The Quarantine Tank - FAQ

[Alshain]

Just some answers to common questions about the practice of keeping a Quarantine Tank. Feel free to post more questions in this thread, I (or an admin) can add the question/answer to the first post.

Question: What is a Quarantine Tank for?
Answer: A quarantine tank can be used to isolate fish for any reason. Usually it is used to isolate new fish to ensure they are healthy before introducing them to your display tank. It is also used to remove sick fish from your display tank to prevent spread of the infection. Finally it can be used to isolate pregnant fish and fry from your main tank to keep the eggs and fry from being eaten.

Question: Do I need a quarantine tank?
Answer: Some feel that the cost of a quarantine tank setup is not worth the investment in fish they posses. A 10 gallon tank with two $2 fish may not be worth a $40 quarantine tank setup. However, if you wish to try to cure sick fish or prevent introduction of a disease through new fish, then you should consider having a quarantine environment available. If you or your children are attached enough to make treatment worth it, the treatment will be more easily and economically carried out in a smaller container.

Question: What do I need for a quarantine tank?
Answer: As little as possible to keep your fish alive and nurse him back to health will make cleaning the infection afterward much easier. You need a tank. A bucket will work but it will make it harder to monitor you fish. You need a filter to fit the size of the tank, anything but an undergravel filter will work. You need a hood since sick fish can still jump. You need a heater. A simple submersible will do the trick. You need caves. Sick fish are already stressed, they will want to hide and this will ease their stress, simple cave ornaments work fine and are easily cleaned. If you are not using an air-powered filter or a biowheel system, you may need an airstone and pump. As water heats, the content of oxygen disolved in the water goes down. An airstone will help add that oxygen back so your fish can breath easily while undergoing heat treatment.

Question: How big should my Quarrentine tank be?
Answer: Minimally the tank should be able to handle as many fish as you would buy at once, or your largest fish, comfortably. A 10 gallon is a fairly affordable and a suitable setup for most aquarists. In an extreme situation, you may need to treat all your fish outside the main tank to prevent damage to invertabrates and plants. In these extreme situations, you might need a warantine tank about 1/4 the size of your display tank or more.

Question: Do I need lights, substrate, fake or live plants?
Answer: Substrate is for appearances and plants, fish don't need substrate. Your tank will be easier to disinfect without it. You need enough light to be able to inspect the fish closely, this can be done with a desk lamp or a flashlight if a lit hood is not in the budget. You do not need any decorative items in the tank. Pieces of fast-growing plants can be useful for removing ammonia in an uncycled quarantine tank or giving fry and shy fish a place to hide, but they should be disposed of after medical use of the quarantine tank.

Question: When do I move a sick fish to the quarantine tank?
Answer: This depends on the illness. For most disease it will be as soon as possible. For some diseases such as freshwater ich, the parasites will be present in the water and the entire tank will need to be treated anyway. Moving the fish in this case will just cause unwanted stress.

Question: When do I move a pregnant fish to the quarantine tank?
Answer: This depends on the type of fish. For livebearers you should move the fish as soon as you are certain of its pregnancy. Its best to move it early so the fish will be comfortable with her new surroundings and the stress of the move will not be compounded by the stress of giving birth. In the case of egg layers, you will most likely need to move the eggs once they are layed, not the fish.

Question: How do I keep my quarantine tank cycled?
Answer: There are many answers to this question. One easy way is to keep a filter insert that belongs in your quarantine tank stuffed in with the display tank's filter. When it comes time to use the quarantine tank, the bacteria will be already present on the filter media. After using this media in the quarantine tank it should be discarded and a new filter insert should be put into the display tanks filter. Never put the used filter media back into the display tank.

Question: Do I need activated carbon in my filter?
Answer: When medicating, no. Carbon will remove medications from the water.

Question: What can I clean my quarantine tank with?
Answer: Several things can be used. Bleach is one option but be sure it has no detergent and the tank must be rinsed very thoroughly. Vinager is another option and is less toxic to fish. Boiling water kills most everything. Be sure to clean everywhere, inside the filter, the ornaments, the heater, the tank... everything.

Question: Can I use the same net as my display tank?
Answer: Yes but you will need to sterilize it before switching tanks every time you switch tanks. The only exception is when you move a recovered fish back to the display tank.

[dskidmore]

Pretty good summary. I'd like to add some additional/alternate methods/comments though

Question: Do I need a quarantine tank?
Answer: If you wish to try to cure sick fish, or prevent introduction of a disease through new fish, then yes. If you don't mind letting a disease run it's course, and risk having to start over, then no. Keep in mind that the smaller volume of the QT may make it considerably cheaper to dose sick fish there than in the main tank. Your fish may be only $2 to replace, but if you or your children are attached enough to make treatment worth it, the treatment will be more easily and economically carried out in a smaller container.

Question: Do I need lights, substrate, fake or live plants?
Answer: You do not need any decorative items in the tank. Pieces of fast-growing plants can be useful for removing ammonia in an uncycled QT or giving fry/shy fish a place to hide, but they should be disposed of after medical use of the QT. You need enough light to be able to inspect the fish closely, this can be done with a desk lamp or a flashlight if a lit hood is not in the budget.

Question: What do I need for a quarantine tank?
Answer: If you are not using an air-powered filter or a biowheel system, an airsone is a good idea. Fish undergoing a heat treatment will need extra air.

Question: How big should my Quarrentine tank be?
Answer: Minimally the tank should be able to handle as many fish as you would buy at once, or your largest fish, comfortably. A 10 gallon is a fairly affordable and suitable setup for most aquarists. In an extreme situation, you may need to treat all your fish outside the main tank (some treatments are fatal to invertabrates and plants that you want to keep alive). In these extreme situations, you might need a QT about 1/4 the size of your display tank or more.

[Menagerie]

Looking good! There is a Freshwater Quarantine Tank article, but this format is nice and we may be able to use it as a different article.

[maxwell1295]

I think this post warrants 'sticky' status. People are more likely to see this than search for an article. There is some very basic but very useful info here.