Need Help Setting Up Quarantine Tank(Which Meds)

[keithhays]

Hello all,
I am setting up a 320 gallon multi-tank system. For that, I am setting up a 29 gallon quarantine tank. I think I have the general setup down: clear, bare tank, cycled sponge filter, pieces of pvc, etc.
What I can't find is:
1. What products to always treat with? For Fish? For Coral? Type of Coral?
2. Which products/medicines to keep on hand for diseases/parasites found after the "always" treatments?

Generally, what I am finding is keep the animal quarantined for x number of days. Usually, it doesn't go beyond that.

Any help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Keith

[av8]

Keith,
My best advice is the BEST setup for a quarantine tank is to set up a small tank that you would consider totally normal. Personally, I prefer a deep sand bed with a plenum. It is a passive system that does not melt during a power outage. I never use chemicals or treatments on my quarantine tank. I consider them to all be a waste of money. The most important element in transitioning a fish into your main tank is TIME, and time is free. The biggest problem I see with new organisms being introduced to the main display is it happens too quickly. This hobby is an exercise in patience.

Let me put this in perspective for you: I have a clown that is 22 years old. How long will I wait before I introduce a new fish into that tank? Six months in the quarantine tank.

Good luck,
John

[bertoni]

You'll find a lot of opinions on what to do with new animals. I'd keep them in the quarantine tank for 6 weeks, at least, and treat anything that you see. Depending on the species of fish, some people use freshwater dips and perhaps some praziquantel for parasites, and some run copper for most fish, as well. You could try the transfer method for treating marine ich, even if you don't see the disease.

[tmz]

I use the tank transfer method for all new fish as a preventative and a treatment for cyrtocaryon irritans( ich). This involves 4 ,three day stays in cleaned and dried tanks. Two tanks can be rotated if the tank and equipment are dried thoroughly after each use. Then a stay in a larger cycled tank for 2 to 4 weeks for additional observation and treatment for other malaides like: brooklynella( fromalin), velvet( fromalin or copper),flukes (prazi pro) or bacterial infections( triple sulfa or othr bacterial meds).

Corals vary in their tolerance for certain medications,diseases and treatments. I do not quarantine them but do bathe all new corals with Revive before placement . Additional treatments are rarely but sometimes needed depending on the issue and the coral.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I personally never treat a fish with medications just because it is in a QT tank, but I know that some high end resellers (like Divers Den) does sometimes give fish prophylactic meds and that is likely a good thing since they know well which diseases particular fish most often suffer from.

[keithhays]

It sounds like there are a lot of different possiblities, most of which are based on the individual disease/parasite presented. To Randy's point, I will be ordering from Diver's Den which has a very comprehensive quarantine program. This will take care of the prophylactic aspect as long as I am ordering from them.

Also, from reading I will likely setup multiple smaller tanks that are most of the time dry if something does show. These would be for if something presents itself and would be basically hospital tanks to cut down on the amount of medicine used and to aid in water changes. Also, it sounds like it might be a good idea to have one or two of these available, for at least the first few days, for any new animals prior to placing in the transition tank; just to make sure they are eating and for better visibility.

I will use the larger 29 gallon in a more less permanent transition tank for fish where the fish will spend 4 to 6 weeks, though I will still keep it pretty bare, but matching the DT.

Ordering from a non-Diver's Den type of establishment would require that I basically mimic their setup.

Also, it sounds like I need to read up on all most common diseases and how they present themselves.

What do you guys think?

[tmz]

The most common plague is marine ich(crytocaryon irritans). Others that occur with some frequency include: flukes, brooklynella, velvet( amyloodinium ocellatum) and bacterial infections.
I also avoid medications for seemingly healthy fish. FWIW I limit prophlyactic treatments to the tank transfer method which does not involve meds . For some fish, like wrasses , I also use prazi pro preventatively for flukes and for some help with internal parasites.
A google search for any of these maladies will give you a lot of information to work from. There ar also many good threads and posts in the Fish Deisease and Treatment forum and elsewhere; some are misguided . It's important to understand the diseases and treatments well to be able to sort the wheat from the chaff when making your choices.