should i quarantine?

[nano_MC_reef]

my friend zach wants to give me some fishy from his 300 gallon reef. should i quarantine them or can i just put them in with the rest of the fish (when the arrive from liveaquaria.com)?

[Hexadron]

I would personally quarantine everything.

 

It sounds like you don't have any practice in place currently and do have livestock (?) If that's the case, if you are going to quarantine a new arrival and add it to existing livestock, it won't matter. All your quarantine work will be for nothing basically.

 

If you haven't added any livestock, I would quarantine everything. You need a separate tank for that though, and have a filter sponge or media "seeded" with bacteria.

[nano_MC_reef]

I would personally quarantine everything.

 

It sounds like you don't have any practice in place currently and do have livestock (?) If that's the case, if you are going to quarantine a new arrival and add it to existing livestock, it won't matter. All your quarantine work will be for nothing basically.

 

If you haven't added any livestock, I would quarantine everything. You need a separate tank for that though, and have a filter sponge or media "seeded" with bacteria.

i haven't gotten any of my fish yet so it would be a good idea to quarantine it all when i get them? if so do i need a separate tank for each fish for just one big tank for all the fish?

[Hexadron]

i haven't gotten any of my fish yet so it would be a good idea to quarantine it all when i get them? if so do i need a separate tank for each fish for just one big tank for all the fish?

 

It really depends on the fish to be honest.

 

What kind of fish are you getting?

How many?

What size system are they being added to?

How long has your tank being running?

 

I would say two small fish may be alright if they have ample separate hiding spots (I use PVC pipes) in a 10 gallon QT tank, but only if they are generally 'peaceful' fish, but even if they are known to be peaceful, fish have their own personalities so it's not a for sure thing.

 

My quarantine I use personally is 42 days long, so some fish may get stressed if they are sharing a small space with others. If you have the room for a 20 gallon, you could easily quarantine more small fish easily while keeping a separator between them. I personally wouldn't add more than 2 fish at once for a systems bioload though.

 

It probably sounds like a lot to think about and you may be lucky enough to not have an ill fish or one showing signs of disease even without quarantine, but if you are in this hobby for the long haul it will only be a matter of time before your fish get hit with something and it will be devastating.

[nano_MC_reef]

 

It really depends on the fish to be honest.

 

What kind of fish are you getting?

How many?

What size system are they being added to?

How long has your tank being running?

 

I would say two small fish may be alright if they have ample separate hiding spots (I use PVC pipes) in a 10 gallon QT tank, but only if they are generally 'peaceful' fish, but even if they are known to be peaceful, fish have their own personalities so it's not a for sure thing.

 

My quarantine I use personally is 42 days long, so some fish may get stressed if they are sharing a small space with others. If you have the room for a 20 gallon, you could easily quarantine more small fish easily while keeping a separator between them. I personally wouldn't add more than 2 fish at once for a systems bioload though.

 

It probably sounds like a lot to think about and you may be lucky enough to not have an ill fish or one showing signs of disease even without quarantine, but if you are in this hobby for the long haul it will only be a matter of time before your fish get hit with something and it will be devastating.

well i the fish i ordered from liveaquaria.com were just a brittle star, 2 pericula clowns, and a purple firefish. my tank has been running for about 3-4 months now. the tank is about 20 gallons.

[mystersyster]

YES.

[Hexadron]

well i the fish i ordered from liveaquaria.com were just a brittle star, 2 pericula clowns, and a purple firefish. my tank has been running for about 3-4 months now. the tank is about 20 gallons.

 

 

So the brittle star won't need quarantine. Generally speaking Inverts are not susceptible to the same diseases that fish are, so you would be safe to add them to your display. Just be sure to acclimate them properly to salinity, temp and parameters and you will be fine.

 

If you have a 10-20 gallon tank for quarantine, you could quarantine all three fish together. I would personally advise against adding such a large bioload at once though. Two fish at once would be max for me. I would use a separator between the clowns and the firefish (if using a 10g tank for QT). It may not be required, but would be a good idea. Clowns can get territorial in a small space.

 

Keep in mind that three fish may create larger levels of ammonia that a simple sponge filter (used in quarantine) can't always handle. You would need to closely monitor ammonia levels and be ready to make a water change if levels are too high. This can be problematic when administering medications, as these medications need time to work and changing water will dilute them to the point of them being ineffective.

[rjl45]

I would listen to Jdh. Qt 3 fish in a small system will be tricky. Watch your parameters closely and be prepared for water changes and other actions to keep your fish healthy.

 

I would QT everything.

[Hexadron]

The first fish I purchased I did not quarantine, and of course they got ich (well always had it, but it was probably aggravated by the stresses with a new environment)

 

I ended up reading up LOTS on quarantine, and set up a small tank based on this: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/quarantining-marine-fish-made-simple

 

It's a very good read, and I base all my QT on a very similar method. but I would recommend this particular QT method to everyone. When I say Quarantine, I mean hospital/treatment tank really. I treat all new fish arrivals and medicate all of them regardless of symptoms or not.

 

There are valid points on why or why not to do this, but I feel that medicating is right for me.

[Tamberav]

I would if you don't want to risk losing everything.

 

I would QT your fish from LA first and then get the fish from him after and QT those once the ones from LA are in the display tank.

 

This way the bioload in the QT isn't too large.

[Clown79]

Qt is the responsible thing to do. It eliminates issues.

 

That being said, I have never quaranteed in 18yrs of keeping aquariums.

 

 

If your tank is 20g, I wouldn't advise more than 3 fish. The clowns and purple firefish all grow to about 3".

 

If the tank is fairly new, adding 3 fish at one time may cause issues on the bioload.

[ReefWeeds]

Qt is the responsible thing to do. It eliminates issues.

 

That being said, I have never quaranteed in 18yrs of keeping aquariums.

 

 

If your tank is 20g, I wouldn't advise more than 3 fish. The clowns and purple firefish all grow to about 3".

 

If the tank is fairly new, adding 3 fish at one time may cause issues on the bioload.

 

I agree with clown79 - You really are at almost if not the max bioload for a 20 with those three fish. In addition, for a newer tank, adding three at once may create problems since your tank has been running fishless. I would ensure you're prepared with some Microbacter7 or something to be able to enhance the biofilter.

[xAyanex]

The first fish I purchased I did not quarantine, and of course they got ich (well always had it, but it was probably aggravated by the stresses with a new environment)

 

I ended up reading up LOTS on quarantine, and set up a small tank based on this: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/quarantining-marine-fish-made-simple

 

It's a very good read, and I base all my QT on a very similar method. but I would recommend this particular QT method to everyone. When I say Quarantine, I mean hospital/treatment tank really. I treat all new fish arrivals and medicate all of them regardless of symptoms or not.

 

There are valid points on why or why not to do this, but I feel that medicating is right for me.

Thank you for the good read! my tank is a little over 3 weeks old (since cycling started). Cycling is done and I'm going to get my first two fish very soon.

 

I have been trying to read up on quarantine tanks-namely I want to have a quarantine tank, but I don't want it to be a huge expense. (Yes I know this is an expensive hobby-I'm well over $1000 with no fish yet! I don't go cheap-everyone says it's a mistake, just get what you really want from the start) I have plenty of room for it, though. I'm glad you posted this article.

 

Do you offer any additional advice?

[Hexadron]

Thank you for the good read! my tank is a little over 3 weeks old (since cycling started). Cycling is done and I'm going to get my first two fish very soon.

 

I have been trying to read up on quarantine tanks-namely I want to have a quarantine tank, but I don't want it to be a huge expense. (Yes I know this is an expensive hobby-I'm well over $1000 with no fish yet! I don't go cheap-everyone says it's a mistake, just get what you really want from the start) I have plenty of room for it, though. I'm glad you posted this article.

 

Do you offer any additional advice?

 

 

No problem! I didn't write it or anything, but spent lots of time weeding out the good and bad, and this one IMHO is pretty much the gold standard of quarantine.

 

I used a standard 10g tank w/ canopy (prevent those carpet surfers!), Aquaclear 20, Neo Therm 25 watt (I had laying around) and an air pump with bubbler as some of the meds can deplete oxygen in the water. I didn't use any lights or anything fancy. You could probably even buy an aquarium starter kit if the price is right. Also pick up some PVC pipe pieces so the fishes can hide. It's not porous and easily cleaned for next time.

 

Depending on the medications you may be using, this tank should be QT ONLY! Any copper based meds will absorb into plastics and silicone. So any equipment you have in your QT will not be useable for other projects/aquariums. Please don't sell it or give it away without letting someone know. It would be totally sad to see someone new to the hobby use a tank and find that all their inverts croak and not know why.

 

I personally medicate regardless of if a disease or pest is visible or not. The antibiotics (Maracyn Two) isn't necessary unless you see signs of infection, but shouldn't be stressful to fish either. It all depends on your source and how in depth you want to be. I personally rather be safe than sorry.

 

I keep a seeded sponge filter (I just bought a bunch of the Aquaclear 20 brand) in my tank to seed for about 2-3 weeks before i purchase a fish. I never really make impulse purchases and always know when i'm going to get something so I can prepare. Usually if i'm interested enough to read and research something, I'll pop a sponge filter in! If you don't have the willpower like me, I would recommend to keep a sponge filter in your tank at all times. It won't hurt anything. Just ensure it doesn't build up detritus and "ring" it out during a water change

 

Other than those few tips, I follow the article I posted pretty close.

[righttirefire]

I don't quarantine from trusted tanks...

[Tamberav]

QT tanks do not need to be expensive. You need something to hold water, a heater, something to create flow, and hiding spots.

 

You could use a 10g tank or even a rubbermaid bin or a 5g bucket, as long as it holds water and is safe for fish, you are good to go.

 

A small $10-$15 heater.

 

Hiding spots can just be PVC pipes or I have even used old ice cream plastic containers when I was in a pinch.

 

Flow can be an air bubbler with a sponge or a cheap filter. $10-$15.

 

A QT tank doesn't need to be pretty, just functional.

 

 

 

Having a QT tank saves money, dead fish are expensive, especially if a new fish wipes out a tank.