michaelb323

I promise to keep this story short, this should serve as a great warning to noobies as to why we use quarantine tanks, abbreviated as QT.

I estimate that I have about $60 worth of livestock in my 55 gallon tropical tank. After my initial seeding of the tank with livestock I decided to start scouring craigslist for a 10 gallon setup for quarantining new fish arriving. I was starting to buy fish and plants in bulk from Petco and some regional Distributors, some of the stuff I was getting cheap was of questionable origin.

After a few days, BOOM! I see a complete 10 gallon setup for $15 on craigslist. Tank is brand new, kid it was bought for didn't want it. I set my new prize up beside my computer desk figuring I could watch the fish the entire time I am working. When I made my first trip to the petstore to grab fish, I tossed them into my QT. Two weeks disease free and my new fish got added to the main tank, since water from the 55 gallon tank is being used to fill the QT, there is no need to acclimate fish, just toss them right in giving them the least stress. In addition, I figured that 10 gallons would be easy to disinfect should I get a disease in the tank, this LED me to using a sand substrate since I could easily throw it away.

Last week I transferred the latest batch to the main tank and came home with about $10 worth of new fish that were "Guaranteed disease free 100%"
I did my duty and dumped the new stock into the QT. Within the first two days it was clear that all the fish were going to most likely die to a parasite. Within the first week all the fish had died violent, writhing deaths. Simple solution for me, I dumped half a gallon of bleach into the tank and left it running over the next day. Next I used an old gravelvac to empty it, carried it outside and dumped everything out, and washed it with bleach and water.

All I had to do was bring the new tank back inside, add fresh sand, rinse the HOB filter with bleach, replace filters, and add water. In the end the breakdown/setup took about an hour. I added some filter media from the 55 gallon tank and was back in business. In the end I saved myself quite a bit of money, and that means more money to spend on expanding. In addition to that, the peace of mind knowing that I have in no way introduced any pathogens to my perfect tank is an awesome feeling.

Well, anyway, I just thought this thread could serve as a reminder as to how valuable a cheap QT can be.

-Happyfeet

mosin360

I be one of those noobs you are referring too.

I've seen the advice for a QT quite a bit and understand the importance. However, I feel at this early in my new tank/hobby, I need to get my main tank going before I can get a QT. As you said, you used stuff from your main to supply the QT so I need to be able to do that also.

Lucy

Very good reminder Michael. It's best to have one ready to go. Not only for new fish, but if you need to separate some one.

A quarantine tank doesn't have to be anything elaborate.
Here's a good thread:
Quick and dirty quarantine setup

mosin360

Ahh, thanks for posting that link. I looked on Craigslist just now and didn't see anything good so I like the setup used in that thread. I also think having a small filter that you can just swap between the two tanks is a great idea.

Edit: Actually, Wal-mart has a 5gallon kit for anywhere from $30-40 depending on the store. http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...ct_id=12177653 Which is the price in that link so not as good as a deal you could find on Craigslist but its a nice option.

You could just put the new filter in your main tank until you buy new fish. Pop it in the QT until everything checks out and back in the main it goes. It's a winner. Dang it, now you got me all excited about a QT when I'm still setting up my main.

namehater

i still think you should be acclimating the fish, just because the water in the 10g originally came from the 55g, after 2 weeks they could have completely different perimeters.

Lucy

I don't think that kit includes a heater.

mosin360

You be right, thou a small heater can't be that expensive... right?