Path: utzoo!hoptoad!ihnp4!ihlpl!mmst
From: mmst@ihlpl.ATT.COM (m.s. turek)
Newsgroups: alt.aquaria
Subject: Re: Hospital tanks
Message-ID: <3646@ihlpl.ATT.COM>
Date: 11 Jan 88 23:35:45 GMT
References: <1817@bsu-cs.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories - Naperville, Illinois
Lines: 38
Summary: a 10-gallon tank can suffice


> having a hospital tank is stressed.  I would very much like to own a 
> separate tank for this purpose, but I am nearly broke from buying my
> current tank (etc) and I cannot afford a hospital tank, as much as I
> would like to have one.  Does anyone have any clever ideas--like, how
> to improvise a hospital tank?  Do all of you think it is as important
> as all the books say?  I guess if I had super-valuable (as opposed to
> just super) fish, I would sooner die than not have the extra tank.
> However, my "crew" consists of very reasonably priced fish--regardless,
> I don't want to endanger them every time I add new fish.



We haven't used a "quarantine" tank for new fish.  We just try to
buy healthy fish from a reputable store.  I can't really remember
a time that we got into trouble because of not isolating a new fish.
So, I don't think it is absolutely necessary to quarantine....But,
we do have a "hospital" tank that we use to remove a sick fish and
medicate it in.


A 10-gal. tank is sufficient, unless you have a monstrous fish.  It is
relatively inexpensive and you don't, in fact shouldn't, have gravel
in a medicine tank.  A corner filter that uses floss and some hose
connected to a small pump won't cost a lot either.  We keep the
hospital tank in storage and when a fish is sick, we use some the
water from the established tank to fill the hospital tank, and add
the sick fish and medication.  By removing & medicating in a smaller tank, you
save money on the medication and do not risk spreading the illness
to the other fish since you remove the "sickie."  Adding fresh water
to the established tank to replace that used to fill the hospital tank,
or better yet, doing a partial water change in the established tank
will be beneficial to the non-sickies.




Marla Turek