Let's talk hospital tanks

[Mark V]

Hi there - so full disclaimer I don't have any sick fish but I see a lot of discussion about hospital tanks when crap hits the fan. I know prevention is the best medicine - but the reality is that many hobbyist will not QT and to do QT successfully require a long buying cycle based on the lifecycle of things like ich and velvet that many people will not have patience for. I'm mostly focused on the two most common afflictions - ich and velvet

So that's being said lets talk about the best method when it all goes down. If you make a hospital tank - how big do you need it to be? What's the best medicine to use (like like ole school cooper is the way to go), if you use cooper, how do you maintain the tank since the cycle is broken, how many weeks should you treat etc, do you keep your QT running all the time or just start it up as you need it, how do you go about setting it up

The end goal is to determine a best practice.

[ARC Moderator]

Moved to Reefkeeping instead of emergency discussion.

[Jynxgirl]

Set up a second tank, and run it all the time. As big as you can. If you got a spouse, lie and tell them it is for the kids to enjoy.

[+o0zarkawater]

I don't know that I would go "as big as you can" for a hospital/QT tank.

I somewhat regret going with a 30gallon.

My idea was to go big so that I can put big fish in there, or a school of fish at once like I currently have with my Anthias.

Problem with such a big QT/Hospital tank is that your water changes get expensive pretty quick. So will medication that is dosed on total tank volume.

[Sascha D.]

I think that a 20L-25g is a good size for a QT because it allows you enough room to house a 4-5" fish and it's easy to maintain. I have been in the boat where I had wanted to save a fish and the QT was not set up. It can take hours to properly set up a QT from scratch and make sure the parameters are the same for the transfer. Not everyone has the option to remove 20 gallons of tank water from the display and start up a QT. I think that if you're going to maintain a hospital tank, then it should be permanently set up.

Both Ich and Marine Velvet are parasitic, but can't always be treated the same. We all know that Ich is present is almost every tank at all times. A healthy fish can get Ich and recover in a day or two. The problem with Ich is that you can't really tell if the fish is going to recover until it's already on the decline. However, a fish that gets Marine Velvet is much less likely to recover on their own. In the fish store we used to use Rid Ich to treat both, but you can also use Methlyne Blue. I would not recommend the use of Copper medication because it's known to soak into decorations, plastic and tank seals.

A QT should be set up bare bottom and have some sort of filtration that does not incorporate carbon. Marine fish need to feel safe in their environment and may become erratic or jump from a tank without something for them to hide in. If you use live rock, then you must be sure to only use that live rock in a QT. Live rock is porous and can absorb medication or discolor when used with Methlyne Blue or Malachite Green. A lot of people use PVC pipes in the QT to simulate LR retreats.

[Jynxgirl]

Clarifying. If you have a 90 gallon tank or below, you probably are not buying large fish (tangs) that need swimming room.

Tank shape is also important. A 20 long is way better than a 20 tall.

I think of qt as buying a new fish and it stays in qt for 6 weeks. I don't believe in removing fish from a display because of ich. It stresses everyone in the tank, as well as the ich'd up fish.

[FarmerTy]

I'm a big fan of chloroquine phosphate for treating ich and marine velvet.

Here's my thread on it. It was too late for the fish as the disease was too advanced by then I'm guessing but as a QT, I think it would work perfectly.

http://www.austinreefclub.com/index.php?/topic/33229-Marine-Velvet-Treatment

[Sascha D.]

Clarifying. If you have a 90 gallon tank or below, you probably are not buying large fish (tangs) that need swimming room.

Tank shape is also important. A 20 long is way better than a 20 tall.

I think of qt as buying a new fish and it stays in qt for 6 weeks. I don't believe in removing fish from a display because of ich. It stresses everyone in the tank, as well as the ich'd up fish.

There is a difference in terms between a quarantine tank and a hospital tank that generally comes from SW and FW backgrounds. A QT is, just as you say, used to quarantine a fish before introducing it into the display. A hospital tank is just like it sounds. However, a QT can also act as a hospital tank. Whether or not you decide to remove a fish from the display is your choice. This thread is about best practices. The best practice is to isolate a weakened fish and treat it before the other fish begin to pick on it or it stops feeding. The success rate drops dramatically once the fish stops eating. Not to mention, it becomes harder to catch.

[nuxx]

No point in treating fish for ich if they're already in your display...

By that point your display is infected. If you want the ich gone, remove all fish and treat them.

During that period, let your display sit fishless for 72 days minimum.

I qt all new fish the following:

- Get them eating.

- Run three rounds of PraziPro 5-7 days apart, while treating everyday with ParaGuard.

- Treat for four weeks with Cupramine.

- Examine and then put in acclimation box in display if everything is fine.

For coral and inverts:

- Place in frag tank and start a 72 day countdown with no fish in the tank, reset if anything wet hits the tank. Normally longer.

- Also running a UV sterilizer to help out in the sump.

Our tank has been running for just under two years and I haven't positively identified an ich spot yet. On the Black Tang it would be super easy to.

I've seen a random white mark from time to time, but tends mostly be a scratch, wound or sand. Normally a true sign of ich is when it's present on the fins and also if the fish is flashing.

If ich ends up in the system, I'll just try to feed well and keep stress low. Not worth removing all the fish for ich IMO. There are much worse parasites and diseases out there.