I've never owned a reef tank, but I've been doing some research. One scenario that interests me is setting up a budget-friendly reef tank in a 40-gallon breeder. If I stay in the hobby long-term and upgrade to a much larger tank, that 40-gallon could maybe be morphed into a quarantine tank.
My question right now is what are the pros/cons of having a 10-gallon quarantine tank alongside my first reef tank vs not having one? Tutorials strongly suggest getting a quarantine tank, while also implying that the vast majority of reefers don't bother.
Pros:
- Could prevent a devastating disease outbreak.
- Diseases are harder to treat in the display tank since meds must be reef and biofilter-safe.
Cons:
- A 2nd tank takes up space
- Arguably, a disease outbreak is less likely than for the fish to stress out and die during quarantine
Other considerations:
- How much should I trust my LFS to do their due diligence?
- Is a UV sterilizer an effective way to "put the toothpaste back in the tube" if the worst happens?
- Budget isn't a huge concern, since I might be able to set one up for about $50
My question right now is what are the pros/cons of having a 10-gallon quarantine tank alongside my first reef tank vs not having one? Tutorials strongly suggest getting a quarantine tank, while also implying that the vast majority of reefers don't bother.
Pros:
- Could prevent a devastating disease outbreak.
- Diseases are harder to treat in the display tank since meds must be reef and biofilter-safe.
Cons:
- A 2nd tank takes up space
- Arguably, a disease outbreak is less likely than for the fish to stress out and die during quarantine
Other considerations:
- How much should I trust my LFS to do their due diligence?
- Is a UV sterilizer an effective way to "put the toothpaste back in the tube" if the worst happens?
- Budget isn't a huge concern, since I might be able to set one up for about $50