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Quarantine?


Floater

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Am I right in thinking all that is involved is: placing newly purchased fish in their own tank and observing them for 3-4 weeks and if they're still alive and not showing any visible signs of disease after that period they're good to go into the main tank?

Do people medicate newly purchased fish as a precaution?

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It really depends on the person who is doing it.. Some medicate all new fish for common things others dont. Quaratine is a necessity though if you don't want to loose fish eventually you will get dodgy ones that cause problems, what you have suggested is a very good start a month with no contact with any other fish will defiantely let you know if there are any immediate problems.

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I always quarantine new fish just as you say.....3-4 weeks in their own tank. I don't medicate if it's not necessary.

Some who have had tanks wiped out with nasty intestinal worms that fish who were quarantined for 3-4weeks and showed no ill effects were carrying would argue that there is reason.. It all depends on how far you want to take it or how much you have to loose really, personally I give it a go if they look fine for a month but if they don't fill out or aren't quite right I medicate them just in case.

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my very first guppy had callamanus worms and it didn't show up till the third week. By the time I noticed the threads he was unwell and don't last while I waited for the medicine to arrive by mail order. .. then i had the tedious task of treating the rest of the tank for several doses to make sure it was clear. by the time the worms showed they were already releasing eggs.

I haev quarantined each and every fish since then for min 4 weeks and dose any live bearers for callamanus if they're from a petshop.

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Yes, all fish should be quarantined.

Pet shops have a huge throughput of fish from all sorts of places, mixed in the same tanks. Some wild-caught, some captive-bred all highly stressed from transport and new tanks, then your new tank.

Some diseases are ones you can eradicate in the quarantine stage if they show up, and thus the disease will not affect your other fish. Other diseases are in the water anyway and opportunistically attack a stressed and weakened fish. Even if the fish come from a friend with a spotless 'disease-free' there may be something lurking unseen or opportunistic.

Personally I don't medicate automatically (all my fish come from the wild) but am careful with looking after the conditions and trying to keep the stress down. Some species I will based on previous experience.

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