Quarantine question

[aceofspadeskb]

I'm looking at getting a flame angelfish and a yellow tang and quarantining them together in my 10 gallon QT tank. Both fish are small, ~1.5-2". Would there be any problems doing this?

This would be just the initial observational quarantine, trying to avoid introducing parasites into my display tank.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Dmorty217]

I would suggest a 20gL, a 10g tank isn't much water and chemistry can change quickly. Make sure to provide pieces of PVC for the fish to hide in to feel secure. No need for a light on the tank. Heater, power head, and HOB filter is all you need. Seed HOB filter from something out of your fuge or sump on DT. A piece of sponge works will for this or filter poly floss in a pinch

 

[aceofspadeskb]

Thanks for the response!

I've successfully been able to QT 2 fish in my 10 gallon setup before(pair of chromis, pair of clowns). The tank is setup exactly like you recommend.

I swap out a gallon from my display tank every other day and use that water for a water change in the QT. I use amquel to maintain water chemistry and test daily to keep ammonia and nitrites at 0. My main concern was if these two fish will be aggressive towards each other in that tight of space, bearing in mind their small size.

 

[Dmorty217]

It can be done but you must be vigilant on water changes and monitoring ammonia. Ammonia can come on quick and rise even more quickly in only 10g of water. With pieces of PVC for hiding and adding the two at the same time you should have no issue with aggression

 

[sabo]

My yellow got a bit pushy towards the end in a 10g. But having said that, he's started doing it in the 120 as well. Not nipping, just swims right on top of others like he's pushing them around. Thankfully everyone just ignores him.

 

[HumbleFish]

I agree with Dmorty217. 20L would give you twice the water (for ammonia), and more "living space" for the fish. YTs can be real a-holes at times; a flame angel can get pretty feisty too.

And if you can swing it, 29 gal is even better. Same footprint as the 20L, just taller.

 

[SDguy]

I actually prefer my 15g QT to my 40g QT. Changing water, even all of it, is super easy. I use Aquaclear hang-on filters for biological filtration. Remember to clean the sponges frequently in salt water.