Mmathis
TurtleMommy
- Joined
- Apr 28, 2011
- Messages
- 13,893
- Reaction score
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- Location
- NW Louisiana -- zone 8b
- Hardiness Zone
- 8b
- Country
Didn't think I'd be at the "quarantine tank" stage yet, but was at WALLY-WORLD yesterday and they actually had some really pretty Shubies -- I couldn't resist [got 2]! Up 'till now, any new fish have gone directly into the pond [well, after the initial "bag-float"], but, hmmm, not too sure about WW fishies. Plus, I plan to get some Wakin in the future, so figured now was a good time to start getting used to the QT routine.
For now, only have a small aquarium that I set up, but will eventually go with a stock tank. Read through older posts regarding quarantining and came up with a few questions [observations??] or areas for clarification. MOSTLY, I'M LOOKING AT THE ISSUES RELATED TO NEWLY-PURCHASED FISH, although everything applies....
1. TIME IN QT?: have read everything from 3 weeks, 6 weeks, even up to a year [sorry, too extreme for me ]. From my understanding, the purpose of quarantine is to keep new fish isolated for a period of time in order to observe them for signs of disease or illness. I also understand that STRESS is a leading factor in fishy illnesses, which can result in opportunistic illness [since the "bugs" are already present just about every where].
Bacteriology, mycology, and parasitology are not my areas of expertise -- but based on the usual "things" that we're supposed to be looking for in the quarantined fish, 1) WHAT ARE we supposed to be looking for? 2) and what is the normal incubation period for these "things"? IOW, how long does it take for "something" to grow out and become obvious?
2. TREATMENT/RESPONSE? So a fish shows signs of illness [could be one of the new QT fish, or even if you found a sick one from your pond that you placed in the QT]. First step is to ID the illness, obviously. Is there a good resource for that, or are fish problems fairly standard? How long do you treat and continue to keep the fish in isolation? Do you do anything different with the water, filtration, etc.?
3. MULTIPLE FISH -- If you have several fish you're observing, but they exhibit different problems, do they need to be isolated separately? What if you have some new purchases already in the QT, then buy a few more fish -- put them in the same QT, or isolate separately [assuming all these guys appear healthy -- no obvious issues]?
4. SIZE OF QT? -- Is there a minimum size for the QT?
5. And what do you do with the QT when you're not using it for new or sick fish? I read that you want to have an already seasoned tank available, which sounds like you keep it up & running 24/7, but is that practical, esp. if [hopefully] you'll only use it a few times a year? Are there alternatives? When I planned the pond, I didn't take into account that I'd need satellite ponds [BTW, we don't have basements in LA, so that's never an option, darn!], so just wondering if there is a way to do a quick & temporary, "as needed" QT set-up?
For now, only have a small aquarium that I set up, but will eventually go with a stock tank. Read through older posts regarding quarantining and came up with a few questions [observations??] or areas for clarification. MOSTLY, I'M LOOKING AT THE ISSUES RELATED TO NEWLY-PURCHASED FISH, although everything applies....
1. TIME IN QT?: have read everything from 3 weeks, 6 weeks, even up to a year [sorry, too extreme for me ]. From my understanding, the purpose of quarantine is to keep new fish isolated for a period of time in order to observe them for signs of disease or illness. I also understand that STRESS is a leading factor in fishy illnesses, which can result in opportunistic illness [since the "bugs" are already present just about every where].
Bacteriology, mycology, and parasitology are not my areas of expertise -- but based on the usual "things" that we're supposed to be looking for in the quarantined fish, 1) WHAT ARE we supposed to be looking for? 2) and what is the normal incubation period for these "things"? IOW, how long does it take for "something" to grow out and become obvious?
2. TREATMENT/RESPONSE? So a fish shows signs of illness [could be one of the new QT fish, or even if you found a sick one from your pond that you placed in the QT]. First step is to ID the illness, obviously. Is there a good resource for that, or are fish problems fairly standard? How long do you treat and continue to keep the fish in isolation? Do you do anything different with the water, filtration, etc.?
3. MULTIPLE FISH -- If you have several fish you're observing, but they exhibit different problems, do they need to be isolated separately? What if you have some new purchases already in the QT, then buy a few more fish -- put them in the same QT, or isolate separately [assuming all these guys appear healthy -- no obvious issues]?
4. SIZE OF QT? -- Is there a minimum size for the QT?
5. And what do you do with the QT when you're not using it for new or sick fish? I read that you want to have an already seasoned tank available, which sounds like you keep it up & running 24/7, but is that practical, esp. if [hopefully] you'll only use it a few times a year? Are there alternatives? When I planned the pond, I didn't take into account that I'd need satellite ponds [BTW, we don't have basements in LA, so that's never an option, darn!], so just wondering if there is a way to do a quick & temporary, "as needed" QT set-up?