Geez this is pretty much a horror story....sorry to hear that. Yikes.
Am I Dumb, NO QT fish?
- Thread starter shrive81
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mottomegl
Community Member
I just up graded to a 1 red sea 750 from having from having three tanks so i but everything into one big tank on December 3 noticed about a week there was a issue and today noticed the ich getting worse on one tang so decided tomorrow to setup a 100 gallon qt tank and remove like 13 fish into qt for 6 weeks and afterwards leave qt running cause everything will be qt from now on spent to much on new setup and spend to much on fish so I believe now that fish should be qt easier to watch them before going in display tank plus can treat if there is a issue and can’t do that in display cause of all the coral
If you can't afford to pay for QT fish, then you probably can't afford to replace them all if they get wiped out by velvet or such. Some people do get out of the hobby after a tank wipe out.
My tank's fish were just observed and treated lightly for some parasites like flukes so my tank is not disease free and still going strong... but three people I know lost almost all or part of their tanks to velvet. Their fish were fed a healthy diet and treated no worse than mine, in fact they had bigger tanks and probably lower stress yet they had big losses. It definitely comes with risks and simply feeding well and picking healthy looking fish is absolutely no guarantee of anything.
Back in my fish only days, I never QTd any fish because it was no big deal to medicate the main tank. But times have changed and today I try to QT everything before it goes in the main tank (at the very least, I use safety stop dips). I also believe that the increased popularity of the hobby has led to livestock supplies that are more commonly ill than they were some 15-20 years ago.
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Mywifeisgunnakillme
Valuable Member
Quarantine your fish, even if you have to add one at a time to your display. You can set up a ten gallon QT for a couple hundred dollars with meds and testing equipment. I'd never go any other way again.
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kyowang
Active Member
I was beginner I don’t know I have to quarantined a fish i start 200gallon tank I just pull water in and salt And third day I pull fish in there they look ok so I keep buying fish every week I pull about 36 fish in there two week later one of the fish have white spot . So I google it. Is ich And all my other fish get ich just few day I don’t know how to treat the fish they all gone . Now I learn from my mistakes
robby2782
Well-Known Member
There is a very high turnover rate in the hobby thanks to the non-quarantine attitude, and it's very sad for the hobby. Those that say they keep their fish healthy so they stay immune to diseases haven't had velvet introduced to their system. My advice to any newcomer would be to quarantine anything you put in your system to save yourself the devastation of introducing a disease that will wipe out your tank.
Damon Jensen
Active Member
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QT, it will save you in the long run. I have QT and hospital. Lost over $1000 in very cool fish last year and had to go follow.
Patience is worth it
Patience is worth it
NurseYoyo203
New Member
How do we know these places are actually QT'ing these fish?
Yah it sucks when it happens. Sounds like you probably had velvet as it is a fast killer. I imagine ammonia could also be a problem if you put 36 fish in two weeks.
There are pictures and information on another forum of his set up although I believe he is a sponsor here also. I don’t feel this person is being deceitful. Humblefish backs him.
PicassoClown04
5000 Club Member
Pictures, video, guarantees, he’s very responsive and whatever you need from him in terms of verification of QT he is happy to give
Reefer1485
Active Member
Yes!! He is awesome and that is we’re I am getting my fish from.
NurseYoyo203
New Member
No pun intended, I've actually never heard of QT'd fish for purchase until I read that post. Thanks for the clarification.
xxkenny90xx
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No qt here, it's just not practical (or wanted) in my apartment.
My 112g reef is 10 yrs old now and probably half of the fish I've ever bought were from petco (sorry if the P word is a bad word on R2R
. Some of them have been sick from various diseases and died within a day or two of getting them, but they never infect my healthy fish. I've even read from a mod on here that it's impossible to keep a powder blue tang long term in an ick tank. Well he should come over some time and see how old and healthy mine is.
Live rock, diverse bacteria, fresh seafood, and a stress-free tank are the way to go
Qt is fish torture, there I said it...
My 112g reef is 10 yrs old now and probably half of the fish I've ever bought were from petco (sorry if the P word is a bad word on R2R
. Some of them have been sick from various diseases and died within a day or two of getting them, but they never infect my healthy fish. I've even read from a mod on here that it's impossible to keep a powder blue tang long term in an ick tank. Well he should come over some time and see how old and healthy mine is. Live rock, diverse bacteria, fresh seafood, and a stress-free tank are the way to go
Qt is fish torture, there I said it...
PicassoClown04
5000 Club Member
I agree with you about the ick, but I have had new fish infect my existing healthy fish with velvet, flukes, intestinal worms, etc. This is why I like a QT or at least observation period. Ick I feel is part of the reef environment and won’t affect or harm healthy fish in any way but the other diseases are more serious and must be contained and treated appropriately.No qt here, it's just not practical (or wanted) in my apartment.
My 112g reef is 10 yrs old now and probably half of the fish I've ever bought were from petco (sorry if the P word is a bad word on R2R
Live rock, diverse bacteria, fresh seafood, and a stress-free tank are the way to go
Qt is fish torture, there I said it...
I like quarantinedfish because he has a “conditioning” and a “quarantine” so I can choose how I want my fish to be cared for when it’s with him because certain species (such as lionfish and eels) should not be exposed to copper or specific medications. He is flexible in his treatment plans and respects what the buyer wants. Like for me ordering a mandarin through him is a no brainer because he’ll get them feeding on frozen during a qt or conditioning service but for half the price of a captive bred one. I can have him qt a pair of angels together so they can be bonded by the time I get them, and I can ask for any fish I want because he orders directly from wholesalers and a lot of the time his prices are lower than LA’s even with a qt/conditioning service. I love what he’s doing for our community, and I feel that his service is a solution for people like me who want the best for our pets but don’t have the means to qt ourselves.
I’m happy to pay $140 for a fully quarantined fathead anthias from QT fish than $199.99 for one off divers den (you can fact check me on that, I just looked up those prices). To me, it’s just the smart thing to do for the health and safety of your fish and it prevents unnecessary death caused by the spread of disease through the tank. 10/10 guy and I’ll order from him again and again
robby2782
Well-Known Member
Ich is not as big of a deal in a healthy system, but when you introduce flukes or velvet into your tank on an unlucky purchase, the "healthy fish" argument doesn't matter. I know of people including myself that got away without quarantining for over a decade, but I far more people that haven't. A 20 gallon quarantine tank doesn't take up that much space, and with exception of certain wrasse and anthias, I'd argue your chances of long term success are dramatically increased even with finicky eaters that need that isolation period to adapt to prepared foods, and to adjust to captivity.
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