Probably the stupidest question ever

[SaltWaterAdam]

Ok... So I see people religiously chanting QT QT QT tank on this forum. I know QT allows you the chance to observe fish feeding, behavior etc... What I don't get is how it prevents the spread of ich through a tank... Does QT allow time for ich to manifest and then you can treat it? Or does a QT tank allow you to prevent actively dose any incoming fish. I guess my question is, while I know the purpose of a QT tank is to keep new fish separate, I guess I'm ignorant in how exactly it accomplishes the aforementioned goals... Sorry, stupid question I know.

If so, what do you recommend for preventative dosing in a QT tank if any? Or am I still missing the point of a QT...lol

 

[Goss]

The most important thing is that you have a place to treat something that is sick or dying separetly without effecting your entire tank. Most medicines kill all inverts. And if the treatment fails then your tank is not poisoned by a dying animal.

 

[Bergvid]

If you throw a fish into your DT with ich ALL the fish will have it even if you can't see it on them. If you QT every fish then the chance of introducing ich or any other disease to your tank is minimal.

Case 1: Buy a sailfin tang from LFS place it in your QT tank and you notice some white spots on the fish. You can then take the appropriate actions to treat the fish with copper or hyposalinity without affecting your corals/invert/healthy fish. In this case if you were to put the tang straight into your DT tank then ALL the fish would have ich and the only thing you can do to 100% treat it is remove ALL the fish and treat them in a separate tank. Treating them in the DT is useless it will only reoccur. You can go on google and find all these so called reef safe treatments that work but I can bet ich will only reoccur. Treatment doesn't just involve visually removing it from the fish, you need to break down and kill the cycle so it does not reoccur.

 

[HumbleFish]

First off, it's not a stupid question. It's a very good one!

There are two train of thoughts when it comes to QT, and you have to decide which works best for you.

Option #1 - QT and observe. In a bare bottom, rockless QT; Ich & other nasties should manifest themselves. There are no rocks/sand for the parasites to take refuge in, the fish are generally stressed; so the observer should notice symptoms if parasites are present. Or at the very least realize that something is not right with the fish, and prophylactic treatment is now the best course of action. IMO, option 1 is best suited for those who pay close attention to detail and have time to sit in front of the QT everyday.

Option #2 - Prophylactic treatment. Just assume every fish you buy is diseased with the most common ailments and treat accordingly. This is what I do. 2 rounds of Prazipro for flukes; followed by 4 weeks of Cupramine (or chloroquine phosphate) for external parasites. Sometimes I get to play fish doctor and treat for something not covered by the aforementioned meds, but those times are rare. IMO, option #2 works best for those who are busy, don't have time to sit in front of a QT, and/or are just not very observant people.

Keep in mind nothing in 100%... no matter what you do or how diligent you are. But the odds are greatly in your favor if you QT.

 

[SaltWaterAdam]

First off, it's not a stupid question. It's a very good one!

There are two train of thoughts when it comes to QT, and you have to decide which works best for you.

Option #1 - QT and observe. In a bare bottom, rockless QT; Ich & other nasties should manifest themselves. There are no rocks/sand for the parasites to take refuge in, the fish are generally stressed; so the observer should notice symptoms if parasites are present. Or at the very least realize that something is not right with the fish, and prophylactic treatment is now the best course of action. IMO, option 1 is best suited for those who pay close attention to detail and have time to sit in front of the QT everyday.

Option #2 - Prophylactic treatment. Just assume every fish you buy is diseased with the most common ailments and treat accordingly. This is what I do. 2 rounds of Prazipro for flukes; followed by 4 weeks of Cupramine (or chloroquine phosphate) for external parasites. Sometimes I get to play fish doctor and treat for something not covered by the aforementioned meds, but those times are rare. IMO, option #2 works best for those who are busy, don't have time to sit in front of a QT, and/or are just not very observant people.

Keep in mind nothing in 100%... no matter what you do or how diligent you are. But the odds are greatly in your favor if you QT.

Ok that's what I waned to know... If people used QT tanks to wait for a problem to pop up or treat all fish as if diseased. I will use a QT regardless but wanted a little clarification...not really a WHY question but more of a HOW question. Thanks guys

 

[sleepydoc]

First off, it's not a stupid question. It's a very good one!

There are two train of thoughts when it comes to QT, and you have to decide which works best for you.

Option #1 - QT and observe. In a bare bottom, rockless QT; Ich & other nasties should manifest themselves. There are no rocks/sand for the parasites to take refuge in, the fish are generally stressed; so the observer should notice symptoms if parasites are present. Or at the very least realize that something is not right with the fish, and prophylactic treatment is now the best course of action. IMO, option 1 is best suited for those who pay close attention to detail and have time to sit in front of the QT everyday.

Option #2 - Prophylactic treatment. Just assume every fish you buy is diseased with the most common ailments and treat accordingly. This is what I do. 2 rounds of Prazipro for flukes; followed by 4 weeks of Cupramine (or chloroquine phosphate) for external parasites. Sometimes I get to play fish doctor and treat for something not covered by the aforementioned meds, but those times are rare. IMO, option #2 works best for those who are busy, don't have time to sit in front of a QT, and/or are just not very observant people.

Keep in mind nothing in 100%... no matter what you do or how diligent you are. But the odds are greatly in your favor if you QT.

+1 - I would add that choosing option 1 is assuming that the fish will be stressed enough to manifest any latent disease; not always a safe assumption in my mind so I choose to treat prophylactically.

 

[R.W.]

First off, it's not a stupid question. It's a very good one!

There are two train of thoughts when it comes to QT, and you have to decide which works best for you.

Option #1 - QT and observe. In a bare bottom, rockless QT; Ich & other nasties should manifest themselves. There are no rocks/sand for the parasites to take refuge in, the fish are generally stressed; so the observer should notice symptoms if parasites are present. Or at the very least realize that something is not right with the fish, and prophylactic treatment is now the best course of action. IMO, option 1 is best suited for those who pay close attention to detail and have time to sit in front of the QT everyday.

Option #2 - Prophylactic treatment. Just assume every fish you buy is diseased with the most common ailments and treat accordingly. This is what I do. 2 rounds of Prazipro for flukes; followed by 4 weeks of Cupramine (or chloroquine phosphate) for external parasites. Sometimes I get to play fish doctor and treat for something not covered by the aforementioned meds, but those times are rare. IMO, option #2 works best for those who are busy, don't have time to sit in front of a QT, and/or are just not very observant people.

Keep in mind nothing in 100%... no matter what you do or how diligent you are. But the odds are greatly in your favor if you QT.

Option two is also IMO the best option. I follow this routine as well.