Quarantine

[Katy]

The new tank is cycling well, nitrates, present, good guys gobbling up the ammonia quickly as we add it, and the fish in the QT are nearing the end of the Ich treatment.

My question: How long and with what do you treat them for parasites before you add them to the main tank? And I see mention of bacterial treatments as well -- what do you treat them for if they have no sxs?

Thanks!

[plaalye]

I usually let new fish settle in to the Q tank for a week and just observe them. After a week, if all is well, I've been treating twice with flubendazole, which should take care of everything from ich to internal parasites, over the course of another 2 weeks, then at least another week of observation for a total of 4 weeks(at least). If all is well I put them where they go.

[Katy]

Is flubendazole better than levimasole? We were considering both at the feed store today (though the flubendazole is available in smaller quantities at the pet store)

We are treating for ich because the fish were flashing a lot, and the local pet store has ich in pretty much all the tanks. When that treatment is done, will probably use the levamisole based on other recommendations here. Thoughts?

[plaalye]

I'm guessing that what you're finding in the feed store is fenbedazole? If so it is different than flubendazole. They both have similar effect on parasites but the fenben. is not as soluble as the fluben., I use fenbendazole to treat food that i feed to infected fish. Flubendazole I use to treat the water column. Here is the info i go by and where i purchase my flubendazole.
http://www.inkmkr.com/Fish/FlubendazoleTreatment.pdf
I had some loaches that didn't seem to respond to levamisole treatment, but did well with flubendazole. That's my experience, so I've been using it instead. It's also easier to get. Others may have different experience/opinions?

[Katy]

How long do you treat with anti-parasite meds?

And what is the anti-parasite, anti-bacterial, anti-parasite three stage regimen I have read about some people using?

I was also alarmed at reading one site that said the cycle for different species of Ich could be anywhere from one to 32 days! Yikes! How long to treat????

I am watching the fish closely for signs of stress, but as a total newbie it is hard, because "normal loach behaviour" seems to us to be an oxymoron....

Sorry for all the questions. Maybe one of the mods. could do a quarantine sticky????