PBT in QT treat or not , what should I do?

rirun

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Food safe or food grade plastic containers will not leach harmful chemicals into the water. That may be just an issue in the US, not sure.
 
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gettergejetter

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Food safe or food grade plastic containers will not leach harmful chemicals into the water. That may be just an issue in the US, not sure.
Oh I see, didn't think about that. Could definitely be an issue. No idea if I can use what I have then. Got it from IKEA :) But I had to get a new one anyway. I checked today if it has a leak and left it on the bathroom floor. After a while I checked for my 3 year old daughter and she was filling it with soap. So I was planing to go to IKEA tomorrow and get a new "clean" one. Will see if I find something food safe. If not I think I'll buy the same again.
 
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gettergejetter

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I put a kole tang through it (as well as several angels, clowns, a purple fire fish and a diamond tail flasher wrasse) successfully. The kole was pale throughout the entire qt process and would be a bit dramatic when i did the 30 minute baths but pulled through like a champ and colored up shortly after putting her into my display.

I did try it on a friends purple tang that had advanced velvet. I think it might have been too far gone by the time I was able to start the bath and died within 48hrs.

Just make sure that the container you are using is food safe.

Hard to say since i dose Prime daily when I QT now. Since you wouldn't be medicating the water, you could also do small daily water changes to reduce waste and ammonia levels. Also try not to overfeed during the process. ;)



Sorry one more question. I looked for hydrogen peroxide and it looks like there are different concentrations available (like 3%). Do you know which one is the correct one and which test kits are used to test for it?
 
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gettergejetter

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Always if possible. They and also achilles tang.

Take it from someone who did not and 4 days later, had a tank infested with velvet and lost nearly $1000 in fish especially buying it from a source in which i know was going to be an issue
I fully understand and have a similar issue here. The PBT looked totally fine at the store but some other fish there clearly had signs of diseases. I should have asked if the tanks are connected on the same system. Probably they are.

But still, treating the PBT doesn't solve all my worries since the fish in DT have not been in QT. If I had to start a new tank, every single one goes through proper QT first.
 

bboileau92

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You could get a microbiome test from aquabiomics on the DT. It can tell you if there's indicators of ich in there.

If there is, it's likely a matter of time before your PBT falls ill. In my experience, PBTs help ich reach critical mass quickly and wipe out the tank.

On the other hand, if not, you can complete your QT and rest assured you're ich free.
 

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I fully understand and have a similar issue here. The PBT looked totally fine at the store but some other fish there clearly had signs of diseases. I should have asked if the tanks are connected on the same system. Probably they are.

But still, treating the PBT doesn't solve all my worries since the fish in DT have not been in QT. If I had to start a new tank, every single one goes through proper QT first.

 
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gettergejetter

gettergejetter

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You could get a microbiome test from aquabiomics on the DT. It can tell you if there's indicators of ich in there.

If there is, it's likely a matter of time before your PBT falls ill. In my experience, PBTs help ich reach critical mass quickly and wipe out the tank.

On the other hand, if not, you can complete your QT and rest assured you're ich free.
Thank you, didn't know about the microbiome tests.
 
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gettergejetter

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:) Looks like peroxide may be the solution for a lot of things. But no idea how to dose and test for it and which product/concentration I exactly need. Need to search for more info before I go buying my equipment today.

Edit: Never mind I didn't check all links in Humblefishs posts, there are all instructions needed regarding how much peroxide and which one to use. Thx again for your help.
 
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Hi everyone,

so here is another question in the net about powder blues in qt and possible diseases. I've probably read all of them but I would like to have you guys opinion on my personal case.

I have a Powder Blue Tang in QT since exactly 3 weeks now and it is eating very well since the first day. He eats green and red nori and frozen brine and mysis very quickly when I put it in and I think he's getting fatter each day :) . He's also very active and swims around all the time. He's about 3.5 inches long so not a very small one.

When I bought him I looked at him for about 40 minutes at the store and he looked healthy to me, except for one place on his side which seemed to be a little bit lighter than the rest and looked like it was a little swollen but it was barely visible so I figured at that time it must be fine (he still has it without noticable changes). Also the store owner told me he had him since 3 weeks which made me confident that it is one of the healthier specimens around.

Now since he's in QT I noticed him scratching on surfaces, but very rarely which made me unsure if he has some disease or if it's normal behaviour. Sometimes I don't see him scratching for hours and then he does it a few times in a row (I'm able to observe a lot because he's in my office).

Yesterday I looked at him very closely and think I saw a very very very small dot on one of his fins and the alarm went off. I couldn't see if the dot is white or an other color because it is so small.

I do have some Tremazol (praziquantel) and JBL Oodinol (Copper sulfate pentahydrate + methylthioninium chloride) on hand to start treatment but I'm very hesitant.

Tremazol seems to be a good product but I'm not sure with the Oodinol, I can't find any good information about it and I can't get any Cupramine or Copper Safe in Switzerland so this is what I have to work with.

There are a few factors making me hesitant:

- I'm not sure if he really has something
- I'm not sure if I should start with Praziquantel or Copper
- I'm afraid of using copper again because last time I treated fish almost all of them died. The story here is that I had a major outbreak (I think it was velvet but not sure) in the DT after a temperature swing during summer and I had to remove all fish (about 15 fish) in to a 25 gallon tank which stressed them even more and almost no one did it through the QT. Only two Chromis barely survived. After that I've gone fallow for the recommended time before adding the Chromis and new fish back in.
- I did the same error twice (because I was lazy) by not QT'ing all my new fish. So now I have 15 fish again in my DT and none of them has gone through QT. Also never noticed anything on them but I know it could be there.

So what in your opinion should I do? I want to keep the PBT for sure and at the same time minimise the risk of infecting the fish in DT if there is nothing. Or am I wasting my time by trying to treat the PBT because there could be something in the DT anyway? Should I further observe the PBT before doing something? Should I put him in and try to control the disease if there is any? There are so many variables and I'm holding these meds in my hands every day without overcoming myself to use them. I don't really have a problem with the praziquantel (almost put it in today) but more with the copper. Also if the small dot on his fin is ich I should probably start with copper anyway but I figured that the lighter surface on his side could maybe also be flukes?

So as you can see I'm quiet confused about how to proceed, any help would be greatly appreciated :)

The PBT will be the last fish going in so I don't want to ruin everything with him and do all I can to have a good ending with him.

p.S: sorry for my english it's not my native language :)

I use hybrid tank transfer method instead of medications and love it.

Also 15 fish in 25g is way too small and likely contributed. QT... like everything else in this hobby needs to be done correctly or I wouldn’t bother doing it at all.

Keep in mind that many fail to keep Acanthurus tangs in tanks that are not disease free. Not saying it’s impossible.
 
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gettergejetter

gettergejetter

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I use hybrid tank transfer method instead of medications and love it.

Also 15 fish in 25g is way too small and likely contributed. QT... like everything else in this hobby needs to be done correctly or I wouldn’t bother doing it at all.

Keep in mind that many fail to keep Acanthurus tangs in tanks that are not disease free. Not saying it’s impossible.
Yes I know it was way too small but I felt like having no other choice at that time because everything was dying in DT. I had to do at least something. Would have been better to just leave them in DT and see who makes it and who doesn't instead of making sure everything dies. Would never do it again like that.

Just came home from purchasing all I need and will start Hybrid TTM today.
 
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gettergejetter

gettergejetter

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@rirun Powder blue is in peroxide bath right now, not sure if I added the peroxide correctly. I measured the correct amount and poured it in and then I swirled with a metal spoon. Not sure if everything is done correctly though because on humblefishs post it states that it could transform to water and oxygen by movement.

Fish behaves totally normal so far (18 minutes in).
 

rirun

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I used a pipette to measure and dose into the water and then swirled trying my best not to agitate the surface.
 
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gettergejetter

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Here he is in his little temporary home thx again for all the thips/help/opinions. I'll keep posting here how he is doing and how the journey continues with him if someone is interested.

new_home.jpg


Is it ok to put the pvc pipes he had in the last tank in boiling water to eliminate possible parasites and put them in this one? Because I bought new pipes today but they're floating :(

Now let's clean up all the other equipment. Quiet a bit of work today with him :)
 

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Maybe TTM would be the best option for me if I had a second QT tank on hand which I don't have :-( . Do you think using a plastic container as second tank would be enough? Would I need a filter if the fish is in only for 3 days? If I can just take a plastic container with heater and little pump this could actually be the best route to go for me, since I'm unsure about the copper. Would probably need quiet a big container for the PBT?
Yes get a nice sized plastic container. Just need a heater and small powerhead.
 
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gettergejetter

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UPDATE:

Second transfer is planed for today.

The powder blue doesn't look too happy in the container he is since 3 days. I think he didn't eat as much as he did before. If I'm not mistaking he didn't touch the nori but was eating it with great appetite before. I hope he will restart eating correctly in the original QT tank. If it's the case I will maybe search for a better ( bigger ) container as second tank.

I also didn't put as much water in the container as he had before for financial reasons. I have to order new salt today.

TTM looks like a lot of stress for him because he was doing just fine before and now I'm a little worried about his current behaviour.

Couldn't spot any disease outbreak yet.
 

rirun

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Good luck.

If the PBT isn’t showing any signs of infection and you’re worried about the stress level, you can dose the peroxide daily in a single tank (I think I sent you the link) instead of transferring.

It’s up to you and your risk tolerance.
 

TerraFerma

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If you have ich in your tank - the PBT will tell the tale whether the current inhabitants show ich or not. Treating it with copper will at least improve your odds.
 

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