To quarantine or not -that is the question

[t kish]

I am new to reef keeping but I have been taking care of fish for almost thirty years now and when I go to the LFS all I can tell is if the fish has any physical signs of damage from stress , handling or disease , or the obvious dead fish in the tank.

I guess I have not learned the art of being able to detect disease from quick observation.

It's to much of a crap shoot to not take the time to QT and it's so easy to do.

T Kish

 

[ghengis]

Sorry, but IMO, there really is no question... QT all the way. Just not worth the risk...

 

[Eric the half-bee]

I've not been QtIng fish in my tank for the above mentioned reasons of healthy environ, low chances of DZ as along as the new fish is apparently healthy. I've lost several tangs to ich(1 sohal, 2 Achilles and 1 powder brown). All other tangs that have acquired ich have survived. Oddly, no other type of fish in my tank has developed ich besides tangs.

 

[jenglish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14815528#post14815528 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Eric the half-bee
I've not been QtIng fish in my tank for the above mentioned reasons of healthy environ, low chances of DZ as along as the new fish is apparently healthy. I've lost several tangs to ich(1 sohal, 2 Achilles and 1 powder brown). All other tangs that have acquired ich have survived. Oddly, no other type of fish in my tank has developed ich besides tangs.

Thats not really that odd at all. Tangs are no more likely to contract ick as any other fish but they are more likely to have it get bad enough to be visible. They have a thinner slime coating that makes them more vulnerable. But in the wild they travel so much that they catch it, and are gone before it cycles around again. All of your fish likely have ich, they are just fighting it off well enough you don't see it. there is some research that without a new strain or possibly new host the strain will wear itself out after 11 months or so.

 

[francis1123]

QT

QT

i too have never QT'd. in the last 2 weeks i've been battling velvet, and i think brook as well. i went from 30 fish to 6 fish. i will QT from now on. i have a dedicated 60g fully running system to house the fish, and a 20g hospital treatment tank at the ready. fish added were observed, eating, and appeared healthy. they were carrying the disease none the less. when you lose thousands of dollars in fish, you start to think twice on practices, not to mention fish that i will probably never be able to replace (personality). i miss my friends and the guilt that goes with knowing that my irresponsibility cost them their lives is a lot to handle.
PLEASE QT!

 

[Eric the half-bee]

Jeremy, that's a good point on the slime coat of tangs vs. other genera. I probably have a heavy stocked tank compared to others and that may be a factor in the ich.

 

[TriggerFreak1]

yea, definitely you need to keep them in copper for 6-8 weeks

 

[Mr. Brooks]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14817055#post14817055 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TriggerFreak1
yea, definitely you need to keep them in copper for 6-8 weeks

6 to 8 weeks in copper is too long for most tangs. They're pretty sensitive to it. You really only need a two week copper treatment to kill ich.

 

[Alaskan Reefer]

I feel for you francis1123. My clown is fighting hard in the hospital tank with formalin as I type -- the only fish that survived my total noobness when I started and the various periods or marginal husbandry over the years. I only hope I didn't wait too long to wake up and do this part right.

Please QT!

 

[iamwrasseman]

yup francis i feel it too , never had any major loss but wow thats a big number of fish to lose and its impossiable to replace some .so i can understand that end of the QT process . you have to unserstand that some of the fish that i purchase really should be left on the reef they are so delicate .i have found with thease wrasses the QT process is certain death for them and by putting them directly into the display tank my percentages have gotten really high just by this alone . so for many fish that can handle the QT yes it should be done but for some delicate fish you have to think out of the box and also take some chances to ensure their healthy acclimation .

 

[jenglish]

There are certainly some exceptions on particular species. I think for the most part most fish should be QT, especially tangs. Some of the more delicate wrasses, some dragonettes and probably others will not tolerate QT and are a roll of the dice.

 

[francis1123]

well, i think a point that is missed is that a QT does not have to be a bare empty tank. the 60g will be a fully running system, ready to take on any fish. live rock, sand, pods, everything. the 20g will be a hospital/treatment tank. you don't have to stress a fish to QT it. you just have to keep it separate from your main tank.

 

[mat167]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14811887#post14811887 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cloak
I've never QT. Not going to start now. I take the time to observe the fish, much rather than just buying it as soon as I see it.. Why would you buy a sick fish? If it ends up getting sick in your DT, it's not the fish that's to blame, it might be your husbandry. Something is off.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/ft/index.php

The article that you quoted provides info on choosing healthy specimens; it does not deal with quarantine practices. In the "recommended readings", however, an article to quarantine practices is provided:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-10/sp/feature/index.php

This article on QT practices strongly recommends QT and thoroughly takes into account proper sized QT's and other variables. Definitely a worthwhile read for anyone who disagrees with the QT method.

 

[Alaskan Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14811887#post14811887 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cloak
I've never QT. Not going to start now. I take the time to observe the fish, much rather than just buying it as soon as I see it.. Why would you buy a sick fish? If it ends up getting sick in your DT, it's not the fish that's to blame, it might be your husbandry. Something is off.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/ft/index.php

I have always watched fish for at least a couple weeks before purchase, and have never knowingly bought a sick fish. I could attribute my recent livestock meltdown to a scuffle between two tangs which is preventable, but the bottom line is the parasites didn't just appear by magic. Your theory "it ends up getting sick in the display tank" assumes that parasites are always present in the tank -- which may be accurate, but may not be either. A well done QT procedure for every single living item going into the tank could or would prevent that.

I have used the same theory (keep it clean and stress free, forget QT) for years successfully. Now that I'm getting an in your face chance to reassess it, I'm understanding that the theory just better fit my desire to just never QT anything and really wasn't based on anything other than that -- sounds good, fits what I'm doing, must be right. I have a different theory now...

There are two kinds of reefers. Those who QT, and those who will learn the hard way and eventually QT.

 

[Arati]

"There are two kinds of reefers. Those who QT, and those who will learn the hard way and eventually QT."

Thats the bottom line. I learned the hard way. Its not even a question anymore.

 

[Brandon M]

It really isn't worth the chance, ALWAYS qt! You won't regret it!