Do you have a QT tank?

[commod0re]

Thank you for your view. I haven't actually noticed another active thread discussing QT so if possible could you send the link to it?

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/w...l-genuinely-curious-what-others-think.1109461

It’s on the front page right now, it’s such an active thread that I haven’t seen it leave the front page for the past several days lol

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I'm curious where everyone stands on quarantine tanks these days.

How many of you actually run a dedicated QT for every fish?

It seems like quarantine is one of the most debated topics in the hobby. Some hobbyists won't let a fish anywhere near their display without a full QT and prophylactic treatment, while others have had great success simply observing healthy fish, buying from trusted vendors, or accepting that diseases are part of maintaining a marine aquarium.

For those who quarantine:

• Do you medicate every fish prophylactically, or only treat if symptoms appear?
• What diseases are you treating for (ich, velvet, flukes, etc.)?
• Has QT saved your display from an outbreak?

For those who don't quarantine:

• Why not?
• Have you had good luck over the years, or have you dealt with major losses?
• Do you rely on observation, trusted sources, or another approach?

I've experienced both sides of the debate, and after dealing with disease in my own system it's made me rethink my process. I'm interested in hearing everyone's experiences—whether you're firmly pro-QT, against it, or somewhere in the middle.

Let's keep it respectful. There are a lot of successful reefers on both sides of this discussion, and I'm hoping to hear the reasoning behind different approaches rather than turn it into another "QT vs. no QT" argument.

I'll be honest, I haven't personally run a quarantine tank in the past.

I recently dealt with an ich outbreak that started with a dogface puffer. He had been at the shop for close to a month and looked perfectly healthy the entire time. However, on the day I brought him home, he first had to be moved to another system so the original system could be deep cleaned. Later that same day, I took him home and introduced him to my display.

My theory is that the combination of being moved twice in one day, along with some initial aggression from my tangs during the first hour or so after introduction, stressed him enough for ich to become apparent. My understanding is that ich is not something you can really quarantine for as it seems to be a stress related issue where it can develop if a fish is extremely stressed. To my understanding, there is no such thing as an ich free tank unless everything in the system has been through a full copper treatment including any rock, sand, corals, and invertebrates as all of them can carry it but unfortunately this isn't exactly possible.

My mom isn't convinced that's what happened and thinks the outbreak was caused by something else, so I'm curious what everyone else thinks.

Have any of you experienced a fish that appeared completely healthy for weeks, only to show signs of ich immediately after a particularly stressful move? Or do you think I'm connecting dots that aren't necessarily related?

I'm interested in hearing different perspectives because this experience has definitely gotten me into the QT process and the more medical side of the reefing hobby that I have not dwelled in very much.

I qt every fish, but I outsource it to more knowledgeable folks on what is needed for what fish. I get my qt fish from Dr Reef.

 

[BryanM]

For those who don't quarantine:

• Why not?
• Have you had good luck over the years, or have you dealt with major losses?
• Do you rely on observation, trusted sources, or another approach?

Inconvenient to run for me.

Very good luck, no fish diseases. Some odd fish losses that just came out of the blue, my goldflake angel died, when seemingly acting fine (I saw him swimming normally an hour prior). And I woke up about a month ago to a dead clownfish sleeping in my zoas. Both cases though neither my wife or I noticed any strange behaviors.

Truthfully in the first year I just got lucky. I bought some fish from two LFSes, some online. Now I do have a very trusted source, and the fish that I have recently added came from tank breakdowns that their company has serviced for years.

 

[Mahi51212]

I do not have a QT because I do not have the room. I only purchase my fish from my local fish store who I personally know that is QT their fish for minimum 2 weeks before they will sell the fish. If i did not have this option then yes I would have a QT tank but would have to be really really small but I am only running a 40gal cube so not getting that big of fish that a large QT would be necessary for me.

 

[exnisstech]

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/w...l-genuinely-curious-what-others-think.1109461

It’s on the front page right now, it’s such an active thread that I haven’t seen it leave the front page for the past several days lol

I already linked it but my dead horse gif may have been frowned upon. Such is life.

 

[keagan]

I never QT'd with my old system and I got lucky I only ever lost one fish over the course of 5 years or so*. Then lost everything to a power outage anyway so mabey my luck isn't that good.

I'm seriously debating pros and cons because I'm starting from scratch now. But it seems pointless to me to start one because I can't buy medication (laws changed in Canada only vets can give out most medications no more over the counter fish meds). I suppose minimizing losses by not introducing said pathogen to my display but say I end up with a sick but not dying fish what do I do? Observe it's decline? It's a difficult decision without the choice to medicate the fish.

*Not counting the mummichogs I stupidly added to my reef or my experiments with guppies at reef salinity*

 

[commod0re]

I never QT'd with my old system and I got lucky I only ever lost one fish over the course of 5 years or so. Then lost everything to a power outage anyway so mabey my luck isn't that good.

I'm seriously debating pros and cons because I'm starting from scratch now. But it seems pointless to me to start one because I can't buy medication (laws changed in Canada only vets can give out most medications no more over the counter fish meds). I suppose minimizing losses by not introducing said pathogen to my display but say I end up with a sick but not dying fish what do I do? Observe it's decline? It's a difficult decision without the choice to medicate the fish.

suggestion: look into Tank Transfer Method (TTM) as a way to implement quarantine without medication

 

[fish_collector]

What's with the hostility? We should all be mature here and its funny that you mention that "the only thing it accomplishes is soured attitudes towards one another" considering that you have been the only one to cause "soured attitudes". The others who have responded to the thread have simply told me their perspective on it, nowhere do I see a soured attitude except your hostile attack. I believe I recognize your name from a few other threads where you have done similar stuff of being hateful for some reason. I don't know if its just your attitude or what but I can personally say that nobody likes it.
As for your "questions" I have 0 obligation to answer them as I have already answered them in the third message, I was unfortunately busy last night and couldn't take the time to write a large, indepth thread starter so I gave ChatGPT about 100-200 words of points to hit and the structure I wished for the thread starter to be written in so the thread could go in depth as it needed to but still allowing me to accomplish the other things I needed to tend to last night. Not all of us can be keyboard warriors.

How am I being hostile?

I asked if your search function worked. That’s just a question.

I asked why one would use AI to compose a thread intro. I’m not the one who accused you of it, you admitted it when you were called out on it. It seems the majority here don’t like to read posts authored by AI including myself.

And yes the QT topic just just causes members to quarrel and always ends in a sour attitude amongst us. It’s been beat to death a hundred times in the past, and the pros and cons are easily searched for.

And I missed the board meeting where you were elected as the forum spokesperson. If as you say a lot of the members don’t like my sour posts they can add me to their ignore list, that’s what it’s for. I’m not going to lose any sleep over it.

I, in fact, contribute a lot of positive and helpful posts to this forum. I spend hours responding to threads in an attempt to help people out. Sometimes I go out of my way to contribute to threads and someone gets upset with my post, and with that I don’t know what else to say. I call things as I see them, I don’t sugar coat what I say, I admit my material was wrong if someone proves it to be the case, I apologize when necessary. In the case of this thread I’m not going to apologize as I’ve not said anything wrong.

If you want to, contact one of the admins and file a complaint against me.

Have a good day sir

 

[commod0re]

fwiw the reaction to AI is because many/most people are here specifically to talk to other people and if you make posts with AI then we're not really talking to you, we're talking to a robot and if I'm gonna talk to a robot I can just go to the robot myself directly. Be brave and human! most of us don't bite (hard)

 

[PPBlimpy]

never have ran a QT tank. i know the risk and don't have the patience for one.

 

[Bucrob]

I already linked it but my dead horse gif may have been frowned upon. Such is life.

I didn’t realize that was the same thread he was talking about. You’re fine lol, fish collector is the only frowned upon one here

 

[Bucrob]

fwiw the reaction to AI is because many/most people are here specifically to talk to other people and if you make posts with AI then we're not really talking to you, we're talking to a robot and if I'm gonna talk to a robot I can just go to the robot myself directly. Be brave and human! most of us don't bite (hard)

I know I just didn’t have the time to make it in depth enough to cover everything whilst still sounding… what’s the word… coherent. All my other responses have been home grown just the thread starter was AI as I didn’t have time last night but wanted to get the thread up.

 

[Bucrob]

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/w...l-genuinely-curious-what-others-think.1109461

It’s on the front page right now, it’s such an active thread that I haven’t seen it leave the front page for the past several days lol

When I looked at that thread when it was linked earlier I didn’t fully get to read through it and I could have sworn it was in like 2025

 

[LeftyReefer]

using a cycled QT tank is key... makes the whole process sooooo much easier.

having to monitor ammonia and do water changes every day is what makes it difficult, all while trying to maintain proper medication levels.... Ammonia not being an issue and eliminating the need for (most) water changes makes it a LOT easier of a process, both on the fish and the fish keeper.

 

[exnisstech]

When I looked at that thread when it was linked earlier I didn’t fully get to read through it and I could have sworn it was in like 2025

Things haven't changed that much so info from 2025 would still be reliable I think lol.
I'll drop how I like to do things in this thread too. Maybe someone will find the info helpful.
Quote because I type slow

Not a single fish in my 330g has been through a medicated QT. None of my fish have been around as long as many posting here. The oldest is a naso at 10 years and a purple tang at 9 years. For me QT is risky because i do something wrong and fish die. I do observation for a minimum 30 days or longer and fish don't die so it's a simple decision for me.
I think risk is very different for each individual. What appears to be a risk to one person can be perfectly normal for someone else. Risk is more of an emotional decision than a concrete right or wrong. JMO and everyone is free to QT or not QT I don't care either way. I think it's risky to feed dogs kibble because its processed crap so I feed 100% raw meat organs and bones. People think I'm taking a risk feeding raw meat.

Not a recommendation but I've been through velvet and still don't medicate in QT. Everyone should if they feel the need. I do observation and only medicate if I see symptoms. My reason is because I lost more fish mysteriously (unknown to me reasons) in copper QT than I lost in the velvet outbreak. Probably something I was doing wrong but I just got tired of killing fish so I stopped medicating. I have not lost a fish in observation since I stopped medicating several years ago.

Naso, purple and convict are all survivors of velvet that was introduced because I unknowingly bought a fish that was being kept in 1.015 salinty.

One of my observation tanks. Could be my imagination but fish seem less stressed than they do in with a few pieces of bright white PVC.

As far as fish selection I do not buy fish I can't see in person. I never buy a fish because i feel sorry for it and want to save it. Kudos to those that do but I see it as setting myself up for failure. I do not buy from tanks running low salinty and or low level copper and try to only buy fish being housed with coral and or inverts to make sure. I've been known to take a salinty checker and test tank water at the store
PS. i think careful selection of fish is the most important step that gets overlooked by many because so many are purchased online.

 

[commod0re]

I know I just didn’t have the time to make it in depth enough to cover everything whilst still sounding… what’s the word… coherent. All my other responses have been home grown just the thread starter was AI as I didn’t have time last night but wanted to get the thread up.

why the rush? you getting paid per thread or something?
Just kidding, but it’s okay for things to take time

 

[vlangel]

Things haven't changed that much so info from 2025 would still be reliable I think lol.
I'll drop how I like to do things in this thread too. Maybe someone will find the info helpful.
Quote because I type slow







As far as fish selection I do not buy fish I can't see in person. I never buy a fish because i feel sorry for it and want to save it. Kudos to those that do but I see it as setting myself up for failure. I do not buy from tanks running low salinty and or low level copper and try to only buy fish being housed with coral and or inverts to make sure. I've been known to take a salinty checker and test tank water at the store
PS. i think careful selection of fish is the most important step that gets overlooked by many because so many are purchased online.

exnisstech's method is pretty much where I have landed as far as introducing new fish.
I also tried TTM but I was killing more fish than I was saving because there were too many factors for me to keep track of and I would inevitably miss something. So I decided that method was not for me. However, there are aquarists that I deeply respect who successfully use that method.

My QT is not a sterile environment, it is merely a smaller reef with rock, sand and fake plants. New fish can be observed to make sure they are eating and behaving normally. If they seem to be fighting disease, then I need to decide whether medication is the best route, or just watch and see what develops; but at least I have not added a full blown disease issue to my display tank.

Also because I like to add fish to the display in multiples, I only use the QT on occasion. After fish have been added to the display, I can do a water change and let the QT go fallow for months.

 

[Kooma]

I'm curious where everyone stands on quarantine tanks these days.

How many of you actually run a dedicated QT for every fish?

It seems like quarantine is one of the most debated topics in the hobby. Some hobbyists won't let a fish anywhere near their display without a full QT and prophylactic treatment, while others have had great success simply observing healthy fish, buying from trusted vendors, or accepting that diseases are part of maintaining a marine aquarium.

For those who quarantine:

• Do you medicate every fish prophylactically, or only treat if symptoms appear?
• What diseases are you treating for (ich, velvet, flukes, etc.)?
• Has QT saved your display from an outbreak?

For those who don't quarantine:

• Why not?
• Have you had good luck over the years, or have you dealt with major losses?
• Do you rely on observation, trusted sources, or another approach?

I've experienced both sides of the debate, and after dealing with disease in my own system it's made me rethink my process. I'm interested in hearing everyone's experiences—whether you're firmly pro-QT, against it, or somewhere in the middle.

Let's keep it respectful. There are a lot of successful reefers on both sides of this discussion, and I'm hoping to hear the reasoning behind different approaches rather than turn it into another "QT vs. no QT" argument.

I'll be honest, I haven't personally run a quarantine tank in the past.

I recently dealt with an ich outbreak that started with a dogface puffer. He had been at the shop for close to a month and looked perfectly healthy the entire time. However, on the day I brought him home, he first had to be moved to another system so the original system could be deep cleaned. Later that same day, I took him home and introduced him to my display.

My theory is that the combination of being moved twice in one day, along with some initial aggression from my tangs during the first hour or so after introduction, stressed him enough for ich to become apparent. My understanding is that ich is not something you can really quarantine for as it seems to be a stress related issue where it can develop if a fish is extremely stressed. To my understanding, there is no such thing as an ich free tank unless everything in the system has been through a full copper treatment including any rock, sand, corals, and invertebrates as all of them can carry it but unfortunately this isn't exactly possible.

My mom isn't convinced that's what happened and thinks the outbreak was caused by something else, so I'm curious what everyone else thinks.

Have any of you experienced a fish that appeared completely healthy for weeks, only to show signs of ich immediately after a particularly stressful move? Or do you think I'm connecting dots that aren't necessarily related?

I'm interested in hearing different perspectives because this experience has definitely gotten me into the QT process and the more medical side of the reefing hobby that I have not dwelled in very much.

I have a 65 gallon system for hospital and QT use. Everything I get goes through copper, not all go through prazi or others though. I’ve found it useful to have, I usually keep it empty and ready with all the needed equipment staged as if I am about to fill it. I’ve had to set it up in a hurry before on a fish rescue from a LFS, and it comes in handy if one of my tangs gets an infection or something.

I never used to, and with a small tank under 90 gallons, don’t think I would bother. With over a dozen fish and 300 gallons, I QT everything.

 

[Subsea]

I feel like this is a standpoint I take, I don't usually buy the fish unless it has been in the shop for 2-3 weeks and I go to the shop very frequently allowing me to consistently check on the health of the fish. As for the dogface, he had been in the shop for a month however I think the stress from the double moved combined with some tang aggression just stressed him to the point where he developed ich.
The perspective that a medicated quarantine is just going to stress them more is the concept I have been trying to push to my mom (she assists with the tanks from time to time and has tanks of her own) however her good friend who is a college professor for marine biology and has been successful keeping numerous tanks told her that he always does a full treatment so now she wants to listen to him...

Aside from fatalities from quarantine & pathogens, captive reef tanks have other dangers: power loss & reef inhabitants.

Three weeks ago, I lost every fish in 30 yr system due to shredded BTA that killed Sea Apple who nuked the tank. Went to bed with happy fish and woke with all dead fish. No damage to corals, filter feeders, pods, snails hermit crabs or micro starfish.

 

[vlangel]

Aside from fatalities from quarantine & pathogens, captive reef tanks have other dangers: power loss & reef inhabitants.

Three weeks ago, I lost every fish in 30 yr system due to shredded BTA that killed Sea Apple who nuked the tank. Went to bed with happy fish and woke with all dead fish. No damage to corals, filter feeders, pods, snails hermit crabs or micro starfish.

Yes so true Patrick, even the most dedicated vigilant aquarist cant guard against every possible tragedy. Unforeseen things happen to all of us including our aquariums.
In this world you will have tribulation, be of good cheer I have overcome the world. John 16:33