Do you use a quarantine tank?

[JosephMCorbett]

I have always tried to buy healthy fish and put them in my display tank. However, I was considering starting a quarantine tank prior to stocking a new 125. I haven't had much trouble with fish bought at my LFS, just an occasional outbreak of Ich. I'm not sure what is more trouble, setting up a quarantine tank or treating my main tank for Ich once in awhile.

 

[Dangerdoll]

I use a q-tank for my freshies but not for the SW tank.....

 

[tel0004]

Im getting a 125 gallon soon. The 125 will be lightly stocked. Im going to get a divider for my 125 and when I get a new fish, I can divide the 125, and put the fish from the 29 into the 125. I now have any empty, cycled 29 gallon tank. If your only tank is a 55, that may be more difficult, but it allows me to have a tank, without wasting any space.

 

[RTR]

Always, without fail. If it alive, it is QT'd.

 

[daveedka]

Always, without fail. If it alive, it is QT'd.

Yeah What he say!!!!!


I didn't always adhere to that rule, and it has nailed me a couple of times. I have become a QT fanatic of late, and don't put anything in my fish tanks without a good quarantine period. 1-2 weeks for plants and snails, 4+ weeks for fish.
RTR can count me among his converts on this concept. :bowing:
dave

 

[Swimfins]

My lfs of choice, quarantines its fish in a sub-basement before displaying them for sale. I figure they do it for me. I got a case of ich from a place that doesn't quarantine, so I don't buy from there anymore. Or, I wait awhile until the fish I'm interested in has been on sale a week or so.

 

[Kasakato]

If its living its QTed. Just like RTR said. I QT everything from fish, to snails.

 

[Raskolnikov]

The risks are far too high not to.
Keeping fish in quarantine before releasing them is also useful for so many more reasons than protecting the established tanks from disease. When you have the fish by themselves for 1-2 months, you can make sure that they're eating much more easily, you can determine what they prefer to eat and when, and if any structure in the main tank ought to be altered to suit a preference of the fish that you find while quarantining. It's a great time to get to know the new organism in a one-on-one kind of way.

 

[bobbi619]

Ok, I know Q tanks are good to have, but what do you do with them after you have Q'd the new fish and its just sitting there humming empty?

 

[Emg]

I keep a few danios in mine to keep the cylce going...and so there is something to look at in there ..lol..

I don't have gravel on the bottom though I do have some in a nylon bag for the bacteria to live in. There are few plastic plants in there for decorations along with a fake log with fake plants on it.

I currently have a batch of baby blue rams in that tank though, so the danios got kicked out into my female betta tank. The ram fry are doing great and are about 2 1/2 weeks old now.

I have another smaller "Eclipse" quarenteen that's about 2 gallons. I have a female blue ram in there quarenteened for nematodes...blah, nasty ugly critters...