Quarantine Tank?

[roadrunner]

I have a 26 gal tank that is setup to be a reef tank!
First of all what is the perpose of a quarantine tank?
Do i need a quarantine tank? If so. . .how should that tank be setup?

 

[spartan]

With the time, effort and $$$ we all put into this hobby, a quarantine tank is a must. The idea is that you have a separate tank set up that is the temporary home for any new livestock that you get. The reason is that in this tank you have the oppertunity to feel confident that the fish is healthy and pest free before you put him in your main tank which is the home of all of your healthy and expensive fish. It is a matter of being safe instead of sorry. When I started I made a lot of newbie mistakes. One of those was thinking that I could get away without having to have a QT. I was wrong... an expensive lessen. Do yourself and your tank a favor and quarantine new animals for a few weeks.

 

[russianspy]

I say yes you should have one, But i don't
When i go to the petstore i look to see there health, often i must skip a fish i want becasue i know they will contaminate my system.
I have no money for one (Bad reason, But true)

 

[beth]

QT Answers
Take a look at the 2nd post in this thread.

 

[roadrunner]

What types of things are needed in a QT tank?
I have a spare tank (10gal) that my parents were going to use but never did. I could set this up in the basement.
What types of things are needed?
LS - how much?
LR - how much?
Is a filter needed? Skimmer?
What type of light is needed?
The water. . .should it be the same as my tanks?

 

[roadrunner]

Beth thank you for the link it was very helpful!
My question to you is this: If my tank is setup with the last of the fish, then is a QT tank still nessassery?

 

[beth]

Will you never want to another fish? What if a fish dies, won't you want another? As long as you plan to have fish, then my opinion is YES, plan on keeping a QT. I'm the Disease Moderator here, so, to me I have strong opinions about it. If you really are not going to add any more fish, and you are not going to try and treat any fish that might get sick while in your main tank, then you don't necessarily have to have the QT ready to go. I would, however, keep what you need to set one up, ready.
I deal daily with hobbyists who have to set up an emergency QT. Believe me, there is nothing like knowing I have a QT ready to go, cycled, it can take meds, it can take fish, it can take whatever I need to throw at it, because it is cycled and a thriving QT. Folks in an emergency can set them up, but they still don't have a cycled QT, and that's a fact. They will have to worry about their sick fish being in a new tank. And a new, hurriedly set up QT can be hazzardous to fish health.

 

[roadrunner]

What about corals? shoudl they be put in the QT tank?

 

[clarkiiboi]

You wont have to use your QT for corals or inverts before adding to your tank. If a coral would need to be removed for whatever reason or if its a rescue effort, then a QT could come in handy. HTH

 

[beth]

Corals have the remote possibility of "carrying" in ich to your tank if the coral has been in a tank where fish were kept or where equiptment, filters, water is shared with tanks that have fish.
This would be something that the hobbyist wants to consider when purchasing corals. Are the fish in the coral tank? Is there shared plumbing?