who here quarantines their fish first??? and who doesnt??

be honest

do you think that it should always be done or its upto the owner?

 

I've never QT any of my fish, but I've also lost a couple fish.. I think it is most definitely a good thing to do if you can do it effectively. I have a QT but I worry about how pristine it is. It is seriously necessary if you ever have the need to medicate a fish, since most meds are not reef safe.

 

QT if you can but you will need well established media to maintain good water quality for your QT. You need to have your QT up and running a long time before you add your fish otherwise ammonia will spike and your fish will suffer. I lost yellow tang, coral beauty, flame angel and royal gramma in 3 days because I did not quarantine a new fish. I'd strongly recommend to QT. In worst possible case, it is better to lose one new fish than losing all the fish you have.

 

I have never quarantined a fish and I have never lost a fish in my current tank. Maybe Im just lucky I dont know. You should have an extra tank available tho if you have a sick fish that needs medications. I have two extra tanks but fortunately I have never had to use them.

 

Top Ten Reasons Why You Don't Quarantine Your New Fish... Reefkeeping's Top Ten - Reefkeeping.com

 

Guilty! My fish have had ich after being added and it never spread to my healthy fish.

 

I QT all new purchases. I can set my QT or hospital tanks up in a matter of minutes. I keep a fresh AC filter sponge in my display tanks sump at all times so it is charged with beneficial bacteria. With 50 gallons of RO/DI on hand between my autotopoff reservoir and five 5G jugs I can mix new saltwater quickly, add the filter, a heater and some PVC pipe fittings to hide in and be in operation in less time than it takes to drip acclimate a fish. I usually keep the tank dark for a period of time to let the fish settle in and sometimes even wrap the tank with a towel to block light and movement so it does not scare the fish at first.
Seems to work well for me.

 

I QT all of my new fish for 6 weeks, it's a good habit to get into + good husbandry imo. I have 2 20g on hand for treatment if necessary. The QT runs constantly and I keep the biofilter alive by feeding it a few mysis a couple times a week and testing to make sure the cycle is still working. The treatment tanks are empty but I could use them both today if needed because I keep the sponge filters marinating in my sump.

 

I QT my new arrivals, but I must preface this by saying that I have the means to do it effectively. I use a 40g tank that has been running for several years, this makes an Ideal situation for me. I personally think it is more important to buy your livestock from a reputable dealer than to have a QT tank. Trying to QT livestock in conditions that are less than ideal will only cause more stress; and cause you to acclimate your livestock to your QT tank and to your display tank as well.

 

I assume you mean before you add them to your DT as a default step.

I advise against this. IMO, it's nothing more than an extra layer of stress on the fish.


Having said that, I never buy fish off the net bc i can't see them (I do buy coral off the net). I like to check my fish out at the LFS for a couple weeks before I buy it.

If I see any reason the fish may need to be QT'd, I'll simply not buy that fish.


This is different from a hospital tank which you might use after the fact if something happens to a fish.


If I bought fish from the net without seeing it... then I might consider a QT.