Drawbacks to Buying Quarantined Fish?

[OnePuffMan]

I am planning to buy some pre-quarantined fish but wanted to know if there are any drawbacks vs. self-quarantine (which I do not like). I know one of the quarantining benefits is that fish can get used to the food and schedule I have.

Am I being overly concerned or is there a legitimate worry about dropping a QT'd fish into my display and it struggling due to no "conditioning"?

 

[Atherial]

I've only bought fish that were quarantined at my LFS and added them directly to the display. I've had no problems.

 

[landlubber]

I am planning to buy some pre-quarantined fish but wanted to know if there are any drawbacks vs. self-quarantine (which I do not like). I know one of the quarantining benefits is that fish can get used to the food and schedule I have.

Am I being overly concerned or is there a legitimate worry about dropping a QT'd fish into my display and it struggling due to no "conditioning"?

you're just adding another layer of insurance that you're moving fish with a clean bill of health into your system. fish don't need "conditioning" in the form of exposure to disease to toughen them up. In fact i'd guess most expire if they contract something which is why QT exists.

 

[anthonymckay]

Another thing to keep in mind is "What is the store's QT process?" Just isolation? Parasite treatment? Deworming? What is the length of QT time? etc. Some shops just simply put fish in tanks away from their display tank for a week and then sell them as QT'd. They may still have parasites/disease at that point and it just hasn't manifested itself yet. Make sure you're familiar with what they define as "quarantined" as there is no industry standard.

 

[Siberwulf]

I love getting my fish QT'd for me. Saves a headache, space and risk of me accidentally killing them. It does take a bit longer to get that pretty fish sometimes...

 

[OnePuffMan]

Another thing to keep in mind is "What is the store's QT process?" Just isolation? Parasite treatment? Deworming? What is the length of QT time? etc. Some shops just simply put fish in tanks away from their display tank for a week and then sell them as QT'd. They may still have parasites/disease at that point and it just hasn't manifested itself yet. Make sure you're familiar with what they define as "quarantined" as there is no industry standard.

Getting it from a place that does the works: copper, prazipro, bezaprole, etc. I'm not worried about disease, I'm worried about adjustment.

 

[MischiefReef]

I am planning to buy some pre-quarantined fish but wanted to know if there are any drawbacks vs. self-quarantine (which I do not like). I know one of the quarantining benefits is that fish can get used to the food and schedule I have.

Am I being overly concerned or is there a legitimate worry about dropping a QT'd fish into my display and it struggling due to no "conditioning"?

I would honestly say there are almost no drawbacks I can think of!
From the perspective of your tank inhabitants it is better for their health.
From the perspective of your wallet, we often like to think that we can do the quarantine process ourselves at less expense, however when you factor in everything: set up, break down, time maintaining and caring for QT tank. I think the little extra paid for QT fish from a reputable QT supplier is actually about the same.

 

[Coralsdaily]

I have personally enjoyed partnerships with some of the pre-conditioned/QT-d fish venders. For the most part they worked out well, but occassionally you'd still come with specimens who transitions poorly, mainly on diet, not so much in disease. The most important thing I guess is to have an open and transparent conversation with the vendors on all of their QT processes, medications, food they feed, and all other key parameters of the water to ensure a smooth transition. Some venders would treat all fish with standard bath for 3 weeks and call it "QT-d", while others will provide targeted meds based on individual species and where they were imported from. Not to say you won't have success with the ones who does general bath, but I'd personally not consider these fully quarantined as they might not come with ich, but could still have specific bacteria, fungi, or parasites that copper doesn't treat. just thoughts for food.

 

[OrionN]

Each vendor is different as to how they keep their fish prior to sell.
What to do with our fish depends on what they went through. "QT" process will add a lot to the cost of the fish. Sometimes it worth it, especially with certain species (of course it is all depends on what was done), other times it is just a gimmick of the seller.
You just need to find out what was done to or for the fish and decide rom there.