QT and new livestock question

[Bill P]

I have noticed that some of the fish in the store where I buy most of my stuff have been in stock for quite some time. That is to say -- in some cases -- a particular fish has been in a particular tank for 3 or 4 weeks, and sometimes more.

If I buy a fish like that, do I still need to keep it in a QT for a month or so, to be sure that it isn't sick? It seems like there's some sense in which the time in a pet store tank is essentially the same kind of observation period that a QT is supposed to provide.

Am I making sense there, or would you guys still QT a new fish for a month or so, even if it had been in the store for several weeks already?

Thanks!

 

[Jimbo7]

It depends. Some will still say yes and always QT a new fish. There are certain LFS around me if they have had a fish for that long and it is fine, I trust their systems are care enough not to QT. Its a personal risk I take.

If you aren't incredibly familiar with the LFS I would QT the first few fish just to be sure.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

I'd still quarantine, regardless.

The main thing with quarantine is to keep the fish in a STABLE environment for a month. Even if the fish has been at the LFS for a month, new fish (and possible diseases) are coming in every week. So even if the fish had been there for 4 months, the thing could've picked up a parasite from the batch of fish that were added the day before. Even if the fish are in separate tanks, the water source is normally the same between all the tanks.

Same thing goes with your own home quarantine... if you have a fish in your quarantine tank for 2 weeks and then add another fish, you've just reset your "quarantine clock" back to zero for that first fish.

And then again, many folks don't quarantine at all... so it's really a personal risk/choice.

 

[Bill P]

Thanks, Kurt. Very helpful.

 

[Jimbo7]

Good points Kurt.