Newbie - Where to get QT fish?

beej210 · May 25, 2026

I'm in the process of setting up my first tank. Tideline 62 gal AIO. Tank is about half full of water currently and filtering more RODI water now. I'm in Dallas, and we have a lot of great LFS with clean tanks and knowledgable staff willing to help (Dallas North Aquarium, AquaStudios, and Exotic Aquatics) - I'm sure there's plenty more, but those are the 3 I visited. I went this weekend to start planning what fish I wanted and who had the cleanest tanks with the best selection. I thought that was the defining criteria for where to get fish. Then I get home and start reading about quarantining fish for over 30 days, setting up a QT tank, etc. Like another thread I was reading here, that sounds terrible and like WAY too much work and effort when I don't even have my main tank up and running. I have no idea where I'd put the QT tank, and the wife hated the idea of me getting the first tank, I can't imagine how she'd feel when I show up with another (even if it's a "simple" 20 gallon).

I don't want to ruin my entire tank on day one. And of course in the building phase, I'll be adding 7-8 fish hopefully all this year.

My question for you Dallas peeps - Is there a LFS you trust? I thought DNA was the best, but then I read stories here of ICH, etc coming from there. They put copper and UV sterilizers in their tank. I read about School of Fish in Desoto who has a whole QT process, but again then someone said they got ICH from there. Dr. Reef seems well liked and respected, but you don't get to pick out the actual fish. Not to mention, I'm probably not ordering $500 worth of fish at one time, so there's a $50 shipping charge (which I'm fine chalking that up to a "quarantine" fee).

So help me friends - where should a newbie who wants to dip his toe in the reefer water acquire fish and soft corals? LFS? Online (Dr. Reef, TSM, others?)

fishface NJ · May 25, 2026

Dr Reef and TSM I have bought from. They have always been healthy

Kooma · May 25, 2026

I’ll be honest.

QT your own fish and learn the process. WHEN **** hits the fan, and it will, you will be prepared with antibiotics, copper, worms, and other parasite treatments on hand. This has saved me a lot of $ on sick fish, and I can control the QT process and ensure I have a healthy collection of fish in the DT.

Just the quality of inhabitants alone would encourage me to go this route, even if it cost me double for the fish. I won’t trust that Mets haven’t been mixed between tanks, or processes were followed slackly by part time staff.

exnisstech · May 25, 2026

Just the fairly recent reports of flukes coming through from a highly recommended QT vendor would be enough for me to save the extra expense and QT myself. But of course that was some super strain immune to prazi or something along those lines lol so I don't need any fan boys piling on

hunterallen40 · May 25, 2026

As someone who sells QT'd fish myself, my advice is always to QT your own fish. I would NEVER trust anybody else to do it. Even if you grab fish from someone that has done QT, it's always a good idea to at least observe that fish for a while to make sure it's happy and healthy, as well as just giving it time to recover from the hell that is QT + shipping.

Additionally... it's very important you do your research. If the vendor says "I QT fish" that means nothing. Ask them about their specific protocol, diseases they target, medications they use, and food they feed. You want to hear copper at 2.5 ppm minimum (I do 2.8 most of the time), a minimum of two weeks at that level, an antibiotic running to prevent secondary infections (I like nitrofurazone), medicated food (not just once, but throughout the QT), and ideally some formalin throughout the process (I do every three days at 1 mL / gallon for 60 minutes). Finally, you want to hear something that addresses flukes, usually praziquantel in the water at 2.5 ppm.

Finally, you want to hear that they do some cleansing between batches, usually with bleach.

One name to toss out there is definitely fishotel. He does a great job, and the fish I ordered from him (before I started doing my own) have been excellent.

tanginamo.reefer · Jun 11, 2026

Didnt want to risk purchasing and losing a pricey Tang, so I tried Marine Collectors QT’d and had a great experience. Also had healthy fish from both WWC and Aquatic Collection and will go back to them for future online purchases

slingfox · Jun 11, 2026

You can QT most fish with a 10g tank from Petco. As long as you don’t QT too many fish at once the QT process is very low effort. Use a Hanna checker to check copper levels for any saltwater water added to the tank. Top off the QT tank with RODI. Put on an auto feeder. Monitor ammonia with a Seachem Ammonia Alert Badge. Once setup I can spend less than 10 minutes per week interacting with the QT tank if I felt ultra lazy.

denn1s123 · Jul 6, 2026

No LFS will be guaranteed ich/parasite free. No matter how well they QT their tanks. I say this because LFS have a high turnover rate of incoming fish. Knowing this, you run at a risk for not QT fish you buy at a LFS (even if they QT themselves). I've had luck running into perfectly fine and healthy fish and sometimes I get a fish with ich/parasites. YMMW. If setting up a 5-10 gallon QT tank doesnt suite you, you may want to check out the Tank Transfer Method. Its not a permament set up but requires more work.