How long to Quarantine

[Cyclingknitster]

Hi I was just wondering how long should you quarantine fish before adding them to the main tank? I have had 5 one inch clown loaches in a 10 gal tank for about 3 weeks now. Is it time to move them over? Will they be ok with my other clowns that are only about 3 inches?

For future reference what I'm I looking for when I quarantine fish besides ich?

[chefkeith]

Main reason to quarantine is to prevent the spread of Internal and External parasites.

Internal parasites, in most cases are either round worms and flat worms. Flat worms can be treated with Praziquantel. Round worms can be treated with Levamisole or Flubenol.

External parasites, like Ich, are easier to treat because sometimes you can see them. There is a chance though that they can go unnoticed in the fishes gills for many months. This is where you have to make a choice. To do or not to do prophylactic treatments for the most common parasites. I'm all for it, but not everybody agrees with me.

IMO, If you don't do prophylactic treatments you are depending on luck.

[Cyclingknitster]

Thank you so much for the info. I thought I was just looking for signs that something was wrong with the fish. I didn't realize there are internal parasites I need to watch out for too. I'll start treatment right away, but why do some have a problem with prophylactic treatments?

[palaeodave]

Flat worms can be treated with Praziquantel. Round worms can be treated with Levamisole or Flubenol.

This is considerably easier for fishkeepers outside of the UK, due to the strict control of many antibiotics over here. Would love to get hold of some Levamisole but vets insist on seeing a fish which is already showing signs of infection... So you have to wait until the thing is infected and fragile, then catch it and transport it (keeping it in a bloody bag for at least a couple of hours, depending how far you have to travel), then hope they agree with your diagnosis and prescribe the desired medication. You will probably lose your fish in the process. Argh!!!

[chefkeith]

I'll start treatment right away, but why do some have a problem with prophylactic treatments?

Because some ich medications can be very harsh and stressful to the fish.

One thing that may be worth a try is this new herbal based ich medication called "Prevent Ich", which isn't supposed to be harsh at all.

http://www.novalek.com/kordon/prevent_ich/index.htm

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:

The name "prevent-Ich," which really means "prevent single-celled diseases," is meant to emphasis that it is important -- whether for aquarium and pond keepers, dealers, wholesalers, or shippers -- that preventative treatments should be used at every step of shipping and keeping aquarium and pond fishes. It is a lot easier and safer to prevent infections from occurring, than in having to cope with them after they have become life threatening to the fishes. This includes using the treatment while the fishes are being quarantined.

[Cyclingknitster]

Thanks for the link. I'm all about going organic whenever possible. It looks really easy to use too. And best of all it says it's safe for loaches.[/quote]