Loaches Online Forum

Last Thursday I went to buy some stuff for my shrimp when I saw a single baby Clown Loach swimming with some Danios. The little one looked healthy, so I decided to give it a new home and some loach friends. Right now little "Raisin" is alone in a 30l (8gal) cube. At first, it had some snails for company, but apparently snacked on them. It became a bit skittish and prefers spending most of the day inside a coconut cave, but otherwise seems fine. I hope I managed to avoid ich this time.
Now I'm torn, it feels cruel keeping it all alone for three more weeks. However, I don't want to introduce something nasty to my main tank.
How long do you think will be best to keep Raisin in quarantine?

Raisin today:

Ich can stay hidden on the fish for a while, hiding in the gills. I would add a UV sterilizer to the system for a week or so, this will kill Ich organisms that try to breed. I would add a deworming treatment (medicated food) for internal parasites. Most bottom feeding fish seem quite vulnerable to them.
Most other diseases or parasites will show up pretty fast.
When the treatment (deworming) is complete, turn off the UV and start the clock for a 1 month quarantine. If something else shows up and you need to treat, then re-start the clock after the treatment is done.
Go ahead and keep on moving snails over from your main tank. If there is any disease in the main tank this will expose the new loach via the water that comes with the snails, and you will have a chance to treat it.

Raisin looks pretty healthy! But I'm with Diana, treat & wait. A few weeks in a small tank can save both "him" & your big tank loaches from goodness knows what. Clown loaches can (should) live quite a long time, see redshark's 20+ year olds. Don't skimp out now!