suggestions on QT system

[greysin]

I have an outbreak of some parasitic disease (velvet) in my display tank. A few Fish died. Right now there are inverts and 5 chromis ( Look perfectly fine) in this 29 gallon tank. Im thinking of keeping the fish as long as i can and adjusting my accilimation procedures such as getting a QT system running.

any suggestions on what else i need for a 10 gallon QT system.
UV sterilizer
live rock
skimmer

also, what if i buy a fish acclimate it to the qt system. Can i immediately add paraguard as a PReventive to the qt system without diagnosing the fish. i rather be safe than sorry

Btw the display tank is infected. Would it be a good idea for the tank to go fallow? need suggestions

ty

[Tech Support CH]

I'm sorry to hear about your outbreak. It seems that we all learn the lesson the hard way. For a quarantine tank I would recommend a bare tank with just a few PVC pieces for hiding. For water movement a powerhead , a submersible or hang on filter or even a sponge filter (powered by a strong air pump will work. Pay a little more and get a submersible heater they are more accurate and less likely to break (they even make unbreakable ones). And that is it. You should be able to set this up for around $50. I would also recommend a Ammonia Alert to give you at a glance readings of toxic ammonia. Always quarantine for bare minimum of 2 weeks, preferably longer. Some people recommend 4-6 weeks.

You can use Paraguard as a dip before the fish even go in to the quarantine tank. For parasites I really prefer to treat with Cupramine which would be pulled out by the live rock. Don't mix medications. A UV sterilizer can't be used with medications, and a skimmer will pull some medication out also. So these are not a requirement for a quarantine tank. You won't use them that much because they have to be turned off well you medicate. You should fully empty this aquarium between uses. This will prevent any bacteria or parasites from being able to live in there. For biological filtration I would recommend that you store a filter sponge or similar in the main tank. And then when you set up the quarantine tank place it in your filter and you should have plenty of biological filtration. This sponge should be bleached between uses or just replaced. If water quality becomes an issue just do a water change.

I also like to treat my new fish with a medicated food recipe to help remove any internal parasites. The recipe I recommend is 1 scoop of Focus (the scoop comes in the vial of Focus) to 1 scoop of Metronidazole (the same scoop comes in the vial of Metronidazole) per tablespoon of frozen food. Focus is a binding agent that will allow you to bind antibiotics to food and Metronidazole is an antibiotic effective against parasites. Completely submerse this mix of food with the antibiotics in Garlic Guard and refrigerate. This mix works best with frozen food. The previously mentioned recipe is also on the Garlic Guard label. Feed this medicated food mix multiple times a day for at least two weeks (preferably longer). You can find more info on these products at [url]http://www.seachem.com[/url]. In this recipe you are using our Focus to bind antibiotics to food so they are not wandering in your water column. This is also the best way to treat diseased fish (by making sure they are actually getting the medication by ingesting it).

It would not be a bad idea to allow your aquarium to go fallow well you treat the remaining fish for any remaining disease. Just leave the inverts in the aquarium and move the chromis to the quarantine tank.

[greysin]

btw what do you mean when u say " For parasites I really prefer to treat with Cupramine which would be pulled out by the live rock."

does this mean that cupramine pulls the parasite out of the live rock or the live rock pullls the medication into it

[Tech Support CH]

Cupramine is copper based. Copper likes calcium carbonate and will leave the water column to attach itself to it. Once it leaves the water column it will no longer treat the parasites. The copper will also kill any copod or amphipods that are living in the live rock. It is generally not a good idea to have live rock in a quarantine system.