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Hi! I do not have a Quarantine/Hospital tank (I know, bad aquarist!), because I do not have the space for it. I do wish I had one, as I do not want to bring disease in to my aquarium – I am already dealing with Gouramies with ulcers. In the future, I would like to be able to prevent the import of pathogens in to the tank. Is there a way in which I could quarantine (or at least disinfect) newly bought fish without having a quarantine tank?

-Angel

Last edited by agaius at 08-Nov-2004 16:33

I recently read the label on Melafix; it claims that one can add Melafix along with new fish to an aquarium as a means to prevent illness. Has anybody had any success with this?

-Angel

You don't need to have a lot of space for a Hospital tank, you can adapt a bare 10g or 5g as one. I use a 5g and is below my 29g, I always have one estra sponge filter in that 29g, so when I use the H/Q I take the filter already full with bacteria and basically it is always ready to run

I really can't think of a way that you could do that, unless you somehow used a specimen container big enough for them inside the tank that didn't share that tank's water. I've never used melafix as a preventative... I try not to add too many chemicals The only preventative I use is a little bit of salt, a higher temperature and lots of water changes. You can treat fish without a hospital tank, though. Just take carbon out of the filter and go! As long as the meds aren't too strong, and wouldn't cause stress on fish that aren't ill, that is...

I don't have a QT and I am a moron. So don't be like me kids... Get a QT.

A QT tank doesn't have to be that big at all, so shouldn't be too much of a problem to find space for it. A ten gallon makes a great size because most meds are dosed per 10 gallons. You don't even have to leave it up all the time, only when needed. As said, I have a similar strategy when it comes to QT/hospital tanks, I take a seeded sponge filter out of my main tank, throw in an extra heater and some extra plants for security and I'm good. Works for me. If you're dealing with bigger fish, then it might be a problem though...

Occasionally I'll use melafix when brining new fish home, but typically it's not necessary. When I do use it (when someone looks, err, funny) I water it down a bit first. And as mentioned, make sure you take the carbon out whenever dosing meds, b/c it soacks it right up, resulting in you wasting your money basically. It's not good to just dose meds for the heck of it, they will do more harm than good if not needed.

HTH

-Formerly known as the Ferretfish

Melafix is an antiseptic and will help prevent secondary infections but the only 100% method of prevention is QT. Really it comes down to whether you want to risk your whole tank to infection or not, just to save a little space. I had a QT tank in my downtown 1 BR apt, when i lived there. It was just a little 5 gallon empty bucket with an airstone, box filter, plants and a heater but it worked. I think saying that you have no space for a QT tank is a copout to be honest, if you're that short on space maybe fishkeeping isn't the hobby for you.

Okay, now let us switch gears just a bit. Let us PRETEND that I have a quarantine tank, and that I just bought some fish. What should I do? I go home, acclimate the fish to the QT, and release them into it… then what?

Then You can watch the fish for 3-4 weeks. Let us pretend that you have a 55g planted tank with wathever the fish you like, let me say 40 tetras ( just an example ), well then you arrive a home witha school of 6 cories and put the Cories in the Hosp Tank, after a week suddenly you find an itch outbreak (Very common scenario) in the Hospital tank, now you'll only have to treat 6 fish and medicate 10g instead of treating 46 and medicate 55g, plus there are some medicaments not good for the plants and bacteria, just figure out after the treatment that you have to cycle your tank again !!!!!!! not good man, that's why expend a few buck in a spare H/Q tank can save you of a total disaster.

Hector

or...simplest way...do not buy sick fish...do not buy fish from a tank that you see other sick fish...dead fish or water that looks crappy.

it's a pain to always wait for 4 weeks before you add another fish when you are on your high peak of stocking a tank

I always try to buy healthier fish, but you never know, better safe than sorry.....

Okay, so I will buy fish and stick them in the QT for 40 days. During this period I will check for the development of disease (if any), then after the quarantine period I will transfer them to the main tank IF, AND ONLY IF, the fish are healthy… right? Did I miss anything?

Should I also quarantine plants? How about snails?

Yep the basic idea is that, maybe you don't have to wait the 40 days, but it deppends in what you see, ie if after 2-3 weeks the fish is healthy the you can put it in the main tank.

As for plants there are a few methods to "clean" it. Put them in a bowl, fill with water, take each plant and rinse it with water, remove any dried or damaged leaves as well any dead root and it should be ready.

Hope this helps

Hey until recently I'd heard 'quarantine tank' and thought it was just for the major league fishkeepers.

But a QT tank could have prevented my recent major disaster: I was taken in by a little out of town shop which had some fish I'd never seen before - marbled tetras. I bought two and after proper acclimatisation I thought that was pretty much it. BUT within a week I had lost the two new fish plus my two clown loaches to a particularly aggressive outbreak of Ich (despite treatment).

If only I'd taken the idea of quarantine seriously. Ignore this advice as your peril!

Pardon me, they were marbled hatchetfish, not tetras.