Thinking out loud

[BettyC]

I'm still waiting for my first tank to cycle, just over 3 weeks now. In the meantime I'm reading and trying to learn. So, it's obvious that I will quarantine everything before putting into DT. What is not so obvious is what to do during quarantine. Many say to prophylactically treat, others say to quarantine at least 30 days and treat only as necessary. Ultimately, not a right or wrong question. I need to weigh pros and cons of each and proceed and learn and experience. Maybe I'm making this too complicated.
I'm leaning towards quarantine and wait and see, treating as needed.

Any thoughts or advice?

 

[cmcoker]

Have meds on hand even if you don't plan to use prophylacticly

 

[lou dog420]

No quarantining, no coral dips, everything goes straight in the tank!!

 

[sbash]

First, my vanity has to ask; how did you get the "Build Thread Contributor" banner?

Second, I feel it depends on the source of the livestock. However, if you are new to the hobby, you may not have a feel for what your local stores advantages and disadvantages are.

At the LFS where you want to buy your first fish(es); ask them about their tank segregation. If their tangs are in with their clowns, you might be best prophylactically treating...

Take a look at this thread for an excellent flow chart:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/qt-protocol-flowchart.312531/#post-3849081

I also feel it depends on the type of fish. If the tank bred clowns are in a system without other fish, I would QT for just a few weeks. I am not a fan of prophylactic treatments, so I prefer to avoid them; but like I said, depending on the environment it has been exposed so before it gets into your house, should dictate the protocol.

There are some who believe in a full QT for everything going into their tank (snails, crabs, corals, fish, etc), and there are some (lol, most?) who just throw the livestock into the tank. And, there are some like me, who just QT fish and hope for the best with the rest... Ask questions, do some reading, and decide your path!

 

[Tautog]

Buying fish online is nuts. I need to see them, feed them, and watch them eat. A good LPS will hold your fish for a week or so, if it's going to happen it will happen, but I believe your always taking a chance. I dip all corals, but even that doesn't catch everything. The more experienced reefers always reply " Welcome to the hobby!", but I hate that answer.