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QUARANTINING NEW FISH -
WHY AND HOW - THE IMPORTANCE |
If you have purchased fish from
us, it is not necessary to treat the fish for parasites. We have
taken care of those steps for you.
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WHY QUARANTINE |
Keep a watchful eye on the new incoming
fish.
Keep your fish from being contaminated by
the new incoming fish. All fish purchased from more than
one dealer should be quarantined in separate tanks away from each
other.
Treating a smaller tank that is used for
quarantine is cheaper
than treating
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| TYPE OF CONTAINER TO
USE |
Will depend on the number of fish being
quarantined.
Stock tanks anywhere from 100 gallons up to
500 gallons available from farm stores. Size will depend on the
number of fish.
Small fish or just a couple of fish can be
quarantined in a 55 gallon Rubber Made garbage can.
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| WHAT YOU WILL NEED
BESIDES TANK, POND OR AQUARIUM |
Fresh dechlorinated water, well water or better yet
water from your pond. Small filter and pump
Heater
Small air pump
Water proof thermometer
Net to cover tank
Salt, non iodized and contains no YPS. Water softener
salt is OK if it says 99.9% pure.
Scale to weigh salt
Fluke tabs (not necessary if the fish are purchased from
me. They are treated for flukes before they leave here)
Ammonia binder like Amquel or Prime
Test kits: ammonia, nitrite, pH and salt
Buy Test Kits
Net large enough to hold the fish the size you purchased
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| SETTING UP THE "Q" TANK AND ADDING
FISH |
If you know you are going to be purchasing
fish ahead of time, set up the quarantine tank before hand and have
the pump, filter and air stone running.
Check the pH of the water in the tank. Add
regular Arm and Hammer baking soda to bring the pH up to about 7 to
7.5. Many have higher pH readings and that is OK. Your
fish will adjust to your pH
The temperature in the quarantine tank
should be around 78*. If it is not, add an aquarium heater.
When you get the new fish home float them in
the bag of water. If your dealer cares about his customers he will
have filled the bag with oxygen at the time the fish were put in the
bag for you. You will want to float the fish in the bag (Do NOT open
the bag at this time) of water for 20 to 30 minutes. IF the fish has
been in the bag for a long period of time or shows signs of stress
AND if the water in the tank is only a couple of degrees difference,
it might be best to skip floating the bag and just put the fish
right into the tank.
The water in the shipping bag will have a
low pH. The low pH actually protects the fish because the
lower the pH the less toxic the ammonia is. We do add a
generous amount of ammonia binder to the shipping bags.
When the floating time is over, remove the
fish from the bag and add to the pond/tank. Do not add the
shipping water. Use your hand or a net to remove the fish from
the bag.
That water can possibly contain a lot of
bad bacteria and perhaps fish feces. Just like you would not drink
from a glass that another had drank from, you do not want to put
ANYONE else's water in your pond or quarantine tank.
About 12 hours after you have had the fish
in the new tank start add salt. You will need a total of 1 pound
of salt for every 100 gallons of tank water.
I suggest that you test the water with the
salt test kit after the first batch has had time to dissolve and
circulate through the water. It should read about 0.10%. If it does
not you may have to adjust the salt level. But keep in mind that
salt is very forgiving and you have a lot of room to play.
About 24 hours after you have added the
fish, test the ammonia and nitrite. REMEMBER while in quarantine no
amount of ammonia or nitrite is acceptable. Read this mean NONE. If
ammonia is detected, add Amquel or Prime. While these products will
not remove the ammonia they will bind them up so that they are not
harmful to fish.
Think of ammonia in a tank like you would a
baby that sits for a long period of time in a wet diaper. Ammonia in
the tank will burn the fish's gills and skin, just like a baby in a
wet diaper. High levels of ammonia will kill fish very quickly.
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| WHAT AND WHEN TO FEED |
If you bought the fish at a Koi show chances
are that it has not eaten in a few days to a week. Fish are
fasted that are sold at shows so that they do not contaminate the
water. This is not the case if the fish are purchased at a dealer's
location. Keep in mind the smaller the quarantine tank and the
number of gallons of water in relationship to the number and size of
the fish is going to make a difference in the water quality.
You can feed the fish a very small amount of
food after they have been in the quarantine tank about 6 to 8 hours.
Keep the feeding very small and remember it is better to feed 2
smaller portions 2 times a day than one larger portion once a day.
New fish may not eat for a couple of days until they adjust to their
new home. They may also "hide". This is very common. Usually after a
couple of days they will adjust and come out of hiding. You may want
to float a piece of Styrofoam on top of the water to give the fish a
place to hide for this reason alone. Keep in mind many a small fish
have jumped and landed on the Styrofoam and died. Use small pieces
so that if it does land on the Styrofoam it can flop and get back in
the water.
If you have purchased fish from me, I have
included some of the food they are used to eating. This should
last you a few days. I have found my fish do better if they
stay on the food they are used for a couple of days. The food I feed
is called Sho Koi.
A few days to a week to a couple of weeks
after adding the fish you may detect Nitrite. Nitrite poisoning
interferes with the ability of the fish to uptake oxygen. It causes
the blood to run brown. Fish can and will die from nitrite
poisoning. The salt in the tank will kept the fish from up taking
the nitrite and from suffering from nitrite poisoning.
Some believe in water changes if you have
ammonia or nitrite in the water. While you may want to do small 10%
or so water change once a week I do not recommend larger water
changes. First of all it slows down the nitrogen process and
you will find that even with an 80% water change the ammonia or
nitrite level will be right back to where it was before you finish
adding new water. Not only that, large water changes are stressful
to the fish and the last thing you want is a stressed fish in
quarantine.
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| HOW LONG SHOULD YOU
QUARANTINE? |
There are many thoughts on this topic. I would say the very
minimum would be 3 weeks. I quarantine for at least 30 days and monitor the
fish daily . Many say 6 to 8 weeks. A proper quarantine will include
observing the fish, checking for parasites. If you do not have a
microscope, you may want to follow the protocol found on the link
Koi Parasite Treatment
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| MOST COMMON MISTAKES
MADE IN QUARANTINE |
Not measuring ammonia and nitrite level. Any
ammonia or nitrite level other than 0 (ZERO) is NOT acceptable
| Tank is not big
enough
Not netting the tank. A fish that has been moved
is very likely to jump, not only from the quarantine tank but from the
pond once it has been put in the pond. In time the fish will adjust to
its new home. In the mean time keep a net over the tank
Not carefully observing the fish. The quarantine
is a time to watch and see if the fish will develop any problems. You
can not just put the fish in a container of water and wait out the
required time. This is the time to treat the fish for parasites and keep
the water premium. Premium water means NO ammonia or nitrite. |
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| ABOUT VIRUSES - KHV
AND SVC |
SVC and Koi Herpes Virus are real. Many have lost
entire ponds of fish this spring because they did not quarantine their new
incoming fish. Granted, if your fish has SVC or KHV you may loose them but
why take a chance on loosing fish you have had for years?
There is no cure for the 2 Viruses. Any fish that contacts the virus and
survives will be safe BUT it will be a carrier, meaning it can pass the
virus on to other fish and not show any effects of the virus itself. Because
the virus is heat triggered you must raise the temperature in the quarantine
tank to at least 78 degrees. The virus will be dormant in cooler water and
will strike once the water temperature goes up.
Once again any fish that survives SVC or KHV will be a carrier and could
contaminate other fish. That fish should be destroyed and a bleach solution
should be run through the entire tank/pond, filter and any other thing that
has come in contact with said fish including nets and tubs. There is NO cure
for SVC or KHV. PLEASE be assured we have put our fish through a cold water
treatment then a warm water treatment at least 2 times and then a second
cold water treatment to assure that our fish do not have either KHV or SVC
Read more about
KHV
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| Symptoms of VIRUS |
| SVC |
-Behavioral signs--
Fish congregate in areas of low flow or lie on bottom or in abnormal
positions
Uncoordinated swimming
Rate of respiration, response to stimuli, and swimming are progressively
reduced.
--External signs--
Darkening of the skin
Fluid accumulation in the abdomen (dropsy)
Exophthalmos (pop-eye)
Hemorrhages-skin, gills, eye
Pale gills
Protrusion/reddening of the vent
Feces- long, white/yellow, mucoid
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| KHV |
--External signs--
Darkening of the skin
Fluid accumulation in the abdomen (dropsy)
Exophthalmos (pop-eye)
Hemorrhages-skin, gills, eye
Pale gills
Protrusion/reddening of the vent
Feces- long, white/yellow, mucoid
But KHV also has this symptoms:
Skin and gills exhibit decreased mucous production and hemorrhages in
fins
and bodyRead more about
KHV
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| WHAT TO ASK BEFORE
YOU BUY YOUR NEW FISH |
| Know your dealer. Ask
specific questions. Don't settle for "my fish are clean or they don't
have parasites". Sure, some things can go undetected at a reliable
dealer but if they have treated the fish, they will say so. And a
reliable dealer will be on top of what is going on in his tank or pond
at all times. Questions to ask the dealer: Have the fish been treated
for parasites? What kind of parasites? What was the course of treatment?
Finally ask the dealer if they have a microscope. Chances are that if
they have a microscope they know how to use it.
IF they do not have a microscope DO NOT buy fish
from them. If they care about their fish and their customer they will
invest in a microscope and know how to use it. What seems like a good
deal on a fish may be a dead fish in a short period of time. There are
There are NO real bargains in life, especially
when it comes to fish. Some unscrupulous dealers will pass off sick fish
to cut their loss. |
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