QT'ing New Fish & Plants

[BennySings]

Fish

All new fish need to be quarantined before introducing them into your new tank!!!  People have different ways that they do this, but a fish needs to be QTed for at least 2-3 weeks before introducing them to your main tank.  Some even QT for a month.  Here is an example of one QTing process:


1.  First of all, make sure you use at least a 10g tank to QT the fish and that the filtration turns over at least 100 gph, preferrably 150gph.  You also may want to add an air stone for extra oxygen.  You can also use a 10g Rubbermaid container instead of a tank.

2.  Raise the salinity to no more than .3% over the course of a few days; not all at once!!!  Some fish are salt-sensitive, so you will need to watch your fish closely.  If you have a salt-sensitive fish, then raise the salt to .1% or .2% over a course of a few days.  Once you have the salt where the fish is comfortable, keep it at that level (.1,.2,or.3%) for the duration of the QT.

3.  Most people assume that all new fish have parasites of one kind or another.  You can treat with Prazi at the normal dosage on the bottle, or even double the dose if you like.  Prazi is not harmful to the fish or your cycle.  You can also treat with Dimlin if you suspect other parasites.  Dimlin is not harmful to the fish or cycle.

4.  Watch your fish closely and keep the water as clean as possible.

5.  If, after the Qt time is up, you notice no flashing or rubbing and the fish seems healthy, you can introduce it to the main tank.  If the fish becomes lethargic or develops a bacterial infection after being moved to the new tank, you can feed a round of Medi-Gold for two weeks up to 30 days.  Two weeks is the MINIMUM you can use Medi-Gold and once the med food is started it MUST be finished!!!

As stated before, QTing a new fish is very important and you will be happy you did!  It can certainly keep your other fish from being infected by the new addition.  No one wants to battle a parasite infection! 

Plants

Live plants can harbor parasites and other "critters" that you don't want in your tank. 

Please see our section on QT'ing live plants here:

www.aquapuppies.com/aquapuppies/index.php?topic=201.0