Hippo Tang QT Question

[bneal]

I just had the opportunity to buy a Hippo Tang at cost so of course I jumped on it. My LFS has agreed to hold on to it for 2-3 weeks to make sure it is healthy before I pick it up. I spent some time looking through the forum to see what the consensus was to QT a Tang and I think I have a pretty good idea of what most recommend.

So my question is if it is monitored at the store for say 3 weeks with no signs of any disease is a QT with Copper and prazipro really necessary. I know they are prone to Ich and Velvet but if it isn’t showing any signs and the other fish in the system are good I would assume it’s ok. Let me know your thoughts.

 

[xzt]

Many fish can carry pathogens in an asymptomatic state when they are healthy, and the disease is triggered when the host's immunity declines. Therefore, just because an animal appears healthy does not mean it is free of parasites. Everyone's choice is different; I may be more inclined to take preventive deworming measures to reduce the risk of introducing parasites.

 

[FishDaddy1289]

So you are always going to get a mixed bag with this question. There are purists that will tell you to QT EVERY fish EVERY time without exception. There are those that NEVER QT and have been "Fine" AKA lucky. I find that neither is the correct answer. Its all about getting fish from a good dependable source. If you get it from a reliable source and they monitor it for weeks at a time like you say they will for this specific fish, you should be good. Check your levels first and make the transfer as stress free as possible. Tangs can be Divas. Adding the fish to a bare QT tank could stress the fish out unnecessarily if there is nothing wrong with it.

 

[allof fish]

I agree. Fish can be fine one day then next it has a disease that was showing before. Think of it this way. Quarantining sucks but wouldn’t you rather get it over with make sure it doesn’t have anything than risk your entire tank and live stock down the road? Myself I would not

 

[bneal]

You are both probably correct. Trying to find a solid month without work travel is a challenge but I will have to figure it out.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I just had the opportunity to buy a Hippo Tang at cost so of course I jumped on it. My LFS has agreed to hold on to it for 2-3 weeks to make sure it is healthy before I pick it up. I spent some time looking through the forum to see what the consensus was to QT a Tang and I think I have a pretty good idea of what most recommend.

So my question is if it is monitored at the store for say 3 weeks with no signs of any disease is a QT with Copper and prazipro really necessary. I know they are prone to Ich and Velvet but if it isn’t showing any signs and the other fish in the system are good I would assume it’s ok. Let me know your thoughts.

They are also prone to skin irritations which develop into mucus cones often mixed in with ich. I recommend at minimum, 30 days of coppesafe or copper power at 2.25ppm monitored with a Hanna Brand copper test kit

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I just had the opportunity to buy a Hippo Tang at cost so of course I jumped on it. My LFS has agreed to hold on to it for 2-3 weeks to make sure it is healthy before I pick it up. I spent some time looking through the forum to see what the consensus was to QT a Tang and I think I have a pretty good idea of what most recommend.

So my question is if it is monitored at the store for say 3 weeks with no signs of any disease is a QT with Copper and prazipro really necessary. I know they are prone to Ich and Velvet but if it isn’t showing any signs and the other fish in the system are good I would assume it’s ok. Let me know your thoughts.

Most store systems are a huge melting pot of disease. Fish passing through them need to be preventatively treated for disease. Observational quarantine is better than nothing, but it needs to be 45 days minimum, and not be in a dealer’s tank where new fish are coming and going.

 

[exnisstech]

I keep a running observation tank and all new fish go in what used to be a 30 day min which is now 45 after reading Jay's comment above. Mine are usually in for longer tho. My hippo was in for almost a year because I needed to grow it out some. I have a CBB in now that has been in for over 2 months. In addition to monitoring for disease I use it to condition the fish to eating what I feed and I also teach them I am the food giver so they swim to the glass when they see me instead of hiding. If they are hiding all the time and not aggressively eating from the water column they stay in until they are.
The is my recently upgraded observation tank. Not an option for everyone I suppose.

 

[MnFish1]

Sometimes fish that look healthy for 2-3 weeks in a fish store, develop problems upon the stress of transfer. Quarantine with copper and prazipro in a hospital tank would be the way I would do it. Does your LFS run low dose copper or hyposalinity (which can suppress ich and other disease? - if so, when the fish is put into a regular tank it may develop disease. The only way I would put a fish directly into a display tanks if they have been quarantined at the store, then put into a tank containing invertebrates (so it's clear there is no copper etc). I believe that QT (observation) is a problem - but this is somewhat mitigated as @exnisstech mentioned above

 

[exnisstech]

Sometimes fish that look healthy for 2-3 weeks in a fish store, develop problems upon the stress of transfer. Quarantine with copper and prazipro in a hospital tank would be the way I would do it. Does your LFS run low dose copper or hyposalinity (which can suppress ich and other disease? - if so, when the fish is put into a regular tank it may develop disease. The only way I would put a fish directly into a display tanks if they have been quarantined at the store, then put into a tank containing invertebrates (so it's clear there is no copper etc). I believe that QT (observation) is a problem - but this is somewhat mitigated as @exnisstech mentioned above

Sorry I didn't mention everything I do because i don't really recommend observation only but it does work for me so I mention it as an option but not a recommendation.
Trying my best to source healthy fish is the first and most important step in my process. I only buy fish i can observe in person and will not buy fish kept in low salinty and or low level copper because it can suppresses disease that can become active when the fish is placed in normal salinty with no copper as you mentioned. Buying fish kept with coral and inverts will rule out copper or low salinty and I don't have to trust the store to be truthful. I do not buy fish from online vendors whether they advertise QTed fish or not. I'm fortunate and have a LFS that does not run low salinty even in the fish only tanks that he has said he runs copper in are still 1.026 salinty when I've tested the water.
I used to QT with copper but somewhere along the way i must have started doing something wrong and I started loosing fish in QT. I decided to stop medicating new fish mostly because I didn't want to keep killing them while I tried to figure out what I was doing wrong. I have not lost a fish in observation or soon after. That said I don't add a lot of fish these days since I've been in the hobby a while now.

 

[Kooma]

I just had the opportunity to buy a Hippo Tang at cost so of course I jumped on it. My LFS has agreed to hold on to it for 2-3 weeks to make sure it is healthy before I pick it up. I spent some time looking through the forum to see what the consensus was to QT a Tang and I think I have a pretty good idea of what most recommend.

So my question is if it is monitored at the store for say 3 weeks with no signs of any disease is a QT with Copper and prazipro really necessary. I know they are prone to Ich and Velvet but if it isn’t showing any signs and the other fish in the system are good I would assume it’s ok. Let me know your thoughts.

Yes, you need to QT for 30 days in copper at 2.3 and run prazi. The fish store has constant contamination, trust nobody.

 

[MnFish1]

Sorry I didn't mention everything I do because i don't really recommend observation only but it does work for me so I mention it as an option but not a recommendation.

Yes - got it.

Trying my best to source healthy fish is the first and most important step in my process. I only buy fish i can observe in person and will not buy fish kept in low salinty and or low level copper because it can suppresses disease that can become active when the fish is placed in normal salinty with no copper as you mentioned. Buying fish kept with coral and inverts will rule out copper or low salinty and I don't have to trust the store to be truthful.

Exactly - I think this is an important step. It's often the reason people have 'bought and dropped fish' followed by one internet purchase which wipes out the tank.

I do not buy fish from online vendors whether they advertise QTed fish or not. I'm fortunate and have a LFS that does not run low salinty even in the fish only tanks that he has said he runs copper in are still 1.026 salinty when I've tested the water.

I think some are ok - but my general feeling is total agreement with you - and I wouldn't buy an online fish. The store I use does quarantine - and I then observe for a month after before buying. You're exactly correct.

I used to QT with copper but somewhere along the way i must have started doing something wrong and I started loosing fish in QT. I decided to stop medicating new fish mostly because I didn't want to keep killing them while I tried to figure out what I was doing wrong. I have not lost a fish in observation or soon after. That said I don't add a lot of fish these days since I've been in the hobby a while now.

Copper, etc has potential toxicity as you suggest.