Quarantine Tank Setup

[WHOSYOURDADDY]

"For many years I refused to use a quarantine tank. I treated the same fish for ich and diseases over and over again, losing some old friends in the process and certainly shortening the lives of the fish that survived. Since I started quarantining new arrivals, I have had NO instances of ich or other diseases introduced into my main tanks since I started quarantine procedures." Loachaholic

This setup is based on freshwater aquariums but the purpose and equipment is essentially the same. I have modified the orginal article to meet the needs of Saltwater Aquariums


The Equipment :

Everything in a quarantine or hospital tank should be able to withstand being disinfected. The whole point of quarantine is to be able to prevent diseases and parasites from reaching your main tanks. You will on occasion have disease in your q-tank, and some organisms can lay dormant for quite a while.

A small 5g or 10g tank is ideal, in my opinion. Smaller tanks limit you as to what fish you can put in there, and larger tanks are not necessary. Sooner or later you will need to medicate in quarantine, and most medication dosages are expressed in "per 10 gallons of water". An odd size tank will make the math more difficult than it needs to be.

For filtration, keep it simple and inexpensive. A small corner or hang-on-back filter is fine. You will be changing lots of water in this tank while quarantining, so extensive filtration systems quarantine is not necessary. Remember that everything may eventually have to be discarded. An HOB or sponge filter will allow you to do this economically by simply replacing the sponge.

A small heater and a thermometer are necessary for tropical fish.

Lighting should be on the dim side. Bright lights will further stress fish, which have already been traumatized by, capture and transport. However, you must be able to observe your fish, so the light must be bright enough to see ich spots (even on white fish) or changes in color. I occasionally use a small flashlight to check an individual fish.

There should be some furnishings in the tank to give the fish the feeling of being hidden. Plastic plants, ceramic or clay flower pots, even a coffee cup turned on its side, depending on the species, will give the fish a feeling of security and reduce stress.

Although admittedly a bare bottom to the tank is easier to keep clean. Some seem to believe a thin layer of gravel, seems to calm the fish that are spooked by reflections on the bottom of the tank, particularly bottom feeders. I never re-use it in a fish tank. The small expense involved is more than made up by peace of mind that nothing can be passed along to the next fish in quarantine.

Another very important part of your quarantine equipment is a siphon and bucket, which is used exclusively for that tank. The effectiveness of quarantine is lost if siphons and other equipment is used in both quarantine and main tanks. It is also recommended that you care for your other tanks before you attend to the quarantine tank, for the same reason. Cross-contamination is a real concern and care should be taken to avoid the possibility of bringing infection or parasites in to your main tank on your hands or equipment.

Personally, I use a 10 gallon plastic tank for quarantine. This is big enough for most fish for the short time they are in there, yet small enough to treat economically and observe the fish easily.

It is not necessary to use such a spare setup. I know fish keepers who keep small 10g tanks up and running permanently, fully cycled with damsels which they add to the main tank when a new arrival needs the space.

I prefer to break my quarantine tank down after each use. Plus, if a particularly virulent disease such as fish tuberculosis gets in there, the tank will still need to be torn down and disinfected.

The Procedure:

Fish should be kept in quarantine until you are reasonably certain that no parasite or illness will be transmitted to the main tank. While this is the primary reason for quarantine, almost equally important is to get the fish eating and allow it to recover from the shock of capture and/or transport without constant harassment or competition from the community. You should never move a fish in to the community until it is eating and acting normally for the species. If a normally shy fish is aggressive or a normally aggressive fish is shy, this is a red flag and the fish should be kept in quarantine until the cause of the odd behaviour is determined.

Change water in your quarantine tank on a daily basis, how much depending on the fish load. Nothing gets a fish off to a better start than clean water. A quick vacuum of the gravel or tank bottom not only removes uneaten food but also reduces any parasite load.

Medications:

The issue of whether or not to medicate as a prophylactic in quarantine is one of those debates, which has no good answer. Some feel strongly that fish should not be treated without specific symptoms showing, while others feel that treating before the fish get sick is preferable.

I tend to tread the middle ground between no meds at all and a full-out barrage. I have had many, many cases of ich in quarantine and prefer to treat with a mild anti-parasitic such as Coppersafe or Aquarisol. I am opposed to using antibiotics in quarantine unless an infection shows. We are already encountering med-resistant strains of bacteria, and indiscriminate use of them will only compound the problem

Duration :

If no meds are used in quarantine, the quarantine period should be around four weeks. With ich meds, I quarantine two weeks. You should be very quick to extend these times if any symptoms are present, the fish is not eating, or if any behavioural anomalies are noticed.

A few additional thoughts:

Try not to mix species in quarantine. Medication that will work well on one type of fish may well be toxic to another.

Try not to mix lots of fish - even of the same species - from different suppliers or stores to prevent cross-contamination. For example, a fish that came in with latent ich may get mixed with a fish that came in with columnaris. Both of these conditions are easily treatable, but together they can be deadly.

Quarantine plants, too. Ich can hitch a ride on plants.

The entire article can be found at http://www.aquatic-hobbyist.com/prof...isc/qtank.html

[The R/C Man]

Great info! Always looking for informative posts such as this one. Thanks!

[homeangler]

Hi, I am looking to set up a hospital tank & was wondering if an all in one tank can be used for this purpose, I was thinking about "Marieland, Eclipse system 12". any suggestions?

Thanks

[Reefland]

Hi homeangler,

Any tank can be used for a quarantine tank provided it is large enough to house the animals to be q'ed and provides the most basic filtration. In your case, a 12 gallon tank would be excellent for q'ing small fish but I would definitely not hold a tang in a tank this small for a 4-6 week period.

[homeangler]

Hi homeangler,

Any tank can be used for a quarantine tank provided it is large enough to house the animals to be q'ed and provides the most basic filtration. In your case, a 12 gallon tank would be excellent for q'ing small fish but I would definitely not hold a tang in a tank this small for a 4-6 week period.

Thanks Scott Z

what size would you use for tang & angels? (small to medium size) also I am concernd about using medications & copper messing up the biological bactera, how do i address this?

Thanks
Al

[The R/C Man]

Hey Everyone!



As of yet I have never used a quarantine tank and have not had a problem. This span has covered about 20 years of fish keeping both fresh and salt water. I contribute this good (lucky) track record to my diligence in carefully selecting the stores I purchase from the condition of the fish and of course properly acclimating them to reduce stress which can incur an outbreak of ich. I am sure water quality is also a factor. With that said I am planning to set one up before the 375 is finished and believe they are an important part of preventative maintenance for our tanks. Not only is this a good idea to prevent fish diseases but should be used for corals as well which can host parasites such as red bugs.



So remember don't rely just on your quarantine tank to prevent problems. Pay attention to the condition of the fish you want and its tanks mates, don't impulse buy, be sure your water quality is always high and acclimate properly..... Hope that helps....

[Steven Pro]

Here is my take on quarantine tanks, http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/20...ture/index.php

It is specifically written for saltwater aquariums and includes a long list of references and additional resources at the end for dealing with a wide variety of pests and pathogens.

[homeangler]

Thank you so much Steve, I am setting up my QTT as we speak, great info. thanks again
AL

Here is my take on quarantine tanks, http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/20...ture/index.php

It is specifically written for saltwater aquariums and includes a long list of references and additional resources at the end for dealing with a wide variety of pests and pathogens.

[The R/C Man]

Awesome !!! More great info.... Seems like you did some homework for that one. Thanks and keep it up...

[Triggers]

reduce stress which can induce an outbreak of ich.

stress is not known to be a prerequisite for ich. the fish either have it or they don't..it's either in your system or it's not.

[Reefland]

But stress weakens the fishes ability to fight off Ich.

[Steven Pro]

A lot of people believe that stress must be related to infection or mortality rates, but that does not have to be true. For example, does your dog have to be neglected and under stress to get fleas or ticks? Of course not! They merely have to be exposed to these parasites to become infected. The same thing could be true for fishes and their parasites.

[The R/C Man]

Thanks Scott!!

Wow you guys are missing the point. We are talking about ammune systems here.... If the fish is already in a weakened state from stress then it will be harder for them to fight infections and deases etc.... Maybe I should have worded the previous statement differently. Maybe the word should be incur not induce......

[Reefland]

A lot of people believe that stress must be related to infection or mortality rates, but that does not have to be true. For example, does your dog have to be neglected and under stress to get fleas or ticks? Of course not! They merely have to be exposed to these parasites to become infected. The same thing could be true for fishes and their parasites.

In the case of Cryptocaryon irritans, isn't it a fair statement that a fish is more supceptable to the parasite when stressed and has a less effective immune system?

[The R/C Man]

From this site: http://www.algone.com/ich.htm

New arrivals with a weak and unprepared immune system are extremely susceptible for the parasite and are ideal victims for parasitic infection.
The unexpected appearance of Ich without new arrivals is usually caused by deteriorating water parameters which weaken the fish’s immune system.

Excess nutrients, nitrates, fluctuating pH, ammonia, low dissolved oxygen content and other stress causing factors will lower the fish’s’ immune system and may lead to an outbreak which could have been avoided by good aquarium maintenance. Nevertheless the parasite has to be present in order for the disease to break out.

[Reefland]

I guess on the flip side, the fish doesn't have to be weak if the parasite is present...

[The R/C Man]

Very True Scott...... I guess that is why the quarantine tank. So if a fish looks healthy but has (say ich) and you put it in quarantine without proper acclimation etc you may weaken it enough that it won't be able to fight the dease and parish. Just a thought....

[Triggers]

yes,,a fish under stress has a diminished slime coat which makes it easier for the parasite to attach.,,but no matter how weakened or close to death a fish is, it cannot get ich if the parasite is not present within the closed system.

it's just a misconception that all ich outbreaks are due to stress. just not the case.
happy reading:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...hreadid=595224

[The R/C Man]

From this site: http://www.algone.com/ich.htm


New arrivals with a weak and unprepared immune system are extremely susceptible for the parasite and are ideal victims for parasitic infection.
The unexpected appearance of Ich without new arrivals is usually caused by deteriorating water parameters which weaken the fish’s immune system.

Excess nutrients, nitrates, fluctuating pH, ammonia, low dissolved oxygen content and other stress causing factors will lower the fish’s’ immune system and may lead to an outbreak which could have been avoided by good aquarium maintenance. Nevertheless the parasite has to be present in order for the disease to break out.

That is true......

[Triggers]

From that site you listed (either poor or grossly outdated),,i am particularly interested in the following quote:

"The Ich parasite can be introduced by new arrivals of fish, or be dormant in the aquarium itself"

i am unaware of the "dormant" part of the C. irritans lifecycle?

the article continues with the following:
"The life cycle of Ich includes 3 stages"

there is no mention of the 'dormant' stage they described above.

another fallacy; "For salinity insensitive aquatic environments, slowly lowering the salinity to 1.009-1.010 (specific gravity) for 14 days will extinct the parasite."

research has indicated min of 6 weeks with 8 recommended.