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There are almost as many different quarantine processes as there
are aquarists in the hobby for more than 10 years. About the
only thing there are more of are uninformed hobbyists who claim
a quarantine is bad for fish, or who don't want to spend the
time, or inaccurately claim not all fish can or should be
quarantined, or who don't want to spend the $40. for a
quarantine kit, or who don't believe it is necessary, or who
believe that a healthy fish can survive any disease or parasite.
We, the Old Guard, for the most part know better. I wrote . .
.more than 10 years because if you've been in the hobby that
long, you've come to realize that performing a quarantine
process is essential to good marine husbandry. The smarter
aquarists know this from the outset and began using a quarantine
process from the first day in the hobby! What good is a
quarantine process? There's a whole list that a quarantine
process will: 1) Further acclimate the fish to captive life
without being bothered by other fishes; 2) Get the fish to eat
without it 'running away' and hiding; 3) Get the fish on the
right foods and nutrients; 4) Allow the fish to eat without
competition; 5) Give the fish a chance to recognize and become
acclimated to the aquarist; 6) Give the fish a chance to heal
any capture or travel injury or trauma; 7) Give the fish a
chance to recover from any condition or disease; 8) Prepare the
fish for a more competitive life in the community/reef tank; and
9) Protect the health of the display tank livestock. Maybe you
can think of more advantages/benefits of a quarantine process? I
think the best phrase I have ever seen another person post was,
"Quarantine provides a new fish sanctuary." It may sound corny
but ultimately -- The only thing you want to add to the marine
system is the fish (as opposed to parasites, pathogens, and
disease). Most aquarists as I do, have an emotional investment
with the fishes in the display tank. There is a money investment
too. A new fish bringing disease into the display that kills
other fish can be a significant loss of monies. But for me the
far greater loss is the loss of fish life for failing to protect
the display fishes from new arrivals bringing in disease.
Ultimately, the quarantine process is a stress reducer not an
added stress to a new fish. Even though only about 1/3 novices
and less experienced hobbyists perform a quarantine process, it
is a process performed by all marine livestock professionals
(e.g., public and private aquarium management). I can only
slightly alter the quarantine process found in this excellent
and comprehensive article:
An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure: A Quarantine
Tank for Everything by Steven Pro - Reefkeeping.com I
disagree with the above article on one point: Length of time to
hold a fish in quarantine. Four weeks is too short of time. I
recommend to quarantine no less than 6 weeks. Professionals may
quarantine fishes 3 or 4 weeks, but they take scrapings and/or
clippings of the fish and perform microscopic examinations to
identify the presence or absence of parasites and disease. Since
I don't expect the usual marine aquarist to do this, 6 weeks in
quarantine is the minimum I recommend. This post is to outline
my quarantine process in the context of the acquisition of a new
fish; and to further detail some aspects of my quarantine
process. Use it all or as much as you want, if you like what I
do. Keep in mind that I can't/won't recommend anything less than
this. Let's jump into the water. . . NOTE: Only quarantine one
fish at a time. The Quarantine process, abbreviated and in
outline form: Equipment and Supplies (The basic setup is often
available as a 'special' package) Properly sized bare-bottomed
tank (about 5-7 gallons for every inch of fish, longer and
shallow for fish like tangs that travel distances); this is the
quarantine tank (QT) Lighting (enough for the fish to see their
food, at least) Heater Simple Sponge Filter (corner filter) --
one per 15-20 gallons of water; with air pump and air tubing
Cleaned PVC piping or plastic decorations so fish can hide A
place to put this QT All the usual test kits (at least ammonia,
nitrite, and pH (or pH meter - see 8.), optional: alkalinity)
Measuring devices: BUY the refractometer (forget using a
hydrometer for hyposalinity treatments, which you're likely
going to have to do sometime if you stay in this hobby more than
a couple of years), thermometer, pH meter (if you can afford
$60-80 for a handheld field meter), etc. RO/DI or distilled
water and your favorite artificial salt mix. Do not use tap
water in the QT or display tank. Treatment equipment and
medications according to:
Stocking the Marine Fish Medicine Cabinet Optionally, a
substrate of clean and pure silica sand is okay. Some silica
sands are contaminated with carbonates and they must not be
used. [Note what's not on this list: carbonate substrate,
powerheads, circulating pumps, skimmer, UV, ozone unit,
landscaping, and carbonate containing rocks (live or otherwise)]
Preparation The sponge filter should be in the display system
(e.g., sump) and running all the time to be seeded with
nitrifying bacteria to be the biological filter for the QT. It
takes about 4 to 8 weeks for the sponge to be ready to serve as
the QT biological filter. Starting the QT Fill QT with water
from the display tank or make up fresh saltwater. Start
bio-filter (add sponge from display tank to QT and run it).
Tests: ammonia, nitrite, pH, specific gravity, and temperature
of the QT water. Make adjustments as needed. The QT is ready for
use. Prepare and keep on hand saltwater made from artificial
salts -- all future water changes will use this water not
display tank water. [NOTE: if the QT will not be used within a
couple of days, the aquarist should keep the biological filter
going by adding food to the QT and not removing it (see After
Use below). Just before fish is added, siphon off any leftover
foods and detritus. Just before adding fish, perform again the
above (and 1. below) series of water quality tests.] In Use
Procedures Monitor and test for ammonia, nitrite, pH, specific
gravity and temperature daily. Hold water quality constant and
good. (IF the biological/sponge filter was not seeded or it
stops working during a treatment, control ammonia and nitrites
by large water changes OR use chemical absorbents (e.g., Algone)
so long as the chemicals won't and don't interfere with any
medication. Make water changes whenever any ammonia is detected;
make water changes when 0.05 ppm or more nitrite is detected
when quarantine is performed on fish.) Make adjustments to water
daily to hold water test results in their proper range and to
keep them steady (Make adjustments more often (2-3 times per
day) if the biological filter is not or stops functioning.)
Remove uneaten foods 1 hour after each feeding time. Make 50% or
larger water changes every week or more frequently -- assuming
no treatment is being administered. Follow good water change
techniques:
how do I do a water change? (If a treatment is administered,
change water according to medication instructions. If water
changes are needed during treatment and the treatment isn't
over, medication must be added back to the QT water to keep
medication at a constant, recommended concentration.) After Use
The QT can remain running, with food (0.5 gram frozen food per
20 gallons) added every other day to keep the biological filter
running, OR Return sponge filter to display tank system (e.g.,
sump) and keep it running until needed again. Tare down the QT;
wash and rinse it out thoroughly; let dry; store so that it
can't/won't be contaminated or gather dust. Things Not To Do/Use
1. Don't use live rock in a QT. It may seem like a 'short cut'
for a biological filter, but you won't be able to treat the fish
with medications -- it will turn the live rock into base rock.
(See
What is Live Rock, Anyway? ) 2. Don't use any carbon or
general absorbing media -- it will interfere with any medication
you might want to administer. 3. Avoid the use of any 'high-end'
filtration system. Stick with a simple sponge filter. The
benefits include: easy to move it into and from the display
system for keeping it alive; it has no intake to injure a fish;
it gently moves the water's surface; and doesn't create too much
of a current. Your best control over water quality will be
testing and making water changes. HOWEVER, if you do have to use
a medication in the QT, then you might need carbon to remove the
medication. 4. Don't count upon any of those products that say
they will start your tank's biological filter by adding
bacteria. They usually won't help you and since you may be using
medication, they definitely won't be able to help. When you use
medication, many of the bacteria will die or just fail to come
out of their dormant state. 5. Don't attempt to quarantine
multiple fishes. 5.a If you would like a pair of anemonefishes,
for instance, either use two quarantine tanks or quarantine them
one at a time. There's no rush and there's absolutely no need to
put them into your display at the same time. 5.b One problem
with putting multiple fishes through the same quarantine is that
one fish can have a disease and give it to the rest. Now you're
treating fish that weren't ill to begin with. Or. . .The
nightmare: Every fish in the QT can have a different disease or
condition and they require different treatments. It's not worth
the trouble, risk, or likely loss. 5.c Another problem is that
putting multiple fishes through quarantine defeats many of the
above listed benefits of using a quarantine process. Check out
that list. Which of the listed benefits of using a quarantine
process would be lost if multiple fishes were in the QT? 6.
Don't assume everything is fine. Keep checking the water quality
and especially pH. A water change can mend a world of hurts! How
the quarantine process fits into the acquisition of a new fish:
Aquarist has fish (in a bag in a box; or a bag in a bag).
Acclimate the fish to its new water according to:
It Was Acclimation, I know. . . Give the fish a freshwater
dip according to:
Freshwater Dip for Marine Fishes Place fish into QT & follow
above general QT procedure. De-worm all eating fishes in
quarantine. (See below reference). Treat certain fishes for
anticipated diseases. See the 'Post Acclimation' recommendations
of this reference:
It Was Acclimation, I know. . . Closely monitor fish for
signs of injury, illness, parasites, infections, etc. Perform
any needed treatment. Get the fish starting to eat:
Food Presentation Feed proper foods with vitamins and
supplements according to:
Feeding Marine Fish and Fish Nutrition If fish does not
require treatment, continue to monitor the fish in the QT for 6
weeks. If fish was treated, then hold fish in QT for 4-6 weeks
AFTER the cure is finished and the medication (if any) was
removed from the QT water. After the QT time, the fish is bagged
and acclimated to the display tank water according to:
It Was Acclimation, I know. . . (NOTE: this could be a
shorted/abbreviated acclimation IF the QT water is very close in
quality and chemistries as the display tank water). ENJOY YOUR
HEALTHY FISH IN ITS NEW HOME! I have done the above (or a
version of the above) for more than 35 years now. For over 35
years my display tanks have been free of parasites, disease
microbes, flukes, intestinal worms, etc., etc. Together with
reduced stress:
Stress (and the Single Marine Fish) the fish live a long and
healthy life (oldest one is now 19 years old).
Take it a few steps further ...
Imagine this. You just bought a brand new fish. It looks ok and
it acts normal. So you decide to give it the textbook
quarantine—a separate tank for about 40 days. When all looks
normal, it gets added in with the rest of your stock. A short
time later, you notice a problem in your tanks. The fish look
sick and many are dying. What happened? You made one of the most
costly mistakes a fish-keeper can possibly make—insufficient
quarantine procedures. Let’s look at the mistakes more closely
and then discuss how to do it right. The first and most common
mistake made when people quarantine is to assume that a fish in
a separate tank is truly segregated from the rest of their
stock. Remember, any link between the quarantine tank and your
other fish is a means of spreading disease—even you. When you
put your hands in one tank and then another, you are serving as
a vehicle for any diseases in one tank to spread to another.
Many people believe that washing their hands and arms with soap
and water in between tanks will solve the problem. Not so. Short
of soaking your hands and arms in bleach, you won’t kill
everything on your skin. So what can you do? The best plan of
action is to take care of all business with your original stock
first each day before going anywhere near the quarantine tank.
After coming in contact with the quarantine tank, avoid contact
with your other tanks for as long as possible—the longer the
better, as fewer organisms will be able to survive the acidic,
enzyme-packed environment that is your skin. And since you are
going to such great lengths to make sure you transfer nothing on
your skin, it goes without saying that you should never share
equipment such as nets or buckets between your stock and
quarantine. Once you have two separate tanks set up, two sets of
equipment, and a fool-proof system for avoiding consecutive
contact—you’re all set, right? …Right? Here is where most
people make the second mistake. They place the quarantine tank
in close proximity to their other tanks—either in the same room,
or even worse, right next to each other. One half teaspoon of
water from an aquarium contains between 1 million and 1 BILLION
bacterial cells. The next time you watch that bubble from your
filter rise to the surface of the water and burst into millions
of micro-droplets, know that each of those airborne
micro-droplets can contain thousands of bacterial cells intent
on infecting everything they can reach in no time at all.
Distance is very important. Place your quarantine tank as far
away from your other fish as possible. At minimum, a different
room is a must. The dictionary defines “quarantine” as a 40
day period. Most people assume that if they have been faithful
to the guidelines above, and after 40 days the new fish still
look healthy, they are perfectly safe to introduce to their
stock. Here’s the hidden problem with doing that. Many fish
may look and behave perfectly normal, and yet carry all sorts of
diseases. They may carry a virus to which they are immune, a
bacterium which to them is normal flora or benign—but to your
other fish is a virulent pathogen, or any of a variety of
sub-clinical problems. But how will you know? The best thing
to do is to take a fish from your stock and add it to the
quarantine tank. Observe it. Does it show any signs of
illness? Is it still eating and acting normal? If so,
great—but, you’re still not done. The final step is to take
another fish from your stock and stress it. Leave it in a
bucket for a day or two—creating an immuno-compromised state.
Add this fish to the quarantine tank. If, after a period of
careful observation, it looks healthy—chances are it will be
safe to introduce the new fish to your stock. Should the above
scenario result in either of your two stock fish becoming ill,
or showing any other signs of poor health, the new fish should
be considered unsafe and removed from your hatchery or home.
Make sure to bleach everything which was exposed to water from
that tank.
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