Erik L Johnson D.V.M.

Quarantine is the best method to reduce disease introductions. Let me outline a quarantine facility and protocol as if the fish we were discussing were quite valuable.

First, a large facility is required, 100-150 gallons is good.

It should have a fully cycled filter sponge or other type of effective nitrification system, fully operational.

A quarantine with bad water is infinitely worse than no quarantine at all.

Temperature should be 72 to 78 degrees in quarantine. People heat their fish to 86 degrees to kill Ich and it ends up accelerating bacterial overgrowth and decreasing oxygen capacity of the system.

You should dose the quarantine with 0.3% salt (Noniodized salt at 3 teaspoons per gallon).
The quarantine should be completely covered or you can float some foam on the surface. Koi like to jump out, and that can be costly.
You should check Ammonia and pH in quarantine each day. Ammonia should be ZERO. pH will normally crash in quarantine unless buffered.
You could feed an antibiotic food during the stay in quarantine.
The facility can be safely treated with Dimilin while in quarantine, even with the salt, etc. This will stop the introduction of Lerneiid and Branchiurian parasites.

Once your new fish are in the quarantine, if it's possible, the first thing to be done is to find someone with a microscope to help you determine if there are parasites living on the surface of the fish. Even if you don't recognize what the "bugs"are, it helps to know from the outset that there is something eating at the fish. You can describe what you saw to someone like me, later. Notice things like: How fast the "bug" moved, how big it seemed to be, how it moved, whether it had a nucleus or two in it, what shape the nucleus was, and whether it was armed with hooks, flagella, or what. What is the general shape of the thing? All this helps.

Finally, the quarantine should be of a 14-21 day duration, so long as water quality can be supported with changes, etc. as needed.

The importance of cover is often under-estimated. If fish have cover, like a floating Styrofoam panel, you'll find that jumping is almost eliminated. I highly recommend a Styrofoam panel be floated in quarantine and hospital facilities because without this environmental provision, fish stress levels can be compounded.

Isolation to observe fish for disease before exposure of equalized population

Importance of equilibrium to established populations

Isolation of new fish for treatments

Spares existing fish and environment from disease and resultant treatment

Set up of Quarantine

Round tanks preferable to narrow tanks or tubs.

Cover for quarantine

Filter requirements

Ideal temperature but cautions

Importance of partners

Algae

Lighting & Location

Depth

Viruses

Bacteria

Anchor worms / Argulus

Internal parasites

Oodinium

Ichthyophthirius

All of the above will survive salt dips or any other incoming technique

Q-Tank filter is not cycled

Q-Tank is small or crowded

Main pond is already under treatment

All fish in question are of limited value

“Because the store said the fish were already quarantined.”  >>NOT<<

Carrier (parasite/bacteria) states, temperature activated viruses, lies, salt resistant parasites.

Some say six months to a year

Parasites would define a two week quarantine if over seventy DF

If wintertime, leave in Q-Tank ‘til late Spring.

If you treat and “do it right” it can be just a week. (Viruses?)

Salt 0.3%

Dimilin or Program

Formalin

Potassium with reversal Day two, five, eight.

UV or no UV?

Microscope can define the above treatments.

Non-caustic anti-trematode therapies would include the more expensive Droncit® [praziquantel] or the more unpredictable Malathion therapy. See formulary for dosing instructions.

“A “shotgun therapy,” dosing your fish with a series of medications in the hope that one of them will work, is rarely successful, and if ever used at all should be reserved for inexpensive fish of little sentimental value or perhaps in quarantine on otherwise healthy fish in the interest of prophylaxis.

Baytril has one of its greatest uses in the post shipment stress of larger fish. Many of us know that large fish generally survive shipment better than smaller fish, however the smaller fish are usually more rapidly adaptable once they land here in the States. In other words, if the little ones live to get here, they usually do fine once they get eating. On the other hand, many large fish will come into the country and simply retire to the bottom of the quarantine, moving only when prodded. You might notice their fins begin to develop red streaks. This fish, like many large Goldfish after shipment, is probably developing a bacterial septicemia. Many factors can contribute to this including a concurrent parasitism, and poor water quality in the shipping container. Check your water quality to make sure about it, and then consider Baytril as an effective therapy for this type of fish.

>>>Freeze Dried Krill<<<

Medicated food

Tetra Tropical Fish Flakes

Feeding in quarantine is very important, and as mentioned, getting the fish to eat is as important as what they eat. It is recommended that highly palatable foods such as Tetra® Tropical Fish Flake food would be used, as well as bloodworms and crushed freeze dried Krill. Others suggest feeding a medicated food in quarantine and there is no fundamental problem with this, from a fish health standpoint.  One such food, called “MediGold” combines three different antibiotics in the same meal, and is well accepted by goldfish and Koi.

A fish with a full stomach is more “unlikely” to break with disease. The food should be simple and tantalizing

Establish water quality

Ammonia, Nitrite, NITRATE and pH

Ensure salinity

Encourage algae

Perform or request microscopic biopsy

Begin injections or other treatment as described.

“Filter seeding”

KI-Nitrifiers

KI-Nitrifiers are affordable

0.5 cc per 10 gallons of water

Prevents Ammonia or rapidly cycles the filter in under five days.

Stop UV while deploying