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Okay, I've had my new Cardinals living happily in the quarantine aquarium for a week. They've shown no signs of disease (the one that I lost was a runt that looked as if it was half-starved and on its way out when I got it, and was removed the moment it looked as if it had expired) and indeed, they've been fattening up nicely on my extra-special juvenile growth régime of 5 to 10 feeds per day. Consequently, I'm convinced they're ready to join the Panda Fun Palace™.

If White Spot had been an issue, it would have shown itself now. Likewise fin rot and a brace of other ailments. Plus, the other Cardinals at the LFS look hale and hearty, and show signs of being quite nice additions to someone else's aquarium when they're bought. So, the question is, does everyone else here agree with me that they're ready for their permanent home?

I realise that some may think 7 days isn't enough, but that 7 days was at 27°C, so as I stated above, any disease signs should have manifested themselves by now.

Over to you ...


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

No ,

I am a strong believer that at least 2 weeks of QT stay is a must (ever since I got one, before that I added them directly), if not even longer (some say up to 4 weeks).

Don't ask me which illness might show itself after 2 weeks, I don't know (or remember).

I would assume the reason are internal parasites or the like that might take a while for the fish to show symptoms.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

I go two weeks to a month on quarantine, especially for tetras with NTD about.

Just curious regarding logistics - so you have one main tank which you want to put your quarantined fish into - then you have a separate tank that you put the quarantined fish into - do you keep this separate tank maintained (water, temperature, filtered) at all times even though it will be empty except for the times you want to add fish or do you just set this "quarantined tank" up when you want to add fish to your main tank -

Personally I keep a small tank running with a few algae eaters in it, and them move them out when I acquire new fish. Then after the new arrivals have gone, I strip down the tank, recycle it chemically, and put the algae eaters back in. Works a treat, and I generally only buy new fish three or four times a year, so it works out relatively stress free for everyone.Its a pretty easy thing to do if you have lots of aquaria already cos mature filter media is available and the tank can be testing normal in as little as three days, sometimes I dont even need ammonia, and the qt can be filled with water from the other tanks so I dont even really need to keep one running, just set one up a few days before a new acquisition.

Mature filter media, mature gravel, plant cuttings, and mature water = instant tank. I have a couple of 125's so ive got gallons of water I could use pretty much whenever I need to. I have a number of eheim aquaballs and 2224 externals, so swopping media and sponges into filters with identical flow rates is a doddle. Its one of the few advantages to MTS. Besides if the fish you are qt'ing are heading for your communities anyway, you might as well get them used to the water.


Last edited by longhairedgit at 14-Dec-2005 17:17

Minimum 2 weeks.
I've been caught out on 1 week before, not worth it. Much better to be patient. Its only a week, they'll have plenty of time for frolicking later

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

Not having a spare tank I just wait when the LFS gets them in. Though I will admit I got caught last time it developed about 3 weeks after I put them into my Betta tank.

Have a look in [link=My Profile]http://
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Keith

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The quarantine aquarium I have is a new one, but I intend to get something that will live in there to keep the biofilter ticking over. Since it's only a small quarantine tank, I was thinking perhaps some shrimps would be a good idea once the Cardinals were permanently rehoused. Does anyone else think this would be a good idea? If nothing else, the shrimps may produce lots of little shrimps which may, or may not, be edible by my Pandas - any thoughts on this?



Last edited by Calilasseia at 15-Dec-2005 06:22

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Ive noticed that shrimp generally do better in mature tanks, and since their respiration doesnt usually produce as much ammonia as fish respiration does it might not be enough to keep the filter ticking over,and the decompositional ammonia will be low cos the shrimps will be doing a lot of cleaning. You need a fish that will keep the bacterial culture high enough to cope with the influx of a small group of new fish.

Maybe a small labyrinth fish that can take moves reasonably well, and isnt too fussy about water quality? Maybe even a small amphibian, they do tend to take tank moves rather better than fish, if you dont mind the live feedings. An african clawed frog ( not a dwarf - they are too sensitive) would produce enough waste to keep a filter ticking over, and is unlikely to get fish diseases, or transmit diseases to fish. There are some small newts and salamanders that could keep it ticking over and not be a vector for disease.

Just a thought.

Last edited by longhairedgit at 15-Dec-2005 06:53

Last edited by longhairedgit at 15-Dec-2005 06:54

Hmm ... Trichopsis pumilus, the Green Croaking Gourami, perchance? Only that (when it's available - it's as rare as rocking horse doo-doo here ... sigh) is the smallest of all the Labyrinth Fishes, and a prime candidate for a modest sized aquarium. Hmm. might give this a go ...

Oh, and are there any shrimp whose young would be edible by my Pandas that could go in there too?


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

I agree with one week being too short of time. Parasites can take longer than one week to identify. Fish for my main tank get quarentined for 4 weeks.

A male betta and some cories would keep your QT tank cycled.

___________________________________________

If at first you DO succeed, try not to look astonished.

The young of glass shrimp and amano shrimps are really tiny and would probably go down a cories hatch no trouble, the problem is , unless the tank were mature youd be very lucky to breed them, but then having some adults to spread around your other tanks is no hardship.

UPDATE.

The Cardinals are thriving. They're active, perky and bouncing around all over the aquarium. They're foraging off the Java Moss too picking bits of food here, there and everywhere. Moreover, they're doing something I've never seen Cardinals do in an aquarium before - they're darting to the top to snatch the food as soon as it hits the water, and this despite the fact that they get fed from 5 to 10 times per day!

By the time 14 days is up (which will be next Wednesday) I suspect they'll be ready to take Daphnia. Then their growth should proceed apace!


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Double post.

The Cardinals have now been on their own for 15 days. In that time they've come on in leaps and bounds, and shown not the slightest indication of anything wrong. They are quite literally fizzing with rude health (touch wood).

I think they can be settled in their permanent home on Christmas Eve. Be a nice present for them to wake up to on Christmas Day.

Any views?


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Don't rush... If anything moving fish more than once a week is not enough time to get over the last move. And cardinals die easy compared to most fish. You will kick yourself.

I keep tiger barbs these days. I had some nice big ones for a year. Then I bought more, quarentined them for a week, put them in my main tank, and all the old fish died. :-( Waste of time and money basically.

Actually, they've been in QT for two weeks. Come Christmas Eve, it'll be nearer 3 weeks.

Plus, I've been fattening the little critters up feeding them 10 times per day because they were so small when I got them - they're about 50% bigger than when I bought them and still growing nicely!

And, thanks to regular water changes and other similar maintenance goodies, they've been kept relatively stress free vis-a-vis ammonia and all those other nasties, so I reckon that once Christmas Eve arrives (and they've been in there 17 days) they'll be ready to settle into their new home.

In any case, the lone Cardinal that's already in there could do with some playmates!


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002