About Quarantine

[keeperfish]

Besides matching your own water chemistry, I am starting to think that leaving the fish you want to purchase at the fish store for a couple weeks rather than move them and then move them again is a better idea. This way you can observe them over a period of a couple weeks and let the fish store worry about feeding and stress. Once you know the fish has settled in bring him home and acclimate to your display tank instead of the quaranitne at your house.

[AnnetteG]

Problem with that though, is the store isn't likely to have a tank just for your fish. There will be other fish in there with it and likely new fish added to the tank whenever something new and compatible comes in. It's a good idea to watch a particular fish for a week or two and make sure it's eating and healthy before you buy it, but qt at home is still best. Two weeks wouldn't be enough to make sure it's disease free anyway. Not that I've always been the perfect qt fish person, but I'm doing it now. :grinyes: Trying to make it easy on my lazy self, I have a 10 set up in my kitchen with a few rocks and some anthellia and gsp growing in it. I intend to buy some sand for it soon and some different pretty macros and kindof make it into a salty plant tank. It will look pretty enough to keep out on my counter, while at the same time, using it to grow extra macros, maybe even pods, and it'll be a nice lil qt anytime I have a newcomer.

[salty420]

ya i think he means just watching it at the store in the store's DT..? obviously the "safest" thing is to QT your fish at home for at least 6 weeks. by safest i mean safest for the rest of your fish, not necessarily the fish you are buying. now to be honest, i've never QT'd a fish. this is because i am lazy. but in my defense, i am very careful about the fish i buy and most of them have come from stores where they have been kept in copper treated water. i also do try to buy fish that have been in said water for at least 6 weeks. like you i have debated the 'stressing out the fish in QT' card against risking my other fish and for me i've always taken the risk. the thing is not QT'ing is such as huge risk! if you QT and stress out the fish you are risking what? - the new fish. if you throw it in your DT and it spreads disease to everyone you are at risk of losing ALL YOUR FISH! sounds pretty simple right? and yet still i don't QT, hmmm...

[AnnetteG]

I hear ya Salty. I've been lazy thus far as well. And been lucky so far too. But, now that I have my lil 10 set up and a plan to make it pretty, in addition to useful, maybe I won't be. Hmmmm

anyhoo, if the debate is about what is safest, we all know we *should* be QTing at home. And IMHO, if you QT for the amount of time we're supposed to, ie 4-6 weeks, the stress the fish would undergo to move on to the DT would be pretty minimal considering your water is likely to be exactly the same and you'd just be catching it and dumping it. Not catching, bagging, driving, etc. etc.

However, in defense of not QTing, or maybe, not defense, but as a possible remedy, should the need arise, I have successfully used Kordon's Organic Ich Attack in both fresh and saltwater and the stuff is awesome and totally organic, natural and reef safe. It covers a multitude of diseases. Not that you're not still running the risk of killing all your prized specimens and/or stressing them out because they get sick and feel bad, but if a problem arises, I will buy more of this stuff cuz it works and it's safe. In fact, even if I were treating an animal in QT, I would choose this first, before trying anything else. I'm a natural leaning type of person though. ;)