Back in the 80s never quarantined fish. Amazing luck I would say. Tangs to angels and everything in between. Fast forward 2017, bit me in the tank. Velvet wipe out changed my whole outlook. QT every fish for ever how long it takes.
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Quite possibly the best decision you will ever make and never know.Over 25 years or so of keeping saltwater fish and corals I have never quarantined, and never had a problem. I consider that extremely lucky and after a couple months of reading all the threads online of people loosing $1000s on fish and coral due to one fish or infected coral plug, I'm going to start.
I haven't bought a new fish, or lost one, in four years, but I plan to get some new fish next month. I already bought two QT tanks, I'm stocking up on test kits and medications, and reading all the threads on QT practices...So this first round will be a learning experience...
How long do you keep them in the qt if they look healthyQT fish, no meds/observe only. Meds only if issues arise. Currently no QT for corals/inverts.
2-3 weeksHow long do you keep them in the qt if they look healthy
You’ve got fish already that have not been through qt. So you can prevent further disease from coming in by putting new fish through qt but isn’t there a good possibility that your current fish already have something and just haven’t showed symptoms?Over 25 years or so of keeping saltwater fish and corals I have never quarantined, and never had a problem. I consider that extremely lucky and after a couple months of reading all the threads online of people loosing $1000s on fish and coral due to one fish or infected coral plug, I'm going to start.
I haven't bought a new fish, or lost one, in four years, but I plan to get some new fish next month. I already bought two QT tanks, I'm stocking up on test kits and medications, and reading all the threads on QT practices...So this first round will be a learning experience...
You’ve got fish already that have not been through qt. So you can prevent further disease from coming in by putting new fish through qt but isn’t there a good possibility that your current fish already have something and just haven’t showed symptoms?
You’ve got fish already that have not been through qt. So you can prevent further disease from coming in by putting new fish through qt but isn’t there a good possibility that your current fish already have something and just haven’t showed symptoms?
I agree and I've heard about this. I do question the soundness of the study/logic a bit, while it's possible I am sure and I am no biologist -- I know how nasty these parasites are and how they can survive some insane things so I have trouble mentally accepting that this theory would work.Even if he did have a parasite that he was managing (usually ich, most others aren’t managed effectively, for that long anyway) 4 years is a substantial time to go without adding to the genetic pool for that parasite. It has been said that ich can live for up to four years without the introduction of a new ich strain- meaning eventually if you aren’t adding new parasites, the existing ones will start to fizzle out... naturally.
There’s a good chance that even if you were managing ich at one point... with 4 years of no new additions, it would not be present now. If someone is managing ich actively, I’d still recommend QT so that they aren’t bringing in new strains to refresh the gene pool, or worse- velvet, brook, or uronema.
You are doing a fine job sir, I didn't do anything!I used to observational qt only. And then got lazy. And my tank got hit. But special thanks to @HotRocks and @4FordFamily who have been coaching me through the entire process. With their help I was able to avoid losing any fish due to velvet with exception to the fish that brought the disease into the tank. But with their help I got all the meds I needed, got the qt tank setup and copper dosed. My fish are alive and well now. Thanks @HotRocks and @4FordFamily!!
I agree and I've heard about this. I do question the soundness of the study/logic a bit, while it's possible I am sure and I am no biologist -- I know how nasty these parasites are and how they can survive some insane things so I have trouble mentally accepting that this theory would work.
However, if anything wet was added to the tank (rock, coral, etc) there is a GREAT chance that new strains were added to the tank. I struggle with believing any of us could go four years without any wet additions to the tank! LOL! I cannot go a month!
Agree 100%!This is true, I mean... I’ve gone a few months at a time without adding anything but at the very least I have to replenish the CUC at some point...
I guess my biggest point, wasn’t that you could “wait it out”; but that even if you’ve never QT’d before or you’ve come down with ich and for whatever reason decided to just manage it... it’s still a good idea to QT moving forward. Yes, new fish might get ich when you add them... and they might die, or might not. But, you definitely don’t want them to bring in more or worse, velvet can quickly turn a managed tank into a graveyard...