Let me start off by saying that I have the ability to quarantine fish, but would much rather not. I know that it can be as easy as a 10 gallon, a HOB filter, some pieces of PVC pipe, and a heater. I know that it is somewhat cheap, and I know that you don't need a ton of space to quarantine. Why do I not want to do quarantine, if that's the case? Simple. I don't want to harm my fish any more than is absolutely necessary. From reading on this forum and browsing build threads, I see as many (if not more) deaths from stress, ammonia, jumping, and other quarantine-related issues than from disease. Stress in particular seems like a big one to me. How is a sterile environment filled with medications and PVC is a safer and more comfortable place than a display tank with rock, sand, and light? I would think that it would be the other way around. Even if it is possible to quarantine fish without physically harming them in the process, I still wouldn't like seeing the poor things scared out of their minds in such an unnatural and unfamiliar environment. I'd also like to avoid the frequent water changes/testing in a QT. That being settled, how can I keep fish from breaking out in disease without quarantine? The way I see it, my options are
1) Quarantining - See above.
2) Ordering pre-quarantined fish - Seems like a safer bet than quarantining fish myself, but I'd prefer to avoid the need to ship and the increased cost.
3) Feeding whiteworms and fresh clams - On the surface appears to match what I am looking for, but I'd rather not culture whiteworms or spend a bunch of money on fresh seafood if possible.
4) Just add fish - This would entail simply acquiring fish online or from an LFS and dropping them in. This seems to be where most of the horror stories about velvet/whitespot/brook wiping out whole tanks come from, but it would also be the most convenient solution.
Which of these would work best for me in my situation? I'm leaning towards ordering pre-quarantined, but that leaves me with only 3-4 vendors to order from, and a long delay in receiving fish. I could probably quarantine if I really need to, but it is definitely something I want to avoid. Is there anything else that would work? Thanks!
1) Quarantining - See above.
2) Ordering pre-quarantined fish - Seems like a safer bet than quarantining fish myself, but I'd prefer to avoid the need to ship and the increased cost.
3) Feeding whiteworms and fresh clams - On the surface appears to match what I am looking for, but I'd rather not culture whiteworms or spend a bunch of money on fresh seafood if possible.
4) Just add fish - This would entail simply acquiring fish online or from an LFS and dropping them in. This seems to be where most of the horror stories about velvet/whitespot/brook wiping out whole tanks come from, but it would also be the most convenient solution.
Which of these would work best for me in my situation? I'm leaning towards ordering pre-quarantined, but that leaves me with only 3-4 vendors to order from, and a long delay in receiving fish. I could probably quarantine if I really need to, but it is definitely something I want to avoid. Is there anything else that would work? Thanks!