3 replies to this topic

[pitt20]

A few days ago, I posted about my ten gallon darter setup. I was having some trouble with aggression, but I rearranged the tank to create more rock caves and have had very positive results. All of my fish (3 redline, 1 gilt) are colored nicely, seemed to have found their own territories, and are eating well . The fish have been in the tank a little over a month, and I am hoping to add a few fish to occupy the top of the tank. I am going to be in Hilton Head this upcoming week, and through a little digging on the forum I found Bahama Swamp as a location to collect near there. I am hoping to grab one or two golden topminnows for this tank, but wanted to ask some questions before doing so. I have really enjoyed these darters, and don’t want to introduce any parasites or diseases to the tank. I have a tank with a population of least killifish that I collected from that location about a year ago, and have never had any issues with fish loss or disease. I am planning on collecting the topminnows on Sunday and will be back to my house the following Friday. I am planning on monitoring them throughout the week for signs of disease in a small holding tank. How much of a risk am I running if I add them in on Saturday after I get home? I want to ensure I’m minimizing stress for the new fish while keeping my current fish healthy. I’ve always done it longer for store bought fish, but wasn’t sure about wild caught. I searched through the forum and found mixed reviews on whether people quarantine wild caught natives or not. In previous native set ups that I’ve had over the years I usually didn’t worry about it, but I’ve also tended to stock tanks with fish from the same body of water. Thanks in advance for any guidance.

Edited by pitt20, 15 April 2021 - 12:32 AM.

[littlen]

With any new fish (wild caught natives or purchased tropical species), it is worth taking the approach that they are 100% infected with some variety of internal or external parasite.  Why risk your established, healthy, collection?  As cheap as a new 10 gallon tank is, set it up as a quarantine tank.  I usually just do 30 days with a little salt, 2-3ppt.  

 

[UncleWillie]

I searched through the forum and found mixed reviews on whether people quarantine wild caught natives or not. In previous native set ups that I’ve had over the years I usually didn’t worry about it, but I’ve also tended to stock tanks with fish from the same body of water.

 

Like you've already found in your search, you will get a mix of opinions here.  I can't help but agree that quarantining new fish will protect your existing stock. Like Nick said, why risk it?  Particularly, if you have some rare fish or fish that will be hard for you to find again...

 

That being said, I, still, have never adhered to my own suggestions.  I'm the guy that get home with with new fish, shrimp, or plants, acclimate them, and then dump them into their final destination tank.  For personal use I have never quarantined fish.  The only time I've done this has been using fish in research where it is SOP.

[Chasmodes]

Is the swamp brackish?  If that's the case, then salt probably won't work (and probably a FW dip might not either).  Maybe you could do something with a mild general cure medication for a couple weeks followed by a 2 day dose of Prazipro?  I do that with my brackish fish in QT.  After that, I make water changes and watch them for a few days. If all looks good, then add them to my DT.  Stay on top of the QT water changes.  Make sure that you add more your meds if you need to keep the dose the same (as the water change will dilute your original dose) and bump up the aeration when using Prazipro.  I've used copper before on some species, like mummichogs, rainwater killies, and sheepshead minnows.  Copper kills almost anything.  I only use it as a last resort on brackish fish, but definitely QT the killiefish and sheepshead minnow species.  They seem to be disease magnets.  They recover quick, but man can they spread it to other tank mates.