Did I Setup My Hospital Tank Correctly?

[MattyM]

Hi all - I had a fish I was worried about, so I setup a hospital tank for him. Here's what I did:

1. Rinsed/wiped out a new 10g with a lint-free towel. No soap, just water. 
2. Filled the tank with same temp water, and added a full dose of prime (plus extra) for a 10g. 
3. Dropped in a small sponge filter from an established tank. 
4. Rinsed and put a cave in for hiding.
5. Setup up my heater for the same temp. Checked with digital thermometer - water temp was consistent. 
6. Added a full dose of FritzZyme 7 for insurance. 
7. Caught and put my fish right in. 
8. Added the med I thought was needed (1 packet ParaClense).

I monitored the tank throughout the day - temp remained consistent. Fish was moving around - I put the lid on and covered with a towel for more privacy (low traffic room tho). 

Sadly, I woke the next morning, and my fish didn't make it. Temp was still OK. I just wanted to make sure I setup the tank correctly. Tx!

[redfish]

Sorry to hear this man.  It suck’s losing fish.   Sometimes we can do everything right and still not be successful. 
 

It sounds like you did everything you could.  Any idea if the PH or water parameters were drastically different between tanks?  That’s all I can think of at this point.

[1moretank]

Sorry about your loss.  Sometimes no matter what we do, our pets die.
Your set up sounds good.  I can't be certain, because I keep a 10 gallon QT tank set up all the time.  It has rams horn snails and a few cherry shrimp in it all the time.  I usually leave a guppy in it when its not in use, just so I stay good about feeding it lightly - I usually feed before and after a med treatment.  I keep an air stone and hornwort in it instead of a sponge filter.

[MattyM]

On 11/26/2022 at 2:16 PM, redfish said:

PH or water parameters were drastically different

Hmmm the PH has me thinking. Could have been a half point difference, I’ll drip acclimate next time to be safe. 

[Pepere]

I would not think 0.5 ph difference would be the issue.

And I would not think ammonia built up fast enough to cause an issue with 1 fish in 10 gallons.

 I think your set up was fine.

 

[redfish]

I agree that small of a swing in PH should not cause an issue that quickly.  All things considered, it sounds like there wasn’t much else you could have done.  I’m not sure if any salt would have helped in this situation?  What symptoms did you observe in the fish?

[MattyM]

Thanks @redfish - hadn’t eaten for days, even his favorite frozen foods. Color seemed to be darkening, fast breathing, and hiding in the dark areas of the tank. Thought it might be gill flukes. After he passed I took him out and had a good look. Couldn’t see any visual signs of disease, was a bit thin from not eating. Only recent changes to the tank were the addition of 6 small danios, who keep to themselves, and a new light that has a much different hue. Maybe one/both of those started stressing him out 🤷‍♂️ He was a Platy though, pretty hardy fish. 

[nabokovfan87]

Add an air stone to the main tank maybe?

The setup you had seems fine. The only thing I would suggest is add one airstone on either side (sponge on one side, airstone on the other) if you can. If not, just center the sponge filter.  I would use moss or something instead of a cave so you can see the fish a bit easier. Maybe a small piece of wood.

If you're worried about water differences, you can fill it with a % of water from the main tank.

Usually, the best thing is often fresh, new water, unless you're talking an OTS issue.

[ccurtis]

Setup seems good. When I move to an emergency hospital tank, I typically do what you did. I just think your fish may have sadly been beyond help. 

I do keep an extra small sponge filter running one of my main tanks at all times though, so when I need the emergency hospital tank quick setup, I can fill it, make sure temp is good, throw in some dechlorinator, and then I just center that extra sponge filter from the main tank in the hospital tank. I then stick another clean sponge filter in its place in the main tank so I can start to seed another for then next time I need a hospital tank. 

Using that pre-seeded sponge filter in the hospital tank does two things. One, it jump starts your cycle and it will typically be safe for you add fish immediately. Two, adding meds to the water can change the viscosity and make oxygen exchange harder. Having a sponge filter insures that you have air in the water and surface movement. 

I don't worry to much about beneficial bacteria in a hospital/quarantine tank because depending on the meds, you might end up nuking the beneficial bacteria anyway. But I like to know that I did add the beneficial bacteria on the pre-seeded filter when I set it up. 

Once I am done with the hospital/quarantine tank, that sponge filter gets a thorough cleaning and stored away to go back into the main tank to be seeded when I tank the next one out of the main tank.