Quarantine

I'm planning on going to buy some clown loaches tomorrow. Well,
probably clown loaches - this is my eldest's choice; we'll look at
the yo-yos and zebra loaches too, and I'll explain the pros and cons,
but in the end, it's his birthday money, so it's up to him.

Anyway - the store we're going to says they quarantine all their
stock for two weeks before selling it. In that case, do most of you
still quarantine after purchase?

If we're going to quarantine, how long would you quarantine for? If
we're doing that, I'll be filling my 60-litre tank tomorrow morning,
and putting in the heater, but I won't move the filter across from
the 125-litre until we get home with the loaches. I know a 60-litre
isn't big enough for three clown loaches long-term, but it would be
adequate for quarantine, wouldn't it?

I've never quarantined anything before - what should I put in a
quarantine tank? I assume gravel - not a problem, I've got spare. I
know clowns like to have hiding-places; should I pick up an extra
rock or two to provide that in the quarantine tank?

Anything else I should know?

--
FishNoob

"FishNoob" wrote in message
...
I'm planning on going to buy some clown loaches tomorrow. Well,
probably clown loaches - this is my eldest's choice; we'll look at
the yo-yos and zebra loaches too, and I'll explain the pros and cons,
but in the end, it's his birthday money, so it's up to him.

Anyway - the store we're going to says they quarantine all their
stock for two weeks before selling it. In that case, do most of you
still quarantine after purchase?

YES!!!! Have you asked to see their quarantine facilities? I never knew a
store to have quarantine tanks for all new arrivals in the back-room
somewhere. They're unboxed and the bags are floated in the tanks until they
have time to open them and release the fish - FOR IMMEDIATE SALE.

If we're going to quarantine, how long would you quarantine for? If
we're doing that, I'll be filling my 60-litre tank tomorrow morning,
and putting in the heater, but I won't move the filter across from
the 125-litre until we get home with the loaches. I know a 60-litre
isn't big enough for three clown loaches long-term, but it would be
adequate for quarantine, wouldn't it?

I quarantine new fish for 14 days, another 7 if I suspect or see some
problem. I know others disagree but while in quarantine I almost always
treat them for parasites using Quick-Cure or Aquari-Sol.

I've never quarantined anything before - what should I put in a
quarantine tank? I assume gravel - not a problem, I've got spare. I
know clowns like to have hiding-places; should I pick up an extra
rock or two to provide that in the quarantine tank?

My Q. tank has gravel and plants plus a few rocks and a small AC filter of
course.

Anything else I should know?

Just watch them closely for flashing or anything unusual.
--

Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
Aquariums since 1952
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o

FishNoob wrote:
I'm planning on going to buy some clown loaches tomorrow. Well,
probably clown loaches - this is my eldest's choice; we'll look at
the yo-yos and zebra loaches too, and I'll explain the pros and cons,
but in the end, it's his birthday money, so it's up to him.

Anyway - the store we're going to says they quarantine all their
stock for two weeks before selling it. In that case, do most of you
still quarantine after purchase?

If we're going to quarantine, how long would you quarantine for? If
we're doing that, I'll be filling my 60-litre tank tomorrow morning,
and putting in the heater, but I won't move the filter across from
the 125-litre until we get home with the loaches. I know a 60-litre
isn't big enough for three clown loaches long-term, but it would be
adequate for quarantine, wouldn't it?

I've never quarantined anything before - what should I put in a
quarantine tank? I assume gravel - not a problem, I've got spare. I
know clowns like to have hiding-places; should I pick up an extra
rock or two to provide that in the quarantine tank?

Anything else I should know?


My experience is that in the UK (and you are in UK or Ireland aren't you
if I remember correctly?), they don't QT as such but keep them off sale
for a period of time to make sure that there are no obvious problems and
the fish acclimatise to the local water conditions - usually around a
week...maybe not all places do this but the ones I use do, and it sounds
like you have the same sort of thing in place...

With Clowns I never buy them straight afer they go on sale - I tend to
pay a few trips and check them each time before plunging in...if they've
been in the shop for a few weeks, which is very stressful for them, with
no obvious signs of ich/white spot I will buy them - I've adopted this
policy after losing a number of newly purchased Clowns to Ich....If they
have even one white spot don't buy any of them...

Right now, I have 4 Clown Loaches in QT...it is a normally set up tank -
plants, gravel and driftwood for them to hide under - it is 15 gall...it
also contains other fish - but experience has shown me that Clowns also
benefit from "dither fish" when settling in...3 have been in there for
around 5 weeks - although shy they seem fine - the other has been in
there around 6 days (bought from the same supplier and the same batch of
fish - he had just grown bigger and I couldn't resist). The fish will
move into their permanent home over the next few days...

The reason I am doing this is because it is a lot easier to treat a
small tank for ich than the larger community tank....and theoratically
easier to spot ich - however mine are so good at hiding it makes this a
little harder...

So give it a go, make sure there are plenty of hiding spaces for them
and keep any eye on them for at least a couple of weeks. Also ensure the
water quality is spot on as I've noticed sensitivity to even the
smallest trace of nitrites...

Good luck

Gill

In article ,
lid says...
YES!!!! Have you asked to see their quarantine facilities? I never knew a
store to have quarantine tanks for all new arrivals in the back-room
somewhere. They're unboxed and the bags are floated in the tanks until they
have time to open them and release the fish - FOR IMMEDIATE SALE.

I do actually believe that this store does what they say. They're not
part of a chain, they don't advertise, they're not well-known outside
aquarium-keeper circles - I didn't even know they existed until a few
months after we got an aquarium. The store is not in an expensive
part of town - kind of off the beaten track a bit. They've been
established for many years. They don't have huge neon signs or
anything like that. IOW, they're not some flashy stack-em-high-sell-
em-cheap outlet. They've got a very good reputation - everything I've
heard or read about them has been 100% positive. I've visited the
store twice and found the staff are all very interested and
knowledgeable, and not pushing to sell. They have a wide range in
stock, from tiny shrimp to two-foot-long stuff - all in reasonably-
sized tanks.

That's why I'm going further to buy from them rather than a local pet
shop :-)

So I'm not concerned about them failing to do what they say they do -
I just want to know what I should be doing, given the situation :-)

--
FishNoob

In article ,
says...
My experience is that in the UK (and you are in UK or Ireland aren't you
if I remember correctly?),

Yes, that's right - Northern Ireland.

they don't QT as such but keep them off sale
for a period of time to make sure that there are no obvious problems and
the fish acclimatise to the local water conditions - usually around a
week...maybe not all places do this but the ones I use do, and it sounds
like you have the same sort of thing in place...

I'll ask them tomorrow exactly what they do. Their website (such as
it is - one page on the local yellow-pages-style site) states that
they quarantine all their stock for two weeks.

Right now, I have 4 Clown Loaches in QT...it is a normally set up tank -
plants, gravel and driftwood for them to hide under - it is 15 gall...it
also contains other fish - but experience has shown me that Clowns also
benefit from "dither fish" when settling in...

What are "dither fish"?

So give it a go, make sure there are plenty of hiding spaces for them
and keep any eye on them for at least a couple of weeks. Also ensure the
water quality is spot on as I've noticed sensitivity to even the
smallest trace of nitrites...

Thanks, Gill, I'll do that.

--
FishNoob

FishNoob wrote:
In article ,
says...

My experience is that in the UK (and you are in UK or Ireland aren't you
if I remember correctly?),


Yes, that's right - Northern Ireland.


they don't QT as such but keep them off sale
for a period of time to make sure that there are no obvious problems and
the fish acclimatise to the local water conditions - usually around a
week...maybe not all places do this but the ones I use do, and it sounds
like you have the same sort of thing in place...


I'll ask them tomorrow exactly what they do. Their website (such as
it is - one page on the local yellow-pages-style site) states that
they quarantine all their stock for two weeks.


Right now, I have 4 Clown Loaches in QT...it is a normally set up tank -
plants, gravel and driftwood for them to hide under - it is 15 gall...it
also contains other fish - but experience has shown me that Clowns also
benefit from "dither fish" when settling in...


What are "dither fish"?


So give it a go, make sure there are plenty of hiding spaces for them
and keep any eye on them for at least a couple of weeks. Also ensure the
water quality is spot on as I've noticed sensitivity to even the
smallest trace of nitrites...


Thanks, Gill, I'll do that.


Dither fish are fish that are confident and swim around in the
open...IME Clown Fish find comfort in knowing that there are confident,
settled fish with them...

"FishNoob" wrote in message
...
In article ,
lid says...
YES!!!! Have you asked to see their quarantine facilities? I never
knew a
store to have quarantine tanks for all new arrivals in the back-room
somewhere. They're unboxed and the bags are floated in the tanks until
they
have time to open them and release the fish - FOR IMMEDIATE SALE.

I do actually believe that this store does what they say. They're not
part of a chain, they don't advertise, they're not well-known outside
aquarium-keeper circles - I didn't even know they existed until a few
months after we got an aquarium. The store is not in an expensive
part of town - kind of off the beaten track a bit. They've been
established for many years. They don't have huge neon signs or
anything like that. IOW, they're not some flashy stack-em-high-sell-
em-cheap outlet.

You are very fortunate to find a store like that. In my area there are few
non-chain stores and one is so bad I seldom venture inside to see (and
smell) what they have floating in their tanks. :-(

They've got a very good reputation - everything I've
heard or read about them has been 100% positive. I've visited the
store twice and found the staff are all very interested and
knowledgeable, and not pushing to sell. They have a wide range in
stock, from tiny shrimp to two-foot-long stuff - all in reasonably-
sized tanks.

That's why I'm going further to buy from them rather than a local pet
shop :-)

That's an excellent idea.

So I'm not concerned about them failing to do what they say they do -
I just want to know what I should be doing, given the situation :-)

I've had such bad experiences not quarantining that I quarantine everything
from everywhere.
--
Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
Aquariums since 1952
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58

~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o

FishNoob wrote:
In article ,
lid says...

YES!!!! Have you asked to see their quarantine facilities? I never knew a
store to have quarantine tanks for all new arrivals in the back-room
somewhere. They're unboxed and the bags are floated in the tanks until they
have time to open them and release the fish - FOR IMMEDIATE SALE.


I do actually believe that this store does what they say. They're not
part of a chain, they don't advertise, they're not well-known outside
aquarium-keeper circles - I didn't even know they existed until a few
months after we got an aquarium. The store is not in an expensive
part of town - kind of off the beaten track a bit. They've been
established for many years. They don't have huge neon signs or
anything like that. IOW, they're not some flashy stack-em-high-sell-
em-cheap outlet. They've got a very good reputation - everything I've
heard or read about them has been 100% positive. I've visited the
store twice and found the staff are all very interested and
knowledgeable, and not pushing to sell. They have a wide range in
stock, from tiny shrimp to two-foot-long stuff - all in reasonably-
sized tanks.

That's why I'm going further to buy from them rather than a local pet
shop :-)

So I'm not concerned about them failing to do what they say they do -
I just want to know what I should be doing, given the situation :-)


One thing, to remember, is that in the UK we have different laws and
regulations not only regarding the sale of livestock but also in terms
of trading standards - you cannot claim to do something that you do
not...so if this place says they QT their fish then they do precisely
that or risk being prosecuted....

Gill

On Thu, 09 Mar 2006 22:05:14 +0000, Gill Passman
wrote:

My experience is that in the UK (and you are in UK or Ireland aren't you
if I remember correctly?), they don't QT as such but keep them off sale
for a period of time to make sure that there are no obvious problems and
the fish acclimatise to the local water conditions - usually around a
week...maybe not all places do this but the ones I use do, and it sounds
like you have the same sort of thing in place...

With Clowns I never buy them straight afer they go on sale - I tend to
pay a few trips and check them each time before plunging in...if they've
been in the shop for a few weeks, which is very stressful for them, with
no obvious signs of ich/white spot I will buy them - I've adopted this
policy after losing a number of newly purchased Clowns to Ich....If they
have even one white spot don't buy any of them...

Right now, I have 4 Clown Loaches in QT...it is a normally set up tank -
plants, gravel and driftwood for them to hide under - it is 15 gall...it
also contains other fish - but experience has shown me that Clowns also
benefit from "dither fish" when settling in...3 have been in there for
around 5 weeks - although shy they seem fine - the other has been in
there around 6 days (bought from the same supplier and the same batch of
fish - he had just grown bigger and I couldn't resist). The fish will
move into their permanent home over the next few days...

The reason I am doing this is because it is a lot easier to treat a
small tank for ich than the larger community tank....and theoratically
easier to spot ich - however mine are so good at hiding it makes this a
little harder...

So give it a go, make sure there are plenty of hiding spaces for them
and keep any eye on them for at least a couple of weeks. Also ensure the
water quality is spot on as I've noticed sensitivity to even the
smallest trace of nitrites...

Good luck

Gill

I recently had a discussion on this with Vance, my lfs. His water
comes from his well, it is hard as a rock and alkaline. My water is as
soft as a baby's sleeper pajamas and settles at 6.6-6.8 after a couple
of days in the tank. He opens at noon each day, and noon is when I
generally visit him. So we talk while we wander through the store,
turning on lights, checking the tanks, pulling out the inevitable
floaters, usually just one or two, sometimes none, and when there are
more than 2, or if it's some in the same tank as yesterday, he slaps a
Not For Sale sign on the tank and medicates it. I often get him to
order fish especially for me, and I asked him what he thought of the
idea of transferring my fish directly from the shipping bags and
bypassing the process of acclimating them to his tanks, then bringing
them home to acclimate to my tanks a few days later. It was a good,
give and take, discussion - and we never did come to a total
agreement, I think we left it at deciding on a case by case basis. My
next "special order" is some Espie Rasboras, we'll figure it out when
they arrive.

-- Mister Gardener

FishNoob wrote,
the store we're going to says they quarantine all their
stock for two weeks before selling it.

That's how it used to be here in the US some 40 years ago - any more I
don't know of any fish store that quarantines.

In that case, do most of you
still quarantine after purchase?
If we're going to quarantine, how long would you quarantine for?

If in fact they do quarantine for two weeks, do they do any kind of
preventive treatment(?), or do they just treat the fish that shows
symptoms of a disease or parasites? The reason I ask, wild cought and
pond raised fish often have red worms (camallanus), that may not even
show up for 3 or 4 weeks. I do a quarantine preventive treatment; Feed
a medicated food for 10 days - 20% water changes per day for 4 to 5
days, add a teaspoon of salt per 5 gals. (stimulates slime coat), two
day treatment with Fluke-Tabs (treats flukes and worms), and half dose
treatment of Rid-Ich for 10 days (for skin parasites). Quarantine
preventive treatment takes 3 weeks............ Frank