Adding aquarium salt prophyllactically helps without building resistance. It helps with slime coat and electrolytes. Ich hates salt. You can go up to 1 tbsp salt per 5g, or quote a bit more with Cichlids and livebearers, especially Mollies. NO TABLE SALT!
Very informative so how about the fish med trio pack from Aquarium Co-op?I recently purchased it to have on hand so as I get new fish quarantine them for 30 days with no meds unless absolutely necessary then?
Excellent video, I was looking for info on what to medicate a quarantine tank with but I can see the logic of not medicating unless necessary. Just one additional thing I would add is that yes, it's obvious that we should use separate equipment, syphons, hoses nets etc but perhaps the most important and most easily overlooked is our hands. It's so easy to go from one tank to another without washing our hands in between but that is probably the quickest way to spread disease from one to another, just from the water on our hands.
Andy Stoke just said true and true and true !!! What kind of medicine 💊 , which of them we need to use !!! How much in ten litter water what is the temperature 🌡️ . Thanks
I learn soooo much from you, Cory, A Gamer's Wife, KG Tropicals, Rachel O'Leary, My Hectic Life Pets, Life with Pets 🤗 I APPRECIATE YOU ALL 🥰 I am 9mos into the hobby and learning quickly! From you, I hv also learned the no drip acclimation method, and more... I love that you all love the hobby so much that you are willing to share your knowledge and free of charge. I then do my part to "pay it forward"...when at the fish store, usually, Big Box, I help others and they seem to appreciate it! I even walk them to the aisles and help them shop products. P.S. Wasn't long before I developed MTS 😃.
I keep a "living" quarantine/recovery tank with plants, cherry shrimp and loads of small pest snails in it. The already stable and planted environment seems to really help. The shrimp don't seem to mind the treatments for fungus, flukes, etc and the fish will eat the small snails which provide loads of protein. Then once recovered, the fish goes home and the tank is left to re-grow on it's own until next time. Obviously anything like salt or methane blue can't be dropped in there. So I dip them in those separately before going in and then again when coming out and going back in to the pond.
I wondered about if a planted quarantine tank would be good! I plan to set one up, but normally when I see quarantine tanks they are pretty bare, or use only fake plants. I don't mind fake plants and simple decor, but I wondered if live plants would be beneficial at all for quarantined fish.
@@eliseheitmann8000 You can always put plants like devils ivy on the edge of the quarantine. Just remove them when you have to dose salt or other plant killing treatments.
Here is a topic I haven’t heard anyone talk about at all, is electrical plug safety. Also, getting a used tank or one older tank (10 years+), and the need to reseal it. Maybe show how to do that. I am a fan an I have the bug, so used tanks will be how I will do this. That’s how I got my first tank, was at a yard sale when I was 11, with my own money.
Agreed! Hey I am 61 getting back into the hobby after 40 years. There are so many used aquariums out there, why would I buy new? I can buy new equipment. I know how to deal an aquarium and like you I would like to see that demonstrated here. What is a bit sad, is that so many people have been in and out of the hobby because of no quarantine or from either bad advice or no advice.
Now I’m getting a quarantine tank. Bought a pair corydoras and the next day one was dead. After a few days my Otos started looking sick. Water quality was perfect. Than I noticed my Apistogrammas flashing and looking sick but thought nothing of it. The next day he was gasping for air on the surface. Velvet or some type of parasite. Treating my tank now and hoping my Kribs and Bristlenose don’t die. Learned the hard way and lost 8 fish!
I got a couple of corys and the next day one was dead. Went back to the store and most of them where dead. Its been over month and nothing else has died and everything is looking really healthy. But my tank is understocked and ive been cycling a sponge filter in my tank waiting to setup my quarantine tank.
Thanks for this objective and professional video. I’m doing my home work for starting our latest fish tank, a 648L or 176 US gallon tank. I’m planning to have 6 or so discuss fish in there. Yes lost nice fish over the years by cross contamination and being in a rush. So also from me thanks for taking the time to make this video and share your experience.
I'm new to hobby a few months since April 2021. Already 8 tanks and still learning. Watched almost all your videos. Recently a lot of fish is dying from specifically two tanks. Each tank has their own net, own class cleaner, etc. Water maintenance once per week (50%). What I decided, after troubleshooting is that both tanks got new fish in which I did not quarantine although I have a quarantine tank with fish in currently, newly bought, is that the fish from our local big bucks store has some issues. As it is the only common think in the two tanks where fish are dying. Water seems to be great as both tanks has some fry in them but adults is dying as well as other fish not bought recently. I've been doing the adding salt and raining the temperature thing a bit for two two weeks now and added a general cure medicine. Dying seems a bit less but still not over. What can be the issue here. Internal parasites/worms? As I do not think it is the water as their is babies in the tank which can only happen if conditions is good, right? Just a newby asking😊
If anyone has ich- use Copper-Aid! It worked like a charm on my goldfish to cure velvet and ich. No other medications I tried seemed to put a dent in the diseases and I lost several fish. Copper-Aid really does work guys
Thanks for this vid! Just lost 2 gouramis. Newbie mistake. Trying to tackle cloudiness and ich at the same time. Have learned a lot just 3 weeks into keeping fish. Wish to give it all up, but will persevere on with the remaining 4 mollies. Thanks again!
Awwhhh! I've had ups/downs... Newbie mistakes--not cycling with the right fish, over feeding...but I am learning quickly with each experience! I am looking fwd to it getting easier but I really am enjoying the end result: pretty aquascaping, fish in their habitat, feeding frenzy😃...Persevere we must!!
Most common problem i get when rushing fish into main tank is they get ich after 4 or 5 days. Look great until then, then a few spots show up. Always seems to be right around a week after adding for me
Thanks Jason for the great content. Do you quarantine snails or shrimp before adding to an established tank? If so, what signs do you watch for if they are healthy?
Nice video with good info. My fish room is in a spare bedroom and I took off the closet door and thats were my 20long quarantined tank is. I also have a separate bucket for water changes for it and thats where i keep the separate net, and siphon. I keep bare bottom just cause its easier to clean.
Thank you for your scientific insight. I work in veterinary medicine so I also know the potential downfalls of prophylactic antibiotics! However, I have heard of fish having tape worms and, at least with dogs and cats we always treat puppies and kittens with a deworming agent.. and follow up with a final dose 2 weeks later to ensure all parasites AND their offspring are destroyed. In your opinion, is there any downside to deworming all new fish during the quarantine period?
I don't think there is - other than the cost. I don't generally do it because I'm not sure fish are as heavily impacted by the parasites as dogs and cats?
Hey Jason, great video! I always learn a lot from your channel :) I have a 30g main tank and a 10g quarantine tank. The 10g has a weird little built in compartment in the back with filter media and a small pump to circulate water (there is no intake, the pump just pushes the water around the tank). Is it okay to take the filter media from the quarantine tank (before I set it up for new fish) and place it in my larger aquarium till it gets bacteria and pop it back? If so how long does it need to be cycled?
Sure - it usually takes about 3-4 weeks. You could also tank filter media form the 30 gallon and place it in the 10 gallon and it should work right away (for a small number of fish).
Nothing extreme, but I generally try to keep tank water out of my eyes, ears, nose and mouth and generally don't clean tanks if I have cuts on my hands. Good question!
Yes...that was a GREAT question bcs I might possibly hv some type of fish allergy to tank water, detritus, etc... Earlier on I would become ill within 24hrs of water changing any of my tasks 🤒... I hv since purchased huge, long gloves fr Harbor Freight tools! I did wonder if the gloves would leach chemical into the water. Per staff at private owned LFS, I washed the gloves with soap, rinsed thoroughly--haven't experienced any latex illness or chemical illness with my fish. P.S. I disinfect the gloves in bleach:water solution after each use--I use same gloves for each tank.
This was awesome that you so much!! I am actually studying microbiology at the moment so it was great to see you apply it to something you're passionate about!
Great advice thanks. I have a question on using filter media to stabilise the quarantine tank. Say you have a second sponge filter that you transfer over to it, how do you then put it back in your main tank without contaminating that? Do we need to just wash it and let it dry out so the bacteria dies off? This is more for a temporary quarantine/ hospital tank?
If the fish make it through QT properly there isn't a chance of any cross contamination? If they were healthy in the tank with no signs of disease the QT tank is fine too.
I assume you have at one point took a dead fish out of a tank, laid it somewhere on a paper towel and forgot to dispose if it and a couple days later come back and seen worms exploding out of the dead fish. I personally can't usually tell if a fish has worms, my rainbow fish and mollies I started with looked healthy and lived a while and find them dead. twice I pulled dead fish out and forgot them and found worms. I know nothing to tell if a fish has worms or a bacteria unless it is something like ick. this is why I treat all my fish in quarantine with hikari praziPro or API General cure. yes I agree they build up resistance just like we do, but all my fish get the 3 treatments and I have no more worms. I now let any occasional dead fish sit in a container for a couple days looking for worms. I like your videos, and you are well educated, what you say is true but I do not have the money to be infecting my tanks and honestly don't want to lose any fish. how can I not treat my fish, and how do I know my fish are parasite or infection free? how do you look at a fish and determine it is safe to be moved out of quarantine after 4-6 weeks untreated? thanks.
Thank you for this information. I have a question. I am fairly new to this hobby and I recently made one mistake you mentioned. I used the same syphon from one tank into another tank unaware at the time that the fish I have in one tank had fin rot. I introduced this bacteria into the second tank. Luckily I have no fish in the second tank as it was cycling at the time. Should I also treat the second tank with medication since I contaminated that tank? I'd hate to take all the gravel, plants, heater, biofilter, etc. out to disinfect it and start all over again.
Absolutely, if I think the fish need it. I don't want to drastically change their habitat from where they came from, or where they're going, unless I see evidence of disease.
I'm glad I watched your video, and it actually did make a lot of sense, especially that little microbiology part about antibiotic resistance. Very informative! I've got some imported guppies coming my way soon, so I'll keep what I've learned just now in mind. 👍
Do you recommend only using a hang on back that can have media transferred into it on a quarantine tank? If you take media or anything out of another tank and put it into a quarantine tank, can you put it back when you transfer the fish? -or after drying it out if something happens? If you have a quarantine tank running all the time with a sponge filter and there are no fish in the tank can you squeeze some filter media or waste water from cleaning sponge filters in other tanks periodically just to keep the bacteria going? I like to have one running in case I come home with a fish. My 10 gallon has been running for years and has some algae covered flower pots in it. I hadn’t lost any quarantined fish until recently. I lost a couple of otocinclus and then a few weeks later I lost a small electric blue acara. I did not detect a spike in ammonia or nitrates either time. My local fish store folks said the tank probably need to cycle again. I’m just trying to figure out best practices for maintaining a quarantine tank. Thanks for your input!
I usually just keep a bristlenose pleco in my QT tanks or some snails (and feed them). That usually keeps them in good shape. The other option is to transfer filter media from an existing tank to the QT when you add fish to the QT tank.
This has helped me alot. I have 7 tanks now with a quarantine tank. I buy from a local pet store that's only doing fish but, I buy the fish bring them home and put in quarantine tank for about 2-3 weeks. They looked ok and ate well. Not diseases on them. Put in my 20 long beautifully scraped tank now i got ICK!!! AND got ICK in another 5 gallon fluval because I got some Jilli cats and they looked ok so just put them in tank. Not sure if I contaminated that tank or the Jilli cats had ICK too. Bought from same store! So now having to medicate both tanks and trying to not contaminate my other tanks. It's hard all my tanks in our kitchen/living areas. Very frustrated. When I get them they all look good but then they developed in about 3 weeks in? Aaaaaaaaah. Now my Ember Tetras have ICK too. They are in the 20 long with the green tetras I thought were ok!This is so frustrating and awful.
Dude I’ve been watching you so long man. It’s June 27th 2024 you look so different 6 years ago! I love your videos man. Thanks for staying in the hobby. I lost a fish today due to face rot. He was a cuckoo catfish. I should have quarantine him. I’m just glad it hasn’t spread to my other cats.
I appreciate your knowledge of managing fish tanks. It seems to me you're education videos are geared towards more advance aquarium owners. However, the average tank owner of 1 or 2 tanks may not or does not have space for a quarantine tank, which requires additional maintenance and $$. Mos of the local stores only guarantee the fish for 7 days. After that you're our of money anyway. I'm welcome to your response and advice for basic aquarium owners like myself. Thanks!
Thank you for an informative video (years after it's production), as I appreciate the medication as a last resort approach! As a follow up question, if you choose to medicate a tank how do you responsibly dispose of the medication once dissolved? I recognize that the answer will differ based on community regulations, but even a 10gallon tank is a large volume of water to dispose responsibly. For malachite green (the active ingredient in Ich-X) would you remove it using a carbon filter, then dispose of the filter? What about an antibacterial like erythromycin (maracyn) or antibiotic like metrodinazole (paracleanse)?
Great question - the reality is it gets water changed out and down the drain. Usually the AB concentrations are greatly reduced once inside the tank for a number of days (it’s no longer active). The other meds may be more resilient though.
One of my Neon tetras i have had for about a month now has Neon Tetra Disease . I used a bacterial remedy treatment , what else should I do? Do I put him in a bowl ? I know it’s not ideal but I don’t have money for a second tank
I would definitely separate him if you have other fish in the tank. You can continue to treat him if you want, but often it costs far more in treatment compared to replacing the fish if cost is a consideration.
Hey there Jason need some advice please. I just received an order of tetras and they were shipped across the country overnight. They were alive when I got them but they all died overnight. It was a hospital tank, dechlorinated, no ammonia or nitrite and I did not add food. PH was 7.6 (source ph was 7.8). I temp matched for 25 min then plopped. No other fish in the tank. The vendor really thinks it was something I did with a new hospital tank, which could be the case, but I don’t know what else I could be missing that might have caused them to die basically in ten hours or so (overnight). Thoughts?🙏
Hard to say for sure. It does happen sometimes, but if there is no ammonia, nitrite and pH and hardness were mostly a match it probably isn't your water.
How can I quarantine Otocynclus? They mostly eat Aufwuchs and mostly are wild caught… Also the same thing with Neritina Snails. And thanks for this video. ❤️
I am currently setting up my first display tank and quarantine tank and I have a question regarding the necessity for air stones. In the 20 gallon display tank I have the Marineland Penguin Pro 125 filter and in the 10 gallon quarantine tank I have the Aqueon QuietFlow 10. I am new to fishkeeping so I will be sticking to simple community fish for the time being. Do you think these filters will do enough aerating or should I consider getting an airpump and air stones?
Unfortunately prior to watching your last two videos on it, my big black molly girl mouth turned white and her fins were shredding. I raise the temperature added salt and used API medicine. My question is prior to this problem I was using the same Nets and gravel vacuums on all five tanks to do cleaning and water changes. Should I treat all five tanks even though the fish seem fine? I would appreciate your reply very much ASAP. Thank you
I quarantined some guppies that I bought from a local pet store and the day after I brought him home one of them died. I treated the tank with marison and paraquins. They continued to die and then I read that pair cleanse doesn't get rid of red worms which it look like that's what they had so I bought expel P But the day it arrived is when I lost the final two fish. I did have a cory and a snail in the tank also so I did the two doses of expel p And then waited an additional week after finishing it before moving them into another tank. Corey looks great and is eating well etc. I saw somewhere to use peroxide to clean the tank and equipment/decorations. What are your thoughts on that? Also can a sponge filter be soaked in peroxide and then rinsed and air dried? I plan on soaking it in water for a day and then letting everything air dry preferably outside. Will that kill any parasites or bacteria that was in the aquarium? I'd like to use it for quarantine in the future.
How many 2 inch fish can I quarantine in a 10 gallon. I'm trying to stock my 75 gallon that currently has 6 zebra danios I want to have 6 different types of schooling fish?.
I have a new fish coming tomorrow (mustard spot Pleco).. my quarantine tank already has a fish with ich in it. What should I do?? Was going to roll the dice and add the pleco into my display tank. Is this a terrible idea?
Do I still quarantine fish if they’ve already been quarantined at a reputable local fish store? Do you quarantine each fish individually or together if bought together?
The (10) gallon ie "Hospital Tank" is definitely the way to go to conserve medicine like you say for small community fish. I keep extra sponges in my existing tanks. New Mr Clean sponges gathered enough healthy bacteria to seed my new tank. I am keeping fry in a (20) gallon next to my "hospital tank". As it turns out I wasn't just seeing things on my Dalmation Molly's lip. I dosed her with Paraguard in the (10) gallon tank and now the white spot is gone! It must've been an external fungus. SeaChem says she may have bumped ti. This is possible too bc I have flat round pumice airstone in my tanks. It is a carryover from my hydrophonic days. I am happy to see the white spot gone! I retuned her upstairs to my (30) tall.
What SHOULD their fecal material look like? White stingy is always seen as bad, but EVERY fish i have ever owned has had that at some point no matter if I dosed anti parasite meds or not. Is this a fact of fishkeeping that fish have extra "tails" or am I doing something wrong?
Good information and I love that you come at this scientifically. I'm in Canada and we just don't have many meds available. I put salt in my quarantine when fish first arrive, 1tsp/gal and increase to 1tbsp/gal if needed as a first attempt to treat anything external that crops up, and if not let the salt concentration go down naturally with water changes. How do you feel about hydrogen peroxide as a disinfectant?
How am I going to transfer the quarantined fish to the central tank without transferring some minute drops of quarantine water into the tank with the new fish…? Or, is this over thinking it….?
So do I clean my quarantine tank like my main tank once the fish are moved or does it need a deep clean to remove potential illness, and if so does that mean I have to restart the nitrogen cycle in the quarantine tank?
I was a fool and didn’t quarantine some new bristlenose plecos for my 55gl. Of course, they brought in ich. They are doing ok, but several other original fish were not as lucky.
@@PrimeTimeAquatics it will be ok! I’m using your tips (I have a biology BS, so what you said resonated with me), going to set up a nice quarantine tub, and prevent this from ever happening again
Do I have to quarantine a fish if its the first one I've ever had and it's going to be living alone? I might add two snails for algae control prior to getting the fish
So a couple of questions. 1) If you keep your equipment only for the quarantine tank, how do you move fish out of the quarantine tank into your regular tank? Which net would you use? 2) After you transfer the fish out of the quarantine tank, do you do a complete water change/filter change, basically cycle the aquarium all over again to prevent any previous bad stuff from infecting the next batch of fish? Or would it not matter? I find your videos very informative, so thank you!
Good questions. 1) If the fish made it through QT without any issues, you can assume the net is ok to use and the tank is in fact ok as well. 2) I usually leave a bristlenose pleco in each of my QT tanks to keep them cycled. Nothing really gets cleaned other than weekly maintenance. Again, once you move the fish out you are essentially saying the fish and the tank were problem free for the last four weeks. Thanks for watching!
@@PrimeTimeAquatics Wow that was fast. Thanks for the response. OK, so 1 more question. You said you leave a bristlenose pleco in. Does that mean that fish remains in with the quarantined fish, or do you move the pleco out first and then re-add after the quarantine period? I've just setup my own quarantine tank so just want to make sure I do the best for whatever fish i put in.
@@COMPNOR-97 I got the impression he leaves the Pleco in at all times even with qt fish 🤔 Plecos must be hardy. I forgot I learned WCMM are hardy, danios, rasbora--I bet any of these can be left in Qt?🤔
Great tips ! I’m just curious is it okay to add more new fish to a quarantine tank that already has fish in it ? Or is that possibly exposing the fish that were there already and are looking good during their quarantine ? What is the process of deciding who leaves the tank and goes into the main tank ?
Video 3 years ago but so informative for my QT today! I'm so grateful for this information! If you see this, I have a question. I quarantined 7 new goldfish. One showed signs of a fungal growth and didn't improve after salt baths and treatment with microbe lift and Artemis fungal medicine. After a week of worsening condition, I euthanized the little guy. Was the sick one a threat to the health of the rest? Or are they likely all infected but the sickly one just had poor immune system? Wondering whether I should continue to treat the QT tank. They look healthy and swim energetically.
I have found that fungal infections often impact the weakest fish in a group. Could it spread to the to the other fish? Maybe. I would keep them in QT for another few weeks just to make sure.
*sight* poor little Shubunkin in my aquarium probably got something. Swinming on the side, doing the dead and going back to the bottom if we move water around. I've created a quarantine tank from a tuperware, sadly i have no extra pump but i do have a heater and a desk lamp to put on the side. Parameters seems to me good (20°, ph 7.2, NO2=0, N03=5ppm, cl2 = 0 ppm) so... Let's find some anti bio thingy now ...
@@PrimeTimeAquatics *correction* no... Apprently amonia isn't in my "strip test". I do confuse NO3 (Nitrates) with Amonia (NH3) Let's see if i can find one tester today. From my i've found on the web seems to be "Swim bladder". After the water change, situation got best to worst (can't event swim "right" to the bottom, we discuss with some seller -not a doctor-, "confirming" the Swim bladder. You could a lot of thing and "no cure". But i've found on the internet it could be bacterial so... I've given a try and put a bit of anti-bio.
I do not treat prophylactically with antibiotics against bacterial infection but I do with some other drugs against other diseases. I don't believe drug resistance is an issue for drugs against other diseases outside of bacterial infections. I believe in aggressive prophylactic drug (or heat or osmotic) treatment except for bacterial infections.
Wow so much info to learn. I’m going to be a very first time fish owner. Just bought a 55 gal tank set it up and filled it today. A couple of questions, if I buy my fish all at once can I put them in the new tank without needing a quarantine tank? Also do you have a beginner video on exactly how to cycle my tank. I put the cycle stuff in it and water conditioner but now I have no idea what I’m waiting to check for or what I due now. Thank you in advance.
Great question - if the new fish are going into the new tank at the same time the new tank is essentially your QT tank, so you won't need another one unless/until you buy more fish at a later date. I've done videos on the nitrogen cycle and how to cycle a tank quickly - both are in my Water Parameters playlist! Thanks for watching!
What if you're buying new fish for a new tank? Should you quarantine each and every species? Group them by how they were grouped (or not) in the shop? Quarantine together because they came from the same shop?
Thanks, I was just wondering do you find if a fish gets ICK due to stress in the quarantine tank, do you ever find the fish can get the ICK again when you move it to the new tank due to stress. I'm new at fish keeping and was just wondering about this, any answers helpful please
Can you do a video on how to get fish into the main tank properly after a 30 day quarantine ? I can’t seem to find any videos of anyone showing the way to do it successfully.
So, not really necessary to put anything such as conditioners, stressguard, nitrifying bacteria in your quarantine tank (except dechlorinator)? Unless you recognized and diagnosis an issue. Then, treat.
I got a 10 gallon LED kit from Petco, it came with everything I needed to start a quarantine tank. I then took a large sponge filter out of my 75 gallon with established bacteria, then on a water change day, used the excess water from my 75 gallon to fill the 10 gallon. I’ve been quarantining my angels this way for a while now and it seems to be working pretty well.
Very good info. I just figured the meds were always necessary but the fish I bought do seem VERY healthy. BUT the tanks around them didn’t look so great. So maybe I should let them sit in quarantine for 2 weeks then if nothing comes up by week three then we are good?
I would leave them in for four weeks - some of the internal parasites don't show noticeable changes in fish health for 3-4 weeks. Smart that you are quarantining!
I recently learned this hard lesson about needing to have a quarantine tank. I purchase some electric blue acara that I did not notice had some ich starting on their tales until a couple days after getting them home. They were in our 75g tank. Sadly I lost both of them and an adult angel. I now have a dedicated 30g for a quarantine tank and keep an extra bag of bio media in my main tanks filter that I can remove and place into the quarantine tanks filter and then I just discard it afterwards and start over with a new bag of bio media as they are relatively inexpensive.
Good question - yes the disease would spread. Usually if people are buying lots of fish at once they are split into different QT tanks to help mitigate the risk.
@@PrimeTimeAquatics ok thank you. I didn't know to quarantine the first two (for company for one that I rescued & was very surprised he survived the horrific tank he was in) luckily they appear to be free from anything bad, so far. The aquatic shop is a very high standard specialist shop. Everything's super healthy but I will quarantine if I get any more.
dr. jason... always value you opinions...i have a fairly large online shipment coming in thursday...i have a 29 gallon and a 20 gallon that im going to set up to quarantine....how many fish for the 29....heres my list....2 yellow blaze..1 german yellow blaze and 1 malawi trout....1 rainbow.....1 sveni...2 alifrons...1 balazanii and 1 triangle...thanks philip
Thanks for the great explanation from a microbiological pint of view. I just brought a new Peppermint Bristlenose male home and quarantined him right away with an established old water quarantine tank. I have noticed his fins are a little ragged so I did put a little bit of Melafix in with him right before I watched your video but maybe one dose is ok, and I will turn his light down or off for a few days. I know he came from a clean tank where he was, but I really want to make sure he's really healthy before introducing him to my female Peppermint Bn, as it will be the first time for both of the to breed and im hoping for the best results for them, and their fry. I've been really impressed with your indepth explanations in the videos I have seen, so I thought it was time to subscribe and learn. Thanks Professor .🐙🎣
I've got a few fish in my tank with ich... I was planning on using the used filter to help jumpstart the nitrogen cycle in my 55 gallon tank. Is this a good idea?
I’m thinking about adding some new African cichlids (peacocks) to my 75 gallon, probably 6. I want to quarantine them so the other 8 won’t be affected. Would a 20 gallon long work? They would be 3-4 inches as I’m buying guaranteed males. This is my current quarantine setup but I mainly keep medium to small fish. If not I might just have to cough up some money to buy an extra 40 gallon.
Jason, what do you do to your quarantine / hospital tanks after they are used to prepare them for the next use? Especially if there are things like plants, caves, rocks, or substrate in them.
Hey! That is a great question. I generally leave them alone because I want to maintain all the beneficial bacteria. I usually leave a couple of bristlenose in them just to keep the tank cycled. If I encounter Ich, or something that requires fish to reproduce, I will remove all fish from that tank for a couple weeks. Without the host, the parasite dies. If there was a bacterial outbreak I would break the tank down, clean it with vinegar and leave it dry for a couple weeks.
Prime Time Aquatics Thanks for getting back to me. This may make a good follow-up video. I can't be the only one curious about this. I had been breaking down my tank after every use if there were any issues at all with the fish.
Title correction: How to Quarantine Fish with Stone Cold Steve Austin
Haha. Because I SAID SO. : -)
And that's the bottom line, and that's all I got to say about that!
You look at me when I’m talking to you fish with your beady little eyes
Brother that’s Keith Jardine
😭😭
You're right - if you're not going to prophylactically medicate, waiting a month for quarantine and observation is a great idea.
Yep.
Adding aquarium salt prophyllactically helps without building resistance.
It helps with slime coat and electrolytes.
Ich hates salt.
You can go up to 1 tbsp salt per 5g, or quote a bit more with Cichlids and livebearers, especially Mollies.
NO TABLE SALT!
Very informative so how about the fish med trio pack from Aquarium Co-op?I recently purchased it to have on hand so as I get new fish quarantine them for 30 days with no meds unless absolutely necessary then?
@@kinglyzard
K
He’s also right that prophylactically medicating like you do is bad
Excellent video, I was looking for info on what to medicate a quarantine tank with but I can see the logic of not medicating unless necessary.
Just one additional thing I would add is that yes, it's obvious that we should use separate equipment, syphons, hoses nets etc but perhaps the most important and most easily overlooked is our hands. It's so easy to go from one tank to another without washing our hands in between but that is probably the quickest way to spread disease from one to another, just from the water on our hands.
Very true!
Andy Stoke just said true and true and true !!! What kind of medicine 💊 , which of them we need to use !!! How much in ten litter water what is the temperature 🌡️ . Thanks
No antibiotics make sense, but what about internal worm meds?
I learn soooo much from you, Cory, A Gamer's Wife, KG Tropicals, Rachel O'Leary, My Hectic Life Pets, Life with Pets 🤗
I APPRECIATE YOU ALL 🥰
I am 9mos into the hobby and learning quickly!
From you, I hv also learned the no drip acclimation method, and more...
I love that you all love the hobby so much that you are willing to share your knowledge and free of charge. I then do my part to "pay it forward"...when at the fish store, usually, Big Box, I help others and they seem to appreciate it! I even walk them to the aisles and help them shop products.
P.S. Wasn't long before I developed MTS 😃.
Appreciate you being here!
@@PrimeTimeAquatics
Awww Shucks ☺ (she says blushing)
I keep a "living" quarantine/recovery tank with plants, cherry shrimp and loads of small pest snails in it. The already stable and planted environment seems to really help. The shrimp don't seem to mind the treatments for fungus, flukes, etc and the fish will eat the small snails which provide loads of protein. Then once recovered, the fish goes home and the tank is left to re-grow on it's own until next time.
Obviously anything like salt or methane blue can't be dropped in there. So I dip them in those separately before going in and then again when coming out and going back in to the pond.
I wondered about if a planted quarantine tank would be good! I plan to set one up, but normally when I see quarantine tanks they are pretty bare, or use only fake plants. I don't mind fake plants and simple decor, but I wondered if live plants would be beneficial at all for quarantined fish.
@@eliseheitmann8000 I think plants are great. They look good, and they help water changes not be needed quite as fast.
I just used aquarium salt at half dose in my planted tank. Plant growth slowed to a crawl but I didn't see any catastrophic results on the plants.
@@eliseheitmann8000 You can always put plants like devils ivy on the edge of the quarantine. Just remove them when you have to dose salt or other plant killing treatments.
Here is a topic I haven’t heard anyone talk about at all, is electrical plug safety. Also, getting a used tank or one older tank (10 years+), and the need to reseal it. Maybe show how to do that. I am a fan an I have the bug, so used tanks will be how I will do this. That’s how I got my first tank, was at a yard sale when I was 11, with my own money.
Nice ideas! I'll add them to my list. Thanks for watching!
Agreed! Hey I am 61 getting back into the hobby after 40 years. There are so many used aquariums out there, why would I buy new? I can buy new equipment. I know how to deal an aquarium and like you I would like to see that demonstrated here. What is a bit sad, is that so many people have been in and out of the hobby because of no quarantine or from either bad advice or no advice.
Now I’m getting a quarantine tank. Bought a pair corydoras and the next day one was dead. After a few days my Otos started looking sick. Water quality was perfect. Than I noticed my Apistogrammas flashing and looking sick but thought nothing of it. The next day he was gasping for air on the surface. Velvet or some type of parasite. Treating my tank now and hoping my Kribs and Bristlenose don’t die. Learned the hard way and lost 8 fish!
Sorry to hear about your outbreak of disease - you are doing the right thing!
I got a couple of corys and the next day one was dead. Went back to the store and most of them where dead. Its been over month and nothing else has died and everything is looking really healthy. But my tank is understocked and ive been cycling a sponge filter in my tank waiting to setup my quarantine tank.
Thanks for this objective and professional video. I’m doing my home work for starting our latest fish tank, a 648L or 176 US gallon tank. I’m planning to have 6 or so discuss fish in there. Yes lost nice fish over the years by cross contamination and being in a rush. So also from me thanks for taking the time to make this video and share your experience.
Good plan! Bigger tanks can be hard to treat, especially if there are expensive/sensitive fish.
I'm new to hobby a few months since April 2021. Already 8 tanks and still learning. Watched almost all your videos. Recently a lot of fish is dying from specifically two tanks. Each tank has their own net, own class cleaner, etc. Water maintenance once per week (50%). What I decided, after troubleshooting is that both tanks got new fish in which I did not quarantine although I have a quarantine tank with fish in currently, newly bought, is that the fish from our local big bucks store has some issues. As it is the only common think in the two tanks where fish are dying. Water seems to be great as both tanks has some fry in them but adults is dying as well as other fish not bought recently. I've been doing the adding salt and raining the temperature thing a bit for two two weeks now and added a general cure medicine. Dying seems a bit less but still not over. What can be the issue here. Internal parasites/worms? As I do not think it is the water as their is babies in the tank which can only happen if conditions is good, right? Just a newby asking😊
Please make timestamps in your long videos (: it helps a lot
If anyone has ich- use Copper-Aid! It worked like a charm on my goldfish to cure velvet and ich. No other medications I tried seemed to put a dent in the diseases and I lost several fish. Copper-Aid really does work guys
Thanks for this vid! Just lost 2 gouramis. Newbie mistake. Trying to tackle cloudiness and ich at the same time. Have learned a lot just 3 weeks into keeping fish. Wish to give it all up, but will persevere on with the remaining 4 mollies. Thanks again!
Hang in there. Sounds like your tank is probably cycling. Once everything gets settled in it really is a very enjoyable hobby. :-)
Awwhhh!
I've had ups/downs...
Newbie mistakes--not cycling with the right fish, over feeding...but I am learning quickly with each experience!
I am looking fwd to it getting easier but I really am enjoying the end result: pretty aquascaping, fish in their habitat, feeding frenzy😃...Persevere we must!!
Most common problem i get when rushing fish into main tank is they get ich after 4 or 5 days. Look great until then, then a few spots show up. Always seems to be right around a week after adding for me
Exactly what I am going through with right now. Lol
Thanks Jason for the great content. Do you quarantine snails or shrimp before adding to an established tank? If so, what signs do you watch for if they are healthy?
I don't only because they usually don't harbor the same parasites that impact fish without a third novel host.
@@PrimeTimeAquatics Thanks so much! Love both channels you and Joanna have. Happy New Year!!
I'm new to the hobby, I had a thriving tank until there was an ich outbreak. I'm starting a 10 gallon quarentine tank now.
Nice video with good info. My fish room is in a spare bedroom and I took off the closet door and thats were my 20long quarantined tank is. I also have a separate bucket for water changes for it and thats where i keep the separate net, and siphon. I keep bare bottom just cause its easier to clean.
Thank you for your scientific insight. I work in veterinary medicine so I also know the potential downfalls of prophylactic antibiotics! However, I have heard of fish having tape worms and, at least with dogs and cats we always treat puppies and kittens with a deworming agent.. and follow up with a final dose 2 weeks later to ensure all parasites AND their offspring are destroyed. In your opinion, is there any downside to deworming all new fish during the quarantine period?
I don't think there is - other than the cost. I don't generally do it because I'm not sure fish are as heavily impacted by the parasites as dogs and cats?
Prime Time Aquatics thank for your reply! Yeah, I don’t know either lol fish are new to me so I’m learning every day!
Hey Jason, great video! I always learn a lot from your channel :)
I have a 30g main tank and a 10g quarantine tank. The 10g has a weird little built in compartment in the back with filter media and a small pump to circulate water (there is no intake, the pump just pushes the water around the tank). Is it okay to take the filter media from the quarantine tank (before I set it up for new fish) and place it in my larger aquarium till it gets bacteria and pop it back? If so how long does it need to be cycled?
Sure - it usually takes about 3-4 weeks. You could also tank filter media form the 30 gallon and place it in the 10 gallon and it should work right away (for a small number of fish).
Jason, do you do anything to protect yourself from possible fish to human infection?
Nothing extreme, but I generally try to keep tank water out of my eyes, ears, nose and mouth and generally don't clean tanks if I have cuts on my hands. Good question!
Yes...that was a GREAT question bcs I might possibly hv some type of fish allergy to tank water, detritus, etc...
Earlier on I would become ill within 24hrs of water changing any of my tasks 🤒...
I hv since purchased huge, long gloves fr Harbor Freight tools!
I did wonder if the gloves would leach chemical into the water. Per staff at private owned LFS, I washed the gloves with soap, rinsed thoroughly--haven't experienced any latex illness or chemical illness with my fish.
P.S. I disinfect the gloves in bleach:water solution after each use--I use same gloves for each tank.
This was awesome that you so much!! I am actually studying microbiology at the moment so it was great to see you apply it to something you're passionate about!
That is so cool! Hope you enjoy as much as I have. :-)
Great advice thanks. I have a question on using filter media to stabilise the quarantine tank. Say you have a second sponge filter that you transfer over to it, how do you then put it back in your main tank without contaminating that? Do we need to just wash it and let it dry out so the bacteria dies off? This is more for a temporary quarantine/ hospital tank?
You can certainly do that. Also, if the fish made it through without any issues chances are your filter is fine too.
So how do you transfer your fish to your normal tank with out cross contamination with the net or so forth?
If the fish make it through QT properly there isn't a chance of any cross contamination? If they were healthy in the tank with no signs of disease the QT tank is fine too.
Whoa where is the beard 😂 love your guys content. I am Avery particular person and have to have exact information.
I assume you have at one point took a dead fish out of a tank, laid it somewhere on a paper towel and forgot to dispose if it and a couple days later come back and seen worms exploding out of the dead fish.
I personally can't usually tell if a fish has worms, my rainbow fish and mollies I started with looked healthy and lived a while and find them dead. twice I pulled dead fish out and forgot them and found worms.
I know nothing to tell if a fish has worms or a bacteria unless it is something like ick.
this is why I treat all my fish in quarantine with hikari praziPro or API General cure.
yes I agree they build up resistance just like we do, but all my fish get the 3 treatments and I have no more worms. I now let any occasional dead fish sit in a container for a couple days looking for worms.
I like your videos, and you are well educated, what you say is true but I do not have the money to be infecting my tanks and honestly don't want to lose any fish.
how can I not treat my fish, and how do I know my fish are parasite or infection free?
how do you look at a fish and determine it is safe to be moved out of quarantine after 4-6 weeks untreated? thanks.
Thank you for this information. I have a question. I am fairly new to this hobby and I recently made one mistake you mentioned. I used the same syphon from one tank into another tank unaware at the time that the fish I have in one tank had fin rot. I introduced this bacteria into the second tank. Luckily I have no fish in the second tank as it was cycling at the time. Should I also treat the second tank with medication since I contaminated that tank? I'd hate to take all the gravel, plants, heater, biofilter, etc. out to disinfect it and start all over again.
You can, but often the infectious agent doesn't remain viable long without a host.
Have you consider salt and heat for the quarantine tanks? Depending on the type of fish?
Absolutely, if I think the fish need it. I don't want to drastically change their habitat from where they came from, or where they're going, unless I see evidence of disease.
How much salt should I add to quarantine tank if fish has ICH.? . It’s ok to have filter w/Carbon after adding salt?
I'm glad I watched your video, and it actually did make a lot of sense, especially that little microbiology part about antibiotic resistance. Very informative! I've got some imported guppies coming my way soon, so I'll keep what I've learned just now in mind. 👍
Glad it helped!
So glad I waited 3 weeks before adding my green neons to the main tank, day 13 they presented with ick. Thank goodness I waited
Smart!
Do you recommend only using a hang on back that can have media transferred into it on a quarantine tank? If you take media or anything out of another tank and put it into a quarantine tank, can you put it back when you transfer the fish? -or after drying it out if something happens? If you have a quarantine tank running all the time with a sponge filter and there are no fish in the tank can you squeeze some filter media or waste water from cleaning sponge filters in other tanks periodically just to keep the bacteria going? I like to have one running in case I come home with a fish. My 10 gallon has been running for years and has some algae covered flower pots in it. I hadn’t lost any quarantined fish until recently. I lost a couple of otocinclus and then a few weeks later I lost a small electric blue acara. I did not detect a spike in ammonia or nitrates either time. My local fish store folks said the tank probably need to cycle again. I’m just trying to figure out best practices for maintaining a quarantine tank. Thanks for your input!
I usually just keep a bristlenose pleco in my QT tanks or some snails (and feed them). That usually keeps them in good shape. The other option is to transfer filter media from an existing tank to the QT when you add fish to the QT tank.
This has helped me alot. I have 7 tanks now with a quarantine tank. I buy from a local pet store that's only doing fish but, I buy the fish bring them home and put in quarantine tank for about 2-3 weeks. They looked ok and ate well. Not diseases on them. Put in my 20 long beautifully scraped tank now i got ICK!!! AND got ICK in another 5 gallon fluval because I got some Jilli cats and they looked ok so just put them in tank. Not sure if I contaminated that tank or the Jilli cats had ICK too. Bought from same store! So now having to medicate both tanks and trying to not contaminate my other tanks. It's hard all my tanks in our kitchen/living areas. Very frustrated. When I get them they all look good but then they developed in about 3 weeks in? Aaaaaaaaah. Now my Ember Tetras have ICK too. They are in the 20 long with the green tetras I thought were ok!This is so frustrating and awful.
I’m sorry you’re having to deal with it.
Dude I’ve been watching you so long man. It’s June 27th 2024 you look so different 6 years ago! I love your videos man. Thanks for staying in the hobby. I lost a fish today due to face rot. He was a cuckoo catfish. I should have quarantine him. I’m just glad it hasn’t spread to my other cats.
Sorry that happened. Thanks for being here!
Great video Jason, I caught myself several time using the same net on different tanks.
I appreciate your knowledge of managing fish tanks. It seems to me you're education videos are geared towards more advance aquarium owners. However, the average tank owner of 1 or 2 tanks may not or does not have space for a quarantine tank, which requires additional maintenance and $$. Mos of the local stores only guarantee the fish for 7 days. After that you're our of money anyway. I'm welcome to your response and advice for basic aquarium owners like myself. Thanks!
There’s not much you can do to protect existing fish without a QT tank, unfortunately.
Most my fishes are rescue from Petco they just throw them away 😭
Very good video !!! Very informative for sure
Corey Smith Thank you!
Thank you for an informative video (years after it's production), as I appreciate the medication as a last resort approach! As a follow up question, if you choose to medicate a tank how do you responsibly dispose of the medication once dissolved? I recognize that the answer will differ based on community regulations, but even a 10gallon tank is a large volume of water to dispose responsibly. For malachite green (the active ingredient in Ich-X) would you remove it using a carbon filter, then dispose of the filter? What about an antibacterial like erythromycin (maracyn) or antibiotic like metrodinazole (paracleanse)?
Great question - the reality is it gets water changed out and down the drain. Usually the AB concentrations are greatly reduced once inside the tank for a number of days (it’s no longer active). The other meds may be more resilient though.
One of my Neon tetras i have had for about a month now has Neon Tetra Disease . I used a bacterial remedy treatment , what else should I do? Do I put him in a bowl ? I know it’s not ideal but I don’t have money for a second tank
I would definitely separate him if you have other fish in the tank. You can continue to treat him if you want, but often it costs far more in treatment compared to replacing the fish if cost is a consideration.
Hey there Jason need some advice please. I just received an order of tetras and they were shipped across the country overnight. They were alive when I got them but they all died overnight. It was a hospital tank, dechlorinated, no ammonia or nitrite and I did not add food. PH was 7.6 (source ph was 7.8). I temp matched for 25 min then plopped. No other fish in the tank. The vendor really thinks it was something I did with a new hospital tank, which could be the case, but I don’t know what else I could be missing that might have caused them to die basically in ten hours or so (overnight). Thoughts?🙏
Hard to say for sure. It does happen sometimes, but if there is no ammonia, nitrite and pH and hardness were mostly a match it probably isn't your water.
How can I quarantine Otocynclus?
They mostly eat Aufwuchs and mostly are wild caught… Also the same thing with Neritina Snails.
And thanks for this video. ❤️
You can feed them algae wafers while in QT!
Do you think a 10 gallon would be sufficient size to quarantine 6 small dwarf neon rainbowfish?
Sure
I am currently setting up my first display tank and quarantine tank and I have a question regarding the necessity for air stones. In the 20 gallon display tank I have the Marineland Penguin Pro 125 filter and in the 10 gallon quarantine tank I have the Aqueon QuietFlow 10. I am new to fishkeeping so I will be sticking to simple community fish for the time being. Do you think these filters will do enough aerating or should I consider getting an airpump and air stones?
The air stones really aren't necessary, but they certainly don't hurt anything.
Unfortunately prior to watching your last two videos on it, my big black molly girl mouth turned white and her fins were shredding. I raise the temperature added salt and used API medicine. My question is prior to this problem I was using the same Nets and gravel vacuums on all five tanks to do cleaning and water changes. Should I treat all five tanks even though the fish seem fine? I would appreciate your reply very much ASAP. Thank you
I would keep an eye on those other tanks. It doesn't sound like ich, which almost always spreads to other tanks. This may not, but watch them.
I quarantined some guppies that I bought from a local pet store and the day after I brought him home one of them died. I treated the tank with marison and paraquins. They continued to die and then I read that pair cleanse doesn't get rid of red worms which it look like that's what they had so I bought expel P But the day it arrived is when I lost the final two fish. I did have a cory and a snail in the tank also so I did the two doses of expel p And then waited an additional week after finishing it before moving them into another tank. Corey looks great and is eating well etc. I saw somewhere to use peroxide to clean the tank and equipment/decorations. What are your thoughts on that? Also can a sponge filter be soaked in peroxide and then rinsed and air dried? I plan on soaking it in water for a day and then letting everything air dry preferably outside. Will that kill any parasites or bacteria that was in the aquarium? I'd like to use it for quarantine in the future.
You can certainly do that. If it were some type of worm, just letting everything dry will ensure the worms die too.
How many 2 inch fish can I quarantine in a 10 gallon. I'm trying to stock my 75 gallon that currently has 6 zebra danios I want to have 6 different types of schooling fish?.
Maybe 6-10?
I have a new fish coming tomorrow (mustard spot Pleco).. my quarantine tank already has a fish with ich in it. What should I do?? Was going to roll the dice and add the pleco into my display tank. Is this a terrible idea?
Usually that’s a bad idea.
Would you QT the fish from the GCCA rare fish auctions? The guy that runs it says they do for a month but I’m not sure he’s trustworthy. Thank you.
100% - I have had my share of issues with those fish. QT for 4 weeks
Do I still quarantine fish if they’ve already been quarantined at a reputable local fish store? Do you quarantine each fish individually or together if bought together?
I still QT them, but you can keep them all together if you bought them at the same time.
The (10) gallon ie "Hospital Tank" is definitely the way to go to conserve medicine like you say for small community fish. I keep extra sponges in my existing tanks. New Mr Clean sponges gathered enough healthy bacteria to seed my new tank. I am keeping fry in a (20) gallon next to my "hospital tank". As it turns out I wasn't just seeing things on my Dalmation Molly's lip. I dosed her with Paraguard in the (10) gallon tank and now the white spot is gone! It must've been an external fungus. SeaChem says she may have bumped ti. This is possible too bc I have flat round pumice airstone in my tanks. It is a carryover from my hydrophonic days. I am happy to see the white spot gone! I retuned her upstairs to my (30) tall.
Best quarantine how to video!
Thank you!
What SHOULD their fecal material look like? White stingy is always seen as bad, but EVERY fish i have ever owned has had that at some point no matter if I dosed anti parasite meds or not. Is this a fact of fishkeeping that fish have extra "tails" or am I doing something wrong?
I generally don't see a lot of white stringy poop. Usually just brown.
Good information and I love that you come at this scientifically. I'm in Canada and we just don't have many meds available. I put salt in my quarantine when fish first arrive, 1tsp/gal and increase to 1tbsp/gal if needed as a first attempt to treat anything external that crops up, and if not let the salt concentration go down naturally with water changes. How do you feel about hydrogen peroxide as a disinfectant?
H2O2 can work too. Just have to be careful with it.
How do you transfer fish with a net from the hospital tank to another without SOME hospital tank water touching the clean tank?
As long as everything was treated properly it won't matter.
I qt for 6 weeks I hate it but I found the best results that way
That's very smart!
How am I going to transfer the quarantined fish to the central tank without transferring some minute drops of quarantine water into the tank with the new fish…? Or, is this over thinking it….?
Good question - If the fish get through QT as explained the water shouldn’t be a danger to your established aquarium.
Do you sterilize the cycled filter media after finishing quarantine?
If the fish made it through ok I don’t.
What about the fish store tells you they have already been quarantined in their shop..What do you do ?
I still do my own.
Question if anyone can help! Do I leave the light on all the time for the Angelfish fry???
I would just leave it on the same amount as the rest of your fish. Good luck!
My betta is not swimming and floating at the top.....but when I give him food,he eats...can u tell me how can I save my betta
I always start with water parameters -76 - 80 degrees, no ammonia or nitrite and less than 20ppm nitrate.
So do I clean my quarantine tank like my main tank once the fish are moved or does it need a deep clean to remove potential illness, and if so does that mean I have to restart the nitrogen cycle in the quarantine tank?
If your fish are safe to move to your display tank the QT tank should be ok too.
Do I need to quarantine my fish if my existing tank doesn't have any fish and it's going to be the only fish in the tank.
Nope - the new tank becomes the QT for the first inhabitants.
Awesome explanation on the style of quarantine. Great video.
Thank you!
I was a fool and didn’t quarantine some new bristlenose plecos for my 55gl. Of course, they brought in ich. They are doing ok, but several other original fish were not as lucky.
Sorry that happened.
@@PrimeTimeAquatics it will be ok! I’m using your tips (I have a biology BS, so what you said resonated with me), going to set up a nice quarantine tub, and prevent this from ever happening again
Do I have to quarantine a fish if its the first one I've ever had and it's going to be living alone? I might add two snails for algae control prior to getting the fish
Nope - the new tank becomes the QT tank 😀
So a couple of questions. 1) If you keep your equipment only for the quarantine tank, how do you move fish out of the quarantine tank into your regular tank? Which net would you use? 2) After you transfer the fish out of the quarantine tank, do you do a complete water change/filter change, basically cycle the aquarium all over again to prevent any previous bad stuff from infecting the next batch of fish? Or would it not matter?
I find your videos very informative, so thank you!
Good questions. 1) If the fish made it through QT without any issues, you can assume the net is ok to use and the tank is in fact ok as well. 2) I usually leave a bristlenose pleco in each of my QT tanks to keep them cycled. Nothing really gets cleaned other than weekly maintenance. Again, once you move the fish out you are essentially saying the fish and the tank were problem free for the last four weeks. Thanks for watching!
@@PrimeTimeAquatics Wow that was fast. Thanks for the response. OK, so 1 more question. You said you leave a bristlenose pleco in. Does that mean that fish remains in with the quarantined fish, or do you move the pleco out first and then re-add after the quarantine period? I've just setup my own quarantine tank so just want to make sure I do the best for whatever fish i put in.
@@COMPNOR-97
I got the impression he leaves the Pleco in at all times even with qt fish 🤔 Plecos must be hardy.
I forgot I learned WCMM are hardy, danios, rasbora--I bet any of these can be left in Qt?🤔
"You'll need a 40 gallon quarantine tank!" (Looks at his 22 gallon main display tank in his tiny fish room)
I can't find any info on how to return a fish from a hospital tank to the main tank.
If they have shown no signs of disease for four consecutive weeks I just put them back in their tank.
Great tips ! I’m just curious is it okay to add more new fish to a quarantine tank that already has fish in it ? Or is that possibly exposing the fish that were there already and are looking good during their quarantine ? What is the process of deciding who leaves the tank and goes into the main tank ?
Good question - I would wait until the other ones clear. If I had to add more I would restart the clock again on the older fish.
@@PrimeTimeAquatics thanks a lot. I’ll start over since my Pink Convict Cichlid got here later than I expected. I really appreciate it.
I didn't realize you used to look like Stone Cold Steve Austin.
I once had a kid ask me for my autograph because he thought I was him. Haha
Can you mix general cure with ICH X?
For sure!
How should i disinfect my live plants?
You can spray them down with 10% H2O2 if you want?
Video 3 years ago but so informative for my QT today! I'm so grateful for this information! If you see this, I have a question. I quarantined 7 new goldfish. One showed signs of a fungal growth and didn't improve after salt baths and treatment with microbe lift and Artemis fungal medicine. After a week of worsening condition, I euthanized the little guy. Was the sick one a threat to the health of the rest? Or are they likely all infected but the sickly one just had poor immune system? Wondering whether I should continue to treat the QT tank. They look healthy and swim energetically.
I have found that fungal infections often impact the weakest fish in a group. Could it spread to the to the other fish? Maybe. I would keep them in QT for another few weeks just to make sure.
@@PrimeTimeAquatics Thanks so much for the tip. I will do so.
*sight* poor little Shubunkin in my aquarium probably got something. Swinming on the side, doing the dead and going back to the bottom if we move water around.
I've created a quarantine tank from a tuperware, sadly i have no extra pump but i do have a heater and a desk lamp to put on the side. Parameters seems to me good (20°, ph 7.2, NO2=0, N03=5ppm, cl2 = 0 ppm) so... Let's find some anti bio thingy now ...
Were you able to test for ammonia?
@@PrimeTimeAquatics *correction* no... Apprently amonia isn't in my "strip test". I do confuse NO3 (Nitrates) with Amonia (NH3) Let's see if i can find one tester today.
From my i've found on the web seems to be "Swim bladder".
After the water change, situation got best to worst (can't event swim "right" to the bottom, we discuss with some seller -not a doctor-, "confirming" the Swim bladder. You could a lot of thing and "no cure". But i've found on the internet it could be bacterial so... I've given a try and put a bit of anti-bio.
I do not treat prophylactically with antibiotics against bacterial infection but I do with some other drugs against other diseases.
I don't believe drug resistance is an issue for drugs against other diseases outside of bacterial infections. I believe in aggressive prophylactic drug (or heat or osmotic) treatment except for bacterial infections.
Wow so much info to learn. I’m going to be a very first time fish owner. Just bought a 55 gal tank set it up and filled it today. A couple of questions, if I buy my fish all at once can I put them in the new tank without needing a quarantine tank? Also do you have a beginner video on exactly how to cycle my tank. I put the cycle stuff in it and water conditioner but now I have no idea what I’m waiting to check for or what I due now. Thank you in advance.
Great question - if the new fish are going into the new tank at the same time the new tank is essentially your QT tank, so you won't need another one unless/until you buy more fish at a later date. I've done videos on the nitrogen cycle and how to cycle a tank quickly - both are in my Water Parameters playlist! Thanks for watching!
Thanks for asking my question!
new at keeping discus, have kept fresh water kept marine had a pound 6 thousand gals koi and back to keeping discus fantastic …..
What if you're buying new fish for a new tank? Should you quarantine each and every species? Group them by how they were grouped (or not) in the shop? Quarantine together because they came from the same shop?
I generally QT them together.
Ah awesome, thank you 👍
Thanks, I was just wondering do you find if a fish gets ICK due to stress in the quarantine tank, do you ever find the fish can get the ICK again when you move it to the new tank due to stress. I'm new at fish keeping and was just wondering about this, any answers helpful please
Good question. I haven't had that happen. If the ich is treated properly while in QT, they should be ok once they are moved.
Thank you 🙏
Good video
Can you do a video on how to get fish into the main tank properly after a 30 day quarantine ? I can’t seem to find any videos of anyone showing the way to do it successfully.
I just net them out and put them in the display tank.
All great tips. :)
Thanks!
So, not really necessary to put anything such as conditioners, stressguard, nitrifying bacteria in your quarantine tank (except dechlorinator)? Unless you recognized and diagnosis an issue. Then, treat.
As long as you have cycled media you don’t need to add bacteria, but if the media is new I would add some Fritzyme 7.
@@PrimeTimeAquatics Got it. Thank you!
I got a 10 gallon LED kit from Petco, it came with everything I needed to start a quarantine tank. I then took a large sponge filter out of my 75 gallon with established bacteria, then on a water change day, used the excess water from my 75 gallon to fill the 10 gallon. I’ve been quarantining my angels this way for a while now and it seems to be working pretty well.
Is it just me or does this look like it's green screened?
Too funny - that’s one thing I don’t have.
If we adding new fish for empty cycle tank .. Do we have to quarantine ??
Nope - that can be your QT tank!
@@PrimeTimeAquatics mine is new tank getting cycle next week thinking to add few fish.... So I can add it directly right ???
Listen to this guy. He knows what he's talking about.
Very good info. I just figured the meds were always necessary but the fish I bought do seem VERY healthy. BUT the tanks around them didn’t look so great. So maybe I should let them sit in quarantine for 2 weeks then if nothing comes up by week three then we are good?
I would leave them in for four weeks - some of the internal parasites don't show noticeable changes in fish health for 3-4 weeks. Smart that you are quarantining!
I recently learned this hard lesson about needing to have a quarantine tank. I purchase some electric blue acara that I did not notice had some ich starting on their tales until a couple days after getting them home. They were in our 75g tank. Sadly I lost both of them and an adult angel.
I now have a dedicated 30g for a quarantine tank and keep an extra bag of bio media in my main tanks filter that I can remove and place into the quarantine tanks filter and then I just discard it afterwards and start over with a new bag of bio media as they are relatively inexpensive.
My only question is if I buy 500 fish and put them in a quarantine tank if 1 had a desease won't they kill the other fish
Good question - yes the disease would spread. Usually if people are buying lots of fish at once they are split into different QT tanks to help mitigate the risk.
@@PrimeTimeAquatics thank you for actually taking the time to reply
Great advice, Thank you.
Do you have to quarantine if the fish came from the same aquatic specialist shop that your existing fish came from?
Definitely. You don’t know what has happened in the tank since the last time you bought fish from them.
@@PrimeTimeAquatics ok thank you. I didn't know to quarantine the first two (for company for one that I rescued & was very surprised he survived the horrific tank he was in) luckily they appear to be free from anything bad, so far. The aquatic shop is a very high standard specialist shop. Everything's super healthy but I will quarantine if I get any more.
Thank you VERY much for your candid and professional advise!
Superbly explained sir followed as a tutorial should. 👏👏
Wow found this old video didn't recognize u lol.. just kidding u look 👍
That’s the way back machine. Haha
@@PrimeTimeAquatics 😆
Yooo
dr. jason... always value you opinions...i have a fairly large online shipment coming in thursday...i have a 29 gallon and a 20 gallon that im going to set up to quarantine....how many fish for the 29....heres my list....2 yellow blaze..1 german yellow blaze and 1 malawi trout....1 rainbow.....1 sveni...2 alifrons...1 balazanii and 1 triangle...thanks philip
If they are small try to spilt them up as evenly as possible. Obviously, the 29 can hold a little more.
Thanks for the great explanation from a microbiological pint of view.
I just brought a new Peppermint Bristlenose male home and quarantined him right away with an established old water quarantine tank. I have noticed his fins are a little ragged so I did put a little bit of Melafix in with him right before I watched your video but maybe one dose is ok, and I will turn his light down or off for a few days. I know he came from a clean tank where he was, but I really want to make sure he's really healthy before introducing him to my female Peppermint Bn, as it will be the first time for both of the to breed and im hoping for the best results for them, and their fry.
I've been really impressed with your indepth explanations in the videos I have seen, so I thought it was time to subscribe and learn. Thanks Professor .🐙🎣
Thanks for the great info and video!
Thank you!
I've got a few fish in my tank with ich... I was planning on using the used filter to help jumpstart the nitrogen cycle in my 55 gallon tank. Is this a good idea?
If the media is coming from a contaminated tank I wouldn't chance it - it will most likely introduce ich into the new tank.
I’m thinking about adding some new African cichlids (peacocks) to my 75 gallon, probably 6. I want to quarantine them so the other 8 won’t be affected. Would a 20 gallon long work? They would be 3-4 inches as I’m buying guaranteed males. This is my current quarantine setup but I mainly keep medium to small fish. If not I might just have to cough up some money to buy an extra 40 gallon.
If they are approaching four inches they might be rough on one another?
Jason, what do you do to your quarantine / hospital tanks after they are used to prepare them for the next use? Especially if there are things like plants, caves, rocks, or substrate in them.
Hey! That is a great question. I generally leave them alone because I want to maintain all the beneficial bacteria. I usually leave a couple of bristlenose in them just to keep the tank cycled. If I encounter Ich, or something that requires fish to reproduce, I will remove all fish from that tank for a couple weeks. Without the host, the parasite dies. If there was a bacterial outbreak I would break the tank down, clean it with vinegar and leave it dry for a couple weeks.
Prime Time Aquatics Thanks for getting back to me. This may make a good follow-up video. I can't be the only one curious about this. I had been breaking down my tank after every use if there were any issues at all with the fish.