Quarantining Tangs and multiple fish: Methodologies

[jaggedfire]

I have a few questions on experiences and methods for which other quarantine.

We bought a Sailfin(3.5-4in) and Scopas(3.5in) tang about 5 weeks ago along with a few other smaller fish (one spot rabbit, coral beauty and bi-color blenny). They have all been in QT mostly peacefully and are eating excellent, both pellet and nori as staple with beef hearts and mysis as supplement. There was some picking early on between the tangs, but all have found their place.

I wanted to treat prophylactically with cupramine and prazipro (staggered, not at same time), but vacation came around and did not want a sitter dealing with copper and such for 10 days.

Now we are back from vacation, I am wondering what to do. They having not shown any signs of disease or stress and eating well, am I okay now to introduce to DT? Should I still run the copper and prazi and then add?

All my previous additions have NOT been subject to copper or other meds, so there is still the chance they are carriers with no symptoms. I have thought of using one of my small damsels in the DT(sump) and introduce to the QT to test if the new specimens will catch anything.

Being the new tangs are probably the most susceptible to disease, my DT is probably safe, no?

Any experiences to sway either way for prophylactic or sticking with just 5-6 weeks observational? Anyone experienced occasions where observational was not enough and ended up with an outbreak?

Thanks everyone for their input.

[Timfish]

Odds are about 99% you do not have ick if none of your fish are not showing any signs after 5 weeks. But I want to emphasize not 100%. I would go ahead and treat with the prazipro first and if still no signs of ick I would be comfortable adding to my tank. My experience dwarf angels are just as suceptable as Zebrasoma spp. tangs if not more so. It is possible you have a subclinical infestation in your display tank and moving one of your fish to the QT would help determine if you do but if it's easy to catch one fish in your display tank it should be easy to catch them all. In which case I would go ahead and but your fish in your display tank because if you do have ick in your display tank you will need to pull all of the fish out and leave it fallow for 11 weeks to make sure all the cysts hatch out.

FYI Link to research paper on ick: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fa164

[Juiceman]

I would suggest to run meds as planned just to be safe.

[FarmerTy]

I agree with Tim, I would treat with prazipro and call it a day. You fish seem healthy enough so I wouldn't be concerned with ich at all. I'm still in the boat of ich won't kill a healthy, unstressed fish so I don't worry about having an ich free tank. To me, it's like trying to keep germs out of my house. If healthy enough, I won't get sick.

[jaggedfire]

As far as prairie goes, any experience with dosing with corals? I read inverts will be affected, but only anecdotal info about coral.

[FarmerTy]

I've dosed prazipro in my tank with ill effect. It did overflow my skimmer as many have reported.

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[nuxx]

I have been doing the observation / prazipro quarantine with new fish and I don't think it worked very well.

A few months after I put fish into the new tank ich popped up on my Yellow Bellied Blue Tang.

The other new fish with under high stress for 6-8 weeks in QT and never showed signs of ich.

The YB Blue and Yellow Tangs along with the Black Ice Clown were in my old tank for almost 3 years with no signs of ich. That tank has been up a lot longer than that, and has had ich before while I was learning the hobby. Some water / rock made it for sure from the start to up until I broke down the tank. So ich should have always been present.

With just 3 fish, there was no stress and I NEVER saw a spot. I believe all 3 fish were carriers though looking back.

With all the tangs in the new tank, stress must have been a lot higher than before. Making the ich pop up on the YB Blue Tang.

Since no coral is in the tank, I'm about to run 6 weeks of hypo on the tank as an insurance policy. Even though I haven't seen spots in well over a month.

From now on:

12 weeks fishless QT for new inverts and coral.

For fish:

12 days of tank transfer method (probably 2 20 gallon tanks)

6 weeks of observation with 3 treatments of PraziPro

[jaggedfire]

Thanks for the input nuxx. Since this part of the year has been so busy I find it hard to keep a qt running for so long and trips coming up out of the blue.

I combined all the new fish (2 tangs, 2in fox, 3 inch coral beauty and 2in blenny) in to a 20 long with a clown from my dt's sump, Hoping this would be the worst possible combo. They are on day 4 of Prazi with no ill effects and no observable issues. I know they should be in a larger tank, but I don't have one atm. In fact, the scopas has chilled a bit since the merger.

We are out again this weekend for a trip and I am going to start merging to the dt on return. I am nervous about the new tangs getting along with my established 4in yellow line tang.

I would like to find a cheap 55 to use for qt as this 20 is only really good for an overnight observation tank for medium fish.

Without a bigger qt I am nervous about pushing the limits on how long these guys will handle being couped up.