I buy my fish at a LFS. They have huge Quarantine tanks that all new fish are placed in upon arrival. The fish remain in the tank for 3 to 4 weeks. Then, the fish are placed in the store tanks. I am putting the new fish I buy in my Quarantine tank to allow them to adjust. My question is: How long should I leave them in my Q-tank ? Thanks
Joe
FloridaBoy
04-11-2005, 10:56 PM
Well, first of all my friend, I commend your wisdom on QT for your new arrivals; far too many in the hobby have ignored this basic practice and paid the price for it. (yep, even yours truly).
The safe period is usually around 4 weeks. But remember, it's not just the calendar you're watching here; it's an important chance for you to observe the new arrival, and closely. If any problems show up, the time could obviously be extended. Likewise, if you feel as though the subject is doing great, feeding well, etc., you could shave a few days off. If you have a large population of fish mixed with inverts (FOWLR or reef) you should use extra caution, as you cannot afford to medicate your system with copper, and once a fish is in the LR/reef display, they can be REALLY hard to catch and remove without creating a mess of your display.