Do you NEED to Quarantine?

Thing is i found this particular thread helpful in setting up a QT.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2195588

Ive been in that position initially where i lost fish to QT but it was due to my mistakes rather than the act of quarantining. I feared a sponge filter wouldnt be enough, everytime the fish acted weirdly i changed water, i messed around with the QT when the fish didnt take pellets when 3hrs ago it did, i thought i saw a white speck on the fish, its cupramine time! And with that, i lost the fish.

To me it became counterintuitive that a QT was actually stressing the fish rather than calming it down. But all this was my own doing like an overprotective parent towards their kid. Thus i didnt QT fishes and after a nice rainbow unicorn period, i lost all of my fishes after introducing a new burgess butterfly. From then on, i decided either i keep a fowlr which i could use meds on or i QT all new fishes.

Over time, during QT experience taught that a fish could survive longer than i assumed without food, doesnt mean its not eating today, it would not eat tmr. It allowed me to decide whether to hold out on medications till the fish is eating or medication is priority over appetite. I learned to look out for illnesses that is common for certain fishes, like flukes to angelfishes and cryto to tangs and even to specific fishes. (Just sharing : bandits seem to have this red bumps on their bodies, same goes for declivis, tinkers and burgesses and the asfurs i kept funnily will be hit with this parasite that eats the area near the gills if not treated fast enough. Emps will show their stress markings if water quality is not good enough when i thought it was a severe flukes/velvet infestation).

A QT is very "weird" to a new hobbyist. But its always important. Everytime a fish makes it out of QT, i derive as much satisfaction as others seeing their favourite acro grow. And now if a fish didnt make it out of QT, i feel sad but thank the fish heavens for taking this ONE fish away and saving many more in my DT.
 
Tank transfer (TT) eliminates ich from the equation (sticky on that available) but ich is not the worst case parasite, so observation for 3 weeks after TT is needed. The longer a fish is at the LFS, the greater the probability it will bring an unexpected guest with it.
 
exactly, so its important to make the QT set up as part of the main system set up. It is just as important. and lets face it, we are all addicts and cant stop adding fish lol

if done right, TT should not cause too much stress, but you are correct and first time I tried it the fish was NOT happy :)

one of the best advices I was given here about QT, maybe sounds harsh, but start with one cheaper fish. and practice your QT regime with it. try copper treatment. try TT, try Prazi pro, freshwater dip and so on. it also adds alot of stress on the reefer if you are doing your first ever tank transfer on a 800 dollar fish !

Maybe a hob filter, with its media in your main tank's sump for weeks, so it gets cycled fully. feed the QT as well even when fish less, u want to keep the tank cycled and ready to remove ammonia. extra room for running GAC after medication is a plus too.




thats why a QT period consists of 1. observation 2. Identification of possible diseases, 3. treatment, 4. 4 weeks of observations again.

usually 4-5 weeks are enough for most parasites to show up.

some like flukes are harder to detect, so Prazi pro should be a standard part of every QT.

What's a good copper med and what is TT? I see Prazi on BRS.
 
Tank transfer (TT) eliminates ich from the equation (sticky on that available) but ich is not the worst case parasite, so observation for 3 weeks after TT is needed. The longer a fish is at the LFS, the greater the probability it will bring an unexpected guest with it.

You mean observation in the main tank after you QT it and move it to DT?
 
You mean observation in the main tank after you QT it and move it to DT?

No. After TT, still in QT, observe. TT is just for Ich.

I treat w/ PraziPro for internal pests.

Observation time gives the fish time to recover and chub up after it's long journey. If you notice any other issues, treat in QT. There is lots of fungus/disease/bacteria that can be with them. You don't want to take that to the DT. In the four weeks you will know that they either don't have issues or they have died.

It's not good for them to die in QT, but it's better than dying in the DT.
 
med only tank we call hospital.

I use tap water + prime in regular QT, and change water as much I can.

then have a hospital with RO/DI water, capable of taking in meds and copper.
 
med only tank we call hospital.

I use tap water + prime in regular QT, and change water as much I can.

then have a hospital with RO/DI water, capable of taking in meds and copper.

So you don't treat in QT, but in the hospital tank?

How big and what does that tank need?
 
I love using my QT tank. But I also am accustomed to having fish in QT for many weeks. It's great to get them eating, and observe for disease, which may show up later (I had flukes show up 2 months into QT).
 
What are peoples thoughts on having a med only tank and a qt tank both.

If we're just talking for fish, I see no reason for the distinction. I have two tanks that I use for new fish. In some cases, a tank is just used for observation, in other cases, treatment. Since each tank is cleaned and dried after each inhabitant has moved on, no need to differentiate Q from H. Now, if you're talking QT of inverts then, yes, observation separate from treatment.
 
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