Aquariums

[Synchronized]

Other question: did you put the new fish in the main tank without a quarantine period? Even without visible symptoms, they could carry something your other fish are not immune to. I keep any new fish separated for at least a week, usually more. I don't have a filter in the quarantine tank, I do daily water changes and the new water I add includes old water from the main tank. (This is a process I also use when setting up a new tank, but I will use a filter then.) Depending on the number and size of the new fish, this tank doesn't need to be big. I know of people who use plastic totes instead of tanks for this purpose, They even use submersible heaters in them, but rest them on a plate at the bottom rather than fasten them to walls so they don't melt the plastic.

Setting up another tank isn't a possibility, I don't live on my own. Either way, this started about a week after the new fish were placed in, and I'll say again that there were no visible signs until the danio from any fish whatsoever.

[MistyoC]

Other question: did you put the new fish in the main tank without a quarantine period? Even without visible symptoms, they could carry something your other fish are not immune to. I keep any new fish separated for at least a week, usually more. I don't have a filter in the quarantine tank, I do daily water changes and the new water I add includes old water from the main tank. (This is a process I also use when setting up a new tank, but I will use a filter then.) Depending on the number and size of the new fish, this tank doesn't need to be big. I know of people who use plastic totes instead of tanks for this purpose, They even use submersible heaters in them, but rest them on a plate at the bottom rather than fasten them to walls so they don't melt the plastic.

Setting up another tank isn't a possibility, I don't live on my own. Either way, this started about a week after the new fish were placed in, and I'll say again that there were no visible signs until the danio from any fish whatsoever.

Introducing new stock without a quarantine is running a risk. It can be done, but at times, one will incur a loss. From your description of losing 13 fish and still having some left, I'm guessing you have a larger tank. In that case, you can quarantine new fish in containers hung on the side of the tank. This solves heating issues as well. (A common practice for betta owners!) There are commercial options, or you can make your own. Even a well washed 2 liter bottle with the top cut off and nylon line strung through holes punched in it will do. It just needs to keep the new fish's water separate from the existing population until you're sure they're healthy enough to add.

[Synchronized]

Hey, I hand-pick all of my fish for health and attractiveness-- if there's even a notch in a fin, I won't buy it. The only time I've ever had issues with new fish were when I was doing something wrong, from my store-- the only other time I have issues is from every other store, oddly enough.

Regardless, I really don't have the time to be doing more-than-daily water changes on filterless containers crammed with too many fish and don't have the space for separate containers per fish. Having a fish in quarantine for days to weeks in what is essentially a bowl of water isn't something I'm interested in doing. It's honestly safer just putting them into the main tank, at that point. Bettas are labyrinth fish-- they're sturdier when faced with unmoving, unfiltered water and aren't nearly as dirty as livebearers.

[MistyoC]

Hey, I hand-pick all of my fish for health and attractiveness-- if there's even a notch in a fin, I won't buy it. The only time I've ever had issues with new fish were when I was doing something wrong, from my store-- the only other time I have issues is from every other store, oddly enough.

Regardless, I really don't have the time to be doing more-than-daily water changes on filterless containers crammed with too many fish and don't have the space for separate containers per fish. Having a fish in quarantine for days to weeks in what is essentially a bowl of water isn't something I'm interested in doing. It's honestly safer just putting them into the main tank, at that point. Bettas are labyrinth fish-- they're sturdier when faced with unmoving, unfiltered water and aren't nearly as dirty as livebearers.

Feel free to keep doing it your way. You are the one who posted about losing 19+ fish in a matter of days. I was merely making a suggestion on how to help prevent such losses in the future. Quarantine of new fish is recommended by many top hobbyists, but rarely followed.

[JadaNae]

Welp. I would like to say That I now have a total of 4 tanks.
A 20 Gallon Community containing one pair of dwarf gouramis ( the male being a flame red), 10 Harlequin Rasboras, 6 Bandit Corydoras, 4 Ghost Shrimp and one Horned Nerite Snail. No one in this tank was quarintined and I have never had problems with them.

I have 2 10 gallons, which I use for raising and breeding The Hybrid Tiger Endler, and Cherry Shrimp, and a small 2.5 gallon which I am holding a very unique pair for a special breeding program.

I have not quarintined any of these fish and I've never had problems, but then I don't buy my fish from pet stores. I have them shipped to me from other hobbyists which care about every one of them and their health.

Yes. I am a fish nut. lol

[Niada]

I have a very sick angelfish right now. He's lying on the gravel in the corner and hasn't eaten in several days. I had at first thought it was a swim bladder problem when he began drifting up and down, but now he isn't moving at all except for his pectoral fins. The other fish are fine.

I don't know if I can do anything more. I added medicine a few days ago, but he's only gotten worse. I'd appreciate if anyone could give advice.

[TxCat]

A suggestion from someone who has been a fish hobbyist for over twenty years: if you spot a sick fish or someone acting weird, DON'T medicate the whole tank.

Most local fish stores (and I mean professionals, not Wal-Mart or Petco or Petsmart) carry a variety of small isolation units you can just hang over the side of the tank. That keeps the temperature equal to the main tank so the fish isn't shocked by a temperature change. Add a hose and just enough of an air stone to keep the water oxygenated. You can use your tank water if it's not the source of the problem. Medicate only that dish in that container ( your local fish guy will either carry an appropriate dosage or can tell you how to scale down the product meet your needs.). Change the water by half in the container at least every few days.

i've found this practice cuts down drastically on tank fatalities. Only the fish needing care gets it, he doesn't spread it to other fish, and unaffected fish don't get medication they don't need (which leaves them vulnerable to disease next time).

Make absolutely certain you know what remedies are used for what diseases and that you can positively identify the disease before medication. All purpose remedies don't really work well and with some diseases, one may be a cure and the other could kill the fish.

[TNHawke]

The problem with that, Tx, is that most medications are designed for 10gal doses and the pill type meds are nearly impossible to break down into the couple of cups that most of those hanging bowls hold. Of course, this is part of why 10 gal hospital tanks are handy. Easy to run a filter with just a sponge and no carbon, and not treating absolutely everyone.
Also, I have had some luck with small container treatments and using a 3CC syringe to measure small doses of liquid meds.
That said, I will usually medicate the entire tank, because often, if one fish has it, more often than not, others do too- or will come down with it shortly.

I'm also one who doesn't usually bother with quarantine. However... I also tend to run a few days of meds if I bring any fish home from Walmart. I don't usually buy from there, but sometimes they'll have something mislabeled and selling a species way cheap, so I take it home. It used to be that if I brought home Walmart fish, I would lose the new fish, and all my old ones, too. Since I started the practice of A. not usually buying Walmart fish and B. medicating if I did, I haven't lost any of the new, or old fish!

I have a very sick angelfish right now. He's lying on the gravel in the corner and hasn't eaten in several days. I had at first thought it was a swim bladder problem when he began drifting up and down, but now he isn't moving at all except for his pectoral fins. The other fish are fine.

I don't know if I can do anything more. I added medicine a few days ago, but he's only gotten worse. I'd appreciate if anyone could give advice.

I hate to say it, but it sounds like my angel who succumbed to Hole in Head disease. It's generally fatal. Once my angel was just laying on the bottom, I knew it was time to end his suffering. If I get angels again (and I plan to), I won't let them suffer as long as that one did, now that I know what it is and that it's terminal.

[MistyoC]

An easy way to portion medicines that come in tablet form is to dissolve them in a jar of water and use a portion of that water. For example, if the tablet is for a 10 gallon tank and you're using a 1-gallon bowl to quarantine, dissolve the tablet in 10 oz water and add 1 oz to the bowl. I have a special set of measuring utensils only used for fish meds.

[TNHawke]

An easy way to portion medicines that come in tablet form is to dissolve them in a jar of water and use a portion of that water. For example, if the tablet is for a 10 gallon tank and you're using a 1-gallon bowl to quarantine, dissolve the tablet in 10 oz water and add 1 oz to the bowl. I have a special set of measuring utensils only used for fish meds.

I always understood that the meds lost potency once they'd been sitting in water- hence additional doses every day or every few days, depending on the medication.