Interesting article saying QT not necessary

[gilpi]

My so called QT tank is a 20 gallon non medicated I keep near a sink for almost daily water changes. Whenever I have the urge to get new fish, I usually get juveniles and just keep them there for a few months keeping an eye on them.
Is the purpose of a QT tank for it to be medicated? And how long are the fish kept in it, on the average?

 

[Andy Sager]

My so called QT tank is a 20 gallon non medicated I keep near a sink for almost daily water changes. Whenever I have the urge to get new fish, I usually get juveniles and just keep them there for a few months keeping an eye on them.
Is the purpose of a QT tank for it to be medicated? And how long are the fish kept in it, on the average?

Please read my response at post #20

Hope this helps

 

[threnjen]

My QT is basically a display 10g because it's out in our family room with the other tank so I like it to look pretty.
I suppose I will be very annoyed if I ever have to sterilize it.
I use a plastic sterilite tub as my actual "hospital" tank because I can set it up or take it down at will, and I don't use any substrate.

 

[mrvincent]

I can tell you this is stupid. If you have the opportunity of QT, DO IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

With the lots of multiple diseases I got from not QT new fishs, I can garantee QT is the best way to welcome new fishs.

You buy a fishs that look healty, 1 week later all your fishs have whites spots. it's really common.


I threat new fishs even if they look healty. (bit Salt + Pimafix + Melafix + higer temp a bit), never got any new diseases since the day I started QTing everything.
I know some don't like to med fishs that are healty, but I'm doing it and will keep doing it.

Plants must be dipped or QTed too, they sometime carry diseases. I got ick from a cladophora moss ball.


QT Everything !

 

[mrvincent]

I quote "The example of the worst quarantine tank would be something like a ten gallon that is setup when the aquarist brings fish home. The tank is filled with tap water, the filter turned on, and the fish are dumped in. There are no decorations so the fish are stressed. The tank receives no water changes for the duration of quarantine. Since the tank and its filter were uncycled the fish experience the typical ammonia and even nitrite spikes of a cycling tank, which stresses them further. "

1. My QT tank is always cycled with a betta.
2. There's decorations and plants in this tank.
3. For sure I do less maintenance in this tank, but I give it 100% WC for new fishs. Water quality is important for new healty fishs, especially if you want to avoid fungus.
4. You must not change the water while QTing, especially if you dose meds. (Qt last 2 weeks for me)

"The aquarist wants to see his new acquisitions and inspect for any signs of illness so provides bright lighting which also stresses the fish."

5. 10g aquariums come with a low lighting most of the time.

"All of this takes place in the matter of a week or two and then the extremely stressed fish are dumped in to the display."

6. When I dump thoses fishs to the display, they're reacclimated, except if all parameters match (especially PH and temp).

"The problem is that the display tank is much less stressful than the average quarantine tank."

7. Yes, but do you want to mess with your 100g display tank with a little sick tetra ?

"A true quarantine is at least 90 days after all signs of anything have gone away."

8. Not true, if you aim prevent the most contagious pathogens, two weeks is enough

"The fish I pick out and add directly to my display tanks never come down with anything, neither do any other fish in the tank."

9. This dude was lucky on this shot.

" Buy fish from a high quality source, provide high quality food and water, and you will rarely encounter any illnesses in any of your fish."

10. Where ? Almost all fishs from any LFS here are in tank with sick or dead mates...

 

[mrvincent]

Actually the most important difference between two different tank waters is the amount of total dissolved solids (TDS). Moving a fish to water with a much higher or lower TDS has a good chance of killing them and this is usually the actual reason for what people perceive as "pH shock". In scientific studies the pH was much less important.
TDS meters are cheap: HM Digital TDS-EZ Water Quality TDS Tester, 0-9990 ppm Measurement Range, 1 ppm Resolution, +/- 3% Readout Accuracy - Amazon.com

What is important here (included in the TDS) is the KH/PH. GH for high mineral requiring fishs like cichlids, they don't like we change the GH.

You can have water with 300ppm TDS PH 8 and KH 8. You can have water at PH 6 with KH 1 and 300ppm TDS too...


+1 for the cheap TDS reader, it doesn't have to be expensive, as it's a basic conductivity test. I paid 8$ for mine.

 

[Andy Sager]

My QT is basically a display 10g because it's out in our family room with the other tank so I like it to look pretty.
I suppose I will be very annoyed if I ever have to sterilize it.
I use a plastic sterilite tub as my actual "hospital" tank because I can set it up or take it down at will, and I don't use any substrate.

Unfortunately, the tropical fish hobby has become one of needing to be extra careful. Since we are rarely dealing with wild fish these days, many diseases have become immune to "standard" medications so you REALLY don;t want to get anything into your display tank if at all possible. That's why if you have to sterilize a QT tank, make it a small one
I believe I read that one of the more common parasites has a lifespan of about 6 weeks with no host. You want to QT for at least that amount of time, maybe even a bit longer "just to be sure." These days, it truly is an example of that "speed kills".

Hope this helps