[Jacob D]

Originally Posted by Sisterlimonpot

That's not what he was saying, never put a filter that was used in the QT back in the display tank. If you do that, you run the risk of transferring just about anything from copper to ich to your display, once it served its purpose in the QT toss it and start a new filter in the display.

Correct. Don't transfer anything, especially something porus or any sort of substrate from your QT to your DT. Quite a few people like to start with a new sponge/biowheel and place it into their DT, then when the QT needs to be set up move that sponge into it to jumpstart the beneficial bacteria population. If/when it's time to break down the QT throw away the sponge, or at least soak it in bleach, then rinse it and let it dry out.

Originally Posted by chingchai

This thread is very useful.
Thanks so much.

One question,
What should we do if the course is "Bacterial Infection in marine fish"?
Water change is the proper thing to do or is there any other option.

Usually antibiotics will be in order. The exact treatment will depend on whether the infection is gram positive or gram negative bacteria. If it's difficult to distinguish then a broad spectrum drug such as Doxycycline can be used. p.s. I am envious of your beautiful tank, Sir

Originally Posted by lcs

Thanks so much for having this information available!

I would like some opinions on something. I have a coral beauty that has been in QT for 10 days, with plans to keep him/her there for a total of 4 weeks - he would go in the DT on 8/15. Here's my question, I dipped him in prazipro before he went into the QT and I've been considering dipping him in a formalin/malachite green med I have before I put him in the DT. I would prefer to dip as I would rather not treat the tank. What are people's opinions on dipping versus treating the tank?

Personally I would avoid the formalin/malachite bath unless you have a serious reason to do it. I realize this advice is probably coming too late but for anyone else that happens upon it... formalin is nasty stuff and can stress/kill fish easily. Save it as a last resort. When needed, using it in a bath seems to be a popular treatment method. Also, for future reference it may be wise to get your fish eating before starting Prazi based treatments as they tend to suppress appetite. It's a decision that has to be weighed if you know your fish has flukes.

Originally Posted by jasony816

what type of filtration do you guys perfer, HOB, simple sponge filter, or just a powerhead and change new water everday?

This is a good topic for a new forum thread. In general, I personally prefer as much varied filtration in combination with water changes as possible. In situations where a medication will likely wipe out bilogical filtration you can decide to carry out treatment in a dip/bath outside the QT, or the alternative use treatment in the tank followed by regular water changes and careful monitoring of nitrite levels. Once the biological filtration is dead regular large water changes are a must. A powerhead will help aerate the water (especially if used to break the surface) but otherwise won't contribute to the filtration. If you're using carbon or similar chemical filtration don't forget to check the instructions of any medication you may be using; in many cases you may need to remove the chemical filtration in order for the medication to be effective. If you're using forms of mechanical filtration (filter socks, etc...) it's not a bad idea to clean them daily especially if fighting ich/ick.

Originally Posted by nenna

What medicines does everyone treat with even if no symptoms are showing?

Is copper the best preventative way of treating ich or do people still treat by hyposalinity?

This is a good topic for a new forum thread. I have personally changed my methods a little and now only treat with Prazi as prophylaxis, and almost always only once the fish are eating all of the foods I want them to eat. Whats "best" is subject to opinion. In the past I was using chloroquine (instead of copper) however both medications are immunosuppressants and that can leave your fish vulnerable to certain problems. If you wanted to copper your fish as prophylaxis I would look into chloroquine as an alternative. It doesn't get bound up by elements in the saltwater, thus you only need to dose it once, and only add more as you do water changes. Unfortunately you can't test it in the water so you must carefully keep track of how much you have dosed. Some fish (angels, butterflies) are sensitive to copper and chloroquine MAY be better for these fish. I have had good luck using it with butterflies but I'm only one person and my experience may not apply to someone else.

Originally Posted by shrimphead

what about fresh water dips aswell

FW dips (when temp and ph matched) can be useful. There is plenty of info on the web regarding using FW dips to treat various parasites. Someone recently mentioned the use of a FW dip prior to Prazi to get a good idea if the fish has flukes or not. It's a good approach, especially for fish that are picky eaters since the Prazi will suppress their appetite even more. If a FW dip reveals no flukes you may want to skip the Prazi - or at least hold off until the fish are eating well and fat, and then decide if you want to go ahead with it.



...ok I think that covered all of the questions. I would encourage everyone to post future questions to the main fish disease forum so you can get input from the greater experience of everyone here at RC. I am relatively inexperienced in QT and treatment of fish compared to many of the good people here.

If you're QT'ing and keeping a close eye on your wet friends then you're already giving yourself a much better chance to succeed! Keep up the good fight