Quarantine?

[yimmy]

I am wondering how necessary a quarantine tank is from the beginning before putting fishes into the main tank. The store I ordered my tank from and plan to by fishes from quarantine the fishes for a minimum of ten days before they can be put up for sale. I have no tank or fishes yet but they said it will be in in about 3 weeks so that would mean I'd have to get a quarantine tank now. Please let me know if it would be helpful because it is my first SW tank and I don't wanna worry about sick fishes ontop of maintenance. Thanks for any help which can be provided.
Jimmy

 

[fishieness]

if you dont mind spending the extra few bucks, id say go for it. it does nothing but hlep.

 

[mbrands]

It isn't a bad idea, but I read that only 10% of hobbyists actually use one.
Are you suggesting purchasing a quarantine tank and fish now to quarantine while you wait for your tank that is on order? You realize that a QT will need to cycle just like any other tank, right?

 

[mavgi]

QT it's very important to have for long term it will save a lot of problem and bottom line "money".
but as mbrands said you will need to cycle it like any other tank and when you will get your main tank you will need to cycle it to and to wait.......
you need to figure out after your main tank cycle you want to run the tank more 2 weeks with cheap and hardy fish like damsel and after that you can add slowly other fish to your main tank but again after you quarantine the new fish ......
and the best time for quarantine it is about 4 week before you add the fish in your main tank.
you need to be patient in this hobby but at the end you will be more save .

 

[yimmy]

If I'm getting my main tank new no water and stuff in 3 weeks, should I get a quarantine now and when the main is done cycling the fishes will be done being quaranitne I'm thinking about putting either in the 2 clowns first, or the lawnmower blenny, or the royal gramma which should I put in first but I'm thinking about a QT now. THanks for the input

 

[mavgi]

if you going to put in the main tank l/r and sand it's going to take more then 3 weeks till the tank will be ready.
don't forget again you need to cycle the QT to before you put there any fish .
and the process will be the same if your main tank or the QT will not estestablishablish and ready you can lost fish .
my suggest not to rush start make the QT , when it's ready and establish add at the begin just the clown. let the QT run. do not add more fish in the begin in the QT becuase it is a small tank and new and you don't want to crash it
when you get the main tank cycle it and again after everything ok transfer this clown to the main tank , and if you want to add more fish put him in the QT and wait again in this way the main and the QT will be ready and you give more time to the tanks establish and be more safe from crashing the tank or "new tank syndrome".

 

[yimmy]

I want to have the clowns be a mated pair, so do I have to introduce them at the same time? I am also planning on putting in the blenny and a royal gramma should these be introduced first becuase they're less territorial?

 

[jsb]

Could I add a question...
How do you keep a QT up and going with out keeping fish in it. I set one up due to a sick fish, but it just sat afterwards, and the water levels were horrible. Thanks.

 

[birdy]

JSB- keep some chromis in it, if you have fish in the tank then you are more likely to keep up with feeding and maintenance on it.

 

[yimmy]

I think you put in LR and it will cycle and you have to be ontop of your water changes. I'm going to get a QT soon let that cycle and by that time I'll have my main tank...while the main tank is cycling the clown will be in the quarantine and then when the main is done cycling the clown will be done in the QT and I'll switch it over then get another clown and quarantine that till I have all the fishes I like. One other question is obviously an angel or butterfly fish will produce more waste than a clown so will I need a bigger QT, I was thinking like a ten or 15 gallon. The last question is do you always keep your QT running when there's no fish, or can you put it away, will you also need to cycle it again?
Thanks for any help
Jimmy

 

[mbrands]

Originally Posted by Yimmy
I want to have the clowns be a mated pair, so do I have to introduce them at the same time? I am also planning on putting in the blenny and a royal gramma should these be introduced first becuase they're less territorial?
Yimmy - You MUST cycle the QT before you can add any fish to it. That means if you bought your hospital tank today, it would most likely be 3-4 weeks before you could even start to quarantine a fish. Once your main tank has cycled, you can add a few cleaners, but I still wouldn't add any fish right away. Be patient! From other threads it sounds like you are putting a lot of money into the hobby . . . I'd hate to see you get off to a bad start.
As for the royal gramma, I've heard they can be pretty aggressive. If so, I'd add it last. I'd start with the 2 clowns. If they do fine, a few weeks later add another fish or two.
Good luck,
Mike

 

[mavgi]

first the best if you can buy the 20 gallon (long size) for QT.
and yes always you keep your QT running in a case of emergency you ready to treat your fish. or when you see aggression in the tank you can move the fish to the QT.
the QT it's a backup tank to not just for acclimate. if you want you can keep there 1 damsel $4 value to keep the tank run with live and of course you need to keep on your water parameter (quality) to.

 

[yimmy]

I'll be sure I ask for the long size...I don't want to rush it because that seems like the biggset mistake you could make. I'm going to try to get one tommorow, let it cycle...put some cleaner shrimp in like you advised then I'll put the shrimps into the main tank(when its done cycling then put in a fish. Thanks for the help

 

[yimmy]

I understand tanks need to be cycled in can take 1-8 weeks and you put in some hardy fish like damsels..any less aggresive ones? I would have another tank running which I don't plan to put fishes into the QT once it's done cycling, do I just keep it running or can I plumb it into the main tank(assuming I don't have to use any chemicals in the QT)? Also when you put a fish into a QT not that its sick but just an initial quarantine do u drop the salinity at all or do you keep it at 1.025 or 1.026. Also I haave heard of people giving a new fish a fresh water dip. Is the dip necessary and also do u have to worry about the fishing passing out or dieing while its being dipped. My last question is when you cycle a QT after it says its been cycled do u put damsels in for a while. Someone here suggested doing that then you take it out and put a shrimp in then I can put in the clown fish.