Re: New Discus

["Tom Wood" <tomwood2 at flash_net>]

Kevin Reavis is expecting some new Discus and James Purchase advised him to
get a quarantine tank.

I understand the rationale behind the quarantine tank, but there is a
countervailing concern that has always led me to skip it. If the quarantine
tank is set up for the new fish, then the new fish will be the ones to cycle
the tank. And if you introduce fish/mulm/filters from the show tank into the
quarantine tank to make it cycle, then the new fish are not quarantined from
any parasites in the show tank anyway. The best water parameters are always
in the show tank if it is managed properly. If the water parameters are
good, healthy fish can fight off most parasites. And, if I were buying
enough Discus to stock a 90 gallon, I wouldn't want to quarantine them in
anything smaller than a 90 gallon, especially if it isn't cycled. It's a
quandary.

I would delay the Discus shipment until you've fixed the underlying cause of
an ich outbreak. It doesn't occur all by itself, there is something about
the tank that is stressing the fish. Killing it with medication is only the
first step.

TW