Warning to all those who don't QT

[1bigstud]

Any adbice on the most effective way to setup a QT?
I'm challeneged for space.

[broutilde]

Originally Posted by GreenSpottedPuffer

Agreed. I got out of the hobby some years back because I made a mistake and did not QT a new fish which introduced velvet to my display killing almost every fish including some that I had for years. I remember not even having the energy to come on here and mention it or ask for help, I was just done with it all.

I really regret adding more fish to my QT before the puffer had gone to the display tank. I also keep thinking about how every other fish from the system that I got this tang from has been exposed to velvet and could infect other people's tanks.

I'm sure I sound all preachy now but it's frustrating to buy sick fish and not have access to the right medications anymore. I don't blame the store...it just sucks.

What medication do you need? Maybe we have what you need and can help

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by smokinreefer

UV sterlilizer is good for Ick and Velvet?

Do you have any literature on this?
Everything i've read says otherwise... but i'd like it to be true.

I'm not sure but I have always thought they helped. There are some great videos on UV sterilizers on BRS TV (youtube). I trust most of what they say on there.

The big thing is to get the flow rate correct for whatever it is that you want to accomplish. For example, if you want to avoid algae, the flow rate needs to be higher than if you want to kill parasites which need more contact time. I have always used them for algae control with high flow rates and never had algae problems, even when using tap water in a FOWLR. They also make the water really clear which I like.

If you want to try and control both algae and parasites at the same time, you can try and go with a oversized UV sterilizer and have a high flow rate. The high flow rate should allow it to keep up with algae but also have enough contact time to kill parasites. I have never tried this but I am probably going to on my new tank.

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by broutilde

What medication do you need? Maybe we have what you need and can help

Thanks for much for the offer. I was looking for cupramine and I did get some. I am good for now.

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by 1bigstud

Any adbice on the most effective way to setup a QT?
I'm challeneged for space.

I have always set up QT's when needed, meaning I don't keep it running all the time.


What I do is... keep ceramic biomedia in my main tanks sump, if you don't have a sump you can keep it in your main display somewhere. When I am going to buy fish, I pull out my QT tank and put the biomedia in a HOB filter. Add a heater and some PVC pieces for the fish to hide in. I let that sit for a few days and then add fish. I also like to have an ammonia badge (cheap on amazon) so I always know right away if there is an ammonia issue. You can keep something like 'Prime' on hand in case of an ammonia issue. It will temporarily detoxify ammonia. Keep in mind if you use a product to detox ammonia, your test kits or monitor will still read ammonia in the water, it is just not toxic to fish for a period of time.

Since my QT's are usually around 20G, I try and buy small fish. In the past when I was buying some large fish, I used larger rubbermaids that I re-purposed as storage after.

If the fish show signs of disease, you can then decide how to treat them and turn the QT into a hospital tank.

Once QT is done, I just sanitize everything and put it in storage. You should throw away the ceramic balls after QT and put new ones in your sump for next time.

[TimT]

Yes, UV's are very effective against Velvet due to the trophonts small size.

There is a lot of literature out there about how to configure a UV's flow rate. If you have too low of a flow rate for the tank volume or too high of a flow rate through the UV or an old bulb they will not be effective.

This book will explain it.

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/sh...ms_Engineering

Cheers,
Tim

[smokinreefer]

found this article that seems to outline things.
http://www.americanaquariumproducts....ilization.html

[hojoos]

yes QTìng is crucial if you love your fish . Luckily I have all but 2 fish I want and those fish are rarely available so I have no temptations to add new fish . But plan in advance , never impulse buy(REALLY NEVER) and leave the fish in QT for 3-4 months if possible . I have has some fish going on 15 years now so would be devastating to kill them by adding a new fish . But good luck saving your Puff