Adding New Fish

[fishytim]

I will be adding my first fish to my tank (bought an established tank with existing livestock) in the next week or so. I have read a bunch on proper acclimation and decided to use the "drip" technique. Here is my problem. I do not have a QT. What risk am I taking by not using a QT? What types of things should I be looking for that would indicate a problem? Also I read somewhere about waiting 4 weeks between adding fish. Why is this?
Thank you for your time and answers...

 

[nc2tarheel]

I'm a newbie to SW scene but i might can answer the 4 wk question. There's not really a set time but you do not want to add alot of fish at once because it puts too much stress on the aquarium. If you put them in one by one then you are helping yourself save time and money by just using patience. I have a 55g and do not have a QT tank. I'm soon going to purchase a little cheapo one though just in case. Anyone can afford a 10g tank to qt a fish in. Good investment if you ask me.
Keith

 

[hawkeyes73]

the risk your taking is that if you buy a fish prone to disease and it ends up getting it then it will most likely die and spread and the whole tank will suffer and u will have to start over... so if ur not going to get a QT then just make sure you buy a good looking healthy fish... don't just buy the first one you see... vistit it a couple times at your LFS to make sure its doing okay and ask to see it eat even if you want... but like ^ they said I am going to buy a cheapo 10g sometime soon before I add any new fish... good luck!

 

[smoney]

Ok, here is my advice, for hardy fish like clown you dont need to qt tank, infact, you really dont need it just use drip and you should be fine, although many people on this forum may recommend a qt tank as a priority. not necessary.

 

[hewetton]

The problem is not how hardy the fish you're trying to introduce to your tank is. If you do not quarantine it properly, there's a likely chance that it will spread some unseen bacteria/parasites..etc to its fellow tankmates. But, if you have a fish-only tank, I would say quarantine is not ansolutely requisite since it is easy to treat the entire tank with medication without having to worry about harming inverts and all. But, still having a QT is a good idea.

 

[nc2tarheel]

^^he's right.