SOME QUARANTINE-RELATED QUESTIONS

Mmathis

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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?
 
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1) WHAT ARE we supposed to be looking for?
Just obvious problems. Like in the case of pet store goldfish you're really just waiting to see if one or more dies. You'll probably have no idea why they died, just better that they never were in your main pond just in case whatever they had could be contagious.

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?
It of course varies. QT aren't a guarantee of finding everything. They're more of a simple way to catch basic problems. If you wanted to be more aggressive you could look for things like flukes which a fish may have and not show any signs. If you want to be even more aggressive you can treat for things like flukes whether or not you think or know there are flukes or whatever. Much easier to do these preventative treatments in QT and also to easier to see and fix things if a treatment goes wrong. Easier to help already stressed fish thru stressful treatments.

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.?
I like Koi Beginner and KoiVet to start. I sure don't know this stuff cold, so even if I think I remember how I'd still start over and research. Besides, a treatment improvement may have been found since the last time I checked. With what is learned there you can refine your search to more and more specific info. Treatment defines length of stay, and pretty much everything else.

Different treatments would also define how water is handled. Some treatments will kill bacteria so you'd want to disconnect the bio. Some treatments reduce water O2 or make it harder for fish to take in O2 so the instructions will say to increase O2, but you don't want so much flow the fish has a hard time swimming. So it's kind of a big picture type process. You definitely don't want to focus too much on any single aspect of a treatment. You're always going to be trying to reduce risk since none of this is "safe".

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]?
Generally if fish came in together they should be treated together. But it depends on the problem. Ulcers for example would be on a fish by fish basis. Many fish can heal these on their own once placed in good quality water, others might be in more trouble. Experience is the only way to tell the difference. And imo that's the most valuable aspect of QT, gaining experience. And why what you're doing is so smart, starting to use and test your QT now rather than waiting for a problem. Keeping even healthy fish alive in a QT is no day at the beach. So experience is the most important result of using a QT imo.

4. SIZE OF QT? -- Is there a minimum size for the QT?
Same deal as for a pond. Smaller the tank the bigger the filtering. The main difference I'd say is in being able to catch fish with the least amount of stress. But that can relate just as much to good nets and pond shape than pond size. I've seen QTs that were larger than some people's ponds.

Rounded corners and no liner folds are a big help. When chased too much some fish can dive into corners. But then catching fish shouldn't be about chasing them down. With a proper net the process should be slow and easy. These aren't exactly wild fish, they've been netted many times before and know they lived through the experience.

Smooth wall surfaces are also good. None of this is a requirement, just trying to reduce risk.

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?
Filling the tank, dechlorinating water, adjust pH and KH, etc., can all be done very fast, like under an hour. For new fish you can fill the QT with water from the pond.

Bio filtration is the main issue and it is tricky. You can handle this just with ammonia lock and water changes.

Some people keep cull fish in the QT 24/7 to keep the bio going. That may feel a bit too harsh for some people.

You can have 2 or more bio filters connected to the main pond and switch one over to the QT when needed. I think this works better in high fish load ponds. Many water gardens for example don't need any bio filter at all and in these cases the bio filters may not contain much of a bacteria colony at all. When connected to a QT it becomes a high fish load environment and that bio filter may not be able to do any better than a new filter.

If you know you're going to need the QT for say new fish or for preventive treatments the QT can be started up and ammonia from the drug store added, in rather large amounts to start the bio filter. The bacteria also needs good O2 and carbon so keeping KH up is important along with good water movement. Water temp also affects bacteria growth so you need to understand that too. The pH range is important but if you keep good KH you get good pH for free.

You are quickly becoming a very knowledgeable fish keeper. Keeping a QT will greatly increase your learning and experience. It just goes to show that a person can come up to speed quickly. Having a pond for years and years isn't what makes someone a good keeper if they never have any interest in learning or think they know it all.
 

Mmathis

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Thanks, WB! Very helpful information, and exactly what I was looking for.

Now all I have to do is keep the kitten (5 m/o road-side rescue -- our latest feline addition) from getting to these 2 fish :) I literally had to duct-tape the lid on the tank this morning! Silly cat!
 

Mmathis

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Thanks, WB! Very helpful information, and exactly what I was looking for.

Now all I have to do is keep the kitten (5 m/o road-side rescue -- our latest feline addition) from getting to these 2 fish :) I literally had to duct-tape the lid on the tank this morning! Silly cat!
 

fishin4cars

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LOL, I wanted to post to this, but what else can I say? That got covered by WB pretty well, and I agree with his last statement. You sure are doing great learning and teaching as well!
 

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WB covered it quite well.

If your QT is going to be a bit small, then you will need to pay attention to your pH especially if you are starting out with soft water. You will mainly be concerned with the KH aspect of the pH. The total KH in a small tank is much more quickly consumed when compared to the total volume of KH in a big pond. Be sure the pH is at least .2 points within the pH of your main pond. You do not want the pH swing between your QT and pond to destroy all the good you have done by QT'ing the fish.

Also, if the QT is going to be outside, then consider tank placement. An outdoor tank is likely going to be above ground and not as deep as your pond, so the environment could be quite volatile. If it is going to be QT during the Winter, or even Fall depending on how the season is there, then I would definitely suggest to move it inside to an environmentally controlled area. You would not want the QT to be subjected to 30~40 degree temperature swings.

I just used a 100 gallon galvanized stock tank. I have heard of people using kiddy pools. You could use a clear white polyethylene tank, anywhere from around 500~2500 gallons or even bigger, and cut the top off; place the tank in your insulated garage or environmentally controlled barn.

Yeah, make sure your bio-filtration for the QT is matured or use an ammonia chemical binder and 10~20% daily water changes. Be careful when dosing ammonium hydroxide in a small tank, like 100 gallons, since you can quickly raise the ammonia to crazy levels; remember, ammonium hydroxide is also the same chemical used in cleaning to kill bacteria so pay attention to your dosages.
 
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Good question...what is the maximum amount of ammonia that can be added to cycle a bio filter?

Easy answer...
Just add enough so your test kit isn't maxed out. Add some and measure. Repeat. Most test kits max out at 6 or 7 ppm, (mg/l and ppm are the same thing). 5 ppm is good. Wait for ammonia to drop and after you measure some nitrite, then both to zero and you're ready.

Amount of ammonia to add to get to 5 ppm:
[codebox]

Pond 5% Ammonia 10% Ammonia

20,000 gal 2 gal 1 gal

5,000 gal 1/2 gal 1 quart

2,500 gal 1 quart 1 pint

1,250 gal 1 pint 1 cup

78 gal 1/2 cup 1 tablespoon

[/codebox]



To know these are indeed safe numbers, and not just opinion, we have to know what maximum level the ammonia converting bacteria can take.



Maximum amount of ammonia that can be added...get out your calculators.

Household ammonia ranges from 5 to 10 weight percent (50,000 to 100,000 ppm).

Nitrosomonas is inhibited at 10 ppm of "Free Ammonia". Ammonia and Nitrification Information Sheet

In a 70F, 8.4 pH pond 100 ppm "Total Ammonia" results in 9.757 ppm "Free Ammonia". So 100 ppm is the max total ammonia level Nitrosomonas can handle at 70F, 8.4 pH.



[codebox]

5% ammonia = (ammonia gals * 50,000 ppm) / 100 ppm = pond gals

10% ammonia = (ammonia gals * 100,000 ppm) / 100 ppm = pond gals

[/codebox]



[codebox]

Pond 5% Ammonia 10% Ammonia

20,000 gal 40 gal 20 gal

5,000 gal 10 gal 5 gal

2,500 gal 5 gal 2.5 gal

1,250 gal 2.5 gal 1.25 gal
78 gal 2.5 quart 1.25 cup

[/codebox]



Pretty hard to add too much ammonia.



Nitrobacter (nitrite converter) is inhibited at only 0.1 ppm of free ammonia. So once nitrite is being produced and you're happy with the number of Nitrosomonas you have it is important to let the ammonia level fall to under 0.1 ppm. You can maintain that level until you're happy with the number of Nitrobacter you have. "Happy" is defined by the number and size of fish that will be added. Ammonia output can be estimated and you're tracking how fast your bacteria are converting so you can tell when you should be happy.



Ammonium hydroxide is FDA approved and is commonly used in many food products. It also occurs naturally in our bodies and in meat.



Ammonium Chloride can be used instead of household ammonia. Ammonium Chloride is also cheap and sold at farm supply stores. These products normally tell exactly how much ammonia it contains so the calculations are more accurate than household ammonia which doesn't always say how much ammonia it has. Ammonium Chloride normally doesn't have any other ingredients while household ammonia can have some amounts of surfactants which break down fast but some people may not like.
 

crsublette

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Weight percent. This is extremely important to point out. A bottle saying it has 5% ammonia has two definitions: 1) bottled solution's weight is 5% ammonia; 2) the concentration of ammonia is 5% ammonia. You can have a 5% weight percent of ammonia of 2% concentrated ammonia in the bottle.

Nitrosomonas is inhibited at 10 ppm of "Free Ammonia". Ammonia and Nitrification Information Sheet
This is why I specifically do not ever go above around 6 ppm total ammonia when dosing. I would actually rather hover around 3ppm.

Ammonium hydroxide is FDA approved and is commonly used in many food products. It also occurs naturally in our bodies and in meat.
It is a matter of dillution that makes it safe. The stuff used for fishless cycles will specifically state "do NOT swallow".

Ammonium Chloride can be used instead of household ammonia. Ammonium Chloride is also cheap and sold at farm supply stores. These products normally tell exactly how much ammonia it contains so the calculations are more accurate than household ammonia which doesn't always say how much ammonia it has. Ammonium Chloride normally doesn't have any other ingredients while household ammonia can have some amounts of surfactants which break down fast but some people may not like.
I have never heard of Ammonia Chloride used to do a fishless cycle due to the possible chlorine concerns dependent upon the concentration of the chloride. It is a matter of concentration that makes it dangerous. You can have chlorine just fine at lower dilutions.

All cleaning solutions will have surfactants at some degree. The surfactants help to attach the ammonia to whatever you are cleaning so the ammonia just does not simply wash off. You can easily find products that do not have these surfactants.
 

crsublette

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Ammonium Hydroxide products you want to use have only 3 ingredients: 1) water; 2) ammonium hydroxide; 3) chelating agent. The chelating agent helps the Ammonium Hydroxide to become more soluble in water. Read the product's MSDS lab sheet if you are unsure and normally can be found online if it is not on the bottle; all products are required to have one. Surfactants is an oily, clinging compound that allows suds to be formed and I would figure it is not good to put this in the water due to the residual surfactant. So, if you shake the bottle vigorously and there is a huge accumulation of suds on surface area that takes a long time to dissipate, this means it is concentrated with some form of a surfactant. I have read forum testimonials saying surfactants do not matter, but I would not bet on it until I have read something more official. Also, you definitely do not want to use anything that has a scented added to the product.

Pretty hard to add too much ammonia.
Not really. It depends on the concentration of the ammonia in the product used for dosing.

I have used Z Force Extra Strenth Ammonia and Blue Ribbon Clear Ammonia, whichever was available at the store.

Best I can recall off hand, the Blue Ribbon Clear Ammonia is 3% of actual ammonia, not ammonia by weight percent. For 410 gallons of water, it only took 52mL of 3% actual ammonia to equal 1ppm of Total Ammonia.

You can get 10% janitorial grade ammonia hydroxide without surfactants online. It probably would only take around, don't quote me on this, 10~20mL to obtain 1ppm of Total Ammonia in 410 gallons; I would have to do the math to figure exactly but it would be dramatically less mL to obtain just 1 ppm of Total Ammonia.

You can figure the math of "how much actual ammonia to obtain 1 ppm per the pond's total gallons" your self by using the simple explanation below.


Below is a copy and paste from a published article I found online. It was a PDF I downloaded.
Keep the water in the 0.5 - 10 PPM ammonia range to keep the biofiltration bacteria happy. Going above 50 PPM may make the bacteria too gorged and give them health problems.

• After you have used household ammonia to keep biofiltration bacteria happy in the absence of fish, wait until the ammonia measures below 1 PPM before putting the fish back into the pond.

• For each 1000 USA gallons of water, add 1 pint (2 cups) of household ammonia for each 5.5 PPM ammonia charge to feed the bacteria. Expect this charge to last 1-3 days, and add more when your test kit indicates ammonia is less than 1 PPM. Measure the ammonia level to make sure the bacteria are eating the ammonia, meaning: do not continue to add ammonia if the bacteria have not converted the last 5.5 PPM charge. Or, if you want to add less ammonia, it requires 86mL of the household ammonia for each 1 PPM ammonia charge to 1000 gallons. (86mL multipied by 5 gives 430mL /1 pint is 473mL or a 5.5 PPM ammonia charge).

• For each USA gallon, add 2 drops of household ammonia (for each 1 PPM ammonia you want to charge) in a glass aquarium.

• For a 10-gal. glass aquarium, better than counting drops is to use a 1mL syringe and add 1mL of the household ammonia to each 10 USA gallons for each 1.2 PPM ammonia you want to add to the aquarium.
FIRST LET’S GO THROUGH THE MATH & then I will come back to discuss a few “simple rules” for the use of (non-sudsing type) Household Ammonia to cycle a filter, or keep biofiltration bacteria in food in the absence of fish. Here are my general rules for this endeavor:

• For water volumes in the 29-500 gallon range, buy a little blister pack of the little plastic cups sold in the pharmacy that are marked at 10mL, 20mL and 30mL volumes. Then do the following:
a ) Add household ammonia at the 10mL mark to a 29-gal. aquarium to add 4 PPM ammonia to feed the bacteria for a couple of days (usually).
b ) Add household ammonia at the 30mL mark to each 100-gals. of aquarium or pond volume for a 3.5 PPM ammonia addition to the 100-gals. of water.
c ) For 300-gallons, fill to that 30mL line three times now you have 3.5 PPM ammonia, enough (usually) to feed the biofiltration bacteria for a day or so.

• Assume a USA gallon of water is 8.33 lbs. of water (which, multiplied by 454 grams per gallon equals 3,782 grams of water). 3,782 grams divided by a million (or 1,000,000) gives us 0.00378 million grams of water. To get 1 PPM ammonia in a gallon of water, then, we need to add 0.00378 grams of pure ammonia.

• Household ammonia is 8 - 10 weight % ammonium hydroxide. Let’s assume it is 9% for purposes of calculations. Also, the molecular weight of ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH) is 35, while the molecular weight of ammonia itself is 17. So 17/35 multiplied by 9% gives us an ammonia content of household ammonia of 4.37%.

• We need 0.00378 grams of pure ammonia charge in a USA gallon of water to charge 1 PPM ammonia, and household ammonia is 4.37% pure ammonia content, so dividing 0.00378 grams by 0.0437 gives us a need to add 0.086 grams of the household ammonia to a gallon of water in order to add 1 PPM ammonia to it. Each gram of household ammonia contains about 20 drops, so each drop of household ammonia would be approximately 0.05 grams (1/20 of a gram). We want to add 0.086 grams of ammonia to that USA gallon to get 1 PPM, so 0.086/.05 = 1.7 drops of household ammonia to add to a USA gallon to put in 1 PPM ammonia charge.

• Multiply that times a 10-gal. aquarium and you find you will need 17 drops of household ammonia, or 0.86mL in a 1mL syringe to add 1 PPM ammonia to a 10-gal. aquarium.

• Multiply that times 29 and you find you’ll need 2.5mL, or 2 full 1mL syringes full, — plus half a syringe — to add 1 PPM ammonia to a 29-gal. aquarium.

• For a 100-gal. pond, you need 8.6mL, so use a 30mL little plastic cup from your local pharmacist (used for measuring medicine dose charges with calibration lines at 10mL, 20mL and 30mL) and fill it to about the 10mL line to add slightly more than 1 PPM ammonia. (Pharmacists sell these little plastic cups in blister packs of 10 or so for a very low cost).

• For a USA 300-gal. pond, go to about the 30mL line in that little plastic cup for each 1 PPM ammonia to add to the pond.

• For each 1000-gals., you want about 86mL for each 1 PPM ammonia charge. (Now you can use the 100mL line on a regular household measuring cup)!

Enough chemistry for the day! Now, back to the regular ponding schedule...

PLEASE... no peeing in the pond!!! Household Ammonia is a much better choice for the same purpose! The issue with “urine” in the pond water is the buildup of urea, which can cause ammonia spikes much later, after you have added the fish from uncontrolled urea hydrolysis... and possibly causing fish deaths.

Biobugs that neutralize nitrites are notoriously picky: they’re the last to develop a suitable colony and the first to die off if you sneeze in their general direction! It appears that the more initial ammonia (within reason), the better the colony develops. Earlier experiments I did took WEEKS to develop when I only used 1 or 2 PPM of ammonia.

Finally, once you have your colony developed, don’t forget to feed it every other day or so (check with your test kit and “refill” as you start to drop towards the .5 PPM level) and do water changes to keep everything “fresh”... or you won’t like the smell very well!
 

crsublette

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Nitrosomonas is inhibited at 10 ppm of "Free Ammonia". Ammonia and Nitrification Information Sheet

Nitrobacter (nitrite converter) is inhibited at only 0.1 ppm of free ammonia. So once nitrite is being produced and you're happy with the number of Nitrosomonas you have it is important to let the ammonia level fall to under 0.1 ppm. You can maintain that level until you're happy with the number of Nitrobacter you have. "Happy" is defined by the number and size of fish that will be added. Ammonia output can be estimated and you're tracking how fast your bacteria are converting so you can tell when you should be happy.
Very interesting. Quite a tolerance.


In a 70F, 8.4 pH pond 100 ppm "Total Ammonia" results in 9.757 ppm "Free Ammonia". So 100 ppm is the max total ammonia level Nitrosomonas can handle at 70F, 8.4 pH.

Your dosages are actually a little off. They would be a bit higher. Follow the narrative I posted to calculate the exact dosages.

Using your numbers, a .2 pH increases would change the max possible dosage to:
[codebox]
Pond 10% Ammonia
20,000 gal 13.6 gal
5,000 gal 3.4 gal
2,500 gal 1.7 gal
1,250 gal 3.4 quarts
78 gal 6.8 ounces[/codebox]

Yep, also interesting to note that, starting at 8.4ph at 70*F water temp with 100ppm Total Ammonia, there is a slow diminishing curve indicating a 49% increase of higher Free Ammonia. 70F, 8.6ph, 100ppm "Total Ammonia" results in 14.629 Free Ammonia. A huge difference in just a .2 pH difference and this is just at a fairly cool 70*F water temp. With a high pH, the difference is even more signficant at 84*F water temperature, which is common in hotter regions during summer.

Still, my point remains that I think it would be a good idea to not test that idea of dosing a huge amount of Ammonia.
 
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I think if people are afraid to use ammonia to cycle a bio filter, or aren't comfortable with math or testing, or don't really understand pH buffering, free vs total ammonia, etc., then it would be a good idea to not use ammonia or really even attempt a QT at all. Fish will be better off trying to get through on their own.
 

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To Mmathis and other reads, I hope the techanicalities discussed here does not intimidate. QTs are just like an above ground pond, like an outdoor aquarium tank, and has extra risks due to the tank outside and not insulated like it is in the ground.

QTs are not complicated, but if choose to do a fishless cycle to mature the water, that with the Ammonium dosing, then take the "dose, wait, and test approach". Dose the pond with 30mL, or 1 ounce, of Ammonium then wait an hour before you do your Total Ammonia test then do the dose again or double the dose and repeat. The maturing water with Ammonium is easy. The narrative here between WB and me is to hopefully explain the potential dangers and how to make more precise single big doses. Be sure you are using the proper Ammonium and careful with doses. :)
 

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WB covered your questions quite well. I'll take a knock at it.

1. TIME IN QT?: I have been told at the very least 2~3 weeks since you would rather the fish die in the QT rather than your pond. I have read of the serious koi hobbyist to QT for an entire season at the least.

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.?

Refer to WB's first post and also koiguy wrote a good thread, Practical Pond Fish Medicine. If you do experience a problem, then try to take a high resolution picture of the fish, with your explanation, and post this on a forum like this, koiphen.com, and others.

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]?

I defer to WB's first post.

4. SIZE OF QT? -- Is there a minimum size for the QT?

If you want ot be safe, then bigger the better.

Otherwise, it can be any size, within reason. You can keep koi in a 100 gallon tank, but make sure you have tremendously good and good size of bio-filtration and prepare to dose the water with baking soda to maintain the KH level. Of course, we must talk about Hardness gives a very good explanation on how to calculate baking soda measurements. The filtration is key to it all; otherwise, you will have to do ammonia chemical binders and water changes to dilute any nitrites.

Be sure there is not a pH difference between your QT and your main pond.

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?

I have just kept one comet with a handfull of rosey red minnows. I am hoping they keep my bio-filter alive well enough. So, when I do get new fish, I add these fish to my watergarden, the doing a quick 100% water change for my QT with water from my pond, doing it quick within a hour so my bio-filter bacteria does not die, then add the new fish to the QT.
 
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I came across what seems to be the best estimate for how much ammonia to add related to the number of fish and their sizes. Each 20" Koi would produce about 2 teaspoons of 7.5% (average household ammoina) per day. So that would be a reasonable estimate, instead of the complex calculation, of how much ammonia to add to see of the bio filter can handle the fish load. Of course more can be added initially to grow bacteria faster.
 

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Hope ya can find the 7.5% stuff (that is weight percent I am guessing). If curious, 7.5% weight percent ammonia is ( (17/35) * .075 )) 3.6% actual ammonia; there are products such as Blue Ribbon Clear Ammonia (3% actual ammonia) that do not use weight percent, which is very good to know.

I was wondering how much ammonia they produced. Good stuff.
 

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