# should I treat fish in an acclimation tank?



## JLong80 (Aug 15, 2007)

I have an acclimation tank with a small heater, sponge filter and azoo palm filter...

I was planning on adding some fish very soon and was wondering if most people treat their fish while in quarantine. And if so, what products are you using? Also, should I place inverts such as crabs, shrimp, snails, etc in a acclimation tank for 2 weeks, and should I us a general treatment on them as well?


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

i dont QT any inverts, but i drip acclimate them into my tank. i also wont treat a fish in QT for anything unless it shows signs of disease. i rather watch how they eat, what they eat, how aggresive they eat, how they interact with anyone/anything in the QT, any markings on their flesh, and so forth. a fish should be in QT for about a month before adding to the display, which at this time i drip acclimate them into.


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## JLong80 (Aug 15, 2007)

sounds like a plan, thank you for the response. I think that I had read somewhere about treating fish in quarantine... but that might not have been for acclimation, its hard to say anymore since I've been reading up on so much info.

Isn't 2-3 weeks what most people keep their fish in quarantine for? Of course, I'm sure that more time is better, but how long does it usually take for a fish to show symptoms of a disease if they contracted it at the LFS?


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

it could take a few weeks for disease to show up. some fish that are known to have problems like internal worms or something will get treated but anything else i just observe. place a few pieces of PVC pipe in the QT tank for the fish to hide too.


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## Pasfur (Mar 29, 2008)

I use basically the same process as OF2F. I do sometimes vary the time in Q, based on the exact fish I purchased. For example, I am going to quarantine a Tang longer than a Trigger. I may also lengthen or shorten the Q period based on the LFS I purchase from and how long I have been observing the fish at the LFS. However, I would recommend that most people quarantine for a minimum of 3 weeks until they have many years experience in observing newly purchased marine fish.

When it comes to treating a Q tank, I avoid medications if at all possible. My Q runs at 1.013, and the fish are added without acclimation to this level. After 10 to 14 days, I begin to slowly raise the salinity to match the display tank of 1.025, accomplished with water changes.


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## JLong80 (Aug 15, 2007)

what exactly does the lower salinity accomplish? and what if the fish has been in the LFS for over a month with no issues and is eating everything you throw at it (such as the blue spotted jawfish I just got)?


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## Pasfur (Mar 29, 2008)

The lower salinity is intended to rid the fish of parasites that may be present, but not visible to the naked eye. This is referred to as "hyposalinity" treatment. Much has been written and debated about hyposalinity over the years, but today almost all experts agree this is a good technique to improve the quarantine process, although there is some debate over exactly what salinity level works most effectively. I use 1.013 and have had success with this method. The theory is that the rapid change in pressure causes the parasites to burst, providing immediate relief for the fish.

As to the LFS questions, this is a loaded topic. If the fish at the LFS is in a closed system, with no new additions of fish present, and the system has been running parasite free (all fish), then odds are greatly increased that you will not have issues. This is, however, a very rare event, as the LFS generally brings in new fish every week. If any new fish have been added to the system, then new parasites have likely been introduced, and you need a quarantine period to ensure that your fish is parasite free. Keep in mind, just because you can't see it doesn't mean its not there. It may simply be at a stage in its life cycle that it is not large enough for you to see with the naked eye.

Regardless of the circumstances, I would use a quarantine period. The length of the quarantine period could be adjusted to account for the factors discussed above, with a minimum period of 2 weeks. For the record, as of today my Majestic Angel has been in quarantine for 6 weeks, parasite free.


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## JLong80 (Aug 15, 2007)

Thank you both for your detailed responses. This gives me a much better idea of how to properly use my quarantine tank now.


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