QT or not QT

[Mark_C]

So, I set up a QT last week and went to buy new additions from a very reputable LFS and was told the following from a very reputable LFS guy, which seems to make sense.


I'll paraphrase"¦

Though a QT tank is a great idea, it doesn't necessarily work. Every aquarium has a level of ich and everything in the your tank carries ich and other potential diseases. If new fish are QT'd, and you add them to the DT later, you are curing them of ich from the distributor/LFS, then you're putting them back into another tank with ich, defeating the entire purpose.

The key to avoiding disease, which is always potentially present, is to chose your fish wisely and maintain their environment. If tank-mates are peaceful and a quality environment (including water parameters) is maintained ich should not be a concern. If fish are aggressive or overly stressed by the environment, they will develop ich as the stress has broken down thier resistance.

So, if you purchase from a reputable shop, have a peaceful tank, choose fish with no visual evidence of disease, and maintain a quality low stress environment, you can simply acclimate new fish and release them directly into your DT.

The true use of a QT is to keep it on hand as a "˜bad fish' or hospital tank. If a fish turns aggressive and tank health is in jeopardy, the QT give you a place to house the fish until resolution. If a fish develops a disease and you notice it quickly enough, QTing the fish and medicating it may prevent the spread throughout the tank.



If this is the actual case my wife will be overjoyed that she can have her kitchen counter back.

 

[cleverbs]

I dont agree with this, Yes ich is an issue that most tanks have and most fish have. Ich is never the reason I QT, I QT for things like Flukes and other issues a fish can have that can kill your fish.

 

[reefgeezer]

Though a QT tank is a great idea, it doesn't necessarily work...

Can we end this quickly. QT works. If a fish dies in QT, more than likely he would have died in the DT AND infected the tank with whatever killed him. Yes, you have to pay attention, do it correctly, and have patience. Yes you have to QT every fish from the first one.

IMO, if someone wants to add a fish to their system without QT, buy all means go ahead, it's yours. However, please don't use your success (luck?) as reason to recommend that others not QT.

Sorry.. grumpy today

 

[dustinkimpel]

:uzi::eek2:

really, okay even if your aquarium has ich in it constantly, which some people believe it does. What happens when your fish has some other sort of contagious disease and you drop in your display and expose all your other stock to it. Any way you look at it QTing will never hurt you as long as you can keep the tank params in order. Not QTing can, the choice is yours but my first 100 gallon fell through because of following advice like this and having an outbreak. QT your FISH!!!!

 

[Mark_C]

However, please don't use your success (luck?) as reason to recommend that others not QT.

I had set up my first QT and went to purchase fish for my new system. I was told the above story at the LFS, which seemed to make sense and which made me feel that my QT was redundant. I did not purchase fish due to conflicting thoughts and I came here to ask advice.

Cheers clever and dustin, makes sense. My wife can have her counter back next month.

 

[cleverbs]

wait your system is new? does it have any fish in it yet?

 

[BlackTip]

Every aquarium has a level of ich and everything in the your tank carries ich and other potential diseases. If new fish are QT'd, and you add them to the DT later, you are curing them of ich from the distributor/LFS, then you're putting them back into another tank with ich, defeating the entire purpose.

Using his logic, if every fish QT, then the DT should be free from diseases. Hence, it is a good idea to QT every fish.

 

[Mark_C]

wait your system is new? does it have any fish in it yet?

Soz, bad choice of words. I'm upgrading a tanks, and there are fish that will be moving. I planned to QT 2 new fish and introduce them at the switchover in a few weeks. I'm hoping that the new environment will keep my clowns from getting too territorial against the new guys.

 

[cleverbs]

why not QT all the fish when you upgrade? Are you going to move all of your live rock over though? in that case there could be "ICH" in the live rock.

 

[Mark_C]

why not QT all the fish when you upgrade? Are you going to move all of your live rock over though? in that case there could be "ICH" in the live rock.

Yeah, I was entertaining the idea of a full QT but it ends up I'll be transferring over about 40 pounds of live rock. So I'll just do the switchover and QT the new guys.

 

[jaybfresh]

I don't usually QT fish that come from local hobbyists, but anything from the LFS gets monitored before putting in the display tank. I've lost too many fish to disease in my early days by skipping QT.

I think there are some very finicky species that probably do best without QT, but those are rare exceptions.

 

[Toddrtrex]

Ick is not the only thing that can cause death in your tank if you don't QT.


I played the non QT game for 15+ years, and never had an issue. UNTIL.

One day (( about 3 years ago )), I picked up a flameback angel to add to my 75, which had 2 other dwarf angels. I stupidly added it directly to the tank. A week later it was dead (( no fighting b/t the dwarfs )), and within 2 weeks the other 2 dwarfs were dead -- all other fish were fine.

My laziness cost me;

And

Let alone the fish I purchased.

With my new 210 (( transferred fish over from other tanks I took down )), all fish will be QTed before had, the risk is too great. BTW -- don't buy into that every tank has ick present.

 

[Mishri]

Ich isn't present in every tank, You can eradicate it. If the live rock you use hasn't had fish in it for over 8 weeks (12 to be super safe) it doesn't have ich on it. If you use rock that completely dried, you wont have ich. If you QT your fish and either do TTM or do a round of copper dosing, you wont have Ich.

Completely false info there about ich.

However, it is possible for fish to live with ich and do just fine. There are worse things out there than ICH that you need to worry about that you QT for.


For the first time ever I decided to run a QT tank. I never had issues in the past, but, I had good local fish stores in the past... There is one that is okay, but I'd have to personally check on the fish regularly and hope it doesn't sell for a few weeks before I decided to get it...

 

[ca1ore]

My own 'truths':

1. All tanks do not have ich (though I concede that many probably do)
2. There are far worse things that can infect your tank (velvet, brook, uronema; just to name a few)
3. There are different strains of ich, with different potency, so QT can help to prevent a more robust strain from entering your tank
4. QT is a great way to acclimate new fish in a way that is not possible in the main display
5. QT is a great way to get difficult fish feeding on aquarium fare and to a healthy weight before putting them into the display
6. QT is not a guarantee that no disease will enter your tank, however.

 

[ganjero]

Also be careful when using the term "Quarantine" (isolation) which serves many purposes, from something as simple as observation, to acclimation or to treating nasty things. Isolating a fish for -6-12 weeks does not mean it will be disease free. Just the same way some fish do not show signs of ich (or illness) in display tanks, they can also go through a QT period without showing any signs.
Instead of simply isolating all your existing fish, I would use the tank transfer method on all of them to be completely sure they do not have ich (if that is what you want).

 

[DaveRaz]

I do The tank transfer method while treating transfer 2 and 4 with prazipro. If the fish looks good and handled all that stress ok, I place in the display. I know ich won't be in the DT due to my fish additions, however it may have been introduced with a coral or invert at some point.

Many folks recommend a minimum of four weeks QT because of issues other than ich.

 

[DaveRaz]

Also a heads up about QT more than one fish at a time. I had a coral beauty kill a wrasse in qt. I won't ever qt more than one fish at a time again.

 

[ca1ore]

I won't ever qt more than one fish at a time again.

Unless they're a group of the same kind of fish acquired at the same time from the same place.

 

[biomek]

I've always used the Tank transfer method and then 30 days of observation including 2 rounds of prazi before moving over to the DT. If i can even somewhat slightly decrease the potential for transferring any parasite into my DT by sticking with this routine, IMO it's a win for me and my tank. Patience was never a strong trait of mine until i started the hobby. When i set up my 225, i didn't put a single fish into it for 6 months. TTM and 30 days observation is a walk in the park for me now lol

 

[Mishri]

6 months? I've gone with no fish in a tank with live rock for 2 years and MH lighting... hehehe... (rock was full of phosphates, was waiting for algae blooms to stop).