# quarantine or not?



## claws (Oct 14, 2007)

How many of you actually quarantine fish before adding them to your planted tanks? For those of you who don't quarantine, how do you prevent ich outbreaks? 

Thanks, Kim


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## DaveS (Jun 9, 2006)

I QT every time, no matter where the fish come from. It only took me one time of not QT'ing new fish for my 75g tank to see the error of my ways. I lost 75% of the fish in that tank (including the new fish that were added) and spent a fortune trying to treat whatever was killing off the tank.

As to the second part of the question, you don't do anything to prevent ich outbreaks if you refuse to QT. You just roll the dice and hope you can treat the outbreak when it occurs without losing too many fish and plants.

Dave


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## bradac56 (May 9, 2007)

I agree always, always QT especially fish from LFS's. A good importer will hold your fish in QT for 
a week or two just to make sure they are good but even then I QT on top of that.

- Brad


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## Six (May 29, 2006)

I QT too. My motto: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

GL


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## moonstream (Oct 22, 2007)

I only setup a QT tank if there is anything outwardly wrong with the fish. however, I only buy fish in tip top shape that are eating well and are a good size. 

I also get from an LFS with some of the best fish I have seen in all of NYC.


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## Homer_Simpson (Apr 2, 2007)

claws said:


> How many of you actually quarantine fish before adding them to your planted tanks? For those of you who don't quarantine, how do you prevent ich outbreaks?
> 
> Thanks, Kim


Being of the lazy Homer Simpson mentality I cannot be bothered quarantining fish, so I run a UV sterlizer in my tank which pretty much prevents any ich outbreaks. For me it is a lot less effort to run a UV sterilizer than go through the trouble of quarantining fish. I am also currently looking into getting a diatom filter to eventually replace the ultraviolet sterilizer. The idea would be to run the diatom filter for a week or so with the introduction of new fish to kill and waterborne parasites that could take other fish as hosts. Then to turn of the diatom filter and run it only as needed to cut down on filter replacement costs and UV sterilizer bulb replacement costs.


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## _chicken_ (Oct 7, 2007)

I didn't used to quarantine, but I do now. I never had any problems from lack of quarantine, but after hearing enough horror stories from other people, I figured my luck was certain to run out sooner or later.


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## DarrylR (Dec 5, 2007)

I don't have a QT, which I know is bad. But I just can't set up another tank. If ICH or anything outbreaks, I just treat the whole tank. Besides the Petsmart I buy fish, I work there so I know if there is disease or not.


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

I don't quaranteen. Twice in 40 years I introduced ick into my tank. I treated, turned up heat and all was well. People on this forum say you have to keep them in for 2 months or more. I have had the new fish I bought die of some disease that I guess they already had, not visible. I'm sure I have lost a fish here or there by cross contamination - but not to any large degree that I could put my finger on. I never put "their" water into my tank. I don't buy visibly sick fish. I recently got a UV filter to guard against pathogens I can't see like TB. I made sure it was a big one (for up to 500 gal and I have a 125 g) For me I just don't want to have a tank just for quaranteen. I don't want to wait for the 2 month or so. Call me fool hardy but my experience has been that the risk level doesn't justify the cost for me.


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## bradac56 (May 9, 2007)

I've never QT'ed for two months nor heard that before. 

I normally QT for a week if it's a hardy fish or from a source
I trust or two weeks for flighty animals or LFS/people I'm
not as comfortable with.

- Brad


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## gibmaker (Jan 3, 2007)

I purchase all of my fish from a LFS that quarantines his fish for 2 to 3 weeks before they hit the sales floor. The fish there are a little more pricey, but it is 99.9% of the time a solid buy.


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

Tex Gal said:


> I don't quaranteen. Twice in 40 years I introduced ick into my tank. I treated, turned up heat and all was well. People on this forum say you have to keep them in for 2 months or more. I have had the new fish I bought die of some disease that I guess they already had, not visible. I'm sure I have lost a fish here or there by cross contamination - but not to any large degree that I could put my finger on. I never put "their" water into my tank. I don't buy visibly sick fish. I recently got a UV filter to guard against pathogens I can't see like TB. I made sure it was a big one (for up to 500 gal and I have a 125 g) For me I just don't want to have a tank just for quaranteen. I don't want to wait for the 2 month or so. Call me fool hardy but my experience has been that the risk level doesn't justify the cost for me.


Yep, I've always done the same thing. Never qt'ed. Even if you quarnatee for months and the fish has something you can't see the minute it gets stressed in the new tank it can infect everything. Although the UV only can stop things moving in the water column I feel it reduces the amount of pathogens, so when new fish are introduced and their immune systems are compromised they won't have as much to deal with. I've been doing this for at least 3 years and have never had any disease outbreaks.


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## claws (Oct 14, 2007)

Thanks for all of the replies, everyone. Since I'm somewhat lazy and space challenged, I would prefer not to quarantine. I understand the risks involved but would rather have a shrimp only tank than to have to set up another tank just for quarantining. I have an in-tank UV sterilizer but it takes up a lot of room in my 10 gal.. I'm thinking of getting the HOT Magnum filter and run it with DE to serve the same purpose of ridding the water column of pathogens. I would probably just run either the UV or Magnum for a week or so when introducing fish to the tank. I'm not sure if the 250 gpm flow of the Magnum would be too intense for my 10 gal. tank. Any ideas or alternatives?

Thanks, Kim


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

bradac56 said:


> I've never QT'ed for two months nor heard that before. I normally QT for a week if it's a hardy fish or from a source. I trust or two weeks for flighty animals or LFS/people I'm not as comfortable with.
> - Brad


I have read this several times - on this forum. I thought that was a little excessive myself but.....
Anyway... I don't do it even for a week or 2. I just don't want a tank sitting there just for that. I'd rather have that tank equity for something else.  Course the horror stories on here are really scarey- which is why I got a UV. At least then my losses will be limited to what I purchased.....


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## Mud Pie Mama (Jul 30, 2006)

I too played the odds and did not quarantine for the first 18 months that I was keeping fish & planted tanks. However, my luck did eventually run out, and now I too have my own sad horror story. ( I will spare you all the sorry details.) 

If all you're handling is a 10 or 20g tank with a few inexpensive neons or guppies.....then by all means, so what. In playing the odds you do not have much to loose if something virulent and un-diagnosable ravages your tank. But if you invest in larger setups and are charmed by the allure of fancier, hard-to-locate and expensive varieties of fish; you're a complete blooming idiot if you chose not to quarantine!!! I've learned Ich is the very least of the worries as far as what may be introduced into an established tank. 


Yah, I was an idiot! :doh: Not only is it the cost of the fish you've lost; if you can even locate a rare specimen again. It is heartbreaking to see fish you've raised-up and cared for over a period of months or years be needlessly killed because of your own decision to cut corners. Again, if a half dozen neon tetras bite the dust, well..... I can't really tell one from the other! (Just kidding.) When a six inch fish which looks you straight in the eye, and wags it's fins when you visit the tank suffers large blistering sores and then goes belly up ...not fun at all! 


Lost/Needlessly Killed By Me:
5 - Lake Tebera Rainbows ($10.00 x5 = $50)
8 - Threadfin Rainbows ($7.99 x8 = $63.92)
1 - pair Apisto aggassizii ($20.00)
1 - German Ram (f) ($6.99)
a few ottos & tetras ?$10-$15?
Total around $150+.

(It was the last three threadfins introduced into the tank which I believe caused the epidemic. The other five came from the same supplier over a two month period.)

My female GBR had figured out how to outsmart the greedy turbo charged rainbows at feeding time. She would come to the very top corner of the tank just underneath some floating hornwort. I could hide a few pellets in the hornwort and she could get them before the rainbows would see the food to charge it. Sad, very sad!:Cry:


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## DaveS (Jun 9, 2006)

Excellent post MPM.

Ich outbreaks are a pain for sure, but they can be treated. It is when something is introduced into the tank that can't be diagnosed or is misdiagnosed that things can quickly turn ugly in a tank. I lost nearly an entire 75g tank full of expensive rainbows to something I never did diagnose after introducing a non QT'd bristlenose of all things. I might mention that fish came from a very good store and looked just fine. In fact, it was one of three fish that didn't die, but whatever it was carrying wiped out my tank within 10 days. I toyed around with the idea of getting a fancy UV system (I already have a diatom filter .. big waste of money IMO) until I realized a small QT tank is much cheaper and still the safest option. You don't need to leave the QT running when not in use, and it takes almost no time to set up. You can put a QT system together for probably less than $50, so I can't see the argument against it honestly.

To each their own. IMO, if you choose not to QT you have already decided your fish are expendable should something particularly nasty get introduced.

Dave


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## bigpaa (Jul 27, 2007)

@Daves
What symptoms of the disease did the pleco show?


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## DaveS (Jun 9, 2006)

The pleco actually showed no visible symptoms at all. I am guessing that the disease was something viral or perhaps an internal parasite considering the speed at which it cleared the tank.

I should point out this experience led me to change my QT strategy somewhat as well. The reason I didn't QT the bristlenose was because I, like many before me, started using what was my QT tank as a permanent setup. I now always keep a small community of something in that tank (rasboras, small tetras, etc.) AND I use it as a QT when I get new fish in order to diagnose potentially unseen problems.

Dave


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## It's Me (Jan 14, 2008)

I didn't QT until I lost all my fish but two because of one sick guppy. Now I live by it. However I don't QT snails, shrimp, or clams. Does anyone else do the same?


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## lauraleellbp (Jan 31, 2008)

I QT for 2 weeks in 1tsp/gallon aquarium salt (I'll use 1/2tsp for really sensitive fish). Never had a single disease or parasite outbreak in my tanks since I started doing this. Only fish I've lost (past the 1st 2 weeks) I'm resonably sure have been old age or stupidity on my part (bad tankmate choice). I've always used the 5.5 gallon that was my very first tank ever (20+ yrs old now) but I'll be upgrading to a 20gal for the purposes of stocking my new 90gal setup...


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## Zippin (Oct 27, 2007)

I do not QT at all, the cost and space to have a tank set up is not worth it. If i was going to start a 125G then i might think about QT fish before adding them to the bigger tank. 

My LFS keep them out back for two weeks before they sell them on, and they have the QT tanks out front for you to see and not hiding out back...

cheers


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## OneDaySale (Feb 9, 2008)

moonstream said:


> I only setup a QT tank if there is anything outwardly wrong with the fish. however, I only buy fish in tip top shape that are eating well and are a good size.
> 
> *I also get from an LFS with some of the best fish I have seen in all of NYC*.


Do you mind sharing which store? I'm in NYC too. Thanks!

Oh - and to answer the question asked - I'm in the process of setting up a tank for my dad and for my son's school - had an empty 20 gallon tank at home im using as a QT. Will QT fish for 10 days. Will move fish out of QT and into their permanent tanks, then add more fish to QT until all tanks are fully stocked. Dunno if it is right or wrong, but that is my plan.


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## voiceofid (Jan 31, 2008)

i never qt'd and have had my share of fish loss

but that was years ago, i haven't lost any fish recently due to non-quarantine, most of the lfs mark their tanks that are being treated and have been rather successful at purchasing fish without a problem

i did however went to the local petco and bought 3 oto and they all died within a day, a week later, i went to petsmart and bought 2 oto and they are still kicking after a week


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## praxis5624 (Apr 22, 2006)

Many hobbyist who have been in the hobby as long as I have (20 yrs) have seen many fish come and go due to not quarantining fish before adding to their main aquarium. A 10 gallon tank with a sponge filter would be a valuable asset to any serious hobbyist looking to avoid a loss of stock and money. I know most of us cannot stand to have a empty tank setting around, but in the times your not quarantining anything......one or two danios can occupy the space.


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## lauraleellbp (Jan 31, 2008)

ditto^^^


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

Always for at least 3 - 4 weeks.

If even a minor disease or parasite comes in, I don't want to have to treat all of my already healthy fish and bring unnecessary chemicals or other things like salt into a main tank.


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## yotis (Jan 10, 2008)

Am looking into a quarantine tank now, after loosing me loaches in one tank and a few gold fish in another.....


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## DaveS (Jun 9, 2006)

Heck, I QT my fish for years some times 

The nice thing about having an established (for me that means nicely planted with a small population of inexpensive fish to keep things going) QT tank is that there is no rush for me to get fish moved. If I get fish that are a little small to compete with the larger fish in my main tanks, I can simply drop them in the QT tank and let them grow out a little. It just so happens that this tank is my favorite as far as plants go, and I never would have set it up without the desire to quarantine new fish. Generally, I keep new fish in the QT tank until I get something newer. These days, that is not very often so fish tend to be in "quarantine" for an average of six months I would guess.

Dave


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## MonopolyBag (Jan 11, 2008)

Wellone way o prevent disease is buy from a very reputable source, but even then, I would reccomend quarentine with any tank that you like. If you don't care, thats another story.


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