Which fish don't need to be quarantined?

[kyley]

Hi All,
From reading the Mandarin thread here, it sounds like Mandarins shouldn't be quarantined b/c of the slime coat that prevents them from being carriers (or being susceptible) to most diseases (and b/c they need the reef's pods to eat). So that got me wondering:

1. Are there any other fish that don't need to be quarantined?
2. Are there any fish that can / should be quarantined for shorter periods of time?

I can be patient with my fish in my QT, but if there are opportunities to not quarantine / quarantine for less time, I'd like to know about it Here's a list of fish I'm considering at some point - so particularly interested in knowing about them (not getting all of them though):

A. Midas Blenny
B. Watchman or Prawn Goby
C. Green Clown Goby
D. Cardinalfish
E. Royal Gramma Basslet
F. Kole Tang
G. Blue Reef Chromis
H. Coral Beauty or Flame Angelfish
I. Exquisite Fairy Wrasse
J. Flame Hawkfish
K. Mandarin Dragonet

Thanks in advance for your thoughts! Take care,
--Kyle

 

[ccampbell57]

Quick answer to this is NONE

All fish should go through QT with meds and left alone to acclimate to captivity.

 

[perrl]

I would QT all of them. I have only had one mandarin and I taught him to eat pellets while he was in QT. It took a lot of patience but worked well. I had him for 3 years before I gave him to another hobbyist when we moved.

 

[sslak]

If I had it to do again I would probably QT my Mandarin as well. NOT for sickness reasons, but for ease of training on prepared foods.

I would also only QT for 2 weeks, if they aren't taking anything prepared by then they probably won't. I would rather let it hunt for food at that point and continue trying to train in the tank.

I did successfully train mine onto frozen mysis/brine, but it took a ton of patience and lots of work. A confined space with less distractions would have made this easier.

 

[rekn]

Quick answer to this is NONE

All fish should go through QT with meds and left alone to acclimate to captivity.

gonna jump on the band wagon here. even mandarins need qt. its the best time to swtich them to prepared foods.

 

[kyley]

Okay, makes sense on the food training point. Thanks all! To be clear, I do the QT process, but the posts I read just sparked an idea (if QT was unnecessary for any other fish) and I thought I'd ask. I don't plan to get a Mandarin until my tank is much more mature (close to a year). Take care,
--Kyle

 

[stunreefer]

I would also only QT for 2 weeks, if they aren't taking anything prepared by then they probably won't.

I've had fish take months to take prepared foods. Before that they would take certain live foods but nothing "prepared". Be patient, "trick" them into eating other things. Initially continue feeding whatever they will take, and worry about nutrition later.

 

[juicesay]

Personally, I'd QT every fish.

So they will adapt to your waters conditions before you introduce them into your main display with all the other tank inhabitants.

 

[jmaccvols]

Hi All,
From reading the Mandarin thread here, it sounds like Mandarins shouldn't be quarantined b/c of the slime coat that prevents them from being carriers (or being susceptible) to most diseases (and b/c they need the reef's pods to eat). So that got me wondering:

1. Are there any other fish that don't need to be quarantined?
2. Are there any fish that can / should be quarantined for shorter periods of time?

I can be patient with my fish in my QT, but if there are opportunities to not quarantine / quarantine for less time, I'd like to know about it Here's a list of fish I'm considering at some point - so particularly interested in knowing about them (not getting all of them though):

A. Midas Blenny
B. Watchman or Prawn Goby
C. Green Clown Goby
D. Cardinalfish
E. Royal Gramma Basslet
F. Kole Tang
G. Blue Reef Chromis
H. Coral Beauty or Flame Angelfish
I. Exquisite Fairy Wrasse
J. Flame Hawkfish
K. Mandarin Dragonet

Thanks in advance for your thoughts! Take care,
--Kyle

I generally qt all fish for 6 weeks, but I did qt a leopard wrasse for 4 weeks. It was in a 20 gal breeder with about 3-4 inches of silica sand. I tried everything to get it to eat prepared frozen food but it would not. All it would eat was live tigger pods I purchased at the lfs store, so I kept it's tank filled with pods during the 4 weeks. Strange thing then happened; at the end of the 4 week qt, I put the wrasse in the display tank at night after the all the lights went out. The next morning I fed the display tank its regular fare of frozen prepared foods and the wrasse was right there among all the other fishes eating the prepared food like he had been eating it all along. I also qt a mandarin with the wrasse, it ate the pods in qt, but never took to prepared foods in qt or the display tank. The mandarin never filled out in qt but never got any thinner, but it has been in the display tank for a over two months and is filling out nicely. If I were you, I would definitely qt the mandarin at least 4 weeks, keep a lot live pods on hand in case it does not take the prepared food. (I did give a prophylactic treatment of Prazipro and about 1/2 dosage of Cupramine copper (about 0.3 mg/L) for two weeks. The copper did not seem to kill the pods, the pods at least stayed alive long enough for the fish to eat them, but I did feed pods at minimum 5 times per day)

 

[xroads]

dead ones

 

[CorkPullerPHL]

I say QT everything also. If I am not mistaken, even Mandarins can carry Ich in their gills where it is most likely to be anyway.

JMO