I am an LFS owner in the UK, all my fish are quarantined for a minimum of six weeks in a separate quarantine system of individual tanks separate from the main store, each with electronically monitored parameters. I also have a microscope to aid in more precise diagnoses to enable any decision on treatment method.
I am very selective of my suppliers and have a good relationship with those that are willing to discuss their own procedures and for me to visit in person to observe those practices.
On arrival all fish generally get treated for ammonia burns, abrasions flukes and worms. Further medication is only used if deemed necessary and with great care. If copper is needed it is measured with the Hanna Copper test and Seachems test. I am currently in discussion with my local veterinarian with regards the possibilities of CP (Chloroquine Phosphate) through prescription.
After QT each tank and all equipment is cleaned with Hydrogen peroxide. Once transferred to the main shop display tanks, each shop display tank is a seperate system with its own internal filtration and equipment.
I also sell inexpensive QT systems at cost and offer advice to my customers.
My QT process is based on the excellent advice from both
@Humblefish and others on this forum and my local veterinarian who has an interest in Marine animals. I also supply a national list to fellow UK reefers of veterinarians with a particular expertise in aquatic animals.
I have a flexible approach to QT , weighing up the needs of each animal depending on condition and species. The main object of my QT procedure is to condition the fish and observe.
After all that, I still strongly advise my customers to carry out full QT on all of their animals, I advise that anything wet be QT. Corals, should be removed from the frag plug, dipped cleaned and placed in QT,. None of my corals in the shop coral tanks are Quarantined, just dipped and cleaned, but all my corals that find there way to my home tanks are, for six weeks.
I must point out that I am a small store, with a small turnover, run more as a hobby along side my passion for marine animals. This makes it possible for me to do this economically, I thoroughly understand how for the vast majority of LFS this would not be economically viable. I agree that once the animal is in the possession of the customer the duty of care is transferred to the customer, although advice and support continues it is the responsibility of the new owner to provide adequate car for the animals. In my own opinion QT is an important part of this care for both the new animal but more important any existing animals.
For myself, the most important part of QT is not the new individual but to minimise the risk of transfering a new disease to your main tank.
Out of respect for this forum and other LFS. Please don't ask where my store is or its name, I thoroughly respect the integrity of this forum and simply whish to make fellow reefers aware of the possibilities and options available. I would like to point out that I also do not wish to compare my store to others. For me it is a personal decision and one that I can justify economically. I thoroughly respect my fellow LFS owners and there own procedures depending on needs and practicability.
. Then there's a third that straight up doesn't QT and the goal is the pack as many fish in there on Sundays when they get a delivery and then sell as many of those before the next shipment. Sadly this results in packed tanks and lots of deaths in store, but I've also seen the owners leaving in a Tesla and a Maserati, so I guess it's working out.
