Hello, I am 14 years old and in the process of setting up my first reef tank. It is almost 40 gallons. I wanted to know if quarantining my fish is worth my time/money. I plan to have a wrasse and I’ve heard certain treatments are toxic to them. If you say yes, please explain why. Thanks for reading!
Should I quarantine?
- Thread starter noxel56
- Start date
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Dsnakes
Knight Reefer
Some wrasses do not take copper well at all. At a minimum I would QT and observe for behavior and signs of disease and parasites. Bare bottom tank with a small tub of sand and simple filter.
W1ngz
Failed Padawan
Yes, because fish diseases are a thing and if you are unlucky and get one, then you have to remove ALL the fish, not just the one that looks sick, and treat them anyway. Then you can't use the main tank for 76 days while you wait for the disease to die off. If your sensitive wrasse is fine, what about the next fish? What if it makes your sensitive wrasse sick? It takes a practiced hand, and medications available RIGHT NOW in some cases, to treat sensitive fish successfully.
TBH it's the NO people who you should be asking to explain themselves.
TBH it's the NO people who you should be asking to explain themselves.
its amazing you'd apply this level of research and planning before buying them, you are going to do great with marine science. the top science available today says this planning is required, to skip it is to lose the fish most likely within a few months. it sure is a hassle compared to freshwater/buy fat fish/take home and input.
Daniel@R2R
Living the Reef Life
Yes. Fish disease is a real problem. QT helps guard against introducing disease into your tank. It also helps fish get used to your care without competition from others.
You can also check out the fully quarantined fish stores available if you really cannot qt. However, you will learn a lot by qt'ing your fish. I do not ever use copper, and in 15 years have very few fish that do not survive qt.
Welcome to the salty world. So young and it is great to see you so prepared and willing to learn. Keep up the good work.
Welcome to the salty world. So young and it is great to see you so prepared and willing to learn. Keep up the good work.
jheidenthal
Community Member
I'm getting into reefing as well. When using a spongefilter in a QT tank, How do you keep it cycled? Do you ghost feed the tank? I was planning on leaving my sponge filter runing in my sump on my display tank.
For fish: I actually set up a qt when needed. I do not keep one running as the meds I use will only kill the bacteria anyway. I just have the tank, heater, hob filter with sponge. I also have an airstone to help keep it well oxygenated.
When I know I am getting a fish, I get set up. May have to adjust a bit for bag temp, pH, and salinity, but once I have done that, I add the fish directly after an acriflavin bath. Then I bring up the Temp, salinity and pH as needed.
When I know I am getting a fish, I get set up. May have to adjust a bit for bag temp, pH, and salinity, but once I have done that, I add the fish directly after an acriflavin bath. Then I bring up the Temp, salinity and pH as needed.
