To QT or not to QT

So I have had my first "ichy" incident and am deciding what to do about it. This brought me to wonder how many people ACTUALLY quarantine their new additions. There are a lot of posts by people who swear that QT is the only way to have a happy and healthy tank... There are others who never quarantine and claim that feeding nutritious foods and water quality will keep fish safe from ich. So I am curious to find out who strictly QTs, and who doesn't ?

 

I actually QT all new additions. I learned the hard way that it is the safest and best practice. I have been ich free for the past 18 months. All it takes is a bare bottom tank, a sponge filter and some pieces of pvc for the fish to hide. Use water change water from your DT to fill the tank. Just be sure that you size your QT tank appropriately as you really don't want a 8" naso tang in a 10 gallon for a month.

FWIW, petco has a sale where you can pick up a tank for a dollar a gallon going on. Makes it really cheap to do a proper QT.

 

QT tank is the only way to go, saving the hassle of fighting with itch and other things almost 100%.

+1 for QT.

 

Another for QT here! $35 for a complete 10 gal setup from Petco, Petsmart or even Walmart. Set it up and keep it running until you are done stocking your tank. Then tear it down and keep it on standby until the day comes when you need a hospital tank.

Oh, and I do not QT my CUC. But they were added weeks before any fish were in the tank.

 

+1 8)

 

Always QT fish, but not the CUC (like others have mentioned). I haven't seen Ich in any of my DTs, or any other disease, in the last 15 years.

 

Here is a follow up question, did you QT the first fish in a cycled new tank? No other fish to infect, but still a good idea? The main reason I can see is that it is far easier to inspect them in a small QT than a large DT. Thoughts?

 

My first addition came down with ich. I treated it directly in the tank (didn't have a QT) and lost some coral as a result. If you QT and the fish displays symptoms of an infection, you can treat it right away without the stress of catching it and moving it out of the display. Just my $0.02.

Another fish that I didn't QT died in the night, decomposed, spiked the ammonia concentration and killed my cleaner shrimp.

 

Well isn't that more of an argument to have a hospital tank on hand for such cases (which I do)? No way I would treat in my DT.

Your second case is actually a good valid one. Any others have thoughts?

 

It's an argument for both, really. I consider them interchangeable. Had I had one, he would have gone directly in it upon purchase rather than into the DT. The stress alone from the move from the DT to the hospital tank could have been enough to kill him (after the move from the LFS too).