How do I stop cross contamination?

[Phillip]

I have a rack with 12 tanks, each tank with different fish. I think I’m getting an illness in one of my tanks and I’m concerned it will spread to all the tanks.

1. Should each tank have its own net?
2. Should I clean the nets before using on a different tank?

3. What’s the best way to clean a net?

4. I use a python for water changes. I can’t buy 12 pythons, so what’s the answer there?

Thanks!

Edited April 27, 2022 by Phillip

[ange]

Bleach baths are by far my preferred way to decontaminate. I also have a separate set of nets and a separate siphon for quarantine. These are pieces of equipment that I had early in the hobby and ended up upgrading over time, so I didn't go out of my way to purchase any equipment for quarantine. The last critical piece (for me) is to keep contaminated tanks out of the main fish room. If the room itself has disease in it, it can be much tougher although still manageable.

Pythons can be taken care of by running hydrogen peroxide solution through it and trying to get at least 15 minutes of contact before releasing the solution from the hose. I have a hard time getting all of the water out and run peroxide solution through it once a month in order to combat any funk that may crop up if I leave it alone. I don't use my Python in any setup that is being used for quarantine. It works out because I've never gone above needing 29g for quarantine but I understand if this is impractical advice. No one likes hauling buckets.

A lot of aquarists get suspicious of bleach or Dawn/Fairy liquid (I haven't trialed other brands but Dawn and Fairy have served me well in cleaning everything plastic that doesn't get a bleach bath) but I've never run into issues as long as everything is rinsed well and allowed to fully dry out.

[lefty o]

On 4/26/2022 at 8:21 PM, Phillip said:

I have a rack with 12 tanks, each tank with different fish. I think I’m getting an illness in one of my tanks and I’m concerned it will spread to all the tanks.

1. Should each tank have its own net?
2. Should I clean the nets before using on a different tank?

3. What’s the best way to clean a net?

4. I use a python for water changes. I can’t buy 12 pythons, so what’s the answer there?

Thanks!

i dont think you need a net for each tank, but you should have several, and allow them to completely dry between uses. a hot water rinse now and then is good too, but them drying out completely will kill off about any aquatic parasite.

[Phillip]

On 4/26/2022 at 11:16 PM, lefty o said:

i dont think you need a net for each tank, but you should have several, and allow them to completely dry between uses. a hot water rinse now and then is good too, but them drying out completely will kill off about any aquatic parasite.

Thanks. I have a bunch of nets, just need to pay more attention to when I use them I guess. 

[Guppysnail]

Hydrogen peroxide from the grocery is a fabulous disinfectant.  It is much safer than bleach in my opinion since it leaves no residue.  Stinks less as well 😁

[gardenman]

Completely stopping all risk of cross contamination requires something like a clean room approach for each tank and that's wildly impractical for the average hobbyist. By and large if your existing fish are healthy, well fed, and not overly stressed, they'll likely fight off any minimal cross contamination. There aren't that many pathogens out there that are deadly to happy, healthy fish. If you've ever worked with fine glitter and found it everywhere after five minutes, you've learned how hard it can be to prevent cross contamination. Air bubbles from a filter/aerator can move droplets of contaminated water around. Fish splashing can spread contamination. With twelve tanks in close proximity, stopping any cross contamination is pretty much a lost cause. It's going to happen. Just try not to stress out too much about it and take simple precautions and things should be fine.

[Tihshho]

Depending on the species you're keeping and the issues you're running into having seperate hardware isn't a bad idea. As someone else with a fish room I go through and do the following:

1) Seperate nets per tank (this is a cheap solution)

2) QT designated buckets and hoses

3) Fillhose for python and drain hose

4) Cleaning dip bucket (I get the giant cleaning vinegar jugs at CostCo and pour it into a 5 gallon bucket and add about a gallon of RO/DI to it) 

Any time I go through and use the python I dip in my cleaning bucket prior to swapping the hose end to the next tank. This is something I picked up from working at a LFS decades ago and it might be an old solution that might not be the most effective, but IME it's not hurting anything and providing a buffer. Having a seperate fill and drain hose means that anything I pull out of a tank through the python has a low low chance of ever getting back into a tank. Being that I don't use the python toggle valve to fill (I have a tap on my faucet with quick connects to attach a secondary hose for filling) I can keep hoses fairly clean. 

I'm also a little OCD about moving stuff around, but it's worked out for me in the long run. 

[Torrey]

I will have a dedicated specimen container for each tank by the end of this year (13 tanks) and dedicated sponges. Even with dedicated equipment, aerosol spread can happen *especially* with tanks in close proximity/ any openings in tanks. Luckily, there aren't a whole lot of pathogens that are likely to do that, just be aware it's a possibility.

Back to my dedicated specimen container:

After my cyanobacteria outbreak last year, I got religious with cleaning items between tanks. I use a specimen container to pour a couple of inches of H2O2 into, and dip nets/sponges/tweezers/scissors into the H2O2 as I work in a tank, to build a muscle memory to always clean the equipment between uses. Due to my fibro, I rarely clean more than one tank a day now, and if I need to use the hose to siphon, I will pour a little H2O2 in the hose and make sure the entire hose comes in contact with the H2O2. It kept the cyano from spreading to more than the initial 3 tanks (out of 13).

So that's my suggestion. 

I have used isopropyl rubbing alcohol to sterilize in a pinch. Leave it for 24 hours after it has completely dried, to ensure the solvent has completely evaporated. This has been the only way to prevent duckweed from spreading from one tank to another, that has been completely effective, as long as I wipe & wash my hands completely between tanks.😅

I absolutely do not allow any item that I have gotten wet with isopropyl to come in contact with my tanks before the alcohol has completely evaporated (if my nose, or my dog's nose can register it, it's not safe). 

[Phillip]

On 4/27/2022 at 9:15 AM, gardenman said:

Completely stopping all risk of cross contamination requires something like a clean room approach for each tank and that's wildly impractical for the average hobbyist. By and large if your existing fish are healthy, well fed, and not overly stressed, they'll likely fight off any minimal cross contamination. There aren't that many pathogens out there that are deadly to happy, healthy fish. If you've ever worked with fine glitter and found it everywhere after five minutes, you've learned how hard it can be to prevent cross contamination. Air bubbles from a filter/aerator can move droplets of contaminated water around. Fish splashing can spread contamination. With twelve tanks in close proximity, stopping any cross contamination is pretty much a lost cause. It's going to happen. Just try not to stress out too much about it and take simple precautions and things should be fine.

Thanks. Makes sense. I guess the main thing is keeping clean water and healthy fish. 

On 4/27/2022 at 9:34 AM, Tihshho said:

Being that I don't use the python toggle valve to fill (I have a tap on my faucet with quick connects to attach a secondary hose for filling) I can keep hoses fairly clean

This sounds like a good idea. Thanks

[Phillip]

On 4/27/2022 at 8:07 PM, Torrey said:

I use a specimen container to pour a couple of inches of H2O2 into, and dip nets/sponges/tweezers/scissors into the H2O2 as I work in a tank

I like this too. I saw a net cleaner online and was wondering if it worked.