Quarantine Questions

[Jack]

If I were to add fish to my betta's tank would it be acceptable to add them without quarantine or should I quarantine them? If I quarantine how long do I quarantine for?

[Ben Ellison]

It's generally recommended to quarantine all fish you get. I generally do a one week quarantine using the med trio and consider them disease free after that.

[Jack]

I don't have the budget for the quarantine trio so would API General Cure work?

[Chandra]

58 minutes ago, Jack said:

I don't have the budget for the quarantine trio so would API General Cure work?

I would say put them in a quarantine time for a week and see if you see any signs of disease like not eating, stringy white poop, white spots on body or fungus, pop eye. I would really invest in med trio to help fish be safe. If you really want to save, then try Aquarium Salt. (Read about dosage here: https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/aquarium-salt-for-sick-fish)

 

API General Cure work is same as Mardel Maracyn in the med trio. Do quarantine for atleast 4 weeks and that way you know if the fish is healthy.

Edited September 11, 2020 by Chandra

[Ben_RF]

Girl Talks Fish at Aquarium Co Op has a great video on doing budget friendly quarantining which can be found here: 

 

[Ben_RF]

Now a few ifs that might change up how I would introduce them:

If this was my only tank and I had no room for even a plastic bin of a few gallons...

If my betta was the only aquatic animal (fish, frog, etc.) in the tank...

If I never did the quarantine trio that Aquarium Co Op recommends on my betta...

If I did not have another filter, even a sponge, to put in the quarantine tank/bin

then, and pretty much only then, would I consider introducing the fish directly to the tank and treating the whole tank as a quarantine tank while administrating the medication trio as they recommend

then, I would keep my eyes on all fish due to the risk being taken

TIP:  I honestly like to use the 10g aquarium co op sponge filter's sponge on my intakes for hang on back filters to keep them seeded with bacteria.  When I need to quarantine I get a plastic bin, put the sponge filter together with the seeded sponge, and begin the fun.  After quarantine, if all goes well, I return the sponge back to the tank after sterilizing to reseed.  

Edited September 11, 2020 by Ben_RF
adding a tip

[Mmiller2001]

I feel your pain. But honestly, just wait until you can afford it. Bottom line, every fish is sick until proven otherwise. I started the med trio a month ago, and now have a 97% survival rate. Before was a disaster.

[Ben_RF]

Hey Jack, API general cure will only target one section of possible issues. To be perfectly honest, it is just not enough.  I would strongly encourage you to wait until you are able to get all the trio or comparable lesser products. Granted, yes they will not cover everything, but you will benefit so much by doing all three.  You will spend years enjoying your fish, and the funds you put in to care for them off the bat is so important.  It is an investment you will not regret when you can do it.  

[Brandy]

I do think that you could put the fish directly in the tank and then treat the whole tank. If the betta tank is small, that is not cost prohibitive, and won't hurt the betta. 

If the quarantine med trio seems expensive, count the amount of money you will spend replacing all your fish, both the ones you have and the ones you will be getting. Not so expensive after doing that once or twice, even with a small tank.

The med trio is anti parasite, anti fungal, anti bacterial. To my knowledge, the only way to get that broad spectrum effect cheaper would be to go with aquarium salt, and salt will kill any plants and is not well tolerated by many species of fish and invertebrates, takes longer and is less effective for some things. Not using some meds and quarantining is a bit like driving a car without being able to "afford to" change the oil. You can do it for a while, but it will cost you far more than a few quarts of oil in the end.

Back in my childhood we never medicated or quarantined. It wasn't a thing. We killed a lot of fish, too. It was very mysterious...Fish just died a lot.

I don't mean to sound discouraging. It is a way you could do things, just roll the dice. But it can be really upsetting when it doesn't work out, and I hate to see that.

 

Edited September 11, 2020 by Brandy

[Ben Ellison]

I believe if I could not afford the med trio and was willing to gamble a bit I'd save the money I'd spend on general cure because the one in the trio is more bang for the buck and is same meds. I'd def treat them with salt at the very least and as soon as I possibly could invest in the trio. It's not a small amount of cash to fork out but until you do I'd assume all the fish as sick. Wasting disease will take a bit of time to kill but they will likely be stunted at the very least.

[Paul]

Jack quarantine for at least week and do a full treatment cycle of General Cure and Ick X if you can’t do the full trio. Good luck.

[Ben Ellison]

General cure is same thing as Mardel Maracyn and is a couple dollars cheaper than general cure. In my opinion of I had to pick a cheapest possible route I'd do 1 tablespoon per gallon aquarium salt and paracleanse. I would then very closely inspect all fish I was to get for symptoms of ich and obvious external conditions. I feel this is a broad spectrum treatment and covers most ur bases.

[Jack]

Thank you all for the advice!