Controversal... QT not effective if not doing hypo or copper?

[tang_man_montreal]

Ok, this may may be controversial....
What's the use of QT'ing a fish for more than a week if he's NOT showing any signs of disease, AND you're not doing hypo or copper treatments?
Theoretically, ICH could lie in dormant stages with no visible signs, right? So if the tank is not being treated with copper or hypo, whether it's a week or a month, theres still chances of carrying ICH over to your main tank, right?
Sure, there are other diseases, but they would also show within a week, wouldn't they?
params on my QT tank are the following:
sg: 1.020 (down from 1.024 3 days ago)
temp: 82
ammo: 0
trite: 0
trate: 5
pH: 8.0
clownfish in QT are not showing any signs of stress, ich, or otherwise, and eat like pigs... been there 5 days.

 

[beth]

The 3-4 wk timeframe gives the aquarist the time needed to adequately observe the fish and treat disease that may develop during that timeframe. Obviously, cutting the time in QT down to only a wk, increases the risk factor of not observing and dealing with a developing disease process before the fish enters the display.
QT is also a time out period for your fish. The fish has basically gone thru hell coming from the ocean, shipped all the way around the world, been thru who knows what conditions. Giving the fish a "safe haven" in a quiet environment that has optimum environmental conditions and is free from aggression or territory concerns, gives the specimen a time to recuperate and adjust to captivity in a relatively "stress-free" environment. In a QT, the fish is given quality foods, excellent water conditions [hopefully!] and his individual disease needs are attended to if he develops illness. By the time the month in QT is up, he is healthy, fattened up, and ready for his final destination in your display tank. If, in fact, he encounters aggression there, or a territorial realignment due to him being the newest fish on the block, he will be in good shape physically and "emotionally" [for lack of a better word] to handle it.
Also, TerryB is suggesting to go ahead and hypo all new fish, regardless of the presence of disease.