Individual small tanks or 1 large for multifish QT?

Zero_Cool · Dec 22, 2022

If I want to add a school of 5 anthias or a tang gang of 3 tangs or 2 clowns and a blenny do I quarantine each fish in a seperate small tank or get a larger tank and do them all in one?

What size tanks are recommended?

Jay Hemdal · Dec 22, 2022

I like to quarantine groups of compatible fish in the same tank to save time and effort.
Tough to say what size tank to use, depends on the size of the fish, but a 20 gallon long would work for those fish.
Jay

Zero_Cool · Dec 22, 2022

Thank you for your help.

vetteguy53081 · Dec 22, 2022

Same here- one tank with the new arrivals so they cohabitate with each other prior to introduction

Zero_Cool · Dec 22, 2022

Even with tangs?

20 long sufficient for 3 smaller fish 2.5 - 3 inch fish?

Jay Hemdal · Dec 23, 2022

Zero_Cool said:
Even with tangs?

20 long sufficient for 3 smaller fish 2.5 - 3 inch fish?

Bigger is better, but too many times we run onto a scenario where if we say "50 gallons" the person thinks, wow, I can't do that, I guess I just won't quarantine at all...and that is a worse outcome.

For the tangs, it wouldn't work for large achilles or powder blues, but hepatus tangs don't swim as much and Ctenachaetus tangs don't need as much room.

You want the QT to have a large "footprint", the vertical height is not very important. The next size up from a 20 long would be a 30 lowboy breeder I think. 20 highs and 29 gallons don't work well because they are so tall.

Jay

Zero_Cool · Dec 23, 2022

I appreciate all of this information. Thank you.

Weeb · Dec 23, 2022

Except for schools, I keep fish apart. I focus on getting them into good eating practices and, if diseased, it is just the one fish for a specific treatment. Multiple fish with possibly multiple diseases are an unnecessary stress (on fish and hobbyist) IMO.

I have put in an eating molly (acclimated to saltwater) to 'show' the one fish how and what to eat. That has helped some of my Red Sea butterflyfishes get off to a good start. The molly doesn't much care about its saltwater tankmate.