Quarantine Rules

[freespool]

I have never been a big one to quarantine my fish before adding them. I am starting to get a little more concerned now that I have hundreds of dollors worth of fish in my tank. I have a the tank to do it, but what are your general rules for quarantine? How long, do you medicate? ect

[Mzungu]

My general rules are to quarantine for at least a month. I don't medicate unless I see something that warrants medicating, like flashing or some other sign of disease. My philosophy is that a newly acquired fish has gone through enough just changing homes, let alone if they had to fly in an airplane or be shipped in the mail or something else that's pretty stressful, so I don't like to medicate unless it's completely necessary.

The problem with stress is that it allows diseases to get a hold of something much more easily - our fish and us, lol. So a newly acquired fish is more likely to turn up with something that he/she may just be carrying and without the stress would otherwise be able to fight it naturally. So a QT is absolutely necessary, IMO. Plus, the one time I strayed from my QT routine, I ended up with a tank infected with ich. Not fun. It's much easier to treat fish in quarantine than a whole tankful of fish that have been with you for however long. You can observe the new fish more easily in a tank that's not full of deco, plants, etc.

Anyways, that's what I do. :) Have a tank ready for any new fish, and keep them in there for at least a month with close observation. That's great that you have a tank available to do so. You don't necessarily have to have it up and running with no fish in it, but just having a spare tank around for the day when you see something you can't resist is key. You can always set it up when you get the new fish. Plus, it's pretty much the same if you're running a tank without fish or just have an empty tank lying around - it won't be cycled in either case. So if your QT is uncycled, just be sure to monitor the water parameters closely, especially ammonia, when you add your new fish, and be ready to do more water changes than you're used to. :)

[wesleydnunder]

My general rules are to quarantine for at least a month. I don't medicate unless I see something that warrants medicating, like flashing or some other sign of disease. My philosophy is that a newly acquired fish has gone through enough just changing homes, let alone if they had to fly in an airplane or be shipped in the mail or something else that's pretty stressful, so I don't like to medicate unless it's completely necessary.

The problem with stress is that it allows diseases to get a hold of something much more easily - our fish and us, lol. So a newly acquired fish is more likely to turn up with something that he/she may just be carrying and without the stress would otherwise be able to fight it naturally. So a QT is absolutely necessary, IMO. Plus, the one time I strayed from my QT routine, I ended up with a tank infected with ich. Not fun. It's much easier to treat fish in quarantine than a whole tankful of fish that have been with you for however long. You can observe the new fish more easily in a tank that's not full of deco, plants, etc.

Anyways, that's what I do. :) Have a tank ready for any new fish, and keep them in there for at least a month with close observation. That's great that you have a tank available to do so. You don't necessarily have to have it up and running with no fish in it, but just having a spare tank around for the day when you see something you can't resist is key. You can always set it up when you get the new fish. Plus, it's pretty much the same if you're running a tank without fish or just have an empty tank lying around - it won't be cycled in either case. So if your QT is uncycled, just be sure to monitor the water parameters closely, especially ammonia, when you add your new fish, and be ready to do more water changes than you're used to. :)

I recommend the same time period... 30 days. If during that period I have to treat for disease, I treat until disease is gone then reset the 30 day clock from then.

Mark

[freespool]

I have a 10 gal with a HOB filter. i am thinking of filling the tank with the water I drain from my big tank when I do my next water change. this should help get it going fast as it is a new filter. Do you still put in sand bottom? Now I also just have to find a place for it.

[wesleydnunder]

I don't think a substrate is necessary, and don't have any in the Q tank. It's just more to have to clean in a temporary set up.

Mark