And now for something completely different.

atoll

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Here is my controversial take on quarantining fish.

Simply put, I don't. and I have never had a single serious outbreak of disease in the last 25 years in an of m tanks. Yes, I know some of you will be sick of hearing it but it's true and I tell no lies.
Now I would never suggest people should follow my example. I have been accused of putting my fish at risk, threatening my whole tank, being very lucky and being mad ... well, the last one is only partially true and I have a letter from my shrink to prove I am clinically sane.:eyepop:;Wacky

So how do I believe I have managed to keep nasty white spot and other ailments from wiping out my fish?

Well let me state that I have experienced bad outbreaks of WS in the past but that was over 25 years ago and when I was not practicing what I am now. I started out in marines 36 years ago and keeping marines then was so much different than today as you probably know. No interweb, limited TV (good thing right?) poor information yes that's still around as well. Y0u could still watch Miss World on TV (UK) and go to watch football (soccer to you) for a few quid/dollars at most but I digress.

There is no one thing I do that I can point to, however, to suggest there is one main reason why my tanks stay disease-free. All I believe work together in unison to the benefit of the whole tank. I am certain as much I can be that I have introduced WS into my tanks on more than one occasion. EG I have seen a couple of spots on a Royal gramma I introduced a few months ago. The RG flicked against the rocks at the irritation being caused by these few spots. I hasten to add the fish showed no sign of the spots in the LFS before I purchase it. Within 48 hours the fish was clean and no other fish showed signs of the spots at any time.

Back to the matter at hand and how I seem to successfully keep my tanks (I have had 10 or 11 in the last 36 years) free of any major outbreak of disease.

So this is what I do.

1/Study any potential purchase for quite some time (note to self this does not always work as above) discard any not looking 100%
2/Ensure any potential purchase is feeding OK.
3/Keep good water quality.
4/ Consider the environment you are creating in your tank ( this is quite a long subject in itself)
5/ Buy fish compatible with existing stock.
6/ Buy fish in pairs groups etc as they would be found on the reef whenever possible.
7/ I don't buy large fish ... small fish large tank I believe is the way to go.
8/ Feed at least 3 often 4 times a day.
9/ I make some of my own foods and feed a very varied diet.
10/ I add fish oil to my foods.
11/ I run Oxydators (don't you just hate it when people give you exactly 10 reasons and not 9 or 11?)
12/ I try to create water flow as much as is reasonably possible and as found on the reef.
I may have missed one or two things out from the above but being an old salty you can forgive me for that. :sherlock:
I am not suggesting you follow me, god forbid as it may not work for you (not sure why it wouldn't do and maybe you have to be slightly mad like me which I am sure helps .... harrr yes
13/ Unlucky for some. Be ever so much slightly (or more) MAD. :roto2gaydude::mad:
 

Donovan Joannes

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A boat with few holes and very stable in the water. ;) IMO you should consider Oxydators they help a lot with the likes of WS etc in the tank as well as improving water quality.

With a few holes on my pocket, another piece of equipment is not an option. I am using a small bag of GAC in the sump for now.
 
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atoll

atoll

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With a few holes on my pocket, another piece of equipment is not an option. I am using a small bag of GAC in the sump for now.
Well, there are some similarities between the use of an Oxydator and using GAC. EG both will help keep clear water not a lot else, however.
 

Donovan Joannes

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Well, there are some similarities between the use of an Oxydator and using GAC. EG both will help keep clear water not a lot else, however.

Yeah man. So far so good. Water clarity is acceptable, and it removes some organic as well.
 

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I dont think its good to think of quarantining as a process/philosophy that exclusively focuses on fish disease. It's much more nuanced than that and has a multitude of other benefits unrelated to keeping ich out of a display.

For starters, educating someone in quarantining and getting them to do it causes them to be much more thoughtful about this hobby and their aquarium. An active quarantine protocol and the knowledge required to be successful with it help to teach people about disease. What does it look like? How does it normally occur and what chain or symptoms can you expect? What is the best method for treating it?

Disease aside it improves husbandry. It encourages the hobbyist to observe the fish. Note it's behavior, it's coloring or appearance, note whether it eats, how it interacts with others etc. This gives the hobbyist more insight into the fish and what is normal or erratic behavior.

Proper quarantine protocol should also inhibit impulsive purchases. The need to research a fish, what it eats, what it's likely to be afflicted with, what fish can it coexist with, how large does it get, etc.

All of this will undoubtedly provide better tools for long term success in the hobby. Your list of how to keep fish healthy is great and it apparently works for you, but the majority of that list is not something someone new in this hobby can do. It's information you've accumulated over 20 years and very unlikely to be replicated with the same success.
 

brandon429

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for me the method to use is simple: if quarantining can be shown to have a nonvariable outcome for the diseases we most freq encounter, 76 covers them all (?) then its universally the right way to go unless there's a direct benefit to taking the known risk

use a blend; qt your fish, and treat them this ideal after the fact.

To me one is a guaranteed safe method for all reefs, and one is the ideal outcome for only the select few but when attained, its an ideal balance ecosystem

In all fairness the notion isn't unpromoted; Eric Borneman wrote similar assertions in his cycling threads on old reefcentral articles. About how arrangements of the tank and maturation directly give him no ich and disease issues, that methodology cannot be discounted, the masters used it for a long time.

its about corralling outcomes nowadays IMO

everyone tried to emulate what the masters did in those decades, but they got a bunch of crypto and velvet in the process it seems, enter QT, same outcome for everyone. I do believe you, Paul, Eric et al and anyone with good time and finesse under the belt can run things this way not a prob
 
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atoll

atoll

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I dont think its good to think of quarantining as a process/philosophy that exclusively focuses on fish disease. It's much more nuanced than that and has a multitude of other benefits unrelated to keeping ich out of a display.

For starters, educating someone in quarantining and getting them to do it causes them to be much more thoughtful about this hobby and their aquarium. An active quarantine protocol and the knowledge required to be successful with it help to teach people about disease. What does it look like? How does it normally occur and what chain or symptoms can you expect? What is the best method for treating it?

Disease aside it improves husbandry. It encourages the hobbyist to observe the fish. Note it's behavior, it's coloring or appearance, note whether it eats, how it interacts with others etc. This gives the hobbyist more insight into the fish and what is normal or erratic behavior.

Proper quarantine protocol should also inhibit impulsive purchases. The need to research a fish, what it eats, what it's likely to be afflicted with, what fish can it coexist with, how large does it get, etc.

All of this will undoubtedly provide better tools for long term success in the hobby. Your list of how to keep fish healthy is great and it apparently works for you, but the majority of that list is not something someone new in this hobby can do. It's information you've accumulated over 20 years and very unlikely to be replicated with the same success.

Like I say I don't recommend it for everyone but at the same time, I don't see why it should not work for them. There can be no apparent about it, 25 years and about 11 tanks later with a multitude of fish of different species leaves little by chance. I call 25 years doing the same if not similar things and ways long term.

All my fish are healthy, most spawn and live long lives and the health of them is a testament to my methods. Sure you can't give somebody experience but apart from observation of fish in the LFS then the rest as you say is little new apart from one or two things most don't seem to know about or use. I would never say "take up your crutch and walk" to a newbie in this hobby and yes learn to walk before you run. No snake oil used here or divine method.

I have some delicate fish in my reef tank EG Multibar Angelfish (Paracentropyge multifasciata) and a small Regal Angelfish (Pygoplites diacanthus) but I also have damsels and clown fish amongst many others. Some might suggest what I do is difficult to replicate but I am not sure why. My disease control is as in my first post on the thread and it has stood me and my fish in good stead all this time. However, there is more than one way to skin a cat and my methods are more akin to Paul B on here than most others.

I have no issue with those who quarantine, use UV and or add medication, however, some of which I believe adds to the stress of a fish as it's their choice and it often works, I come from more natural thinking methods IMO. I get my new fish in the DT within an hour of equalizing water temperature with the bag.
Of course, these are just my opinions and experience others will naturally differ.
 

A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

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