First fish quarantine question...

Murph

Reefing newb
I'm planning on adding my first fish soon... I have a 29g tank ready to set up to qt it, and was wondering how long before I get the fish should I have the qt going. I've had a filter pad in the sump of the display for a couple of weeks now, but wasn't sure if I should leave the pad in the sump until I get the fish, or if it's better to have the qt up and running for a few days before I put the fish in.
 
You need to treat (with either copper or hyposalinity) and QT for a minimum of 8 weeks, otherwise there isnt much point. I would get the QT up a few days before hand though.
 
nope, most people just make sure that they feed their fish a high quality diet, carefully stock their tank, and keep good water quality. This keeps the stress level of the tank low and disease to a minimum.
 
little_fish,

I was under the impression that I was going to have to QT any new fish I buy for at least a couple of weeks before introducing them into my DT.

Are you saying just drip acclimate and introduce them to the DT?

I am not ready to add new fish yet. In fact. I am staying with the pair of clowns and the cave goby until I get my algae scrubber and sump built and working for about 3 or 4 weeks.

So I am probably 4 to 6 weeks from introducing a new fish and was going to take that time to set up a QT.

I figure I should have a QT in case of sickness.
 
If you already have fish in your tank that were never properly QT, there is no point doing it now.

What you are talking about is more of an observation phase, where you get the fish and make sure he is eating. But I personally think that its more stressful the fish to be move around multiple times than to just put them right in and you should never buy a fish that inst eating at the store (make sure you actually see them doing so).

The only time I think an observation phase would be useful is if you have a very rare or fickle fish and they need time to recover from shipping, need to adjust to the tank and feeding. But as a new reefer you shouldnt be purchasing those fish in the first place.

If you do have sickness, moving the fish can cause enough stress for them to die, and often times the disease will still be in the main tank just waiting for another moment of stress to come back. And if you do end up treating, most of the meds will wipe out the bacteria population and you are going to need to do daily water changes anyways.
 
Thanks little_fish.

Right now ammonia and nitrites are zero but my nitrates are in the 30-40 range and phosphates are at .25.

I am all set to do a 20 gal water change.

And I am trying to get my algae scrubber and sump finished ASAP. Replacing the Magnum 350 filter pad weekly is getting old real fast.
 
Back
Top