View Full Version : Do you Quarantine?
Simple question, three answers
I'm referring to fish for this one folks, but kudos if you QT inverts also
:thanks:
No for me but then i should but i never have so many years so i guess i am taking my chances.
:)
no for me...maybe taking a big risk....but no im afraid
its a yes from me :thumbsup:
i now quarantine everything for 8-10 weeks
i learned the hard way, put a flame hawkfish in my tank, and lost everything :(
babyreefer
25-07-08, 20:21
yes!
i will quarantine everything before it goes in the main tank....
first load of corals and pair of fish were quarantined seperately , for 7 weeks (78 -10 will be the goal for next round of Q, but with my 2nd due on monday, i was not coping with maintaining strict weekly water changes etc on the 3 tanks (i was doing it, but at a big effort) so i just added them to the tank this week....i figured the chances of moving them over and them staying healthy were greater in the main tank, than if i couldn't keep up the maintainence for the next couple of weeks once the baby's born...
good thing i did quarantine, because everything, including my shrimps, came with a curse...!
shrimps : lost 3 out of 5 to whitespot virus of shrimp (rare but true!)
zoa's : came with bad outbreak of zoa pox and after alot of furan 2 dips and tlc, managed to save just under 2/3 of them....
fish: nice specimens, but 2 black spots appeared on one, which i assume was some sort of black spot disease, but they dropped off and it progressed no further...probably due to lack of host to complete cycle (most black spot diseases need different type of animal hosts,i believe...
so, great example for me for the first stage of setting up my tank, that the quarantine tanks were well worth the effort!
imagine if all those nasties got into my main tank!
oh, and i forgot, one tiny, but beautiful bright green nudibranch that would have bred in my tank and eaten my zoas if he wasn't spotted in the quarantine tank!
Excellent testimony, babyreefer!! :applause:
49 visits and 13 votes - talk about voter apathy :D
No, but wish I had, never had a problem untill I introduced an Indian vagabond butterfly. 2 weeks later and now all fish are in a hospital tank being treated for whitespot, the butterfly, which actually was the least affected died this morning. For some reason it lost all it's scales and started swimming in spirals, couple of hours later she died. All other fish are still active and feeding despite having a few spots, worst affected is my royal gramma:(
Its a no for me, but if I had space for another tank I would.
Robbie
didn't quarantine the first pair of fish simply because they were the first:) subsequent fish went to 6g (fishless) mini reef for about 8 weeks before being introduced in the main tank
so the answer is yes for me:yes:
Yep but I only started with the tang that I last purchassed, its something that I should have been doing from the start will start to do the same with corals in future.
Matty
Thanks so far, guys - keep 'em coming!
:thanks:
I havent to date cos of space and various other reasons, I've been lucky so far. Once my new tank is up and running I'll have a QT tank set up along side it and everything will be quarantined before goin in there. I'm not going to add any more live stock until then. (I think this means I can post yes?)
Espocrespo
26-07-08, 13:50
i would want too, but i just dont have the space for a qt tank.
:thumbsup: its a yes from me after being caught out with a case of both whitespot and brooklynella. lost all but 1 of my fish and when stocking my new tank will definitely be using QT!
I don't and I'm not sure if I ever will, I will be moving soon and doing a large upgrade where I will have the room for a QT so only time will tell for me.
its a no from me however i know i defo should.
Its a No for me. If i had the space to have a seperate tank, full of live rock, and could make it a bit natural - i would. I know its a risk to add unquarintined fish to main tank - Just try to be careful where i buy my fish from and check them out in the shop. Not really a scientific approach, but there you go, I do think qt is the way forward though.
No, at least not up until now. Previously have always thought careful selection and examination of the fish being purchased was sufficient. Judging for the number of wipeouts on this forum (which seem to be on the increase :( ) and reading wombat's great(!) advice over and over again, it's finally getting through and will be quarantining for my next tank.
John
No for me!!!!
But I aint bought any fish for ages, but as there are more and more cases of display tank infection/wipeouts, I may just start.
Im affraid people usually learn the hard way about quarantining, i was one of them !
im affraid most people learn the hard way about quarantining, i was one of them !
I've voted "no, but I feel I should" in that it's the best fit.
I don't currently have any QT facilities however I'm about to build an invert quarantine facility and will be putting together a fish only hospital tank that will double up as a quarantine facility. It's that was round as at the moment my stocking list is for only two more fish over the next year or so, but for lots of inverts especially hard corals.
I've designed the invert QT so that it's capable of being moved about between uses so I can give it a good clean and steralise it without damaging it, so 10mm polished glass all around etc.
i would if i could but i cant
in BOTH my marine and goldfish tank
the goldfish my sister liberated from the fair came with a virus
I QT my fish but have too keep an eye on my ammonia levels despite keeping a sponge for the filter in my display tank. As yet havn't needed to dose copper but when I do will replace the sponge in my Display
Some great views, keep 'em coming
no i dont but have inherited a small 2 foot tank - my biggest dilema is that with my display being just shy of 6 foot i will be buying larger fish - now - i deffinately wouldnt want to spend 50-60-70+ on a fish that is about 6+ inches and have to subject it to living in a 2 footer for god knows how many weeks :(
i DO however beleive in quarantine
marcopolored
29-07-08, 18:07
I voted Yes.
We bought our QT about 3 weeks ago, main tank only arrived on saturday! We will be buying a seperate one for inverts too. The one we have is at present on the dining table in the kitchen, which is probably where it'll stay :rolleyes:
Given the amount of diseases that can be caused just by stress, I think that it's the only way to go.
Stems back to our tropical fishkeeping days when we had 3 tanks, including a SW one (not marine) and we had a hospital tank for the saltwater fishies.
Oh yes, that's a definite yes from me.
I always have, for 8 weeks minimum. What shocked me was when I got a little Flame Angel, she was about 1 inch long, last April and after 3 weeks in QT, blam, Whitespot and it was bad. Previous to that she looked absolutely fine.
After 3 weeks of rest, good feeding and good water she was healthy and strong so rather than Copper I decided to go the Hyposalinity route, 35ppt to 13ppt in 48 hours, then 4 weeks at 13ppt when the last spot disappeared. The little sweetheart didn't even blink, so to speak.
She's in the main tank happy as Larry, getting big and disease free. :D
Campbell
I didn't when I first started keeping marines, just eighteen months ago, but a near miss with an ill clown fish with a vibrio bacterial infection really put the frighteners on me; the thought of losing the fish I'd bought to date as well as the suffering they could undergo was too much.
I now have a second-hand Juwel Rio125 which I set up as a hospital tank for the clown (which pulled through, with the help of some advice from Wombat, and is doing well). and it has also been used as QT since. As I've not had to treat anything in it, I'll use it as QT for corals too - unless/until I have to use copper or anything not reefsafe.
Would thoroughly recommend this to anyone. Although it does take up space, and some extra effort when it's being used, the increased peace of mind has been worth it for me.
Screwloose
29-07-08, 23:28
no QT for me dude :rolleyes:
Like many before me, I would like too but do not at present. I'll probable regret it one day!!
Thanks to all who voted - interesting results as it seems that quarantine is recognised as the way to go but 39% of people not using it who feel they should. For those who do not have a QT at present, may I divert your attention to the following
http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/showthread.php?t=258938
http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/showthread.php?t=258689
http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/showthread.php?t=258181
http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/showthread.php?t=259020
All these within a short space of time, these show that whitespot is not the only fish disease we regularly encounter, and it's by no means the worst either.
For all those who see the value of QT, please make the effort - all you need is a wee corner, under the stairs, in the garage, in the loft even, for a small, simple set-up and all this can be avoided.
Again, thanks for your participation in the above
Hedkandiboy
05-08-08, 16:29
Its gonna be another no from mr here in Glasgow. Ive got 1 reef tank with is coming in at 300 Litres.
and another fish only tank coming in at 220 Litres.
Ill agree with zimreef / John that if you select your fish carefully and make sure they are feeding well etc and that your not about to put them into a tank that will stress them out for what ever reason then you should be fine.
I learnt the hard way by introducing a Powder blue into my fish only system. It wa s arather large one too and therefore thought it would be able to stick up for it self. However this wasnt the case and I lost a £85 blue face angel.
Stay away from Powder blue Tangs unless you are 100 % sure that your love :)))))))) will go to them only . Ie dont fall in love with another fish and pop him in :))))))
Juan
Freakyshrimp
05-08-08, 20:20
Its another no for me, like most , I takes me chances and so far all has been OK.
themonkeymidget
05-08-08, 20:51
i have too say its a no for me as i dont have the room at the min . but the plan is when i move there will be room too have a few more tanks . ta 6ft tank is on the list too
I didn't...
then wham...wipeout
Now I do.
Checking that fish look healthy in the store isn't enough.
Yes and I have done for over ten years, Why? it only takes one wipe out due to disease before you realise that is is false economy not to and that 100 pond QT set up have will saved your 3,000 pound fish collection.
Those that say no simply haven't experienced fish after fish dying and you are powerless to do anything about it because that 5.95 clown bought in brooklynella
Perhaps another question is "do you quarantine and how long have you kept marines?"
I'll go again yes and 29 years.
Trusting to luck to keep disease out of your display aquarium seems a pretty risky strategy to me when you consider the cost of the fish in a reef tank.
chris__reef
24-08-08, 12:16
its a no from me, know i should but never had any problems yet touch wood
darkrichard
24-08-08, 15:28
Its a no for me but im set tank up to start better to be safe then sorry
Good to see some interest in this still
If I may relate my own expereiences recently
Over the last few weeks I have purchased a total of 8 new fish. These were placed in a variety of QT's split into two groups of 6 and 2. In the tank with 6 (small) fish, a clown had Brooklynella and 5 fish died depite quick intervention and identification, in the other tank a Copperband had whitespot, which is nearing the end of it's treatment with no losses thankfully. My point is that 25% (1 in 4) of the fish I bought had disease, and that's not to say that any of the fish they were housed in the LFS with aren't now infected - everyone, do yourselves a favour, and make every effort to QT fish. Set up a communal tank with friends, ask on here if someone can QT for you etc etc but please don't take the risk. Had I put all these fish directly into my tank I probably would have quit altogether due to the devastation, so please don't put yourself in that position
Been thinking about this recently as i'm setting up new tank. I plan to use my old 24G as a QT in the garage, i have never QT anything in the past but i'm determined to give this a go.
Its a no from me im afraid - i know i am taking a risk and wish i could but i just really dont have the space for a QT tank, but if i did then i def would. hope to upgrade to a bigger tank in the future when i move house ( although this will be a Quite a while off yet) so plan to keep my RSM as a quarantine tank when this happens
Yes from me, I quarantine for about 2 weeks using a 3 minfreshwater dip on entry and a
course of cuprazin or the Seachem Copper med . I would prefer to wait for about 6 to 8 weeks with no medication but i'm usually too impatient. Also the QT system takes quite a bit of TLC to keep in good shape.
I had a bad whitespot outbreak a couple of years ago and setup the QT then as the only effective cure was to treat the fish seperately with copper and leave the main tank for 6 weeks fish free.
vBulletin® v3.8.7, Copyright ©2000-2012, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.