Do you actually quarantine your fish?

[Rainbowmama234]

I always QT, but it still doesn't get everything. About a year ago I bought some tiger barbs from one LFS in my area that is always recommended. I began QT and got white spots in the first week. I didn't really have a problems with this. My first instinct when buying fish is to expect white spots because it is so common(even though this was still the only time I have ever gotten them). Well I extended QT for another week and a half to make up for that time, put them in, and got internal parasites in my main tank from the new additions. My tigers(old and new) wasted away, stopped eating and out of 12(old and new), 4(2 new, 2 old) survived. I had my original 6 for a little over a year so I knew it was from the new fish. It took a month(after QT) for the parasite to spread throughout the main tank and kill my fish.

 

[wataugachicken]

I always QT, but it still doesn't get everything. About a year ago I bought some tiger barbs from one LFS in my area that is always recommended. I began QT and got white spots in the first week. I didn't really have a problems with this. My first instinct when buying fish is to expect white spots because it is so common(even though this was still the only time I have ever gotten them). Well I extended QT for another week and a half to make up for that time, put them in, and got internal parasites in my main tank from the new additions. My tigers(old and new) wasted away, stopped eating and out of 12(old and new), 4(2 new, 2 old) survived. I had my original 6 for a little over a year so I knew it was from the new fish. It took a month(after QT) for the parasite to spread throughout the main tank and kill my fish.

the issue there is that you didn't QT for long enough. a couple weeks won't always do it, as you have seen. only one barb needed to have some low-lying parasites that were not really affecting it, but combined with the stress of the ich and the treatment, the immune system went down and those parasites were able to take over all the fish. even if the fish get sick on day 27 of a 4 week QT, you treat them and when they are healthy again - whether it takes 3 days or 2 weeks - you start your countdown again once all fish are healthy. nearly all diseases have some sort of incubation period.

just think about the flu - you may have contact with a contagious person, but not become visibly sick (in a way that someone could look at you and tell that you probably have the flu) for 6-8 days. some people (me for example) never get the flu, but if they are carriers of the virus, they will still be infecting others for 5-14 days. so i can pick up the flu virus, multiply it in my body for 6 days, and be contagious for up to 2 weeks after that. if i went into some kind of quarantine, and passed someone in the hall on my way in who gave me the flu, it's possible that the other people in my QT group would not show symptoms of the flu for as long as 26 days later - my incubation period + the longest contagious period + their incubation period. the average would be about 20 days later though.

 

[Star_Rider]

I was browsing the entries in this thread, and hey, msjinkzd, if you see this, just outta curiosity what was the parasite that showed up after 3 weeks and 6 days?
(As for me on this topic, yes, I learned the hard way and yes, now I QT.)

I'm not Jinkies but

I had an ich outbreak in a marine QT 3 weeks and 4 days into QT.

some parasites ..particularly internal parasites take some time to show up..you may not see signs of the infestation in the fish for weeks. the parasite needs to multiply to a point you can see the infestation. this was the case with the ich in qt..it may take a few cycles for it to be visible.

 

[platytetrafan]

Yes I QT

 

[platytetrafan]

Yes I QT when the fish is obviously sick. I don't QT all the time when adding new fish really haven't had to:footinmouth: and I know that some will disagree with me. LFS I use is awesome and everytime I have been in there they are constantly doing wc's on their tanks cleanest tanks I have seen and I have been to a few LFS and the tanks are a mess. The manager is also very knowledeable and honestly I have fish in my 36g that are over a year old now and healthy purchased from her store.

 

[Rainbowmama234]

I didn't realize that I didn't include the time period. In total they spent 5 and a half weeks in QT. 1 month of the mandatory then the 1 and a half weeks of make-up from white spot treatment. Any fish I put in my QT tanks are in there for a month no exceptions. When they show disease I add on the time I spent treating them to the end time. I'm seeing it's common to completely restart the clock at day 1 again. That is something that I will defiantly start to do now. But I also agree that 2 weeks is in no way enough time in QT.

 

[katschamne]

LFS I use is awesome and everytime I have been in there they are constantly doing wc's on their tanks cleanest tanks I have seen and I have been to a few LFS and the tanks are a mess. The manager is also very knowledeable and honestly I have fish in my 36g that are over a year old now and healthy purchased from her store.

Just because their tanks look clean, their water quality could be the pits. One way to get rid of diseases, do lots of water changes. Our tanks look great too, but that could be an illusion. You can have ammonia, nitrites and nitrates, in a clean clear tank. I'm not saying that your LFS has poor water quality but just to let you know. I too pride myself on cleanliness, being knowledgeable and honest. Some people think that all pet store employees are out just to make a sale, but there are still a few of us out there that love their job and want help the customer. I glad you found a great LFS.

 

[cmartin]

Almost forget to mention - I have a complete set of 'tools' for the QT that never touch my established tanks. Python, cleaning cloths, nets, etc.

This was put in place with the 'worms' showed up in the tank. Some things can be spread just be using the same equipment in multiple tanks.

I lost far too many fish when I first started - and started to learn what 'cycling' was. Since then I have decided that the health and welfare of the fish I bring home are in my hands - and I try to do the best I can to keep them safe and healthy.

Being such a 'softie', a disease in my tanks will cost me a 'mint' as I would have to try everything I could to save the fish. It is cheaper and much less stressful to contain problems to a small tank.

 

[NeonFlux]

the issue there is that you didn't QT for long enough. a couple weeks won't always do it, as you have seen. only one barb needed to have some low-lying parasites that were not really affecting it, but combined with the stress of the ich and the treatment, the immune system went down and those parasites were able to take over all the fish. even if the fish get sick on day 27 of a 4 week QT, you treat them and when they are healthy again - whether it takes 3 days or 2 weeks - you start your countdown again once all fish are healthy. nearly all diseases have some sort of incubation period.

just think about the flu - you may have contact with a contagious person, but not become visibly sick (in a way that someone could look at you and tell that you probably have the flu) for 6-8 days. some people (me for example) never get the flu, but if they are carriers of the virus, they will still be infecting others for 5-14 days. so i can pick up the flu virus, multiply it in my body for 6 days, and be contagious for up to 2 weeks after that. if i went into some kind of quarantine, and passed someone in the hall on my way in who gave me the flu, it's possible that the other people in my QT group would not show symptoms of the flu for as long as 26 days later - my incubation period + the longest contagious period + their incubation period. the average would be about 20 days later though.

Interesting

 

[groovitudedude]

Only if I know that the fish are sick.