QT tanks. Seriously, WTF??

banditpowdercoat · #1 10-26-2009, 05:03 PM

I don't have a QY+TR either. Just lost 5 fish due to an Ick outbreak in one tank, and possibly the same in the other?? 5 fish in one tank, 1 in the other, and a 2nd came down with white spots (regal Tang) but the spots have dissapeared. I dunno if a QT tank would have helped? I too agree on the added stress of catching(which can be stress on owner too) and the new tank. Is not the best for the fish. Making the present aquarium as peacefull as can be, removing bullies, lights out, etc. Problem is treating with chemicals in a DT. I am soo petrified of killing my inverts and corals too, that I don't use anything.

christyf5 · #2 10-26-2009, 05:43 PM

Well his eyes were soo poofed out I was worried he'd lose both of them if he survived. They were both severely swollen.

Anyway, I don't think I've ever lost a fish if I QT on the way in (which I don't, haven't in years anyways due to lack of space) it was just a matter of do I take him out now and try to help him, or let him be in the tank possibly getting stuck in the rocks to rot if he croaks?

Oh well, I suppose I could have treated the whole tank. From what I read it was poor water quality that likely triggered it (although I'm not really sure wth that means). I have rampant green cyano and the cure for it is the same as what was supposed to cure the fish: erythromycin.

fishytime · #3 10-26-2009, 05:57 PM

Sorry about your fish Christy

. We grossly underestimate the stress putting a net to a fish causes. I compare it to hooking the fish with a rod and reel. Conservationists and wildlife officers have long known that a small percentage of properly released game fish die from a build up of stress induced lactic acid. Fish simply cant get rid of LA like warm blooded creatures. When you go in and try and net a fish you are not only stressing your "target" fish, but every other fish in the tank as well. Then if your fish survives the QT treatment process, you stress him out again catching him and putting him back in the display.

christyf5 · #4 10-26-2009, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fishytime

Sorry about your fish Christy

. We grossly underestimate the stress putting a net to a fish causes. I compare it to hooking the fish with a rod and reel. Conservationists and wildlife officers have long known that a small percentage of properly released game fish die from a build up of stress induced lactic acid. Fish simply cant get rid of LA like warm blooded creatures. When you go in and try and net a fish you are not only stressing your "target" fish, but every other fish in the tank as well. Then if your fish survives the QT treatment process, you stress him out again catching him and putting him back in the display.

Oh I totally agree, however in this case he was just laying there. The process of netting the fish (from the outside observer) was fairly easy and uneventful. However, he perked up after transfer to the QT and looked quite stressed before eventually settling down (into eventual death I suppose). I dunno, sometimes I believe that QT tanks are just ammonia factories and I really believe that between the ammonia (I didn't test it) and the stress of the new environment likely caused his demise. Then again, he was just laying there in the display tank too. Ultimately we can only speculate.

fishoholic · #5 10-26-2009, 08:19 PM

I have mixed feelings, for most things I suspect QT is more stressful on the fish then the QT med.'s or hypo is good for them. I lost a tang that was eating and looking ok and was 2 years old but he had ich. My other fish were stressing him out so a freind agreed to take him after the ich was gone. I Qt'd him and did a hypo treatment for a few weeks, the fish was stressed out the whole time and towards the end he stopped eating. The last day of QT and we were going to take him to our friends tank I came home from work to a dead fish

On the other hand if I had started QT earlier (or QT'd new fish in the first place) when I went through the marine velevt I most likely would of been able to save most of my fish. Instead I left it too long (because I didn't like QT) and had most of my fish die.

StirCrazy · #6 10-26-2009, 11:28 PM

Quarenteedning a fish that is already in the system is a waist of time and usaly what kills them. sorry for being blunt.

the purpose is to use them befor you put the fish into the tank so you know you are not bringing anything forgen into your system, if you get a fish that is sick in your display, usaly by the time you see it it is to lait to treat as Christy found out. so now you take a fish that is compromised and chase it around, move it into a new enviorment and what happens..

Most of the time if they fish is going to recover the display will be the best place for it to do so, if it is going to die, it will and it will provide food for the worms and such as in a thriving reef, I would be surprised to ever see a fish that dies in the night again.

Personaly I don't quarenteen on the way into the display tank either as the fish are the secondary objects in my tank and I keep a very low fish load, so if something happens it usaly isn't a big deal as I don't keep anything real exotic. my 90 for example had a tang, 6 chromis, a flame angel, and... I can't remember if there was anything else in it for the last couple years..

now for people who go out and spend 3 or 400 on a fish.. hell ya quarenteen for a month

, but I just can't be bothered to keep a temp tank around for the once and a while I might buy a fish.

Steve

MitchM · #7 10-27-2009, 01:25 PM

I'll use a QT tank if I'm going to be treating with hyposalinity - that's it.

If I'm buying a new fish (which I haven't for a number of years now), I'll make sure it's been in the LFS tank for a few weeks, and that I know how the LFS tanks are maintained.

IME, popeye has always gone away on it's own and a few water changes probably helped out.

Mitch

dsaundry · #8 10-29-2009, 05:16 AM

I use my Qt tank when I aquire a new fish etc, i will watch it for about a week and then introduce it to the regular tank, any fish I have had that has shown any signs of illness is usually too far gone to be saved. But I won't usually introduce a new fish until I have seen how it goes for about a week or so.

RuGlu6 · #9 10-26-2009, 06:10 PM

QT for new fish YES!
QT for the ones that in the display tank NO! too much stress + infection+net scratching

mark · #10 10-26-2009, 06:35 PM

I've done the QT thing and lost fish as well. First time believe was a NH3 spike (can rise surprisingly fast) on a newly set up QT.

Last time I tried QT was for a new fish. I placed a Potters in my 20g fuge that had been set up for awhile. I isolated it from the display (thought if something did show up, would just toss the macro), added a heater, SS65, monitored ammonia and still the fish died after about 3 weeks.

Really believe in the idea of the QT, just not having much luck with them.