agabr123

Hey all, I have to do a statistics project for hypothesis testing and all that fun stuff, and I have to test a claim made by an article. I need at least 50 votes, so vote away!!!

To clarify: if at any point you have quarantined fish before even if you don't do it every time then please vote yes

pinkfloydpuffer

Um... what if the answer is 'sometimes'?

Amanda

Yeah, I only QT sometimes too. I answered yes b/c I'm trying to get into the habit of ALWAYS QTing my new fish.

pepetj

I keep four small tanks running 24/7 as quarantine/hospital tanks. I didn't use to quarantine freshwater, but after some serious problems, I decided it is the intelligent thing to do.

There are exceptions though: If they come from a reputable breeder I won't do it.

I have lost too many fishes (e.g. 14 Fire Rasboras, 10 Black Neons, 18 Penguin Tetras, and several Red-Salmon and Lake Kutubu Rainbowfish -ouch it still hurts!).

An alternative to quarantine is a preventive 30-45minutes bath, with water from the tank the fish is going to, after proper acclimation. Double dosage of Methylene Blue and aquarium salt is what I use.

Pepe
Santo Domingo

agabr123

lol, if it's "sometimes" then at some point you HAVE quarantined fish so the answer would be yes!

Jonah

Thanks for the clarification as I only Qt fish I get from LFS.

Ones I get from local breeders I know dont go to QT

agabr123

thanks to everyone who has voted so far, i still need more votes though so keep them coming!!!

navyscuba

I answered yes but I just started doing it and good to me cuz 2 of the fish died with in 48 hrs. taking one of them with me to the fish store to get me new ones and a water sample too. Even when I know my Cycle is good.Thanks API Master kit.

prairielilly

ALWAYS. It's way too easy as it is for 'something' bad to happen, I prefer to minimize that risk in any way I can (once bitten, twice as paranoid...three times bitten, well what does that make me? )

agabr123

thanks guys! keep the votes coming!

deathtroll

i haven't yet but plan on it now.

djbrist

What started out as an economical decision, has now become (IMO)an ethical responsibility of fishkeeping for me. Also, the fact that I have been using 4 different LFS.

joeblow

I don't, or have not yet quarantined my fish. Need to, I'm still looking on craigslist for a 5gallon tank and I also have been buying my fish from Walmart. Those two factors are probable why my gourami's don't last very long. When I do get my 5g tank diff will quarantine fish.

Nate McFin

I voted no...as of yet I have not. That is changed now after continuing to battle ICH for 3 weeks as well as snail outbreaks in plants. (may also have been where the ich came from) The meds and salt are taking their toll on my plants big time.
From now on...it ALWAYS QT for minimum of 3 weeks. NO exceptions!

Mike

I didn't qt when I first started either. I think quarantine is one of those things that people only do after they've been burned by a tank wipeout or similar headache. I now qt all fish for a few weeks at least. The small effort up front is worth the money saved and headaches prevented. It's definitely worth doing IMO.

Dozey

Absolutely always. All new fish spend a minimum of 4 weeks in my q-tank. Far too many ill fish come from my LFS to risk introducing them to my display tank.

navyscuba

Check out the pics. Is easy and quick.

Attached Images

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	fish 174.jpg (328.1 KB, 64 views)

joeblow

That's a good idea I should pick up a small tub and do the same. There small light and cheap, also can be thrown away if I get tired of it. Thanks, I never would have thought of that.

Chrisson

I want to quarantine but I don't have enough money to afford another filter, heater, etc... and my parents probably say it's useless.

Dozey

Parents aside, keep a look out on Craig’s List and Kijiji. You could likely pick up a 5 gallon setup for ten or fifteen dollars.

As for the parents, print out an article on quarantining fish and casually share the information with them. I.e. read it while you’re in the same room and throw a few, Wow listen to this… and… Gee that would break my heart if that happened to me”.

Parents generally are interested in their children’s interests.

penance

I agree with dozey just keep searching on craigslist and other recycler programs ... I found a 12 gallon nano and a 12 gallon eclipse for really cheap and then I sold the eclipse to someone who bought it to use as a quarantine tank, both of which have a built in light and filter. The heater was separate but you can sometimes find a cheap deal on a small 50 watt.

11yancazosj

i know its so improtant to do but i dont. probably because ive never had a fish sick enough to quarentine it

JennDFK

I like navyscuba's Q set up... really a great idea. I have an extra filter that I got off freecycle that would make a great Q set up. When I get my 55 gallon set up I think I might just hang it on back for extra filtration and to cycle it for a Q tank.

navyscuba

That's exactly what I do. Hang it on the community tank when not in use.

navyscuba

I found 2 of my tanks with stands on freecycle and the 100 gal on craigslist with two canister filters lights, canopies, wood stand and many other stuff for a fraction of the price for a new one.

heartsongsinger

I don't I know thats bad but I've paid for it several times. I'm only getting them from fish only store now

xfish

I plan to, but I don't remember our family quarantining when I was younger. Must be a new thing.

Question - do you typically quarantine your first set of fish? Or can they just go into the main tank immediately since they won't be infecting anybody anyway?

prairielilly

The idea of quarantining is to prevent new fish from spreading any bacteria/parasites they may have brought with them from the LFS to the other fish in your main tank. If there aren't yet any fish in the main tank, there's no fish to protect, so the first 'set' of fish that you add to your main tank can go right in. Good idea to leave them there alone for 2-4 weeks before you add any other fish though. What I've often done is get 2 'sets' of fish at once, add one to the empty main tank and one to an empty quarantine tank, and after a 2 week QT if all's still well then add the quarantined fish to the main tank, and then if need be put some other new fish in the now-empty QT tank.

Lucy

I'm pretty surprised at the amount of people who don't q fish.

xfish

^^ Good, I was wondering about that...