For those that don't quarantine fish or corals.....mitigation?

[revhtree]

This could be a great conversation!

Let's be honest here. I would imagine that most hobbyists don't quarantine (QT) livestock, fish or corals. If I were to guess I would say somewhere around 80/20. Is quarantining livestock a good thing to do, HECK YES! But that's not this discussion is about.

So for those of you that don't QT fish or corals what steps do you take to mitigate the risk, as much as possible, of infecting your tank with disease or parasites?

image via Mark Poletti

 

[SinCityRee4r]

This could be a great conversation!

Let's be honest here. I would imagine that most hobbyists don't quarantine (QT) livestock, fish or corals. If I were to guess I would say somewhere around 80/20. Is quarantining livestock a good thing to do, HECK YES! But that's not this discussion is about.

So for those of you that don't QT fish or corals what steps do you take to mitigate the risk, as much as possible, of infecting your tank with disease or parasites?

image via Mark Poletti

this is what happens when you don’t QT. I never have for the 6 years I have been in the hobby. then the unthinkable happens. I put in a cleaner wrasse who unknowingly had velvet as he was not showing any signs. This took out 10 of my 14 fish. I was able to save 4 by the time I was able to catch who was still alive. I QT all fish now for 30 days. Start with prazi. then therapeutic leaves of copper power. then observation after that. It takes a major catastrophe to happen to open your eyes. Never lost a fish other than a jumper.

I lost a powder blue, pajama cardinal, 3 stripe and yellow tail damasls, yellow tang, paired clowns, cleaner wrasse and one other

 

[road_runner]

I stopped quarantining long time ago. Never had sustained luck...I feel I end stressing out the fish more by quarantine then taking it to my system)
anecdotal I believe if system is healthy, stable and stress free for the fish(no aggressive inhabitants). Along with proper acclimation, new fish should thrive and overcome mild common issues like ich..etc.
Caveat to this is the source of the fish of course..I am assuming the source is reliable.

As for coral I never quarantine, just dip in coral rx, acclimate properly then add to display tank.

 

[bluprntguy]

Anyone that remotely pays attention to the boards can see the devastation that lack of quarantine can wreak on a system. There are a few people that are able to effectively manage diseases in their tanks, but for the vast majority of hobbyists a disease will tear through our captive systems and destroy all life.

Honestly, quarantining fish is extremely easy. Quarantining corals is a little more difficult, but a small tank, heater, light, and some live rock is really all you need.

I didn't quarantine corals in my first reef tank and I ended up tearing it down because I was tired of battling bryopsis and aiptasia that rode in on frags. I also had to tear my reef apart to catch all my fish due to velvet/ich that was transferred into my tank on a frag or snail. In my new tank I have none of those pests and it's much more enjoyable.

 

[MnFish1]

Anyone that remotely pays attention to the boards can see the devastation that lack of quarantine can wreak on a system. There are a few people that are able to effectively manage diseases in their tanks, but for the vast majority of hobbyists a disease will tear through our captive systems and destroy all life.

Honestly, quarantining fish is extremely easy. Quarantining corals is a little more difficult, but a small tank, heater, light, and some live rock is really all you need.

I didn't quarantine corals in my first reef tank and I ended up tearing it down because I was tired of battling bryopsis and aiptasia that rode in on frags. I also had to tear my reef apart to catch all my fish due to velvet/ich that was transferred into my tank on a frag or snail. In my new tank I have none of those pests and it's much more enjoyable.

I mitigate the risk. I keep a low stocking density, I buy from one trusted source. The source from which I buy fish observes fish for 2 weeks - and treats if needed. The source from which they buy is trustworthy. I ask if I can observe the fish for an additional 2 weeks in their tank (they always agree). They do not use copper (low dose - nor does their supplier). I have never had a problem since I stopped using multiple suppliers.

As to @bluprntguy 's comment - I agree with this with one exception - When you look at the statistics of 'who quarantines' and 'who doesn't (this poll is one of many) so many people don't QT that it makes many people wonder 'if its necessary'. (BTW - not QTing coral or inverts is the same as basically 'not QT'ing'). The reason you see so many posts on the disease forum (in comparison to for example a 'success' forum) is that there is no real 'success' forum to post in - and no one would read it

 

[Mattj815]

Im still new to reefing and have mixed feelings about this. Ive tried both and just know I have lost a lot more fish while going the way of QT.

My first tank I didnt really have a choice( I mean I couldve set up a cheap qt but didnt) and didnt have any issues. When I upgraded to my 40 it was suggested that my 13 gal would make a great qt. So I started using it as one. Like I said ive lost more in there than just acclimating and putting in DT. I fully understand its a gamble and its possible something bad happens one day.

As for trying to mitigate, buying from reputable sources. I live in area with quite a few choices of lfs around. Visually observe the fish, tankmates eating, behavior etc. And like others said keep a healthy stable tank as best I can.

Not a bulletproof method I know, just got tired of dead fish in my qt when they were just about ready to be getting out of there. And the ones I lost showed no signs of disease in qt. Just they were fine one day and dead the next.

 

[Sea MunnKey]

During the "newbie" stages I used to dip (never quarantine) corals because everyone suggested that it's a "must do". Fast forward to today ... I haven't done any dipping/quarantine on any of my livestocks except on odd occasions I may acclimate the bagged corals.

My concept is if the corals or fish can tough it out in my system then it can make it regardless. I haven't had any fatalities for many a years ...

 

[revhtree]

Man I am so sorry!

this is what happens when you don’t QT. I never have for the 6 years I have been in the hobby. then the unthinkable happens. I put in a cleaner wrasse who unknowingly had velvet as he was not showing any signs. This took out 10 of my 14 fish. I was able to save 4 by the time I was able to catch who was still alive. I QT all fish now for 30 days. Start with prazi. then therapeutic leaves of copper power. then observation after that. It takes a major catastrophe to happen to open your eyes. Never lost a fish other than a jumper.

I lost a powder blue, pajama cardinal, 3 stripe and yellow tail damasls, yellow tang, paired clowns, cleaner wrasse and one other

 

[madweazl]

I dont QT or dip anything but the vast majority of my corals came from a couple trusted locals. I just toss the fish in but haven't added any in over a year now.

 

[User1]

This is what I do and what works for me - mitigate.

1. Methylene blue and fresh water baths or dip (bath = 30 minutes, dip = 5 to 15 minutes)
2. Specific fish for known eating habits with regards to parasites or pets
3. Food
4. Product source

There is no right or wrong but rather what works for the hobbyist. Hopefully we do not treat fish and corals as commodities and do our best for our environment. I believe whatever we do be it mitigate or quarantine there is risk and fatalities bound to happen.

 

[Jon Fishman]

My tank likes a little "Strange" every now and then.......


I buy from the same shop for all corals and fish, although I don't really buy fish..... and I will SOMETIMES get corals from other places.

 

[cracker]

I Qt all new fish however I like to observe the fish .If it breaks out with something I'll treat .

 

[Jon Fishman]

I read to many times about people being on their 3rd + fish and they keep "not making it through quarantine"

Even if they are covered by warranty, and honestly it's not a money issue, but I don't have the time to get that many scheduled deliveries at my house..... my availability is too limited. I'd probably give up after one failed attempt.....

Shipping is a bigger risk than not quarantining in my opinion...... I know they ship to the local store, let them carry that cost.

 

[TexasReefer82]

I've never even once had a quarantine system set up in the ~10 years I've been in this hobby. Though I do not discourage anyone else from doing so!

I only buy fish from a dealer's "fish only" systems that are designed and maintained for this purpose.
My criteria for fish:
1) been in the dealers tank for at least a couple weeks,
2) with copper treatment,
3) are eating prepared foods well, and
4) look perfectly healthy.
5) No signs of disease on any other fish in the system.

I DO NOT buy fish out of a dealer's reef tanks (which obviously cannot have copper) unless the fish has a long and healthful history in that tank AND new fish are NOT regularly added to that system.

Yes, I do miss out on some colorful fish that get purchased by others before they meet my criteria - but I don't worry about it. I only have a 40 gallon tank so I'm not in this hobby for the fish.

As for corals (thinking Acropora specifically):
1) I buy only corals that appear in good health
2) don't buy anything that has obvious disease or pests.
3) Buy only from healthy systems generally without pest and disease problems
4) I dip in Bayer for 20 minutes before adding to tank
5) the acropora frag is cut from the base (cut is made up within healthy tissue) such that only the living cutting is added to the tank (after being glued to a new plug)

I have never had a problem while following my own rules. I devised these rules for myself after my experiences from not following them, haha.

 

[Vahanyos]

I don’t QT... but here’s some things I look for when buying fish/coral....

1. Observe the fish. If I see visible signs of anything, I don’t buy it. I look at breathing, how they swim, etc...
2. I make sure they eat before I buy it. I might not buy it if it takes them “too long” to eat it...

For coral, I just make sure the tank I’m getting them from doesn’t have any signs of flatworms, or anything that’s stressing other corals. I don’t get scared of bubble algae, aptasia, etc... those I can manage.

Very basic stuff... and by doing this I haven’t had an ich or velvet crash... *knock on wood*.

Prior to this, I dealt with a few deaths and even ich so the above steps have really helped, as simple as they are.

 

[WV Reefer]

I have never quarantined fish and I do not dip or treat anything prior to placing in the tank.

 

[WVNed]

It's what you do every day that keeps things healthy.

 

[ca1ore]

I use observational quarantine for fish.

 

[Brew12]

I've quarantined all my fish and almost all of my coral and even a few of my inverts.

If I were going to start over again, I would likely skip most of what I have done up to this point.

I explain it to a certain degree here.
https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/a-hypocrites-view-on-not-using-quarantine.666/

In the most simple terms I do the following to mitigate risk if a fish disease or parasite makes it into my system.
1) Nutrition - specifically feeding high quality frozen food. Big fan of LRS for adding probiotics to their food. These are absolutely critical for boosting a fish immune system.
2) Stocking - Low stocking densities of compatible fish will reduce the chance they stress each other out and weaken their immune systems.
3) Aquascaping - Fish need to have their "safe places" without fighting each other. They need to have room to swim, too, depending on their species. 20 fish and 3 small caves isn't going to end well.
4) Stability - I use a controller to help monitor my tank. I have redundant systems for just about everything and keep spares on hand. Again.. it's all about reducing stress to the fish.
5)Parasite control - I keep looking for more information on this but I am convinced that certain corals must eat most common forms of fish parasites. Zoa gardens, GSP beds and even aiptasia may be great natural defenses against ich and velvet. Peppermint shrimp are known to eat the eggs of some species of flat worm parasites. Could they help control flukes in a reef tank? Gorgonians are known to have anti-microbial properties along with being filter feeders. Dolphin rub against them to help with parasites and bacteria infections. I will absolutely make it a priority to have some in my tanks in the future.

 

[BadFish619]

I don't qt, never have. Not everyone has it like me but the shop I buy fish from is dedicated to selling healthy fish. I know its tough in smaller market areas. Especially if your only option is something like a Petco. My guy has been in business over 20 years and will pick up anything requested. However he won't sell until it's ok. Its freshwater dipped and observed in a qt process before it ever reaches my tank. Its also shown to be eating.

That being said I have many stores to choose from here and I occasionally buy elsewhere if I see something I must have. I think if the store is taken care of and you don't see fish dead or dying in every other tank then you can hopefully find a healthy specimen.

To me, buying a fish, dropping him into medication in a small tank with nowhere to run save for a PVC pipe and observing him for months is a stressful situation. With the proper steps, observation and care you can do this at the lfs in a shorter amount of time and less stress.