Do you QT your DD fish

[125mph]

I never QTed my fish until my recent purchase of a tang gave an outbreak to ich in my DT. I noticed two white spots on the tang when I released him in the tank but I thought nothing of it since I never had an issue with fish disease before.. Now I have to go through the pain of a fallow tank and losing some fish to the outbreak.

I read some people don't QT fish coming from LA's Divers Den and some QT everything, regardless. What's everyone viewpoint on this? Wouldn't shipped fish be stressed already and you should just put them in the tank to get better especially from a trusted source? Or is that just another mistake I'm going to learn the hard way?

 

[sandwi54]

I always, always QT everything. This is just something that exeprienced aquarists pick up after being in this hobby for long enough. To be 100% successful in this hobby, suspicion, and a lot of suspicion is required. You always have to pretend that anything wet you buy carries some kind of disease. I am sure the probability of DD's fish carrying disease is extermely low, but there is still a chance. all it takes is one stubborn strain of ich or whatever to stay on the fish. Why risk your entire beautiful display for one fish that can easily be treated for 2-3 weeks with cupramine and prazipro in a QT?

What a lot of novices don't realize is that QT is not just for disease treatment. The other most important aspect is for fish to recover and regain full health alone, without the potential harrassment from tankmates. Imagine you just get back from a 2-week exhausting business trip and your wife and kids keep on asking you to do house chores and taking them out to shopping; i bet that's annoying as hell. QT is for stress reduction and allows the fish to settle down and get used to captive life, and most importantly, gain full appetite before being released into the DT. From my experience, it is sometimes easier to train fish to eat different kinds of prepared food when he's alone in the QT than in the DT, simply because there's no one else there to fight for food.

Like what the old saying is, "if you can't afford a QT, you cannot afford this hobby."

 

[MrTuskfish]

^^^^^Well put.^^^^
Even Diver's Den suggests you QT their fish. DD has the best fish available, IMO. But, some of their fish are kept in a QT for only 2 weeks. Not aimed at the OP: but I'm amazed how many threads we have on this forum that are trying to find reasons not to use a QT or make it much easier. Re: the "Trusting DD'' option on the ballot. I trust DD to do what they promise to do; they don't promise to find & eliminate all parasites. Nobody could do that. They do promise to deliver the healthiest fish available, and (IMO & IME), and they do exactly that.http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/general.cfm?general_pagesid=425

As far as the voting goes, I vote we get rid of the meaningless voting altogether.

 

[sandwi54]

^^^ Echoing Tuskfish.

I have to say that lack of patience is the biggest killer in this hobby, killing both aquarists and fish. If everyone follows the QT protocols there'd be a lot fewer poor dead fish and much happier hobbyists.

 

[SNAKEMANVET]

What I am going through now,I will qt everything from now on.
125mph- I like your clowns in the avatar.

 

[MrTuskfish]

^^^ Echoing Tuskfish.

I have to say that lack of patience is the biggest killer in this hobby, killing both aquarists and fish. If everyone follows the QT protocols there'd be a lot fewer poor dead fish and much happier hobbyists.

In the "new to the hobby" section of the forum; there are lots of threads asking what equipment is needed to get into the hobby. I don't think a QT tank has ever been a reply. I can easily keep a healthy FOWLR tank without a skimmer, but not without a QT.

 

[SNAKEMANVET]

Knock on wood,I have not lost a fish to ich,it just keeps popping up here and there.And everytime it pops up I get worried.A qt tank needs to be on top of the equipment list for this hobby.

 

[snorvich]

^^^ Echoing Tuskfish.

I have to say that lack of patience is the biggest killer in this hobby, killing both aquarists and fish. If everyone follows the QT protocols there'd be a lot fewer poor dead fish and much happier hobbyists.

I echo Tuskfish as well.