Quarantining first fish?

[fifish]

I am planning a pair of clowns as my first fish, as they'll be the only fish in the tank, do I need to quarantine them first? I won't be adding anything else for at least a month - 6 weeks after...?

Oh, there will be clean up crew in there though...

Anyone?

[Steven Pro]

Yes, quarantine everything you add to the display. The first fish can infect your tank just as easily as any later additions.

[Shagsbeard]

The idea is to keep stuff out of your display that you don't want in there. Putting a fish in there without quarentine is very likely to get Ick started in your tank. Then you'll have to go fishless for a couple months just to try to elliminate the Ick. Much better to QT from the start than to have to start over. You're not QTing a fish for the fish's sake... you're doing it to maintain the health of the entire system.

[fifish]

OK... I'll quarantine.. one more question, I've read that you should use a sponge filter in a quarantine tank, but it would be new and unseeded, so how do I control the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate? Should I be putting a chunk of LR in there?

[GregEMT]

You run the sponge filter on your display tank for a few weeks. That will seed it for your quarantine tank.

Don't use live rock because it will die in there if you need to use hypo or mendications.

[Steven Pro]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8621864#post8621864 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by fifish
OK... I'll quarantine.. one more question, I've read that you should use a sponge filter in a quarantine tank, but it would be new and unseeded, so how do I control the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate? Should I be putting a chunk of LR in there? Don't put liverock in the quarantine as most any treatment you use will wreck it. If you don't have a well conditioned biological filter, see if you can find some of Marineland's Bio-Spira. it is the only quick cycling product I have ever used that seemed to make a difference.

[fifish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8621973#post8621973 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GregEMT
You run the sponge filter on your display tank for a few weeks. That will seed it for your quarantine tank.

Don't use live rock because it will die in there if you need to use hypo or mendications.

Thanks, how would the sponge seed if there are no fish in the main tank though??

I was thinking LR just for the first fish... not for treatments. Then I can add it to my main tank, and run a sponge on my main tank for the next fish to be quarantined with... would that work?

[fifish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8621992#post8621992 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Steven Pro
Don't put liverock in the quarantine as most any treatment you use will wreck it. If you don't have a well conditioned biological filter, see if you can find some of Marineland's Bio-Spira. it is the only quick cycling product I have ever used that seemed to make a difference.

Thanks, I know about the LR and treatments, but I was hoping a new fish wouldn't need treatments!! I wouldn't have it in there if I had to medicate... anyway I'll look for that Bio-Spira. Thanks.

[GregEMT]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8622731#post8622731 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by fifish
Thanks, how would the sponge seed if there are no fish in the main tank though??

I was thinking LR just for the first fish... not for treatments. Then I can add it to my main tank, and run a sponge on my main tank for the next fish to be quarantined with... would that work?

I'm sorry I didn't know you haven't set up your tank yet. Is the tank up with live rock in it, because if there is there should be enough bacteria from the rocks to seed the sponge.

[TekCat]

Agreed, having sponge in main tank with LR for 3-4 weeks should suffice to seed it. During idle time with tank that has only LR in it, you might want to feed "imaginary" fish once/twice a week, just to keep bacteria "busy". Then when introducing fish into QT with seeded sponge filter, use tank's water to fill QT for the first time. Also be sure to keep handly Prime or AmQuel for emergency (like ammonia spike).

[fifish]

Great, thanks!