Gang, Please Quarantine New Fish!

[663]

Clumsy people with very delicate hobbies: unite!

HOO-rah!

 

[PheonixKingZ]

@Slaphppy7, don’t let her read this!

 

[Slaphppy7]

@Slaphppy7, don’t let her read this!

LOL, don't worry, ain't gonna happen!

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

I know better, and still chose to go ahead and get a pleco while the quarantine tank was occupied with cories because I was worried they wouldn't be available again or for much longer. Stupid! Paying for it now, as while the new fish appears to be healthy, one of the cories has picked up some kind of infection, I believe bacterial.

It's still easier to treat since it's in a smaller quarantine tank, but wishing I'd asked the store to hold the pleco for me a while longer. My store is good about doing that even without a deposit, since they know me now and know I'm good for it - so additional lesson from my mistake - don't be afraid to ask the store to reserve fish for you and hold them until you can set up a quarantine tank! Most mom and pop stores at least are willing to do that, with a deposit. Not sure about the big box stores.

 

[Stan510]

The hard part is quarantining something that needs more than a bare tank of warm water...structure,plants. If they are larger fish,it means keeping a large extra tank going..not many people are willing to do that when it's going to be empty of fish in a week or two.
But there is no true "safe" way to add new fish to an aquarium of fish months or years established. Nobody has invented "make adding new fish 100% safe and it never bothers resident fish and plants, Solution X".
I wish.

 

[Stan510]

Right now,I've gone a few months with no new fish. I think I will keep it that way. One positive about being an old timer,that need to constantly add is replaced by calm of everybody is well and leave that as plenty well enough. ?

 

[Mizz_MayDK]

I'm fairly new to the hobby, but I've gone all in with 6 tanks and more coming. In the beginning I didn't quarantine new fish, and luckily I didn't run into problems ..... but my boyfriend who has a lot of discus didn't have a QT and boy did he run into problems, so I saw first hand, what it caused and the expences from NOT having a QT, so I made one right away. I used som material from an already cycled filter and I had a QT almost instantly.

 

[Stan510]

It's a hard call...imagine buying those great Discus- and they die in quarantine? Then you think- If I had put them into my perfect aquarium...plus $$$ you never even got day in a show tank of seeing.
Others like Neon or Cardinals?..I would never trust putting them into a show tank. I would put them no.1 on the list of what you need to keep healthy for a month in a q- tank. After them,the list is fuzzy-lol.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

The hard part is quarantining something that needs more than a bare tank of warm water...structure,plants. If they are larger fish,it means keeping a large extra tank going..not many people are willing to do that when it's going to be empty of fish in a week or two.
But there is no true "safe" way to add new fish to an aquarium of fish months or years established. Nobody has invented "make adding new fish 100% safe and it never bothers resident fish and plants, Solution X".
I wish.

My QT tank is also a grow out, so it's set up all the time, but once I no longer need a grow out, I plan to switch to only having a quarantine tote I can store and pull out as needed. You can get totes that hold 40-50 gallons, surely one of those would work as a quarantine for a larger fish like a discus? Then only need to transfer a filter or perhaps seed a new filter, add a heater with a heater guard, and some fake plants or spare decor you have lying around, and boom. I use fake plants for my quarantine anyway, since they're easily cleaned (and because live plants don't survive under the rubbish tank light on my QT tank anyway).

 

[Stan510]

A bin would never do for Discus..but yes,they would be among the top two fish to quarantine. Yet,they are so touchy that after the dim lights,no substrate and very clean water of a q- tank, a bright community tank might do them in. Still,its a chance as they are highly prone to contagions.
Large fish on the other hand that look healthy? Pretty much are. Your gladiator central American cichlids, the Pacu family including Red Hooks are nearly impervious to illness.
I could pick and choose many fish I've never seen get sick.. Leporinus is another,Pleco's- large types..same. All will live a decade (give or take) easy in any average aquarium.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

A bin would never do for Discus..but yes,they would be among the top two fish to quarantine. Yet,they are so touchy that after the dim lights,no substrate and very clean water of a q- tank, a bright community tank might do them in. Still,its a chance as they are highly prone to contagions.
Large fish on the other hand that look healthy? Pretty much are. Your gladiator central American cichlids, the Pacu family including Red Hooks are nearly impervious to illness.
I could pick and choose many fish I've never seen get sick.. Leporinus is another,Pleco's- large types..same. All will live a decade (give or take) easy in any average aquarium.

How are the smaller rainbows in terms of health?

My intro into fishkeeping has been guppies/other livebearers, and they've had no end of health problems. Was a knife-edge away from closing down the tanks for good the other day when I found yet another problem with my male guppy tank, but Colin said I'm choosing the wrong fish. And to be fair, not the first I've heard about how far guppies have gone downhill since they were regarded as a hardy beginner fish.

While I know there are no guarantees, I'd still like to know whether I'm setting myself up for future heartbreak if I set up my 57 gallon for dwarf rainbows or threadfins or something like that! Or any other recommendations for generally healthy community or species tank members in the 15-55 gallon tank range?

 

[Stan510]

Interesting you would ask. I think of all the Rainbows I've tried,the M.boesemani are by far the hardiest. Over the last three years.One jumped out...and only one has caught something fatal..dying at 5" for no known reason. I've had other Rainbows like the Red...die off totally in the same tank that's been great for the half blue and half yellow crowd. True. The M.lacustris have also done well. I did lose one young one when it got stuck between a rock and the side glass overnight. I also lost a hybrid rainbow in another fluke way- I put fertilizer in the tank thinking it would sink in the corner i put it in..and a female that had nice lemony color..right in front of me- dashed in and ate a pellet. It was dead the next day even as I added mag salts hoping it would pass or regurgitate the pellet.
The dwarf I kept many years ago. They weren't as long lasting as the other species that went on fine.
As now almost three years back into the interest and its a reminder- keep them healthy as curing an internal disease is almost impossible. I had a fish vet on youtube tell me that once delicate fish show signs they are sick?- it's almost too late to treat them. Don't I know that.

 

[Stan510]

Watch youtube vids of fish in the wilds of SA or African streams and notice that small species are almost always young. You never spot an old tetra or barb. So take with a grain of salt of 5-10 year life spans for small fish. I think my almost three year old neon green line Rasbora is one in a thousand...

 

[Stan510]

Here's a great tip if you don't want a quarantine tank: Potassium permanganate. Use an extra tank ( or bin) and put the new fish in a strong bath of the stuff for a short time. It turns the water purple. Its to kill parasites and any fungus the fish have...then after a bath of that for a short time..the fish can go into the main tank. Its an alternative to weeks in a q-tank and I'm not saying as good a method.
Go to youtube and Viktor who has a DIY Public Aquarium Fish Rescue and Recovery channel. Ask him how long he dips those fish in it.

 

[CarnivorousPlant]

"Bacteria is free, yay!"

It most certainly is, but people continue to waste their $ on the bottled stuff (often at the suggestion of LFS employees, who are there to make a buck, and usually don't have a clue about fishkeeping)

Oooooh no is this true??
I have been using bottled bacteria in all my water changes and tank because I thought it was nessassary.

So is it not needed at all or do you only need it to speed up the cycle when setting up a new tank?

Also where does the bacteric come from because tap water has added chlorine so wouldn't that remove all the bacteria??

Sorry if this is the wrong thread for this.

I'm really annoyed now all that bacteria was a SCAM. ) :