I didn't know that Methylene Blue was an anesthetic, that's interesting. Does it also help kill gill flukes & other nasties? Would it be useful to include copper in the freshwater bath to get a higher pecentage kill rate of kill gill flukes & other nasties?
A Quarantine Process
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MB is a favorite old treatment of many freshwater fish pathogens. Not as effective in marine fishes, but it does and can kill a few pathogens. Not enough to totally use it for that purpose, but it is a side benefit.
Its calming effect is really the MB's ability to carry more oxygen in the water. A fish with extra oxygen (like humans) labors less and 'relaxes' more.
Copper has different effects at different salinities. Under no circumstances is copper added to a hyposaline solutions, nor is it added to FW for marine fish dips/baths. It's toxicity goes up in such situations and what is proper dosage at normal salinity is lethal at lower salinity. Much of its effect on the pathogen is also related to the make up of the water (alk., ca, mg, pH, etc.) as well as its toxicity to the fish.
Copper remains with the fish for quite some time even after treatment. That is one reason why its use is banned by the US for use on food fishes.
Its calming effect is really the MB's ability to carry more oxygen in the water. A fish with extra oxygen (like humans) labors less and 'relaxes' more.
Copper has different effects at different salinities. Under no circumstances is copper added to a hyposaline solutions, nor is it added to FW for marine fish dips/baths. It's toxicity goes up in such situations and what is proper dosage at normal salinity is lethal at lower salinity. Much of its effect on the pathogen is also related to the make up of the water (alk., ca, mg, pH, etc.) as well as its toxicity to the fish.
Copper remains with the fish for quite some time even after treatment. That is one reason why its use is banned by the US for use on food fishes.
I have never had a QT tank before, and unfortunatly I have recently had outbreaks of ick in my display tanks, so am now going to set up QT tank. However I have some questions that I hope are not too dumb.
First, you stated that you should not place more than 1 fish in QT tank at same time. Would that remain true if you bought more than one fish from the same tank? Wouldn't those fish be exposed to the same diseases? What about if they were in the same system?
I enjoyed the article and never thought about the other benefits of QT other then disease prevention (ie getting fish to eat etc) But the question I do have is, once the QT period is over, and it is time to place the fish in the display tank, what keeps the fish from becoming overly stress during that process and developing ick at that time (because doesnt all fish have ick just like we all have staph) I am probably way off, but was just wondering.
Thank you.
First, you stated that you should not place more than 1 fish in QT tank at same time. Would that remain true if you bought more than one fish from the same tank? Wouldn't those fish be exposed to the same diseases? What about if they were in the same system?
I enjoyed the article and never thought about the other benefits of QT other then disease prevention (ie getting fish to eat etc) But the question I do have is, once the QT period is over, and it is time to place the fish in the display tank, what keeps the fish from becoming overly stress during that process and developing ick at that time (because doesnt all fish have ick just like we all have staph) I am probably way off, but was just wondering.
Thank you.
The fish in quarantine does a lot more than just prevent and cure diseases. You noted that whole list.
You don't put fish together in a quarantine tank for many of those other reasons. I'll restate some of them: food competition, friction/tank mate arguments, intimidation/domination, and differences in disease.
Let me expand on that last point. The fish may come from the same system and even the same tank at the place you will acquire it, but not all fish will have the same affliction. Think of the hundreds of marine fish ailments and parasites. One fish can be infected internally, and the other not. One fish can have a skin parasite, the others don't even when in the same tank. The list goes on.
I do except the case where the fish is part of a school of the same species. I do quarantine a school together.
You don't put fish together in a quarantine tank for many of those other reasons. I'll restate some of them: food competition, friction/tank mate arguments, intimidation/domination, and differences in disease.
Let me expand on that last point. The fish may come from the same system and even the same tank at the place you will acquire it, but not all fish will have the same affliction. Think of the hundreds of marine fish ailments and parasites. One fish can be infected internally, and the other not. One fish can have a skin parasite, the others don't even when in the same tank. The list goes on.
I do except the case where the fish is part of a school of the same species. I do quarantine a school together.
Snowboarda42
Cirrhitichthys falco
Fish don't have Ich all the time, its something that may show up though it is possibly in the tank when they fish gets stressed out. A little further explaination, say you don't QT anything in the beginning and your tank doesn't have any signs of ich, but still contains the parasite due to not QT'ing. The fish's immune system may be able to fend it off on its own and you would never know its there. That is, until the day that the fish becomes stressed out due to water quality issues, moving tanks, new additions, etc. When that stress comes into play, the immune system takes a dive and the fish will succumb to the ich and you will start to see it. The statement that "fish always have ich" has been disproved time and time again.
Check out Lee's articles about ich and QT'ing, hyposalinity, copper, etc.
Yes. If you follow this guideline: Starting up a Marine Aquarium, you'll find a step in there where it recommends that you begin the quarantine of your first fish.
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