Sick fish....QT tanks and the headaches... how do you cope?

[Hustler]

Almost anyone i talk to around here dosnt QT anything.... as most of the stores we frequent have copper tanks ect anyways and will hold fish a while for you as well.
Seeing as everything was healthy and eating prior to adding them i figured i would have the same luck...
And luck is what i chaulk this up to with salt water....LOL
Im not about to tear down my display... Ill deal with the QT and do a dip from now on i guess... but if its stress that causes it then a dip is just increasing the chances...

[lpsreefer]

Maybe u have some parasite or bacteria in ur tanks water, maybe try a uv sterilizer. Just an idea. I know it helped out in my tank.

[Myka]

I think a quarantine tank is a MUST for all large tanks simply because of the number of lives invested (and often the number of dollars) in the tank. One new fish can wipe out the whole tank. Marine Velvet is probably the scariest SW disease.

Copper is the devil imo. I won't buy it. Copper doesn't treat anything that a different (safer and better) medication could treat. For Velvet and Brookynella I use Formalin (dips) which is easier to use and is safer for the fish.

Personally, I dip all incoming fish in FW (RO/DI) with some methylene blue after they are done drop acclimating (to the quarantine tank). You NEED a digital pH meter for this as you have to match the pH of the freshwater with the pH of the quarantine tank. It takes a tiny, tiny, tiny amount of baking soda to raise the pH of RO water. Here's a great reference: http://www.reefland.com/forum/marine...ne-fishes.html. This same author also has a great reference for Formalin dips, although I don't think that all incoming Clowns should be dipped as most are captive bred these days and tougher...if they are wild caught, then yes they should be dipped. http://www.reefland.com/forum/marine...ne-fishes.html

Here's something I typed out for someone else (I'm feeling lazy):

Originally Posted by Myka

A quarantine tank shouldn't have live rock in it. Just a heater, small powerhead pointed at the surface for good gas exchange, and some pieces of PVC for them to hide in. You can use black or white PVC, just the fittings or some pieces of pipe. Use at least 50% water from an established tank to fill the QT, and add a seasoned filter pad from the established tank as well. I like to use a SeaChem Ammonia Alert which works very well and lasts a year. I use AmQuel to detoxify ammonia when needed. Most ammonia test kits are not compatible with ammonia detoxifiers, but the Ammonia Alert is. You don't need a light on it, but you should have a lid of some sort because new and sick fish startle easily and are prone to jumping out.

For hyposalinity you HAVE TO use a refractometer to measure salinity as you need to be very accurate. Here is an ok link the hypo...wish I could find a better one: http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums...o-Hyposalinity

[The Grizz]

Well I hate to say it but I would be leaning more towards Velvet then anything else as its a fast killer, it wiped out my very first 65 gal in a matter of days after it had been up for almost 6 months, I only had one survivor a yellow tang. I really don't know where it came from or how to treat for it, if you even can because it kills so fast.

I don't have a QT set-up full time but can put one together in a matter of minutes. I usually only buy fish from a few LFS & from well established tanks.

A UV will do nothing for Velvet, has one on my 65 to no avale. All my fish would eat until the last day or 2, all of them had a very slimy coat & where very pale. My Volitan Lion was the hardest one to watch go because of the way Velvet eat away at it huge fins, desolved them right to the cartilage. It was so very hard to watch.

Good luck mate, hope I am very wrong for the rest of your fishes sake.

[daniella3d]

Luck has the strange habbit of turning around...

Originally Posted by Hustler

Seeing as everything was healthy and eating prior to adding them i figured i would have the same luck...

[jostafew]

Sorry for the loss in your tank, hard lesson learned it sounds like. It still baffles me to hear about ppl who don't QT livestock before adding to the DT... I've only been in the hobby for two years and i've already heard more than enough stories to justify the time & expense, nevermind the couple occasions where my QT has already saved my ass! It's not that expensive, not that hard, i can't think of a good reason to not QT... And IMHO just because ppl get away with it does not make a legitimate reason. Russian roullette, just not worth the risk.... Btw if it wasn't answered above, no it's not recommended to have sand and live rock in the QT, unless you don't mind throwing it out on a regular basis (can't clean it properly if needed).

[daniella3d]

That's only true if you use copper (cupramine or other copper) but if you use formaline or Paraguard it's not toxic and liverock is good because there is no ammonia problem. Without liverock ammonia must be monitored twice per dans and water in large quantity must be ready at any time the ammonia start to rise. Ammonia at high PH is very toxic and only a small trace can kill fish. I suspect that those who fail and kill their fish in quarantine are not paying attention to ammonia.

Originally Posted by jostafew

and live rock in the QT, unless you don't mind throwing it out on a regular basis (can't clean it properly if needed).

[Myka]

Hustler, everyone looks good and eats well before they get H1N1 too.

Originally Posted by daniella3d

That's only true if you use copper (cupramine or other copper) but if you use formaline or Paraguard it's not toxic and liverock is good because there is no ammonia problem. Without liverock ammonia must be monitored twice per dans and water in large quantity must be ready at any time the ammonia start to rise.

Ammonia is easily and inexpensively controlled using AmQuel ($12 for a 1-5+ year supply depending how often you use it) or other ammonia detoxifiers. Ammonia is easily and accurately monitored using a SeaChem Ammonia Alert ($10 for a year). No need for large, expensive water changes.

Live rock can't be in a tank with copper because it will absorb the copper and make the treatment ineffective (not to mention ruin the rock). Not that I believe any fish should ever be treated with copper though.

[daniella3d]

Ok but be very carefull with any ammonia neutralizer because some will bind with Cupramine and release the copper into a toxic form. It is documented on the Seachem site.

Things like Prime only neutralize the ammonia for 24 hours so it must be taken out of the system by water change if there is no biological filtration or redosed on regular basis. It also affect the level of oxygen in the tank if the temperature is high.

Originally Posted by Myka

Ammonia is easily and inexpensively controlled using AmQuel ($12 for a 1-5+ year supply depending how often you use it) or other ammonia detoxifiers. Ammonia is easily and accurately monitored using a SeaChem Ammonia Alert ($10 for a year). No need for large, expensive water changes.

Live rock can't be in a tank with copper because it will absorb the copper and make the treatment ineffective (not to mention ruin the rock). Not that I believe any fish should ever be treated with copper though.

[Myka]

Originally Posted by daniella3d

Ok but be very carefull with any ammonia neutralizer because some will bind with Cupramine and release the copper into a toxic form. It is documented on the Seachem site.

Yes good point, this is just another reason to not use copper.

Originally Posted by daniella3d

Things like Prime only neutralize the ammonia for 24 hours so it must be taken out of the system by water change if there is no biological filtration or redosed on regular basis.

This is simply not correct, it needs to be redosed because there is more ammonia added to the tank via the fish pooping. I use these types of products everyday in high volume. I prefer to use AmQuel though because it is cheaper and strangely enough it is twice the concentration of Prime.