Hey everyone, I’m in the middle of getting a 10g quarantine tank set up. I will be getting a 36 gallon bow front in a couple weeks so I figured I’d go ahead and get the quarantine tank set up so it will be ready when I decide what fish to get for the 36 gallon.(I’m thinking about 3-4 angelfish, a bala shark and a red tail shark) I have a small top fin 10 gallon filter and a top fin heater, also using some old decorations to use for cover and hiding places, won’t be using any substrate, gravel, sand, etc in the quarantine tank though. This will be my first quarantine tank so I’m not sure what else I need so any and all advice would be much appreciated!
Setting up a Quarantine Tank
- Thread starter Liondtm
- Start date
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BBradbury
Aquarium Advice Addict
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- May 24, 2011
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Hello Lio...
Did you know only about 5 percent of fish keepers use quarantine tanks? There's a reason: If you do a good job of selection and keep a healthy tank, you don't need to quarantine new fish. The chance of a parasite or disease affecting a healthy fish in pure water conditions is extremely rare.
When you choose a new fish look for these things: active and foraging for food, clear eyes, good fins and scales, nothing frayed or missing, full and rounded body, natural breathing, not fast or labored. Also, look for smooth, effortless movement. Don't buy fish in a tank with any dead fish in it.
Follow these steps and you can save the time and money setting up a separate tank.
B
Did you know only about 5 percent of fish keepers use quarantine tanks? There's a reason: If you do a good job of selection and keep a healthy tank, you don't need to quarantine new fish. The chance of a parasite or disease affecting a healthy fish in pure water conditions is extremely rare.
When you choose a new fish look for these things: active and foraging for food, clear eyes, good fins and scales, nothing frayed or missing, full and rounded body, natural breathing, not fast or labored. Also, look for smooth, effortless movement. Don't buy fish in a tank with any dead fish in it.
Follow these steps and you can save the time and money setting up a separate tank.
B
^^ +1 ^^
Unless a completely cycled QT tank is available, using a make shift tank will likely lead to ammonia related problems or death. If the new arrival survives the unstable water parameters, then it will likely be stressed to the point of increased disease susceptibility.
I keep several tanks up and running and typically use a growout tank as a quasi QT tank. My system works 99% of the time, but there always that 1% situation that leads to an outbreak.
Be sure to familiarize yourself with common fish diseases and treatments. If you follow B's
Water management advice disease issues will be greatly reduced
Unless a completely cycled QT tank is available, using a make shift tank will likely lead to ammonia related problems or death. If the new arrival survives the unstable water parameters, then it will likely be stressed to the point of increased disease susceptibility.
I keep several tanks up and running and typically use a growout tank as a quasi QT tank. My system works 99% of the time, but there always that 1% situation that leads to an outbreak.
Be sure to familiarize yourself with common fish diseases and treatments. If you follow B's
Water management advice disease issues will be greatly reduced
Andy Sager
Aquarium Advice Addict
While BBradbury's comment is true when it comes to existing fish, it is also extremely hard now adays to find fish that are not infected with something upon purchase, especially if they are not in a single tank set up opposed to multi-tank systems currently in use in many places that sell fish. In the past, I didn't always use quarantine but as my time in the fish business had shown, as the quality of the fish available has gone down, the need for QT is never more important.
Here is a link to an article on here about qt. It has posts within it that helps describe what you need. http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/interesting-article-saying-qt-not-necessary-300980.html Take notice of how many people all over the country had issues.
Andy
You always make great points. I agree, it does seem that more and more I see infected fish offered for sale at all my local fish stores. Managers at two of them advised they run copper and various antibiotics through their systems at all times.
I recently had a 1% mistake that took out the majority of my prized display tank fish. After a 7 day QT in my growoutank tank, I introduced a new fish into the display tank. Within a week, Oodinium had struck both tanks. I medicated the grow out tank and only lost 2. I tried the tank blackout / heat method in the display tank , which miserably failed. I ended up medicating that tank too. Prior to that I hadn't medicated a tank in two decades. The primary infected fish had been kept solo in the LFS display tank. Sorry for my sob story, It helps me to vent. Lol
B's method works due to the maticulus water management techniques he practices. I tend to lean that direction. However, I believe your point is well taken due to the fact most hobbiest don't have experience selecting quality stock, nor advanced water management skills.
You always make great points. I agree, it does seem that more and more I see infected fish offered for sale at all my local fish stores. Managers at two of them advised they run copper and various antibiotics through their systems at all times.
I recently had a 1% mistake that took out the majority of my prized display tank fish. After a 7 day QT in my growoutank tank, I introduced a new fish into the display tank. Within a week, Oodinium had struck both tanks. I medicated the grow out tank and only lost 2. I tried the tank blackout / heat method in the display tank , which miserably failed. I ended up medicating that tank too. Prior to that I hadn't medicated a tank in two decades. The primary infected fish had been kept solo in the LFS display tank. Sorry for my sob story, It helps me to vent. Lol
B's method works due to the maticulus water management techniques he practices. I tend to lean that direction. However, I believe your point is well taken due to the fact most hobbiest don't have experience selecting quality stock, nor advanced water management skills.
Thanks for the responses and teaching me from your current and past situations but I think a couple of you are missing the point of this thread. I just want to know what all is needed for a quarantine tank and how to efficiently run one. And with the only places to get any fish near me is PetSmart and walmart(I don’t use Walmart) and seeing the conditions of their tanks half of the time makes me worry about parasites and diseases running rampant. A couple months ago I was in PetSmart and saw these thin skinny worms with arrowhead shaped heads on the inside of the glass of their tanks.
IHaveAquariums
Aquarium Advice Freak
For a quarantine tank you just need a filter/heater/light and some decor to reduce some stress, and of course medications on hand in case they have diseases, same as a normal tank just smaller and not display
IHaveAquariums
Aquarium Advice Freak
No that should be good unless something more severe shows, but be warned melafix isn't good for gouramis/bettas or any labyrinth organ fish
IHaveAquariums
Aquarium Advice Freak
I believe other medications are fine for them but pimafix/melafix/bettafix all have tea tree oil which can damage the labyrinth organ they have. Unless you specifically get a labyrinth fish you should be good with melafix and salt, (salt is fine for labyrinth organ). I haven't had to deal with many diseases but I believe maracyn is also a good one if you end up needing one but it also depends on the disease
Well I currently have a betta fish in a community tank so i do have 1 labyrinth fish
IHaveAquariums
Aquarium Advice Freak
Well if you have to treat that tank I'd take him out while the medication does it job but since he's not new you don't need any special medication for him right now
Andy Sager
Aquarium Advice Addict
I would make this suggestion, if your only local choice is Petsmart & Walmart and their fish sections are not good, find another source to purchase your fish from. Sadly, buying bad fish puts you behind the eightball from the start. If the store is running copper and antibiotics and the fish are still sick, they are actually helping create drug resistant strains of the diseases if the dosage isn't correct all the time. That will make your job even more difficult and expensive to deal with. QTing fish will not necessarily solve their problems.
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