeks) Question 1. What is the fastest way to set up a quarantine, fastest way to cycle the quarantine tank, and the best way to treat ich. Question 2. Is it safe to put my goby who doesn’t currently have ich in the QT tank with the clowns while I try and medicate them and while the ich dies off in my main tank. Any answers are appreciated thank you very much.
Emergency QT setup!! Please help
- Thread starter josez35
- Start date
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I would start with these threads:
How to Quarantine
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?sh...hreads/How-to-Quarantine.189815/&share_type=t
Ammonia Control in a Hospital Tank
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?sh...ntrol-in-a-Hospital-Tank.296119/&share_type=t
How to Quarantine
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?sh...hreads/How-to-Quarantine.189815/&share_type=t
Ammonia Control in a Hospital Tank
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?sh...ntrol-in-a-Hospital-Tank.296119/&share_type=t
Once you get everything set-up, but both clowns and the goby in the QT. You can add pvc elbows for hiding spots, and a small dish of sand for your goby to “sift” and feel more at home.
You’ll want to treat at three with 30 days of copper, ramping it up slowly and carefully monitoring the level via an appropriate test kit. Once treatment is complete, you can remove the copper with cuprisorb and water changes and let them hangout med free for the rest of your fallow period.
For ich... you want your tank to run fallow for 76 days.
Ich (Cryptocaryon irritans)
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?sh...-(Cryptocaryon-irritans).191226/&share_type=t
You’ll want to treat at three with 30 days of copper, ramping it up slowly and carefully monitoring the level via an appropriate test kit. Once treatment is complete, you can remove the copper with cuprisorb and water changes and let them hangout med free for the rest of your fallow period.
For ich... you want your tank to run fallow for 76 days.
Ich (Cryptocaryon irritans)
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?sh...-(Cryptocaryon-irritans).191226/&share_type=t
Mariette
Valuable Member
It’s absolute a good idea to put watchman goby in qt w the clowns and treat them all together. I have a watchman goby in a 20 gallon as we speak w 2 other fish. All got through copper and are in observation while tank goes fallow. Also, ich will take 76 days to die. Not 6 weeks. 6 weeks is for Velvet. Not Ich
I’ve never cycled my qt tank. Not sure that’s the best way but it’s been no problem. My setup: 20 gallon tank. Use water from DT. HPV pipes to hide in. Bare bottom. Simple lighting. Simple HOB filter. Heater. Water level well below filter so that the water flowing out can cascade into tank to help w oxygenation. Airstone can’t hurt. Best medication for Ich: copper. Be sure to check copper levels daily.
My watchman goby went through copper twice in 1 year for 2 different outbreaks. Pulled through both times. Ich free
I wouldn’t delay. Get everything together and get started. The sooner the better.
Good luck.
Edit: added a pic of my QT. HOB filter not cascading at moment because copper treatment is over. Also added substrate once copper was done for the goby. If you add substrate, make sure you’re not pulling it from the DT or you’ll be sure to add ich to your newly treated DT.
I’ve never cycled my qt tank. Not sure that’s the best way but it’s been no problem. My setup: 20 gallon tank. Use water from DT. HPV pipes to hide in. Bare bottom. Simple lighting. Simple HOB filter. Heater. Water level well below filter so that the water flowing out can cascade into tank to help w oxygenation. Airstone can’t hurt. Best medication for Ich: copper. Be sure to check copper levels daily.
My watchman goby went through copper twice in 1 year for 2 different outbreaks. Pulled through both times. Ich free
I wouldn’t delay. Get everything together and get started. The sooner the better.
Good luck.
Edit: added a pic of my QT. HOB filter not cascading at moment because copper treatment is over. Also added substrate once copper was done for the goby. If you add substrate, make sure you’re not pulling it from the DT or you’ll be sure to add ich to your newly treated DT.
Last edited:
laverda
2500 Club Member
The fastest way is to take some filter media from your tank and use it to seed the QT tank. I keep a filter sponge in my tank for for just that purpose. Your goby may not be showing signs of ICH but if you do not remove it to QT you will not get rid of ICH in your display and the clowns will just get reinfected when you put them back in the display.
There are several excellent threads in this forum on how to QT your fish.
There are several excellent threads in this forum on how to QT your fish.
Thank you everyone for the replies. I went out got a 20 gallon tank, heater, power head and a hang on filter. took water from my DT and put some of my bio media from my DT filter and put it in the other filter. Put both the clowns in late last night and dosed it with copper. I only put half the recommended amount of copper but when I woke up this morning the smaller clown was dead. The bigger clown seems to be doing fine and when I get home from work I plan on taking my goby from the DT and putting him in the QT. I will leave them in there for 76 days monitoring they’re behavior and slowly adding more copper. Not sure what happened with the little clown but my guess is that I was too late with setting up the QT. If anyone has any ideas let me know. Thanks again for your help
Mariette
Valuable Member
Some on here will say that, once the copper treatment is over, it’s best to move the fish to a sterile medication free tank for observation. 30 days symptom free in no medication is generally accepted that the fish are disease free. Plenty of time while DT goes fallow. Don’t know different copper doses but I use Cupramine. Takes 2 days to reach dose. 14 days in treatment w daily cooper level monitoring and adjusting to keep stable. I’ve had success without the move to sterile tank after treatment. Someone on here said it’s best to move to sterile tank after treatment because the copper doesn’t kill certain stages of the disease. Since then, I’ve used copper once and, once treatment done, moved to sterile tank. Actually, I didn’t have an extra tank laying around so I used a bucket for 1 day while I disinfected and dried my qt. What a pain. But worth the time.
Unfortunately...It’s likely just that, usually by the time we see symptoms on the body there is already significant damage to the gills... even if already in QT from the start.
The good thing about being in QT, is that you can treat immediately when they appear, or even prophylactically (before signs of parasites show externally). But, when you have to gather materials to get a QT rolling... catch all your fish, get everyone settled, etc... it’s a definite disadvantage.... sorry for your loss
Hopefully the other two cruise through treatment uneventfully, and you will be a QT pro by the time you are ready to buy more!
Best advice now is to test your copper level frequently while you get a feel for it, and keep a close eye on your ammonia. Do you have an alert badge in there?
Thank you for the well wishes! I bought an alert badge. And have it set up. I was told to do water changes every other day to help reduce ammonia levels. The only thing I’m confused with is how the copper treatment fully works. Do you mind going into detail about that? Everywhere I look gives me different answers. I am using seachem cupramine. How often should I dose and how much. I have 20g QT. I also have a test kit for it but I don’t know what’s too low and what’s too high. I need to know that sweet spot so I can do this correctly. Thank you again for everything
Mariette
Valuable Member
That’s what I use too. I also have a 20 g QT. Read instructions. It tells you 1st dose, then, 48 hrs later (I think) , 2nd dose. 2nd dose should get you to 0.5. I measured very very carefully and somehow the 1st dose got me to 0.5. No idea how. Just goes to show the importance of testing. Once reached 0.5, keep it there for 14 days. Then, big water change, add carbon, and 1 week after reading shows 0, copper is considered gone. I’ve heard advice to the contrary but I didn’t do any water changes for the duration of treatment. Too complicated to keep copper levels stable and was afraid of killing my fish. In my experience, 3 fish in a 20 gallon are ok for 2 weeks w no water change. Others may disagree. Worked for me.
Important is:
- 1st dose copper should get you to about 0.2
- 2nd dose copper should get you to 0.5
- daily copper checks.
- If copper low, add 3 drops. Wait a while, test again.
- if cooper too high, water change! Retest. Adjust.
- copper must stay at 0.5 for 14 days. Anything less and parasites might not die.
Hope that helps
If you seeded the tank (bio-spira soaked sponge in the HOB filter) you shouldn’t need to do water changes every day. Actually, I would try to only do them as needed... to reduce the chance of copper fluctuations.
You want the level to stay above .4 and below .6. .5 is the target level. Below .4 is non-therapeutic and above .6 is toxic so it’s pretty important to hold it steady.
You can dose slowly, over several days if there are no visible symptoms. Obviously, if the fish are symptomatic you’ll want it there a bit quicker... generally within 48 hours.
You want the level to stay above .4 and below .6. .5 is the target level. Below .4 is non-therapeutic and above .6 is toxic so it’s pretty important to hold it steady.
You can dose slowly, over several days if there are no visible symptoms. Obviously, if the fish are symptomatic you’ll want it there a bit quicker... generally within 48 hours.
That’s what I use too. I also have a 20 g QT. Read instructions. It tells you 1st dose, then, 48 hrs later (I think) , 2nd dose. 2nd dose should get you to 0.5. I measured very very carefully and somehow the 1st dose got me to 0.5. No idea how. Just goes to show the importance of testing. Once reached 0.5, keep it there for 14 days. Then, big water change, add carbon, and 1 week after reading shows 0, copper is considered gone. I’ve heard advice to the contrary but I didn’t do any water changes for the duration of treatment. Too complicated to keep copper levels stable and was afraid of killing my fish. In my experience, 3 fish in a 20 gallon are ok for 2 weeks w no water change. Others may disagree. Worked for me.
Important is:
- 1st dose copper should get you to about 0.2
- 2nd dose copper should get you to 0.5
- daily copper checks.
- If copper low, add 3 drops. Wait a while, test again.
- if cooper too high, water change! Retest. Adjust.
- copper must stay at 0.5 for 14 days. Anything less and parasites might not die.
Hope that helps
The 14 day treatment is only if you are transferring to a second, sterile QT WITHOUT lowering the level in the treatment tank before the transfer.
If you are only using one QT, and planning to observe in the same tank after treatment... you’ll want the copper to remain at .5 for 30 days, rather than 14.
Observe for at least 2 weeks post-treatment either way.
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