Quarantine Tank

[anthony]

Do any of you guys have one?If so what does it consist of?Also do you break it down after each use and rebuild it when you expect new arrivals?Also what time frame do you quarantine your animals for?

 

[jesse]

i have a ten gallon quarantine tank. After it has been used i clean it thoroughly to prevent any illness from spreading. The only furnishings in the tank is a very thin layer of white gravel (so i can check feces)and a broken over turned pot. I have a wisper filter in it, and change the cartridge after every use of the tank, then clean the filter too. Quarantine usually lasts from a couple of weeks to a month or two. but thats jsut me

 

[stefanie]

i have a 5 gal with no gravel, 2 silk plants, and a plastic cave. i tear it down after each use, scrub thoroughly and refill with water from my other tanks to jump-start the cycle. when nothing else is in it, i have an apple snail to keep it going. it stays running all the time, so i can qt new animals i decide i absolutely "need" that i wasnt planning on getting.

time in quarantine depends on the animal and wich shop i buy it at. usually, its 2 weeks to a month, maybe more if its from a bad store.

 

[sharon]

I have a 10 gl that runs all the time. The filter has nothing but floss in it. There are some plastic plants, a resin log, and a thin layer of pale gravel.

I also keep a 5 gl on hand and a 2 gl for acclimation/quarantine of small fish and amphibs. Both of those are kept empty and stored dry. Um its sad to say but those see the most use when I make an impulse buy... like that freshwater eel that wasn't...

Sharon

edited to make sense!

(Message edited by ferret_corner on June 04, 2004)

 

[edward]

At home I use rubber maid tubs with the center cut out of the lid. This will contain most caudates and the ability to leave the lid on the tub prevents all but the smallest newts from being able to escape while allowing easy access for feeding and cleaning. The bottom of the tub is light colored facilitating seeing of fecals or uneaten food items. There is no substrate on the bottom of the tub and it is filtered with a sponge filter. Hide areas are provided with pvc tubes. I use a small solid plastic float for a shore area.
The newts are kept in these for a minimum of 60 days. If there is a death I increase this period by 30 days.
The sponge part of the filters are discarded between animals and all other items are scrubbed with hot water and then bleached internally and externally.
This works very well for me and it contains outbreaks very efficently. It is also light, easy to store, and not as breakable as an aquarium.
For newts that might be able to escape this set up I leave drill a hole in the side of the box above the desired water line to pass the airline tube to the filter and silicone fiberglass window screening over the hole in the lid for easy visibility. However you need to leave a little extra tubing inside the box to orient the filter properly.

At work we use a large combinations of items.

Ed

 

[sharon]

WOW! I like Eds' clinical, simple, cost effective setup! Unfortunately in my house, if its plastic and deep, its either going to be worn on a childs' head or filled with toys. LOL! At least w/tanks my kids and hubby know its "HANDS OFF!"

Sharon

(Message edited by ferret_corner on June 04, 2004)

 

[edward]

here is a picture of of my quarantine setups. Pin Pin should appreciate whats in the bottom right corner.

 

[drew]

Ed,
What are the little plastic "critter cages" for inside each tub? It appears that the newts are outside of these. Are you keeping something else in them?

 

[edward]

In the initial stages of quarantine I used the lids of the critter keepers for platforms (I use the whole critter keeper for rearing larval caudates) as I had them handy and they weren't in use and are easily disinfected. I liked them as they weren't so bouyant that the newts were totally out of the water but were not heavy enough to trap newts under them. The Taricha like to haul out on them and beg for food. As the newts become more acclimated I tend to remove them (which I will be doing shortly for the Cynops orientalis and Notopthalmus on the left as they have pretty much stopped using the lids).
Just a personal quirk that works well.

Ed

 

[pin-pin]

Thanks Ed. I'm curious about the critter keeper as well. Does it function as sort of an island for the newts?

Does this mean you'll be taking more shots of Taricha in the future?

 

[edward]

It did function as a island that could be easily sterilized.

If my Taricha do anything that you would like to see I will try and take a picture of it for you.

Ed