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Should I treat WC fish for parasites?


bottomdweller_fan
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I am getting some really cool WC fish from Spencer Jack and was wondering if, while they are in quarantine, if I should treat them for parasites, etc. or if it would be better to just acclimate them and then watch them for a couple of weeks before adding them to the main tank.

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I am getting some really cool WC fish from Spencer Jack and was wondering if, while they are in quarantine, if I should treat them for parasites, etc. or if it would be better to just acclimate them and then watch them for a couple of weeks before adding them to the main tank.

I always treat newly aquired fish, WC or not, with a mild medication such as Seachem Paraguard in a separate tank just to be safe. Usually for a few days and if they look good I keep them quarantined for 2-3 weeks minimum. With the amount of tanks that I have, introducing some nasty parasites or bakteria can turn into a real nightmare...

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I'm with Patrick, I have far too much money & time invested in my stock to risk infecting my main tanks, and I always treat newly acquired fish, WC or not. While the TherA formula will definitely help boost the immune system of a fish, DO NOT rely on that alone to eradicate parasites/pathogens. Seachem ParaGuard is an excellent product, but IME (and according to Seachem) it will not be effective on internal parasites/pathogens, which is why I use Jungle Tank Buddies Parasite Clear in my qt tank. (it kills both internal & external nasties)

IMO Clout should only be used as a very last resort, it is a very harsh med that can sometimes do more harm than good.

It will typically also wipe out the 'good' bacteria in your filters/tank. IME ParaGuard and/or Parasite Clear will not affect your bio filters unless used constantly for an extended period of time.

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I just wanted to add ......... one of the reasons why simply qt'ing fish and not medicating isn't always the ideal way to go, is because some fish can look perfectly fine on the outside, but still be harboring parasites/pathogens that aren't affecting that fish. (due to it building up a natural resistance to that particular bug) Place that fish into a tank full of fish that have never been exposed to that pathogen, and suddenly you have a tank full of very sick fish. It can happen straight away, or months down the road if/when the 'host' fish suddenly has a compromised immune system (from stress etc) and the pathogens begin to multiply.

Edited by RD.
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I am a repeat customer of Spencer, so no knocking him... but wild caught is exactly that.

The first time I bought some WC Cardinals, I had ONE come in with an external parasite attached to it. I quarantined for 10 days and lost several in my order, but not a single one once I moved them over to the display tank...

IMO, you have two choices. Pay a little more now, or pay a lot more later as many of us have experienced.

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I received a total of 35 fish from Spencer in last order. They are in quarantine. There are 27 left. Treated them for gill flukes, now they seem alright but in a few day's they will get parasite clear.

J

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Thank you all for your great advice. I was planning on quarantining for 3 weeks - I always do with new fish, but this is the first time I have looked into actually using product to deal with the internal and external parasites.

I really appreciate all your help.

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Sue - I guess it boils down to how much you trust the source of the fish, and how much you are willing to risk.

In my case I simply have too much to risk at this point to not medicate all new fish, no matter the source.

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Seachem ParaGuard is an excellent product, but IME (and according to Seachem) it will not be effective on internal parasites/pathogens, which is why I use Jungle Tank Buddies Parasite Clear in my qt tank. (it kills both internal & external nasties)

Feeding NLS TherA is optional.

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