What does quarrantining accomplish?

[buckry]

I have only bought fish 3 times, the first batch of goldfish, the first batch of koi, and the second batch of koi. I didn't quarrantine at all, but now with my mystery fish deaths I think I need to do it, but I don't really understand. If I keep new fish seperate, and they dont' die after what 2 weeks, then it's safe to put them in with my other fish? What if it's not something that kills all fish? What if it's just something that the new fish are immune to, they could still wipe out all of the other fish evne after a month. What is the process for quarrantining? Am I missing something?

 

[crsublette]

My understanding is quarantine tank is a place of treatment like a hospital, not a place to see whether your fish will die eventually or stay alive.

For new fish and new plants, it is a place to kill any parasite, disease, fungi, snails, or other organisms that can potentially be transferred into your pond.

For sick fish, it is a place to help medicate them and heal them.

It's more about the controlled environment. It is easier to control the environment of a 80 gallon pond instead of trying to control the environment of a 8000 gallon pond.

 

[j.w]

My six new shubbies I put in what I call a quarantine bath tub pond to see if they will make it through the summer w/o any obvious signs of disease or death. Also is a good place to fatten them up for winter so they will have a better chance at surviving the cold. So far one has gone to fish heaven. 5 are still afraid to come out of hiding. The water is going green now and I don't think I could see them anyway even if they do come out or unless their lifeless bodies float to the surface

 

[buckry]

Ok, good answers both of you, I thought it was a temporary waiting place, but your'e saying it's really a hospital that all new fish go into. And JW you keep your fish in qurantine for months? My first guess would have been 2 weeks, but I think what I'm hearing both of you say is, I need to starting digging a new pond.

And to think I was bummed out 60 seconds ago, new pond woo hoo!

 

[j.w]

I'm just doing it cuz I want them to be able to get all the food I put in there just for them cuz they are so little and my fish in the other big pond will pig it all and the new little ones won't get any and they won't have enough fat on their skinny little arse's to make it through a cold winter. I wanted more shubbies cuz all my others are oj/white and just oj or plain white. The shubbies are a lovely calico color. Most don't quarantine for that long. After a few weeks I could put these in the big pond and they'd prolly be fine disease wise.

 

[buckry]

But what if they have something they are immune to, and your other fish are not? That's the biggest issue I see here.

 

[buckry]

Not to mention, keeping a seperate tank or pond, introduces a whole set of variables that most likely are not a factor in the main pond. You could have this tiny baby pool full of fish, and they keep dying because of something that would never be an issue in the main pond.

 

[buckry]

Ok, I just ordered 10 more koi, I need to learn how to quarrantine by Monday. Come on people, let's get cracking. You guys work on the details, I'm going to grab my shovel and start digging. I figure 10x15 and 2' deep should be enough...

Seriously though, these are babies, a 20 gallon glass aquarium is probably ok right? Should I use water from my goldfish pond? Or should I use the koi pond just to prove the water isn't pure cyanide? Or should I just start with fresh well water? I've got 72 hours to get it ready, but it should be fine, I have a nice aquarium filter and air stone for it.

 

[j.w]

Well do you want to be a scientist or a pond owner? If you want to know all this explicit stuff about stuff you can't see then you will need a microscope and a note pad and plenty of time on your hands to do research and you can let us all know what you find out. That's too much thinking for me..................I'd get a headache and have to stop pondering this pond hobby real quick :lamp5:
Sometimes you just gotta go w/ the flow and take your chances IMHO or it becomes not fun anymore. If you lose all your fish then you clean out your pond and start over and maybe just add one fish at a time and quarantine each one by itself for a couple wks to be safe and go on from there. Most of us are more reckless tho and throw caution to the wind and sometimes it can bite you in the butt. You live and learn and do what ever you feel like in the end.

Omg, see you just posted now while I was writing this that you ordered 10 more fish and you have possible sick fish you are already dealing with. You better make sure you quarantine those new fish cuz things could get real nasty real quick. If you use any water from the ponds where you had sick fish in you might be asking for trouble.

 

[buckry]

I bought the 10 new fish to force myself to learn how to quarantine. That's the whole point.

Ok, so you vote not to use koi water, but my goldfish water is stable, at least stable for them, see it's so complicated. Ok, I think it's crazy to use existing water, I'm putting fresh well water into the aquarium.

Yeah, see this will be a great learning tool for me. I may just keep these fish in the basement the rest of the summer.

When you say "clean out your pond" what does that entail exactly? If I believe my water is safe, can I keep it, or is the water itself tainted with bacteria or parasites?

 

[j.w]

I meant if you lose all your fish you would start over and clean it out. Guess if you wanted to make sure no disease you would have to use something like hydrogen peroxide and scrub it all down and remove the plants and treat them all w/ Potassium Permagranite or however you spell it. Keep the plants in new water somewhere till you get er done and add new water to the pond and get your water balanced for the new fish. But you still have fish and hopefully everything will turn out ok w/ the ones you have left. Just don't put the new fish in there for awhile to make sure no more are going to die now.

Now w/ the 10 new fish you are getting you will have to make sure their water gets balanced for them. 10 is alot to add at once but guess they are pretty small now. Best to check your water in there a lot w/ your test kit so it stays good for them in the new aquarium. You don't want high ammonia to wipe them out. You could jump start it before they get here w/ adding some ammonia and going through the whole process before they arrive. I've never done that but others here know the specifics on how to do it. If you are having no problems w/ the goldfish pond I think you would be safe using that water for the new fish and maybe mixing it w/ some new water.

 

[buckry]

Yeah, I was just reading about getting an aquarium ready and they say to do a "fishess cycle" which is what I did to my pond a month ago. I didn't know it was called that, but I knew I needed to introduce food, so ammonia would be created, and then nitrites, and finally bacteria. The aquarium is filled and pump and air are running. I'll leave it for 24 hours then throw in some fish food. Should be easy breezy, as long as I have enough time before they arrive.

 

[j.w]

You can pee in it to start the process................not kidding,lol!

 

[buckry]

haha, no kidding? Well shoot, I think that's the winner, definitely going to do that instead of wasting perfectly good fish food.

 

[j.w]

Check this out Buck! http://theaquaponicsource.com/2010/11/01/starting-your-aquaponics-system-using-fishless-cycling/