ChevyAddiction
New member
Yes. Always need to QT fish.
Vote - YES or NO
- Thread starter xaflatoonx
- Start date
lagatbezan
Active member
Yes. Everything wet gets a full 6-8 week qt before going into my DT.
Yup... that's what's going on in my house right now! I lost a Chromis a few months back (think it got injured when trying to get it out of the main tank when doing a tank swap... but that's a different story) and am just now replacing it. I have a nice looking McCosker's Wrasse in my QT right now. Bare tank, couple of PVC pipes, nobody to bother him and steal his food. He's barely been in there a week and you can just tell he thinks he owns the place. Well... he does. So he'll be fat, happy, and brave when he goes in the main tank!
And to answer the question... yes, every single fish that is destined for my display tank go through the QT for 4-6 weeks. I have never had any disease outbreak in my display tank which has been up for 8 years now. And unfortunately, no... not every fish that has gone in my QT has come out alive.
xaflatoonx
New member
I definitely appreciate you all chiming in on this.
since there is no LR or LS in your QT tanks... how do you manage to keep it clean?
water change every day?
what confuses me even more - is that for our DT - we have to go through a long process to get everything in order before we can add fish.
How is our QT so quick to assemble and be okay with the fish? add salt water, filter heater and you are good?
since there is no LR or LS in your QT tanks... how do you manage to keep it clean?
water change every day?
what confuses me even more - is that for our DT - we have to go through a long process to get everything in order before we can add fish.
How is our QT so quick to assemble and be okay with the fish? add salt water, filter heater and you are good?
shesacharmer
New member
You have to test the ammonia every day or keep an ammonia badge in there and change the water frequently. I use plain filter floss in my HOB filter and change that floss once or twice a day, any time it's discolored. Depending on your water volume and the number of fish in quarantine will depend how often you have to change the water.
lespaul339
Reefer
Yes. I've used a QT from day one, and knock on wood have never had a disease in my display tank.
Pigpen17
New member
Yup that's it. Your filter should have some type of biological filtration. I suggest reading as much as you can on it and decide what works best for you.
And yes, I QT.
Different ways to do it, but I cycle my QT before using it. Some folks don't cycle it and just keep the ammonia at bay with daily water changes.
I have a Penguin Biowheel on my existing display tank. When I want to set up a QT, I have another Penguin unit for that. I fill the QT and then put the filter pad and biowheel from the display tank's unit into the QT. I then ghost feed the QT for a week to make sure no ammonia shows up and the nitrates are going up. Then it's good to go.
When I set it up originally when starting to stock my display tank, I just cycled it like normal about a month before I set up my display tank.
ChimolaFish
New member
You should always quarantine new arrivals, especially if they come from online, since its a time for them to gain their strength back in a calm environment. That being said, I work at an aquarium store, so I can see the fish for weeks before I grab it, and have never used a qt yet. I have one set up and running at all times though, and have only added extremely hardy fish so far.
the biggest fish in my tank is a kole tang, everything else is much smaller so a 10g qt works for me. i set it up and after the appropriate amount of time, the fish goes into my dt and the qt is taken apart and put in the back room till i need it again.
i never used to qt, never had any problems with diseases in my little biocubes but since i upgraded to a 75g, everything gets qt'ed. period!
i never used to qt, never had any problems with diseases in my little biocubes but since i upgraded to a 75g, everything gets qt'ed. period!
shesacharmer
New member
I use a 28 gallon Octagonal tank that I found at the dump for my QT. I use totes for TTM first and I add Prazipro the last three days prior to QT for a month (if I use Prazi.) I do not use Prazi on sensitive fish though...just the hardier ones. No meds in my QT ever.
Pigpen17
New member
Huh. Display tank bio wheel and filter pad from a HOB filter. That's a new one I hadn't heard before. I like it.
igot2gats
Deeeetroit Basketball!
Yes on the QT every time. There's no reason not to.
I disagree. If a healthy fish that needs a large tank, and is placed in a Nano tank, it will stress the fish out. This can cause it to die.
I disagree. If a healthy fish that needs a large tank, and is placed in a Nano tank, it will stress the fish out. This can cause it to die.
TangySushi
New member
I use Tank Transfer Method and prazipro on all new fish. QT each fish for a month. After the fish makes it to the DT I empty and clean out the QT tanks and take a brake for a few weeks before getting another fish.
jrp1588
New member
To the people that don't medicate your QT tanks, how can you be sure that ich isn't lying dormant in the gills? Tank transfer is an option, but that multiplies the logistics of the QT tank process several times. I didn't QT my old tank, and never had issues, but I'll be starting fresh, and would like to be more careful. I'm admittedly a newbie in this area.
Yes. I use tank transfer for preventative treatment too. This old thread of mine may be of interest:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2185929&highlight=fish+acclimation+and+quarantine
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2185929&highlight=fish+acclimation+and+quarantine
I know it runs a risk, but I don't medicate unless I see something wrong. I figure (rightly or wrongly) that in 4-6 weeks, I'll see at least one - if not more - life stages of ich. I also gauge things based on how "spunky" the fish is, how well it eats, is its health going uphill or downhill, etc. That, and the fact that the store I mostly buy fish from treats just about all their fish with a low copper quarantine and always have quite healthy tanks. It's not sure fire, but it's worked for me.
