Aqua Posted March 4, 2003 Report Share Posted March 4, 2003 Hey guys, I've now got a 26L tank sitting around doing nothing in particular. I was considering turning it into a quarantine tank, and putting it down in my garage. What am I going to need? Presumably thermometer, filter etc etc, as it'd be for both tropical and coldwater fish, so I'd probably be keeping it around 23°C and pumping it up a bit when I need to put a troppo fish in there? Anything else important that I'm missing? Also - what is a good substance to really clean out an old tank? This one was getting quite manky, which is why I bought a new one (which was also bigger), and it's just sitting on the balcony, empty, getting plenty of sunshine It does need a good scrub though, as it's got plenty of scum on the sides... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted March 5, 2003 Report Share Posted March 5, 2003 Hi Aqua, I wrote this for my own site, but you may find it useful. Quarantine. One of the hardest things to accept in keeping tropical fish is Quarantine. We look at the fish we buy and think "Well, they look healthy enough" and in most cases pop them straight into our lovely established tank without further thought, but in the world of the aquarist it is the things you can't see that you should be concerned about. We then wonder why suddenly we have sick and dying fish in the following days or weeks. Almost all water, apart from distilled water, contains masses of living organisms, some good, and some bad, and in aquarium water these organisms amount into the millions, many of which you can't see without a microscope. A single drop of water can contain enough of these bad organisms to bring your tank from a wonderful picture of perfection, to a tank full of sick and dying fish, and this can happen overnight. It's hard to spend money on another tank just for the purpose of quarantine, but this extra tank can have many uses such as a fry rearing tank, a breeding tank, a place to grow extra plants, a place for that odd sick fish and so forth, but it should be kept available and ready to use so that you can use it immediately if the situation arises. So What Are The Dangers? Any fish, plant, snail, rock, gravel or any implement taken from another tank and put into your established tank can be a source of disease. Even your wet hands can transmit disease from one tank to another. All new fish should be placed in separate quarters (Quarantine) for at least ten days, and longer if possible. While these fish are in Quarantine (or prior to their arrival) you would be wise to add a couple of your regular healthy fish from your regular established tank. Doing this it allows you to watch not only the new arrivals but also your regular fish to see if any ill effects are noticed over the ten days or so. Invariably if any fish do become sick then you will have to treat the whole tank and all its occupants, but this depends on what the fish are suffering from. You must at this time be extremely careful that you don't use any implement such as nets or filters from the quarantine tank and use them in your established tank. As mentioned above, even wet hands that have been in your quarantine tank can transmit any disease that might be lurking there and affect your main fish supplies in your established tank, or tanks. If possible make your quarantine tank "Out Of Bounds" to everyone except yourself, this includes all children that love to flick their fingers in the water. Other Precautions. There are sterilizing solutions that you can buy for nets and equipment, but for the cost of these you would be wise to purchase a spare net and the bits that you may need. Be sensible and think before you act, as a moment of neglect can cause you great heartaches when your fish begin to die. Original at homepages.paradise.net.nz/grumpygr/ Happy Days Bill (Pegasus NZ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1 Posted March 5, 2003 Report Share Posted March 5, 2003 Hi Let's say I buy fish which ARE sick. but I don't know that yet. I put them into a quarantine tank. So far so good. I have 2 sick fish which I was unaware of at the time of purchase. Then I add 2 healthy fish from my established tank into the quarantine tank. Now I have 4 sick fish. Which I might not be able to cure. Then I probably might have 4 dead fish. I don't understand the reason for putting healthy fish into a tank which may or may not contain a virus/bacteria. Just a simple question. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted March 5, 2003 Report Share Posted March 5, 2003 Let's say I buy fish which ARE sick. but I don't know that yet Answer to this is that you can never be "absolutely" sure about the health of a fish, which might have been perfectly healthy in the shop conditions, but due to stress of transit or other reasons could become sick within hours or days of being placed in the new enviroment. The couple of sacrificial fish (guppies.. platies) will, if healthy enough be able to accept the quarantine conditions without stress, as hopefully it will have similar conditions to your normal tanks, and be fully established. The above is just the practice that I follow, as I find that new arrivals tend to settle down much quicker if they are not dumped into a tank void of other fish. A very old aquarist taught me this when I first started out, and his version was that the new fish will be under stress, but the regulars are not, which helps the others settle in. I suppose it's a good idea to leave a couple of healthy fish in your Qtank to keep it established anyway, but my Qtanks always have "something" in them, and are always established. As always, JMO, and I do what works for me. I'll ammend the above to avoid confusion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shilo Posted March 5, 2003 Report Share Posted March 5, 2003 Another thought for adding fish from your established tank: If fish can be carriers of disease but not show any symptoms, then adding a couple fish from your established tank should highlight this. They may they fall sick but the new ones stay healthy. Better to loose a couple of fish then the whole tank. Not sure if the above is correct, but I have just been through an Ich episode with my Tetras 6 days after introducing some healthy fish to my tank. The new fish showed no symptoms before or during the infection. I had no sign of Ich before hand. Using a quarantine tank and introducing some "disposable" fish from my tank as Pegasus suggests would have saved a week of worry. My fault for being to eager in introducing them. Now where’s that fish bin and extra heater? Cheers Shilo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KerryO Posted March 5, 2003 Report Share Posted March 5, 2003 Pegasus, I have just been to your website. It is a brilliant piece of work, and perfect for a beginer like me. 5 off your links on the lefthand side didn't work for me, and a couple in particular I would really like to read. If you can find the time, could you take a look and see if you can sort them out. 1/ What plants. 2/ How many fish. 3/ Algae 4/ Useful websites. 5/ Pictures. Many thanks, Kerry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1 Posted March 5, 2003 Report Share Posted March 5, 2003 Hi Yes, I admit a couple of sacrificial Guppies would not hurt. So in my case I have to sacrifice a couple of $100 Oscars instead. :oops: John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted March 5, 2003 Report Share Posted March 5, 2003 Go buy cheaper Oscars. The most expensive ones I've seen here (even adult size) is $20.00. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted March 5, 2003 Report Share Posted March 5, 2003 Thanks for the feedback Shilo, and Kerry, Kerry, my little site is very very basic, and is mainly there to assist beginners, and is far from finished, so many of the links are still in the process of having articles added to them when time permits. Most of the stuff I have prepared already, but it is mostly on another drive I have sitting on the shelf. Must get around to hooking it up and transferring the info. Watch for the updates. Hey John, we do some silly things and make many sacrifices for our fish, and those were some of mine It really would be pointless putting a couple of sacrificial guppies in with "any" Oscars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1 Posted March 5, 2003 Report Share Posted March 5, 2003 Hi Warren Thanks for that. Now I know where to get cheap Oscars. Fly over to NZ tomorrow and pick up a couple. Hi Pegasus Only a joke :lol: John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted March 5, 2003 Report Share Posted March 5, 2003 Hi John, I know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted March 5, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2003 Thanks for the info guys, But what will I actually *need* in a Qtank? I just want some basics to set one up... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennis Posted March 5, 2003 Report Share Posted March 5, 2003 john when i was in the gold cose last year i saw baby oscars for $3.50 nice fish too the cheeps i ever seen oscars so no need to come to nz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1 Posted March 5, 2003 Report Share Posted March 5, 2003 Hi aqua A quarantine tank consists of a tank with a heater and a cheap but efficient filter. NOT chemical, only mechanical. First, you do not want charcoal in it, in case you have to medicate. Charcoal negates or weakens treatment, if neccessary. No gravel OR plants. A bare tank with the right watercondition. John PS. The guy who has been denied the pleasure of picking up cheap Oscars from NZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted March 5, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2003 so just a tank with a filter & heater/thermometer? What a boring tank lol Would I just have one (expendable) fish in there to keep the tank "live"? Would a cheap sponge filter be sufficient? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted March 5, 2003 Report Share Posted March 5, 2003 I don't have a tank permanently set up as a quarantine tank, it sits empty. What I like to have is a spare filter (either sponge or HOB like an AquaClear) running on an exisiting tank. If a fish needs quarantining, just fill the spare tank with water from the existing tank, transfer the filter over and add a heaterstat (one I know is accurate and works properly). You can't leave a tank running with water, heater and filter without fish to keep the bacteria fed in the filter. Of course, if you have had disease or used medications, do not put the spare filter back on the main tank, when finished, without cleaning it thoroughly first! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peety Posted March 6, 2003 Report Share Posted March 6, 2003 I would have a large airstone and decent pump. Some treatment requires high heat, some require strong meds like formalin both of which deplete the oxygen levels. My first treatment mistake was to wake up and find a suffocated fish due to insufficient air. Nice post Pegasus... I've dodged the quarantine thing in the past, won and then lost big time... never again...... peety Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1 Posted March 6, 2003 Report Share Posted March 6, 2003 Hi all Very few people have a quarantine tank. Unsually the purists and the "once bitten, twice shy" ones. All you need is the space. A few items. The running costs are not too bad either. Considering the fish you might save. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted March 6, 2003 Report Share Posted March 6, 2003 My Qtanks are bare bottomed, but I always add some plant, either floating of weighted down to give the fish a bit of security. The basics are, 1/ A container to hold water.... Could be anything.. a drawer lined with plastic sheet, a strong cardboard box, a chilly bin, a kids toy storage box... or anything, provided you can make it hold water and the heater is kept clear of the sides, and as above, can be set up quickly using water from an established tank. 2/ A net.. themometer, and some containers that can float in the tank if needed. 3/ A filter... Sponge is good if it is established. 4/ White Spot and Fungus cure, plus Sea Salt, and food. Pointless stocking up on meds you might not need, or could become dated. As mentioned, I always keep a few fish in the Qtanks to keep them active. Thanks Peety... much appreciated, Saw you on the Discus Board the other night I don't know.... these Kiwi's get all over the place he he. Regards, Bill (Pegasus) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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