. Just was curious. That was a great article @Humblefish.I was wondering about a diatom filter running in a small tank (like a 20 gallon) - Continuously. I mean - financially it isn't really 'practical'. for everyone. And I imagine it would create quite a current lol
Pre QTed fish coming soon...
Another lovely write up. Thank you.Whenever you buy new livestock, you can place it in a QT (Quarantine Tank) or put it directly into your DT (Display Tank). The choice, of course, is yours, and it's important to understand that there are pros & cons no matter what you decide. We live in a day and age when everyone is looking for a "perfect answer" - although no such thing actually exists.
First, there is much debate on exactly how to QT in the first place:
So, which approach is better? I've always felt whether or not to prophylactically treat has more to do with YOU than the FISH. Are you an overly observant person? Will you notice little things like elevated breathing, head twitching, yawning, etc. which necessitates further investigation/treatment? Do you have 15-20 minutes every single day to sit in front of your QT (eat dinner with your fish?) to watch for scratching, flashing, swimming into the flow of a powerhead, etc.? If so, passive observation might just work for you!
- Some choose to prophylactically treat for parasites, worms, infections, etc. by using medications/chemicals before symptoms of disease even present themselves. The argument here is by the time symptoms do show it is sometimes too late to treat/save the fish. The downside to this approach is all meds/chemicals have side effects and thus, can be harmful to fish (no way of sugarcoating it).
- Some choose to passively observe (sometimes in a mini-DT like natural setting), and only treat if symptoms are observed. This is easier on the fish, but one must react quickly if white spots (for example) suddenly appear. If using rock/sand in this observation tank, it is advisable to have a second QT on standby which can be setup on short notice. This "treatment tank" should be bare bottom (with no rock) to avoid absorption issues with medications. You can use PVC elbows (found at Home Depot or Lowe's) as hiding places for the fish.
Unfortunately, quarantining just your fish is not enough.
And also here: https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/coral-invert-quarantine-time-frames.382/
Is quarantining foolproof? Of course not! Can it fail? Yup! What are the reasons why? Well, first and foremost is human error:
P.S. The DOs and DON’Ts of Quarantine can be found here: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-dos-and-don’ts-of-quarantine.203898/
- Not checking your copper level on a regular basis to ensure it is remaining therapeutic. More info on that here: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/copper-test-kits.257924/
- Dosing non-copper medications into a long-term QT and/or one with rock & sand. Look here: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/qt-and-biofilm.292878/
- Failing to take steps to avoid cross contamination and not respecting aerosol transmission: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/aerosol-transmission.190292/
- Copper and other meds are immunosuppressants; so it's very important to feed nutritious, vitamin enriched foods during the QT period (and beyond!): https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/vitamins-herbal-remedies.304287/
- Knowing copper is a poison, it's a good idea to slowly ramp it up to therapeutic over a 5-7 day period. This allows your fish in QT to slowly adapt to it, and there should be warning signs of copper intolerance (e.g. fish stops eating) before the fish just dies from it.
- Allowing ammonia to build-up and kill your fish in QT. Remember, using any ammonia reducer (e.g. Prime, Amquel) with any medication (especially copper) is a BIG NO-NO. Also, since most medications in the water will cause false positives with liquid ammonia test kits, it's wise to always use a Seachem ammonia alert badge in QT: https://www.seachem.com/ammonia-alert.php
- Mixing/combining medications in QT is never a good idea unless faced with an emergency situation (i.e. treating multiple diseases). In addition to depleting available oxygen out of the water, the fish's liver & kidneys has to process/filter every med you dose into the water.
There are also a number of factors beyond your control which can cause QT to fail:
What about those who opt not to quarantine? Well, their success rate is mixed for a number of reasons. Statistically speaking, it's only a matter of time before they introduce a disease into their DT whether they are aware of it or not. Whether or not you are able to successfully manage the presence of a disease in your DT comes down to your ability to keep the overall number of pathogens low, while simultaneously boosting the fishes’ immune systems to deal with the ones that survive:
- When you go to the doctor, the treatment or medication he/she prescribes doesn't always work. Same thing can happen with fish!
- I'm encountering many more occurrences of Brooklynella & Uronema than I expected, and on fish previously not known to be susceptible to these parasites. Therefore, those who choose to prophylactically treat may want to use metronidazole as a precaution. Chloroquine phosphate and formalin are two other options for dealing with brook/uronema.
- It is theoretically possible (but never confirmed) for parasites (and other pathogens) to develop a resistance to medications (or copper), if they have been previously exposed to such at a subtherapeutic level. We've all heard stories about how LFS and wholesalers like to use subtherapeutic copper to "control" parasites. Are they unwittingly creating fish superbugs? :mad:
- Just like with humans, things can go wrong inside a fish as well. With internal parasites/intestinal worms you may notice white stringy poo, but symptoms of internal infections are almost never visible. There are no viable treatments for viruses (e.g. Lymphocystis) in SW fish - the best you can do is manage symptoms and hope the fish's natural immune system will send the virus into remission. Spinal injuries/swim bladder disorders can also sometimes prove to be fatal in QT. However, it's important to note that all of these are possible threats you face whether the fish is in QT or not.
- ^^ Knowing all of the above, don't be in a rush to get your fish out of QT! There should always be an "observation period" of at least 2 weeks after you use meds on a fish, to ensure nothing was missed (or returns.) This observation period should take place in nonmedicated water so there is no chance of a disease just being suppressed.
Conclusions: I've been at this since I was a child... I was born into this hobby if you will... and I've tried both quarantining and not quarantining. The latter always left me disappointed and feeling defeated in the end. Quarantining can be tough, even heart-wrenching sometimes, but it has brought me the greatest success and feeling of accomplishment in my almost 40 years of keeping fish. Once a fish has graduated to my DT, I know he will likely be with me for many years to come so I name him/her and get to know the personality. If I rehome a fish, I usually keep up with how that fish is doing and sometimes even receive pictures/video from the new owner. You see, quarantining isn't just about the well-being of new fish. It's also about protecting your babies in the DT from disease and unwanted pathogens.
- It's no secret that the larger your aquarium is the more successful you are likely to be at disease management; since parasites, worms & harmful bacteria are naturally diluted by greater water volume. The same holds true for tanks lightly stocked with fish (reduces the pathogen's food source) and/or fish with thick slime/mucous coats (e.g. wrasses, clownfish, dragonets) which serves to protect them. Conversely, Acanthurus Tangs and other thin slime coat species are most at risk from parasites, worms, etc.
- A UV sterilizer and/or diatom filter is useful for siphoning parasite free swimmers out of the water, albeit probably not all of them. The use of dissolved ozone can help fight disease, and an Oxydator has been likened to, "putting an oxygen mask on the fish" to aid with breathing when parasites invade the gills.
- Feeding live foods, utilizing proper nutrition and using vitamins can greatly help to boost a fish's natural immune system. In addition, herbal remedies can sometimes be useful to boost the immune system and/or thicken a fish's slime coat to withstand damage inflicted by parasites, worms and bacteria.
- Maintaining pristine water conditions, stable parameters, and limiting fish conflicts (which sometimes leads to injury/open wounds) helps to keep "stress" in an aquarium at a minimal. Poor water quality, fluctuating parameters and constant fighting lowers a fish's immune system, which makes him more susceptible to parasitic infestation.
- Sounds good! So what's the problem with just doing that?? Well, a) It doesn't always work b) It's a forever thing. If you start using a UV sterilizer to manage parasites in your aquarium, change the lamp religiously every 6 months and have a backup on standby just in case. Because if it suddenly goes down, your entire fish population could be next.
Oh geez. If it comes to this, I may have to stop performing QT. Whether that means not keeping fish at all, or just keeping super hardy fish, or going back to freshwater...I don't know. I love fish, but potentially risking my own health is where I draw the line.
Maybe the person just has some ticks, or maybe a tick bite transmitted a virus or caused a nasty infection. Similarly, maybe a fish in QT just needs some copper (to eliminate parasites) or Prazipro (to eliminate worms); or maybe all hell is about to break loose with a fast spreading gram-negative bacterial infection. IME; every QT experience is different. Some days I can do no wrong, and some days I just can't stop a fish from dying. 
@Trickman2 Unfortunately, treating live animals is never quick or easy. Too many variables to consider. Life is too diverse, and that includes unwanted pathogens. It would be like taking a person who has been living in the woods to the doctor, and saying, "I want this person cleaned up in a cost-effective, timely manner."
That all being said, I do worry sometimes that people are becoming a little OCD when it comes to QT. You most certainly want to pay close attention to detail and make adjustments as needed. However, sometimes you've done all you can do as a "fish doctor", and the fish is either gonna make it or he won't. And you just have to live with that, knowing you did the best you possibly could under the circumstances. Some of these fish I have been receiving are so disease-ridden & malnourished that they basically had no chance from the get-go. And that applies whether you choose to QT or not. The only difference is QT prevents that fish's problem(s) from being shared with all your other fish.
@Trickman2 Unfortunately, treating live animals is never quick or easy. Too many variables to consider. Life is too diverse, and that includes unwanted pathogens. It would be like taking a person who has been living in the woods to the doctor, and saying, "I want this person cleaned up in a cost-effective, timely manner."
That all being said, I do worry sometimes that people are becoming a little OCD when it comes to QT. You most certainly want to pay close attention to detail and make adjustments as needed. However, sometimes you've done all you can do as a "fish doctor", and the fish is either gonna make it or he won't. And you just have to live with that, knowing you did the best you possibly could under the circumstances. Some of these fish I have been receiving are so disease-ridden & malnourished that they basically had no chance from the get-go. And that applies whether you choose to QT or not. The only difference is QT prevents that fish's problem(s) from being shared with all your other fish.
