Reef Aquarium Fact #287 It is MUCH easier to quarantine new fish for disease in the beginning then t

revhtree · Mar 4, 2013

We are going to continue discussing the reef aquarium facts submitted by our members. Do you agree or disagree? What are your thoughts?

Fact #287

It is MUCH easier to quarantine new fish for disease in the beginning then to have to tear down your tank to catch them all later!

Truth or False? What else might we need to learn on this subject? Please also share any pictures that may pertain to the subject.

image

ritter6788 · Mar 4, 2013

After breaking down a tank twice to treat for ich, I always QT first. Give the fish a chance to acclimate as well and get it eating well before going into a display.

ebushrow · Mar 4, 2013

That is truly an underestimated necessity... IMHO if you don't quarantine your fish AND corals you better be ready to start over.

Alex27 · Mar 4, 2013

One reason why so many people don't quarantine is the lack of space or budget. But having to start over because you didn't is a painful reality.

IMHO a small setup is better than not having one at all.

MissLed · Mar 4, 2013

Ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I'm tight on space in my house but I do have a spot that I keep at least 1 10 gallon going in my bedroom for such needs.

jozeenotslar · Mar 4, 2013

Even a small, inexpensive QT tank is better than nothing...

With marine aquariums, particularly reef systems with aquascapes being so hard to catch fish in, not to mention fragile and sensitive to medications - even a small QT setup is better than none to prevent disease transfer to the DT. If expense is an issue, many can reach out to members of a reef community (how many of us have a spare tank/filter just lying around collecting dust that they can lend out? I know I do!) This is especially the case if you are planning on getting some fish that tend to be ich-magnets, such as Hippo/Regal Tangs, etc. Better safe than sorry, imho.

Cooterbrown · Mar 4, 2013

I've never had any issues with my reef in 2 years and 30+ fish. my predator/ rescue tank is a different story. the fish i get are all nearly full grown. so id need a 125 qt tank. i think its a good idea but its just not feasible in my situation.

Squishie89 · Mar 4, 2013

A quarantine tank can also keep you from having any ammonia spikes in the main tank due to fish death (whether due to shipping or poor acclimation, etc). If he dies in QT, no big deal. Mine is set up so it can be both a QT and a HT. In the end it all comes down to one question, "Is it worth the risk?"

GratefulReef · Mar 4, 2013

Honestly for a cheap light, heater and filter on a 10-20g you could fit that almost anywhere I have one, have never used it but thats because I just set it up recently and have not had a reason to yet but I will def be using it when the need arises better safe than sorry

revhtree · Mar 5, 2013

It really isn't difficult at all.

djr7879 · Mar 14, 2013

How long do you QT your new fish? I've heard anywhere from 2 weeks to 4 weeks.

GrahamR · Mar 14, 2013

Having to leave a display tank fishless for eight weeks because of the introduction of ich is well worth a brief period of quarantining at hyposalinity.... I really wish more people would quarantine their fish, liverock, corals, inverts, etc. It's easy enough to do and the benefits are many. You are able to treat the fish with whatever medication you need to use (reef safe or not) since it's a separate system, your fish is able to get used to seeing you everyday, and you are able to transition them to the diet that you use.

Squishie89 · Mar 14, 2013

djr7879 said:
How long do you QT your new fish? I've heard anywhere from 2 weeks to 4 weeks.

You should at least QT fish for 30 days while monitoring for parasites and illnesses. If you decide or need to treat with a chemical or bath, you re-start the time once the fish has become comfortable and acting normally again. So if your fish makes it to day 29 then comes down with ich, you do whatever treatment, wait for the fish to become normal again, and he is in there for another 30 days.

Yuri · Mar 15, 2013

I quarantine my fish for 7 weeks
Week 1 I do 5 days of formalin to stop bacterial problems
Week 2 to week 5 I put prazipro in the tank once every week to stop flukes
Week 6 is 8 days of bucket method to stop white spot

GrahamR · Mar 16, 2013

What size tank do you all use? I use a 20 gallon tank with a Marineland Hot Magnum as a filter, two airstones, heater, and a large conch shell as a hiding place. I keep an Ammonia alert badge in the tank as well. I do hyposalinity for Cryptocaryon and then a broad spectrum preventative for bacteria if suspected. The reason why I'm asking is because today at a local fish store in the Birmingham, AL area I was insulted by a store associate that seemed to insinuate that I was not caring for my 3 inch Powder Brown Tang by treating an active Cryptocaryon infection in my 20 gallon quarantine system. She then informs me that I should immediately move him to my larger 135 gallon display tank and purchase a cleaner shrimp. She then tells me that the minimum acceptable tank that I should use as a quarantine system is a 55 gallon tank.

Now there are several reasons that I am upset. The first is that she is insinuating that I am not caring for my fish properly. I monitor the water parameters of all my tanks and perform weekly 10-15% water changes on my display tank and sometimes full changes on my quarantine system.

The second reason that I am upset is because she is spreading information that has not been proven (by peer-reviewed scientific studies) to work against Cryptocaryon infections in an aquarium setting. If I am misinformed, please let me know and please hold all anecdotal evidence as I don't consider this to be reliable. It infuriates me to think how many people she has possibly told this to. I have successfully cured and prevented Cryptocaryon establishment in my display tank through quarantining and treating with hyposalinity (with occasional formalin dips). I didn't challenge her because I am used to being fed information of this kind, but it shocks me to see how common this misconception (along with many others) is among aquarium owners and local fish store employees. The correct information is out there, but it is so much easier to read what one person on a forum suggests and then quote that to the world. I'm currently a graduate student working with myxozoan parasites of catfish and have a working knowledge of how parasite life cycles work and it just saddens me to see these common misconceptions persist to this day while the work of researchers (from the 1980s) goes unnoticed. http://www.int-res.com/articles/dao/1/d001p019.pdf

So back to my original question.. before my rant... What size tank do you use to quarantine fish?