How Do You Keep A New Tank Disease Free?

man... luna, why you gotta be so negative?

lol

 

Now I'm going to come along and disagree with all of this. I have never QT and I have never dipped. I haven't lost a fish to disease yet. (yet )

I think both of these (QT and dip) have the added benefit of stressing the crap out of a fish. IMO, the best way to keep a disease free tank is to keep your fish in a very low stress environment and provide a healthy diet (garlic extract, varied diets with food that fish wants).


The reason is disease free is a myth. What you can achieve is fish with strong immune systems so that diseases can't take hold in them. Strong immune systems come from low stress and good diets. Not from QT and dips.

QT and dip are both trying to somehow remove disease. while low stress naturally fights disease and keeps it at bay.

Now, this has to be paired with no impulse buys and monitoring any fish before you buy it to look for signs of stress, disease, etc.

Dipping coral is a whole nother story - I do support dipping some corals.

 

are we talking copper dip or freshwater dip? i have heard of both
i see no one answered this question...

 

I think in the context of your OP... we're talking a freshwater dip for fish.

Take your fish, dip it in freshwater for 5-15 minutes (I've read the whole range as far as recommendations). Then put it in your tank. The freshwater kills a lot of bad things...

it also stresses the fish... a lot.

 

I agree, when I first started in SW, I was told to do the freshwater dip thingy too. I think I lost more fish by doing this then I would have from any disease. It is VERY!!! stressful on a fish that is already stressed. I stopped doing it. I agree corals are a different story. I also don't have a QT.

 

Who ever told you that must not have been a friend. Sorry to say.


Luna

 

He fell into the same old trap, someone hears something, then repeats it, and it just keeps going and going. I have noticed a lot of "Myths" that get re-told over and over as facts in this hobby. Thats why I came hear, to get the real answers.

 

..How do you keep a new tank disease free? Seriously? There must be hundreds of ways my friend….

Crimson Ghost’s top 10

1. Bleach the tank and seal it in a vacuum
2. Bury the tank deep in the ground and forget you ever saw it.
3. Buy a large enough tank and use it as a bath tub
4. Fill the tank with concrete and tether your boat to it
5. Use it to serve soup to the homeless
6. Make a giant planter for your deck
7. fill it with jello and vodka – party time !
8. flip it on the side and call it a dog house?
9. smash it and make art deco with the pieces.
10. And the #10 way to keep a new tank disease free…..Leave the tank in the store and invest in a new home (it'll be cheaper in the long run to boot)

Seriously tho….

Go slow, monitor your parameters left and right and when something seems astray post here asap. Disease can be introduced to a healthy tank and cause no troubles at all.

 

Don't buy anything