Quarantine supplies and acclimation procedures

[steve-s]

Minocycline is a gram negative anti and exactly what you want/need for marine infections.

Cheers
Steve

 

[mattseattle]

from what I read that Maracyn II for freshwater and saltwater only differ in that Vitamin B is added to the saltwater type. Does this make a huge difference in treatment?

Also, can you use the dewormer and Maracyn II at the same time or should they be seperate treatments? if so how far apart?

thanks for this thread - it has helped me set up my QT tank and start treatment on my first fish.

 

[steve-s]

from what I read that Maracyn II for freshwater and saltwater only differ in that Vitamin B is added to the saltwater type. Does this make a huge difference in treatment?

The vitamin B complex is a huge bonus as an appetite stimulant and may ease stress. If given the choice, always choose the one with the vitamins.

Also, can you use the dewormer and Maracyn II at the same time or should they be seperate treatments? if so how far apart?

Yes they can be used together. Keep in mind that most dewormers/internal parasite meds are best used in foods/consumed. The interaction would be minimal. It would not be so with all anti's but this combo (prazi/metronidazole/piperazine) is fine.

Cheers
Steve

 

[mattseattle]

Thanks! Good information to have.

 

[Slickdonkey]

Steve, is Cupramine safe to use on all fish? I seem to remember copper isn't a great idea for scale-less fishes?

 

[steve-s]

Cupramine is generally safe to use with most all teleost marine fish. Including puffers, angels, clowns, scorpions and so on. If treating C. irritans these fish are much better off being treated with hyposalinity but failing that (or copper is a must) Cupramine will do nicely.

Cheers
Steve

 

[mattseattle]

Steve,

A question regarding mandarins. How do you recommend QT'ing them?

-Matt

 

[steve-s]

Same way you would any other fish except it's even more important they remain on their own. No fish no matter the species should be allowed into a display tank until it has passed the QT process. No excpetions for any reason, anything wet really.

Mandarin fish can be trained to feed the same as other fish but with alot more attention/TLC. Time, persistance and patience are the key. With no food competitors, a feeding station or use of a small eye dropper and shutting the flow off at feeding time are usually all that's needed.

Cheers
Steve

 

[tomz]

Personally I wouldn't bother. If you have it, use it on the main system for nutrient/algae control. Just remember that the bulb and housing of UV's must be replaced/cleaned at least every six months. If they are not maintained regularly they are pretty much ineffective.

Cheers
Steve

Hi Steve,

Is there any type of filter (UV, etc...) that could be incorporated into the return flow of a "theoretical quarantine tank" that is connected (supplied from) the main system that would keep the pathogens/parasites from entering the main?




Tom

 

[steve-s]

I really don't recommend it but you could "theoretically" have a UV on the overflow to the QT and one from the QT to the main. The wattage would need to be ramped up pretty good to ensure proper eradication of the most common pathogens accompanied by the right flow rate, usually slow and diameter of the housing.

The "zap dosage"just for C. irritans alone is 100,000 microwatt-seconds per square centimeter.
http://www.bestfish.com/uvpa.html

This is still not a guarantee since the age of the bulb, cleanliness of the housing and such are all factors in effectiveness and unquantifiable. You also have the potential for the bulb to fail altogether and the pump keeps going. As you can see the chances for failure are very very high.

 

[tomz]

My thought was to have the feed from the sump (small pump) above the waterline of the QT so back siphon is not possible, which would eliminate the need for a UV there.

The drain back into the sump would then have the UV and could be slow flow (small supply pump) for a high dwell time. Could also use a one micron sock to filter out larger organisms. The UV and sock would only be used to QT a new fish. The rest of the time the tank would just be part of the system. The UV lamp would last longer, but would have to be cleaned before every use and run time would have to be logged.

Of course if a fish needed meds then it would need to be moved to an isolated QT and the UV would need to be run for six weeks in case any parasites remained in the tank. It seems like this may be an alternative to running an isolated QT if a low enough percentage of fish ended up needing some type of medication.

Of course as you stated there is the risk that something will get through to the main display. Will UV kill C. irritans cysts?

 

[steve-s]

Of course as you stated there is the risk that something will get through to the main display.

It really doesn't matter how well you set it up, that risk will never be eliminated. Any water coming into or leaving the QT that is not sterilized really defeats the whole purpose of an isolation tank form the get go. The UV is not a guarantee of that.

Will UV kill C. irritans cysts?

Only items that pass through the UV can be affected. Once the parasite moves on to encyst, it also adheres to hard surfaces. The likelihood of it passing through the UV are not good. Once the Tomonts excyst, then most definitely. As I said though, not all will be killed unless under ideal circumstances.