QT questions for clarification - feel overloaded with info.

[Reefer Dan]

I’m in the works of putting together my quarantine tank — I have never quarantine fish before. Naturally I am in information overload mode and it looks like in general everyone does things slightly different. I am planning to QT prophylacticly before introduction into DT. Please see below for questions for clarification:

For fish QT it seems you can use tap water with a dechlorinator. I’m looking at using prime for this purpose and because in posts it looks like this is safe to use with copper power and general cure (and most treatments).

-does using tap water throw off the salinity?

I only have one tank I can use for QT, does this mean I should run copper longer, do a large water change, and completely remove using cuprisorb?

Copper and general cure seem to be the basics with additional things as needed (antibacterial, etc)

Can copper power, general cure, and prime be all used together or is it better to space it out?

If running prime, it sounds like the ammonia badge and test kits are useless due to false readings?

Random question:
-I know there is aerosolized transmission of these, if I have my QT on a rack that also has live food cultures (Phyto,rotifers, copepods) is this a bad idea?

I’m sure I have more questions, but these are the ones I’ve had a hard time finding clear answers to.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Hi,

While keeping your QT next to live food cultures would possibly be a bad idea, the fact that you need to manage those rather aseptically anyway means that they should be well isolated for the QT.

I thought that Prime was compatible with the Ammonia alert badge, but NOT some other ammonia tests?

You talk about "using Prime"? As a treatment or a tonic or something? I wouldn't do that, no clinical indication that it reduces disease - stick with copper, GC and antibiotics (if needed).

Tap water does not measurably change the salinity over using RO/DI water. You can use either for a fish QT.

For dechlor, I just use plain old sodium thiosulfate solutions, or nothing at all. Many aquarium sea salts have sodium thio added in already (Instant Ocean does). Or, just wait a day and it will dissipate.

While you can run copper and GC, I think it is better to space them out. I don't use GC, I use bulk praziquantel, but my basic routine is: 30 days copper, two weeks prazi (3x) and then two weeks of nothing, just for observation.

Yes, you are going to hear as many different quarantine treatments as there are people - more so in fact, I have many different modifications that I use under different circumstances....

Jay

 

[lapin]

This should help a little

-does using tap water throw off the salinity?

You test salinity after the salt is mixed with the water.

I only have one tank I can use for QT, does this mean I should run copper longer, do a large water change, and completely remove using cuprisorb?
Copper and general cure seem to be the basics with additional things as needed (antibacterial, etc)
Can copper power, general cure, and prime be all used together or is it better to space it out?

This link should answer most of your QT questions

How To - Quarantine

How to Setup a Quarantine Tank (updated 4-6-2023) The following are the essentials: Aquarium (10-30 gallons seems to work for most people. A larger QT lets you house more fish and gives you more wiggle room when it comes to ammonia. A smaller QT is cheaper, easier to maintain and can be...

humble.fish

"You can also use an ammonia reducer such as Amquel or Prime provided no medications are present in the water. Copper, in particular, can be converted from a stable form to a more toxic form when mixed with an ammonia reducer. If you need to condition tap water, do so 48 hours prior to dosing copper."

If running prime, it sounds like the ammonia badge and test kits are useless due to false readings?

Prime binds ammonia for 48 hours then it is released.
I dont see why you would test for ammonia if using prime.

Random question:
-I know there is aerosolized transmission of these, if I have my QT on a rack that also has live food cultures (Phyto,rotifers, copepods) is this a bad idea?

Not a good idea.
"Alternatively, you can transfer the fish to a hospital tank for treatment – provided it is at least 10 feet away to account for aerosol transmission. "

 

[Reefer Dan]

Thank you both for your help and time. Just got clarification — I was looking at prime as a declorinator with the added benefit of an ammonia binder/reducer.

This was the link that sparked my question regarding using prime, copper power, and general cure together. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/psa-prime-safe-to-use-with-copper-power.653521/

Another question out of curiosity: I haven’t found any dips with great reviews (like coral dips put a pre-qt dip). I’ve seen some use formalin, some use freshwater, and others use methylene blue. Is there a pretty agreed upon fish dip prior to starting the QT process?

 

[Spieg]

Dips are pretty specific. As stated above, everyone will have their own take on best practices. I use Safety Stop as a general purpose dip for new fish. Any additional dip would only be used to treat a problem observed in QT. I also don't use medication unless I find sighs of illness (medicating healthy animals tends to cause problems that might otherwise be avoided). Just my .02...