Quarantining fish question....

[bkl911]

Just had a thought about quarantining fish for the normal 6 week period. I was wondering what is the procedure to let them go in the display tank.

 

So, if I quarantine a fish and on week 4, he shows ich and I treat him, do I wait an additional 6 weeks after that. What happens if once again he has ich weeks later? Do I just keep treating or leave him in there until there are no signs of disease? So, possibly it could take months and months before the fish shows no signs of disease in a q-tank.

 

I have a hippo right now in quarantine, and he is showing signs of ich, but it shows the most in the morning....then when i get home from work, he looks pretty good, but then the next morning it is back...weird. The other fish in the q-tank look great and show no signs at all. I want to treat him properly and make sure he does not affect any other fish in my display tank. So, if he shows signs of ich continuously week after week, does he have a permanent home in my q-tank?

[Brian Ward]

Once you spot ich, you should definitely QT for 6 more weeks. Also, if 1 fish in the tank is exhibiting signs, that means you're not killing it off. Most likely the other fish in the QT have it as well and just aren't exhibiting symptoms. Many fish can live with ich - as long as they're healthy. Stressed fish are more likely to show symptoms. Your blue hippo shouldn't have to live in QT forever, you just need to adjust treatment to kill the ich.

 

Lower your SG and keep it there for 6-10 weeks. 1.010 should do the trick. If the SG goes above 1.012, you may have to start over so pay attention to your evaporation and keep the tank topped-off. If your fish appear to be healthy, consider treating with copper as well. The ich parasite cannot tolerate hypo, nor can it tolerate copper. The fish also do not tolerate copper well, which is why you need them to be healthy (think of it like chemotherapy). You should be able to kill the parasite and move the hippo eventually.

Edited April 1, 2009 by Brian Ward

[tsprice82]

+1 Brian's comment. I had a Tang in QT that had ich and did the 6 week hypo treatment. No problems since. Wetwebmedia.com has lots of info on hypo treatment.