Tang quarintine question?

[gws76]

I would like some insight on what the ideal tank size would be to quarintine a Kole Tang that is 3 inches long. Would I need a large quarintine tank or would a 10 gal. work?

[kudora]

i used a 30gallon tank when i Q'ed up my kole tang, they swim nonstop, i would use a 20 long instead of a 10.

[sassafrass]

Larger is always better 10 gal is to small in my experience because quarantine shouldn't cause stress , It should provide a safe place for your fish to recover from shipping ,provide you a chance for observation to detect health problems and treat if needed .
Lee

[gws76]

Thanks for the input. I'll use my 30 gal. QT. I'll just have to make more saltwater. Was not sure which QT to use- my 10 gal. or 30 gal.

[abulgin]

Originally posted by gws76
Thanks for the input. I'll use my 30 gal. QT. I'll just have to make more saltwater. Was not sure which QT to use- my 10 gal. or 30 gal.

Have you seen this?

"Kole Disease,

Unless your dealer has very good feeding practices, it's best not to leave Koles (or other Tangs for the matter) at your dealers for too long. In fact, this is one genus where quarantine, and its too-often evils of vacillating water quality and starvation is best skipped altogether, in favor of an extended pH adjusted freshwater dip/bath. Oh, and do take care if handling this fish, even in a net... take care if/when supporting it in there with your bare hand... The stiletto like "tang" on their caudal peduncle is very sharp... and they know how to use it. "

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/koletang.htm

I did not QT my Kole per this advice and subsequent e-mails from Bob Fenner. I simply gave him a 2 minute FW bath with RidIck+ (Formalin and Malechite Green), then a 5 minute FW bath with Methylene Blue, and then dumped him my display.

[WLachnit]

I'm curious about this as well. I picked up a Kole at the LFS that had freshly arrived and was already eating. I put him in my DT rather than quarantining. On the 5th day, he was darting back and forth, and gilling extensively. He died in about 3-4 hours. I could not see any obvious signs of Ich (he wasn't flashing, no white spots) I couldn't tell what state his gills were in...may be flukes?

anyway, I'm prepared to get another one, but I was going to quarantine. So, I'm curious what other people think as well.

[Playa-1]

I would go with a 20.

[Playa-1]

Originally posted by WLachnit
I'm curious about this as well. I picked up a Kole at the LFS that had freshly arrived and was already eating. I put him in my DT rather than quarantining. On the 5th day, he was darting back and forth, and gilling extensively. He died in about 3-4 hours. I could not see any obvious signs of Ich (he wasn't flashing, no white spots) I couldn't tell what state his gills were in...may be flukes?

anyway, I'm prepared to get another one, but I was going to quarantine. So, I'm curious what other people think as well.

It could be anything. Advanced ICK, Brooklynella hostilis , Marine Velvet to name a few of the common issues. Most likely ICH infested. They will not always show the obvious signs. Thats why when one fish comes down with it then you need to treat the entire display because the rest have been exposed.

[SteveNMegz]

we only have a 10 G QT we thought instead of puting the kole in there which would prolly cause more stress we jsut put him in the display, 2 months later and hes done great

[Playa-1]

I learned to QT the hard way. I introduced a pair of clowns and wiped out half my livestock. That really suxded

[abulgin]

Yeah, but clowns and a Kole Tang aren't the same. I also learned to QT the hard way, which is why I was very apprehensive to add the Kole without QT. But after hearing from Mr. Fenner about how these animals are typically "clean" in his 30+ years of experience and the potential fate if left in QT for 4 weeks, I decided to take the risk.

[gws76]

You both have good directions to go with. I've read what Bob Fenner has to say on the subject, but I also QT every fish that I bring in.
I guess I could just flip a coin? LOL
Ultimately I'll have to make my mind up on which direction to choose from.
I do like the discussion on the Kole Tang/QT subject though! Since this is my first tang it's been a helpful discussion. Thanks

[WLachnit]

Hmmm...now, I don't know what to do either after following this thread....

after losing my first tang just a few days ago after putting him right into my DT, I think I'm going to QT my next one....or flip a coin.

[Playa-1]

Originally posted by abulgin
Yeah, but clowns and a Kole Tang aren't the same. I also learned to QT the hard way, which is why I was very apprehensive to add the Kole without QT. But after hearing from Mr. Fenner about how these animals are typically "clean" in his 30+ years of experience and the potential fate if left in QT for 4 weeks, I decided to take the risk.

Good Point, I have much respect for Mr Fenner and would likely go with his advise.

[otrlynn]

Well, I will just share my experience...I purchased a Kole tang from a large reputable fish store. He looked great; no signs of ich. I put him in a 15 gallon QT where he continued to look okay, but wasn't eating well (tried several foods, including nori). There was some repetitive swimming up and down one end of the tank, but I attributed it to too small a tank. After about 12 days, I decided to put him in the DT, where he would have more space and live rock to pick on. After about two weeks in the DT, and intermittent agitated swimming, he developed noticeable spots of ich. To make a long story short, drained the tank down to the last inch of water, caught 3 fish, except for the tang who managed to "beach" himself inside a rock tunnel, tore out about 1/2 of the live rock, put all fish in a hospital tank, re-filled the DT, had to re-aquascape the display. All four fish are undergoing hypo right now. After a major scare with rising ammonia, I am now doing water changes every other day (not fun). Fortunately the tang looks good, swims in a relaxed fashion, is eating well (like a pig if I would let him) and no other fish have shown signs of ich. I would not dream of contradicting an expert like Bob Fenner and have no experience with the effectiveness of dips with Rid Ich and Methylene Blue, but I thought I would share my experience. I don't think I will ever put a fish in my DT without a full 4 week quarantine. Removing all fish and running a hospital tank is not something I want to do again if I can prevent it.

[WLachnit]

So, it sounds like the percieved downside of QT, is that it's typically done in a small tank and the added stress that that causes. So, based on this thread, I'm thinking of setting up a 40gal QT to be on the safe side...should cause less stress, right?

[otrlynn]

Well, in the case of my Tang, I think he probably already had the beginning of ich when he was in the 15 gallon quarantine tank, perhaps just a few spots that I did not notice. I'm sure the size of the tank only added to the stress. However, in my mind one of the important factors about the size of the QT or hospital tank, is the number of fish in it and hence the bioload. I don't know if a 40 gallon is necessary for one fish. I think one of the toughest parts of a QT or hospital tank is keeping the ammonia at a low enough level that it does not become toxic to the fish. If you have a seeded filter or biowheeel that has come out of your main tank, that will help bring some of the helpful bacteria to the QT. I will say that even though I did that, I still had difficulty with ammonia in my present hospital tank, which is a 29 gallon with four fish, including the tang. The other fish are small fish. The larger the tank, the more dilution there will be to any ammonia build up, but you will also be doing larger water changes to change a specific percentage of tank water. I find myself needing to change out 20% every other day.

[WLachnit]

Originally posted by otrlynn
Well, in the case of my Tang, I think he probably already had the beginning of ich when he was in the 15 gallon quarantine tank, perhaps just a few spots that I did not notice. I'm sure the size of the tank only added to the stress. However, in my mind one of the important factors about the size of the QT or hospital tank, is the number of fish in it and hence the bioload. I don't know if a 40 gallon is necessary for one fish. I think one of the toughest parts of a QT or hospital tank is keeping the ammonia at a low enough level that it does not become toxic to the fish. If you have a seeded filter or biowheeel that has come out of your main tank, that will help bring some of the helpful bacteria to the QT. I will say that even though I did that, I still had difficulty with ammonia in my present hospital tank, which is a 29 gallon with four fish, including the tang. The other fish are small fish. The larger the tank, the more dilution there will be to any ammonia build up, but you will also be doing larger water changes to change a specific percentage of tank water. I find myself needing to change out 20% every other day.

Helpful info. So, I happen to have a 29gal tall that i was also thinking of using for Tangs. Maybe I'll stick with that and then set up a 10gal for some smaller fish. More work I guess, but more control. The only other thing that would complicate things even more is introducing a couple of Tangs at the same time to the DT.