quarantine questions

Just regular ol' Amquel. I think the dosage is 1/2 ml per gallon per day (maximum).

http://www.amazon.com/Kordon-AKD31256-Chloramine-Aquarium-16-Ounce/dp/B000256458/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375135581&sr=8-1&keywords=amquel

kordon plus instructions I hope that helps

If I had the bottle in hand I would know how much to dose, but I'm in Logan without a local pet store so I'm shopping Amazon. I just need to know how big of a bottle to buy :)

I'm noticing there are several different types of Amquel. Which do I buy? And how much/how often do I dose?

Mark,

I can't believe you'd say such a thing!

Krazie4Acans wrote: Does the TTM work for Velvet as well or just for ich and parasites (if you medicate for them)?

Yes, the TTM works for velvet as well as ich and other parasites that have a reproductive cycle where it leaves the fish for a period of time. However, the life cycle of velvet can progress a bit faster than for ich (which is why it can be so devastating). If you do a freshwater dip, then that will remove a large amount of the velvet parasite, which will slow the reproductive rate. I also try to switch tanks every day for the first few days to remove as many as possible initially.

To recap...this is what I do to treat for ich/velvet/flukes:

Day 1: FW dip with methylene blue then into QT #1
Day 2: QT #2
Day 3: QT #1 with Furan-2
Day 4-6: QT #2 with Furan-2
Day 7-9: QT #1 with PraziPro
Day 9-12: QT #2 with PraziPro

   

aceofspadeskb wrote: If I buy fish in pairs, a pair of clowns for example, do I quarantine them together so long as they are small?

I've managed to get several pairs of fish through together, but the risk is much more significant. You now have two fish creating waste, competing for dominance, and that each have their own parasites. Dividers don't help much. I prefer to treat them separately and have them rejoin in the main tank. The dominant fish should still be dominant after a QT period since there isn't enough time for significant growth or other fish to change the dynamic.

If you do two small fish in a 45g with a divider, you should be ok. If you have the option, I would treat separately.

aceofspadeskb wrote: Are the 10g setups large enough to treat any fish I can have in a 90 gallon tank? I don't plan on putting anything in there that LiveAquaria says needs over 100 gallons. It seems like a yellow tang might be pretty miserable in that small of a tank. Thanks again!

I understand your concern - I had the same concerns. I've treated two purple tangs and several large angels in 10g tanks with no problems. Since they're only in the tank for 12 days, they don't seem to get stressed. In fact, usually they just hide in the PVC. If you would like to go bigger, you could go with a 20g tank. If you used your 45g tank and a 20g tank, then the fish should be quite happy. That would only be 3 days in a 20g. Saying all that, the large fish should be the ONLY fish in the tank. If you add fish, then yes, there will be a problem (that's why they need a bigger tank). You'll also need to worry a bit more about ammonia. I dose Amquel daily for larger fish.

rize2 wrote: Where do you get the water? Are you just mixing up new water and using that? or taking it from your display tank and adding the new water to that?

I mix up new water each time (let it aerate for 24 hours). I don't use water from an existing tank just in case I somehow messed up previously. If you're doing the TTM, you don't have to worry about the biological filter since you're not trying to process any waste. Plus, established tank water contains very little bacteria - most of it is on rock/sand. As long as the temp, salinity, and pH are the same, then the fish should adjust just fine.

Edited by ReefdUp - July 25 2013 at 9:14am

I'm glad you asked!   

The tank transfer method is my favorite at this point. Basically (easiest way) is to have two tank systems. I use the cheapo 10g freshwater tank setups from the big box stores since they come with everything. I can usually find the entire setup for about $30 with a coupon. Anyway, you place the fish in one setup for 3 days...then you move it to the other setup for 3 days. Between the moves, you bleach the unused tank. You do this for 12 days (4 moves). With marine ich, the parasites have an off-the-fish stage, so by moving the fish, you're taking it out of where the parasites are (and bleaching the parasites.) No drugs...just moving the fish. You have to repeat this several times to get all of the parasites (they aren't all at the same point in their lifecycle.) I actually like to switch tanks every day the first few days if there's an obvious case of ich since it helps the fish recover faster. Also, you can dose PraziPro or antibiotics at the same time (but you'll need to redose in the new tank). Plus, you don't have to really worry about biological filtration. Since you're doing a 100% water change every few days, the ammonia is unlikely to build up (unless you have a huge fish eating a ton). I still dose Amquel, but with small fish you can get away without it. So...a whopping 12 days for a healthy parasite-free fish.

I don't use any cartridges in the HOB filters. I used to, but there's no point if you're treating for anything. Carbon will strip the meds. With other treatments (hyposalinity & TTM), the filter won't house enough bacteria to be of much use. I just run the HOB for water flow.

If you get a properly sized filter, it should be fine, but I usually run an airline as well. I don't like using powerheads because it's one more thing to bleach...and they're harder to bleach than airline.