? about quarantine

[timi hendrix]

i was wondering if all or most people quarantine there fish before they put them in there d.t. also,wouldnt a quarantine tank be small and stress out the new arrival.what about filteration on this tank.what would i use.thanks everyone.

[cloak]

Check this out.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/20...ture/index.php

[redneckgearhead]

Some QT, some don't. Some swear they have never QTed a fish and have been fine for years. But just as many take that advice and it ends in catastrophe. A bad case of ick can rear its head seemingly overnight and can decimate your fish. I myself have been very fortunate. Until recently I never QTed and got away with it, but as my financial and emotional cost grew with the tank, I just couldn't roll that dice any longer and I currently have a QT set up for the Gold rim Tang I am picking up, today.

Some keep a HT/QT set up all the time and just feed it as they would if it had fish in it. I have not done that in the past and my current QT tank was set up using "bottled bacteria" While this may not be a replacement for a properly cycled tank, it seems to work in a pinch. As far as filtration is concerned I use a small HOB but some recommend a sponge filter that they keep in their DT until it's needed in the QT, of course they dry it out and sterilize it before it goes back into the DT. Also water changes are a good fall back if the water params get out of control. Which should be checked at LEAST once a day.

The size of your QT/HT depends on the fish you put in it. While most Tangs are recommended for 48" or longer tanks, a small tang put in QT for 4 weeks should be fine as long as the water parameters are kept in check. Watch your fish, they will give you signs of trouble. Also, I plan on using a plastic bin as a QT for anything that may need a larger tank. They are cheap and come in a variety of sizes. The only disadvantage to them is that you can not see into the side of them to check for ICK and other parasites.

Is QT a necessary part of fish keeping? IMO yes. Are you willing to risk the health of your tank over it? Oh just FYI the "reef safe" ick cures are worthless.

[timi hendrix]

thank you for ur replys.ive read some of that article and il read the rest later tonight when i have more time on my hands.it seems like a very good article.thanks to all who have giving me there advice.

[ingtar_shinowa]

I didn't quarantine for 10 years but right now i might have an ick scare. I'll never go without again.

[DrBegalke]

In general, QT is a good practice.
I sometime do not QT if I buy from a LFS that QTs fish at their store.

[Sanveann]

We are pretty new (just set up our tank in September) but have a QT set up. It's just a 30G we got off Craigslist -- the guy even threw in a heater for it -- with a sponge filter. We left the sponge in the main tank for a couple of weeks first to let it get colonized with the good bacteria.

From what i understand, the QT is actually less stressful for new fish than being dumped directly into the display tank, with other fish who might be territorial and harass him or her. It gives the newbie some time to rest and recuperate from shipping before being added to the new tank.