Quarantine Tank Size

I have a 26 gallon bow front aquarium and am trying to be as proactive as I can with my first salt water tank. I have this 3 gallon aquarium that currently has some freshwater fry in it. Is this too small of a temporary quarantine tank for new livestock?

I know most people use a ten gallon or so, but there is no way my wife will go along with me buying a tank just for that purpose. I figure nothing will be in that tank for more than a week and since I have a smaller tank, the fish I will have will not be over 4 inches max.

Would that be cruel to temporarily home some livestock?

And also, when the quarantine tank is not hosting livestock, should I keep water circulation going and always have it ready to go?

 

I think three is too small. but then it depends on the size of the fish. you can get a 10 gallon for like 15 dollars. just a consideration

 

3 gallons of water will go bad on you real quick...your fish wont make it out of QT

 

Petco $1 sale. A ten gal is $10, and would be much better.

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You can keep a fish in a glass of water with the proper filtration, though it wouldn't have room to swim. It all depends on livestock and sizing.

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Thanks for all of the replies thus far. Money is not the issue, it's more of space and my wife. Really don't anywhere to place a 10 gallon and she's not really down with the idea of another tank, even if its just a quarantine.

Should the quarantine tank always be "set up" and circulating water? Or do you guys set it up when you need it?

What would you guys say is the lesser of two evils? Not quarantining my livestock or putting them in a 3 gallon? The largest fish I will own will be 3 to 4 inches when fully grown.

 

It all boils down to how much do you value your aquarium & time. I myself like others have thousands of dollars invested & countless hours devoted. I have 65gal of DI water on stand by & 30gal of premade saltwater. If I'm in a jam I can bail myself out pretty quick. I have a 29 Gal quarantine tank with water running in it. Now some only setup their QT when needed.

Each person is different with their needs & ideas. By rule of thumb, any new livestock that is being introduced into your system, should be quarantined for at least 2-4 weeks regardless where it came from.

Trust me, the last thing you need is to be disinfecting livestock.

 

Also keep in mind, anything under 55gal is considered expert. Meaning, the less you go in gallons, the less room for error you have. With a 26gal, you need to make sure that you test your water more often, careful how you feed, and what you put in your tank as livestock. For example: no tangs.

 

Saltwater aquariums cannot hold as many fish as freshwater systems of the same size.

A general and easy rule of thumb for an aquarium is calculated by the number of inches of fish per gallon of water. The general recommendation for a saltwater aquarium is about two to three inches of animal for every 10 gallons of water. A 50-gallon tank can, by this rule of thumb, accommodate 15 inches of fish while a 20-gallon tank can safely hold only about six inches of fish.

Keep in mind a 26 gal tank is not holding 26 gals of water. Subtract water from live sand, live rock, etc..

 

Thank you so much for all of the advice! You're definitely right. I've put hundreds in already just starting this tank and I know the expenses are no where near finished. It would be not only a waste of money to not quarantine, but cruel. I wouldn't want to intentionally put a living thing in harms way!

Luckily I have spares of everything else I need, just need to grab a new tank.

Now my only dilemma is finding a spot for this tank where the cat cant easily get to it.