steps of quarantining new fish

[VinceS]

Hi Dr.Ron,

I asked similar questions to many others but I never got a straight answer to the questoin. Many people recommend that you should quarantine your newly bought fish for at least 3 weeks.

But what type of medications should I be treating the fish with? Are there general treatments that should be given in general when quarantining?

Thanks - Vince

[rshimek]

Hi Vince,

I don't quarantine fish at all.

I have moved your question here, so that you may get answers from folks that do quarantine their purchases.

[hcs3]

like ron, i do not q-tank my fish. i have in the past, and this is how i did it.

use the largest tank possible. avoid a 10g except for the smallest of fish. hopefully a 55g or better for tangs. the tank should be in a room with as little foot traffic as possible. a closet is actually perfect. the tank should be bare bottom, with no calcium based substrate or rockwork of any kind. calcium based corals or sand will soak up medications such as CU and make it difficult to accurately dose. use large PVC pipe cuttings for hiding areas. maintain the tank as closely a possible to the show tank. temp, SG, etc should be exact. even using the water syphoned out for WC's is a good idea. do not medicate unless a specific ailment has been diagnosed. use the time to get the fish adjusted to eating prepared foods, and later yourself. the q period should last 4 weeks if no disease is noticed. extended for the duration of treatment and even 2 weeks after being cleared up is a good idea.

in a nutshell, i think that is it. was there anything specific you were wondering about?

HTH

henry

[Flame*Angel]

I don't want to start a big debate here but I've been noticing that some of the very experienced reef keepers don't quarantine their fish. All the books say quaranting is mandatory.

Is it because a mature tank is better able to handle a disease or parasite? Or is it just that a more experienced reef keeper is better able to select fish that are disease and parasite free? Is it still recommended that new reef keepers quarantine fish for a new tank?

I'm a newbie just finishing my cycle and don't have any fish yet. I'm just wondering what is the reasoning behind not quarantining.

[Mr Nasty]

The reasoning behind not quarintining is this. Most fishkeepers agree that any fish (even perfectly healthy ones) is suseptable to disease when put under stress. With this in mind why put him through the stress of getting use to a quarintine only to net him out and acclimate him to his permanent home. Only to have him stressed out all over again as he gets use to the main tank.

[hcs3]

mr nasty pretty much hit it on the head.

stress.

you should do everything you can to eleminate it from your fishes life. IMO it means one less transfer of tanks.

also, i believe many are using inferior q-tanks. like 20g tank for tang, or water prameters that differ, or a q-tank in the middle of the living room.

i try to purchase all of my fish from inland aquatics. they keep their fish for 6 weks before sale. i feel pretty confident that when i purchase the animal, it is not sick. i'm also confident enough in my tanks, that they are stress free.

that being said, a beginner in the hobby will most likely benefit from a properly set up q-tank. they still have not perfected the art of purchasing healthy fish, or may not have a completely stress free enironment in the show tank.

keep in mind, however, that some fishes are best suited to never see the inside of a q-tank. leopard wrasses, for example, are extremely delicate and need live foods and a sandbed to flourish. same with dragonettes.

HTH

henry

[FMarini]

Hi:
i can see both sides to this discussion, but i will advocate q tanks....why
1)- because every new fish that comes from an LFS has the potential to bring w/ it new parasites
2)-q tanks(assuming its set up properly) allow a gentle acclimation to tanklife, usually there is only one fish in the q tank, it gets your undivided attention
3)-you can observe your new fish, and if any problem arise this new fish is not cruising around your live rocks(and impossible to extract)-you can treat it on the spot
4)-because if you pay the insane amount of money for the types of fish you have (like i have) then you want to ensure it will make the transition

I agree that stress is the major factor in fish sickness, but for me adding a new fish to an established tank often asks for trouble. The established fish often set up territories, established tangs are brutal on new herbivores, tankmates just don't help.
So while i see why many experienced aquarists don't use q tanks ( they make the better choices for potential tankmates, and often have very established tanks thereby reducing the chances/likihood of problem arising). I can only recommend a qtank.
last point.
This is my cheap/easy q tank.
1) a 30gal rubbermaid tub cheap and big,
2) 25gal of used tank water -this way the fish get used to the main tank water immediately, change 1/3 to 1/4 of water in the q tank weekly w/ main tank water*lets face it we all need to do a little water changes here or there
3) a sponge filter w/ air pump, heater (if required)
4) 3 or 4 pieces of live rock, or better 6' pieces of PVC pipe.
i don't use lighting over this tank, and i often cover the tank for the first few days..
I quarentine all my new fish....
my opinion
frank

[Flame*Angel]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate your input. My main 120g will be ready for the first fish in about a month. I purchased my quarantine tank and equipment before anything for my main tank. It's a 20g tank with a regular hood with 1 normal flourescent light. I have an Aquaclear 150 filter (sponge and carbon), a thermometer and a heater for it. I made a stand for it that covers the sides and it's located in a corner that is out of the way. I'm not planning on any large fish for my tank, no tangs, the largest would be a flame angel which would be the last fish to go in.

I have to admit that I'm nervous about setting this small tank up properly. It would be great to get some comments on my plan for setting up and running this tank:

1. Put sponge for filter in main tank sump a couple weeks before setup to absorb beneficial bacteria.

2. Fill quarantine tank with water from main tank.

3. No subtrate on bottom for easy removal of uneaten food and other waste/debris.

4. A couple pieces of PVC pipe for hiding places (Could I use a glazed ceramic ornament instead? I've seen nice ones that resemble old driftwood that fish can hide in and would still be easy to clean.)

5. Monitor water quality for a couple weeks (trying to match the main tank) before adding fish.

6. 25% Water change with main tank water once a week. Debris siphoned from bottom as it appears.

7. No lights on for the first week a fish goes into the quarantine tank. After that slowly build up the amount of light for three weeks. At the end of four weeks if the fish shows no signs of disease, abnormal behaviur or parasites he can go into the main tank.

Sound ok?

[gregt]

I follow Franks philosophy, but I state it simpler (for those who like short sound bites).

The quarantine is NOT for the new fishes benefit, therefore the extra stress to that fish is irrelevant. The quarantine is for the benefit of the other organisms in your tank. To quote a great philosopher (LOL) Spock, "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one." ;)

Because of this, I did not quarantine the first few fish in my new tank, but the last few I am using quarantine to protect the existing fish.

[maroun.c]

Well said greg.
This is the first time i have more than 5 fish in my tank and the reason is that I spent my first 1.5 yrs in this hobby (saltwater part) without quarantining new fish. I went trough hell, and I was about to quit. Every time I was lucky with 1-2 fish that made it the third came to bring disease with it.
I'd rather have a new fish in the Q tank in order to watch it more closely, allow it to get used to food with no competition, and in the case it gets sick which most of new introduction do, there will be no need to stress it with 2 additional transfers (to and out of) the Q tank. In other words I am taking risk in one additional transfer instead of potentional 2 additional transfers when the fish is already sick.
Also by quarantining the new fish your Q tank will be up and ready and I guess that persons who do not quarantine new fish don't necesasrily have Q tanks ready so when the fish shows symptoms of disease they either wait 2-3 days to set the tank which reduces fish recovery chances or just do it rapiddly trasferring fish to a non cycled tank which finishes the fish from ammonia or nitrite spikes. At least that's what I was through. I'm not proud of it but of every 7-8 fish I got only one used to make it now my losses have gone down to like 1 from every 3 new fish and for the first time I can watch more than 2-3 fish in my tank.
This is my own opinon,Good luck with whatever you choose.
Maroun

[Marty M]

Spike the biofilter in your q tank with some ammonia product before using it each time. I add a few drops of Super Charger every few days just to keep the bio filter viable in my q tank. If I plan to add a fish soon, I'll add a little extra Super Charger. A couple days later when the ammonia and nitrite return to zero, I do a 70-80% water change with main tank water to remove the nitrate. The filter is now ready to support fish. A sponge filter from the main tank is not an adequate biofilter until it is conditioned this way. Ammonia kills! I always have a Seachem Ammonia alert sensor in the Q tank for this reason. An even better method is to trade your lfs for bioballs from their trickle filter. Now you have an instant q tank. You can put them in a trickle filter or a canister. Keep it viable until your next fish purchase.