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Date: 24 Feb 2005 11:02:05
From:
Subject: Retroactive Quarantine?
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I've recently setup a new 55 gallon tank. I let it run for a while, then stocked it with a bunch of plants and three tetras from my LFS. Yesterday, I read on the skepticalaquarist.com a strong argument for quaratine for new fish, and for salt and parasite treatments, and for treating plants as well. It sounds like a really good idea. My question is, if I were to quantine my fish now, in a small tank that I could treat and change lots of water on, would my main tank be sterile in a month, having been free of fish (but not snails)? If things would live on in the main tank anyway, what would be a good course of action? Thank you muchly.
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Date: 25 Feb 2005 05:57:57
From: John W
Subject: Re: Retroactive Quarantine?
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Yeah. I wan't going to go adding heaps of chemicals to my setup or anything. Basically, I was wondering if it would be a good idea to separate them off, so that if they did show problems, I would have a smaller sick tank on my hands. I'll just stick with what I've got now, though. Thanks.
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Date: 25 Feb 2005 04:19:27
From: Dick
Subject: Re: Retroactive Quarantine?
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On 24 Feb 2005 11:02:05 -0800, john.westbrook@gmail.com wrote: >I've recently setup a new 55 gallon tank. I let it run for a while, >then stocked it with a bunch of plants and three tetras from my LFS. > >Yesterday, I read on the skepticalaquarist.com a strong argument for >quaratine for new fish, and for salt and parasite treatments, and for >treating plants as well. It sounds like a really good idea. > >My question is, if I were to quantine my fish now, in a small tank that >I could treat and change lots of water on, would my main tank be >sterile in a month, having been free of fish (but not snails)? If >things would live on in the main tank anyway, what would be a good >course of action? > >Thank you muchly. How long is "recently?" Quarantine is a way to keep new fish/plants from passing along bad things to known good plants/fish. It also allows you to observe and treat suspected ills. You don't seem to be suspicious of existing setup. If it ain't broke why fix it? Moving plants and fish is stressful. You might create a problem where it does not exist. Leave well enough alone is my suggestion. dick
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Date: 24 Feb 2005 17:12:24
From: NetMax
Subject: Re: Retroactive Quarantine?
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<john.westbrook@gmail.com > wrote in message news:1109270082.064228.265180@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com... > I've recently setup a new 55 gallon tank. I let it run for a while, > then stocked it with a bunch of plants and three tetras from my LFS. > > Yesterday, I read on the skepticalaquarist.com a strong argument for > quaratine for new fish, and for salt and parasite treatments, and for > treating plants as well. It sounds like a really good idea. > > My question is, if I were to quantine my fish now, in a small tank that > I could treat and change lots of water on, would my main tank be > sterile in a month, having been free of fish (but not snails)? If > things would live on in the main tank anyway, what would be a good > course of action? > > Thank you muchly. Your strategy assumes that any pathogens were waterborne parasites which would die without a host, or bacteria which would dilute and vanish. I don't know if that's a valid assumption. The value of a small quarantine tank is that it allows you to more closely inspect the condition and progress of the fish (their consumption of food, emptying their bowels, coloration and behaviour). Personally, I think that you should not bother, and your entire tank is now a defacto quarantine tank. The requirement to quarantine also extends to plants, but this requirement decreases with the time the plants have not been exposed to fish (but in a pet shop, wet nets, fingers and splashes tend to travel broadly, so I don't know what that isolation is really worth ;~). jmo, ymmv -- www.NetMax.tk
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