In an ideal situation, yes it would be best to transfer healthy, disease free specimens directly to your display tank. I felt the same way until I saw behind the scenes at a couple of public aquariums and noticed all of their quarantine tanks. Now, I quarantine for at least four weeks. I try to keep my quarantine tank at the exact same temp, ph and Ca level as my main tank, so that when the animals are eventually placed there they will experience a minimum of stress. One way of making sure the q-tank is the same chemically as the main tank is to do waterchanges from the main tank to the q-tank-this has worked well for me as the old display tank water would have been discarded any way. fwiw, kas
Do you Quarantine?
- Thread starter KASESQ
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Ok, I'm going to sneak out from behind my tree here and admit that, no, I don't quarantine. Here's why:
I look back over the logs I have kept since I started in this hobby two years ago, and every fish I have bought from one particular lfs in Minneapolis has lived. Now, I buy fish from that store only. I feel there are good reasons why her livestock is so healthy, and it is because of her dedication to her animals.
I also think dropping a fish into an intermediate environment with the additional catch and release incident can be stressful.
I have heard too many stories of "I quarantined my fish for 3-4 weeks and it got ich anyway as soon as I added it to my display tank".
I believe that if we buy healthy fish, feed them properly, limit stress in their tank as much as possible, they will fight off most diseases on their own.
I think more important than quarantining is doing our homework on: a)which species have a reasonable chance for long-term survival in our tanks b) which fish gets along with the ones we already have c)not overcrowding our tanks.
I don't ever buy fish mailorder. Corals yes, but not fish. Not so much because I think the trip is stressful on them (obviously it is, but then they have to make that same trip when being shipped to the lfs) but because I can't see them beforehand, and what kind of environment they came out of.
If Terry B is reading this I can see him biting his lip already. Maybe this will bite me in the butt someday, but this method so far has worked for me. Aside from a case of ich in my 75 FO tank shortly after it was setup due to my own ignorance, I have been without a fish death for a long time. I have had minor cases of ich in both my fo and reef tanks, but the fish have fought it off on their own, with a little help from vitamins, Selcon, and good food.
Disclaimer: I'm not recommending this method to anyone else, just saying what works for me.
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Larry M
View a list of RC Member's websites at:
http://www.reefcentral.com/membersites.html
I look back over the logs I have kept since I started in this hobby two years ago, and every fish I have bought from one particular lfs in Minneapolis has lived. Now, I buy fish from that store only. I feel there are good reasons why her livestock is so healthy, and it is because of her dedication to her animals.
I also think dropping a fish into an intermediate environment with the additional catch and release incident can be stressful.
I have heard too many stories of "I quarantined my fish for 3-4 weeks and it got ich anyway as soon as I added it to my display tank".
I believe that if we buy healthy fish, feed them properly, limit stress in their tank as much as possible, they will fight off most diseases on their own.
I think more important than quarantining is doing our homework on: a)which species have a reasonable chance for long-term survival in our tanks b) which fish gets along with the ones we already have c)not overcrowding our tanks.
I don't ever buy fish mailorder. Corals yes, but not fish. Not so much because I think the trip is stressful on them (obviously it is, but then they have to make that same trip when being shipped to the lfs) but because I can't see them beforehand, and what kind of environment they came out of.
If Terry B is reading this I can see him biting his lip already. Maybe this will bite me in the butt someday, but this method so far has worked for me. Aside from a case of ich in my 75 FO tank shortly after it was setup due to my own ignorance, I have been without a fish death for a long time. I have had minor cases of ich in both my fo and reef tanks, but the fish have fought it off on their own, with a little help from vitamins, Selcon, and good food.
Disclaimer: I'm not recommending this method to anyone else, just saying what works for me.
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Larry M
View a list of RC Member's websites at:
http://www.reefcentral.com/membersites.html
Q-ball
Premium Member
hmmm, gonna join Larry behind that tree. 
In about two years of keeping saltwater fish, I have had 0 instances of ich. I believe that part of it is the source of my fish, which is pretty good. Another reason I'm pretty picky about the fish I buy, so I've had good luck picking healthy ones for the most part. I did lose a Lionfish to unexplained illness a while ago, about 4-5 weeks after acquiring him. No signs of illness in him until the day before his passing, and then it was only that he stopped eating (definately NOT normal for lions!) and he grew listless, let the current pretty much take him everywhere. I don't think this would have been prevented or solved with a Q-tank, as by the time it happened, he would have been in my main tank in any case. I also agree with the additional stress handed to the fish when netted to a Q-tank, then again to their permenant home 2-4weeks later. I make sure to properly acclimate all my fish initially, with the lights out for the entire day as well. Like Larry, dunno if I would recommend my method's to anyone, but they have worked for me (seems to be alot of that in this hobby, eh?). anyhow, just my .02.
Q
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wife: "What's it going to cost THIS time?"
In about two years of keeping saltwater fish, I have had 0 instances of ich. I believe that part of it is the source of my fish, which is pretty good. Another reason I'm pretty picky about the fish I buy, so I've had good luck picking healthy ones for the most part. I did lose a Lionfish to unexplained illness a while ago, about 4-5 weeks after acquiring him. No signs of illness in him until the day before his passing, and then it was only that he stopped eating (definately NOT normal for lions!) and he grew listless, let the current pretty much take him everywhere. I don't think this would have been prevented or solved with a Q-tank, as by the time it happened, he would have been in my main tank in any case. I also agree with the additional stress handed to the fish when netted to a Q-tank, then again to their permenant home 2-4weeks later. I make sure to properly acclimate all my fish initially, with the lights out for the entire day as well. Like Larry, dunno if I would recommend my method's to anyone, but they have worked for me (seems to be alot of that in this hobby, eh?). anyhow, just my .02.Q
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wife: "What's it going to cost THIS time?"
C
CaptainMac
Hey,
Got room for one more back there?
My 55 has only 4 fish, three which were added about 2 years ago and one (a lawnmower) added a couple of months ago. And as long as these guys are alive, no plans to add more. I like the low bioload since I don't, gulp, skim.
Mac
Got room for one more back there?
My 55 has only 4 fish, three which were added about 2 years ago and one (a lawnmower) added a couple of months ago. And as long as these guys are alive, no plans to add more. I like the low bioload since I don't, gulp, skim.
Mac
RobertK
Premium Member
It seems I'm in the minority surprisingly but yes I do quarantine. I don't trust any LFS to provide me with sterile fish. There are too many fish always in and out of their tanks to ensure the absence of disease organisms, no matter how careful they are. I am a cautious type of person and I don't want to take the chance of introducing a parasite or pest into my reef tank. Quarantining may not eliminate that risk but it certainly reduces it substantially. Call me paranoid, but I even try to quarantine my corals for a few days to make sure there aren't any pests tagging along such as planaria or parasitic snails which I may not have seen when the coral was in the LFS. Regarding the stress associated with capture and transfer in your home aquarium, those are brief acute stressors, the effects of which will probably be gone within a few minutes to an hour, especially if it isdone carefully with a container rather than a net. The fish you just bought may well be already suffering from chronic stress associated with a trip halfway around the world in a little plastic bag starved of oxygen and polluted from its own waste. It may be stressed from a crowded holding tank or LFS tank, possibly with inappropriate tankmates and with repeated handling and transfers. It may have been in 3 or 4 different tanks by the time it gets to your house, each with different water parameters, and not necessarily acclimated properly each time. It is getting used to life in captivity and to strange foods and surroundings. These are all more potent stressors than a quick capture and transfer, and the effects of these stressors are additive. Chronic stress suppresses the immune system, so if there is a latent infection or tagalong parasite the newly acquired fish is much more likely to get sick from it than a fish who is stable in its surroundings. Most of the pathogens we worry about are opportunistic; a strong and healthy fish may resist infection but a weakened and stressed fish may succumb to it. Quarantining is not just for letting a possible ich life cycle run its course outside the show tank, it is also a chance for the new fish to adapt to life in captivity without having to adjust to new tankmates and compete with them for strange new foods, while it is hopefully recovering from the stress of the long trip from the ocean to your home. This is just my opinion, but it sure makes sense to me.
Robert
Robert
I quarantine for the reasons stated by RobertK. My first fish from the same lfs that LarryM uses had no problems. I have quarantied subsequent purchases. You have the opportunity to watch the fish at close range in a small tank - see its activity - eating and general behavior. The fish may also get to know you and your habits. I have found the fish very easy to capture in the Q-tank with a clear plastic trap and a bare hand. Very little stress. By the time a quarantined fish was ready to go into the display tank - it has never been anything but fat, happy and disease free. FWIW.
TimS
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There's No Place Like Home.
TimS
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There's No Place Like Home.
I was just wondering everyone's opinions and practices on Quarantine tank for new arrivals. I understand the theory that if you quarantine prior to placing a fish in the show tank you are trying to make sure that they do not have any parasites / diseases / etc... You are also trying to get them accustomed to aquarium life. But doesn't the multiple netting's, acclimating, and moving make the fish susceptible to problems because of the high stress levels. Would it be better to just make sure that you buy healthy specimens from trusted suppliers?
Like TimS says, use a plastic trap (specimen container) little to no stress compared to netting.
RobertK summed up the reasons for Qing better than I could.
For those of you hiding behind that tree I too spent some time there with sucess, untill I introduced a particularly nasty bug one day. By the time I got it under control I lost a 10 year old clown and an 8 year old clown. Since than I have upheld strict Q standards with no problems for over 5 years. Keep in mind that I have allways run the fish rooms wherever I work and buy my fish from myself ( I can't think of a better source ).
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Bill
If damsels grew as big as sharks, the sharks would run in fear!
My dive photos
RobertK summed up the reasons for Qing better than I could.
For those of you hiding behind that tree
I too spent some time there with sucess, untill I introduced a particularly nasty bug one day. By the time I got it under control I lost a 10 year old clown and an 8 year old clown. Since than I have upheld strict Q standards with no problems for over 5 years. Keep in mind that I have allways run the fish rooms wherever I work and buy my fish from myself ( I can't think of a better source ).------------------
Bill
If damsels grew as big as sharks, the sharks would run in fear!
My dive photos
Scooby Doo
New member
How do you catch a damsel with a specimen container??? You have to use a net for some fish!!
Dave
Dave
newkie
Premium Member
Yes, I quarantine in a 10gal which I used to keep under my main tank. I didn't for a very long time but it eventually bit me in the butt. My first purchase after I moved 2 years ago was a bad one. I would never use medication in my main tank. I have a lot of rock work, even more today, so its a huge ordeal to catch a sick fish. So, between the effort in catching the fish and the fact that I don't like to medicate my display tank the quarantine tank made sense.
golfish
Team RC
I have done both over the 15 years in this hobby and IMO get the fish from a LFS that QT there fish....I don't remember a time that I introd a fish and anything else in the tank was effected...well there was that &^^#%# sea apple but thats not a fish .
Now fresh water was a different store.I remember I had a pair of Angel fish that had to be 12" from tip to tip and they would not mate.soooooooo I added about 4 more juvies to see if they would hook up ....2 days later the big ones were dead and the 4 juvy *******s were still alive and well...I don't even want to get into the Discuss problems I had.
Mark
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http://members.xoom.com/golfish1/reef.htm
.Now fresh water was a different store.I remember I had a pair of Angel fish that had to be 12" from tip to tip and they would not mate.soooooooo I added about 4 more juvies to see if they would hook up ....2 days later the big ones were dead and the 4 juvy *******s were still alive and well...I don't even want to get into the Discuss problems I had.
Mark
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http://members.xoom.com/golfish1/reef.htm
I used to Q. my fish...but not anymore.....because I figured out that more fish died in the Q. more than they die in my main tank.............that's why I stop Q. my fish unless medication is required for sick fish.....
As long as the fish is healthy and eats, swims in their nature patterns....they will do fine in the main tank after a few days it is introduced.....
Good Luck
As long as the fish is healthy and eats, swims in their nature patterns....they will do fine in the main tank after a few days it is introduced.....
Good Luck
Solution to q-tank stress mentioned above-I agree, quarantining a fish is stressful, but to minimize the stress upon introducing the fish to the main tank I am going to start doing more frequent (twice a week) waterchanges on the q-tank with water from the display tank, making sure that the siphon hose is soaked in freshwater afterwards to kill any protozoans or other nasties on the part that went into the q-tank.
I have been successfully using q-tanks for
a year now. I found that by decorating the tanks with LR & LS the fish settle in easily. As bad as the net is to them it seems that being in a naked tank stresses them out worse. The really cryptic fish seem to eat and swim more freely.
Have you concidered running a seperate hospital tank?
Pam
a year now. I found that by decorating the tanks with LR & LS the fish settle in easily. As bad as the net is to them it seems that being in a naked tank stresses them out worse. The really cryptic fish seem to eat and swim more freely.
Have you concidered running a seperate hospital tank?
Pam
This must be one hell of a tree because I've been hiding behind it as well.
I've had my reef for about 2 years now and have never quarantined.
Unfortunately I have to admit that I have lost some fish to disease, however I have never had a newly introduced fish get sick and then spread it to my established ones. IME they merely die and that is the end of it without any effect on my long term residents. A q-tank would be a good idea for heading off any diseases before they are placed in the main tank, however I do not do enough fish additions to warrant keeping a whole other tank up and running and once they are in the tank..... fahgedaboudit, they are not coming out because I'll be damned if I'm going to risk damaging any other inhabitants by moving a bunch of rocks around trying to get that one pesky fish that (pardon my morbidity) does not stand a great chance of making it anyhow.
Yes, I may sound insensitive but unfortunately I tend to err on the side of practicality. If a fish is healthy (which I try to make sure it is and am ususally successful) it will survive. I believe that my main tank is the best possible environment (that I have available) for a fish and forcing an already stressed fish to stay in a closet sized tank for a month before placing them in my display IMO will only lead to more stress.
I've had my reef for about 2 years now and have never quarantined.
Unfortunately I have to admit that I have lost some fish to disease, however I have never had a newly introduced fish get sick and then spread it to my established ones. IME they merely die and that is the end of it without any effect on my long term residents. A q-tank would be a good idea for heading off any diseases before they are placed in the main tank, however I do not do enough fish additions to warrant keeping a whole other tank up and running and once they are in the tank..... fahgedaboudit, they are not coming out because I'll be damned if I'm going to risk damaging any other inhabitants by moving a bunch of rocks around trying to get that one pesky fish that (pardon my morbidity) does not stand a great chance of making it anyhow.
Yes, I may sound insensitive but unfortunately I tend to err on the side of practicality. If a fish is healthy (which I try to make sure it is and am ususally successful) it will survive. I believe that my main tank is the best possible environment (that I have available) for a fish and forcing an already stressed fish to stay in a closet sized tank for a month before placing them in my display IMO will only lead to more stress.
I think the big factors are: a) how did you get the fish, b)how much space can you claim, and c)costs
Most of my fish are imported straight to my house without having seen light for at least a day. A puffer could come in at anywhere from 1 to 8 inches. The fish have to be sorted out for health and temperament during acclimation before I know where they will end up. It is mostly timid fish or extreme juvies that go to quarantine so that they can build up their confidence without dealing with established territories. If a species has special needs it goes directly to its intended tank or a hospital tank if need be. The hospital tank is more of an observation tank really, if I don't have much hope I will put a fish down it just a short term place.
There are certainly drawbacks to this system in that it requires space. I have crept up over 1K gallons with this reasoning but on the bright side I have gobies trying to raise fry in the quarantine tanks.
To be perfectly honest I am way lousy at catching fish. I have to get anyone else to catch the ones in the main tanks and will go to great lengths to avoid disturbing those fish. They are likely to be near death or dead before they are removed. Happily that doesn't happen so often anymore.
Most of my fish are imported straight to my house without having seen light for at least a day. A puffer could come in at anywhere from 1 to 8 inches. The fish have to be sorted out for health and temperament during acclimation before I know where they will end up. It is mostly timid fish or extreme juvies that go to quarantine so that they can build up their confidence without dealing with established territories. If a species has special needs it goes directly to its intended tank or a hospital tank if need be. The hospital tank is more of an observation tank really, if I don't have much hope I will put a fish down it just a short term place.
There are certainly drawbacks to this system in that it requires space. I have crept up over 1K gallons with this reasoning but on the bright side I have gobies trying to raise fry in the quarantine tanks.
To be perfectly honest I am way lousy at catching fish. I have to get anyone else to catch the ones in the main tanks and will go to great lengths to avoid disturbing those fish. They are likely to be near death or dead before they are removed. Happily that doesn't happen so often anymore.
hesaias
Premium Member
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