Pros/Cons of Quarantine?

[Vassal of Ulmo]

I've never owned a reef tank, but I've been doing some research. One scenario that interests me is setting up a budget-friendly reef tank in a 40-gallon breeder. If I stay in the hobby long-term and upgrade to a much larger tank, that 40-gallon could maybe be morphed into a quarantine tank.

My question right now is what are the pros/cons of having a 10-gallon quarantine tank alongside my first reef tank vs not having one? Tutorials strongly suggest getting a quarantine tank, while also implying that the vast majority of reefers don't bother.

Pros:
- Could prevent a devastating disease outbreak.
- Diseases are harder to treat in the display tank since meds must be reef and biofilter-safe.

Cons:
- A 2nd tank takes up space
- Arguably, a disease outbreak is less likely than for the fish to stress out and die during quarantine

Other considerations:
- How much should I trust my LFS to do their due diligence?
- Is a UV sterilizer an effective way to "put the toothpaste back in the tube" if the worst happens?
- Budget isn't a huge concern, since I might be able to set one up for about $50

 

[Jekyl]

For your cons listed you have fish are more likely to die in quarantine than have an illness. This thought isn't quite right. The fish that don't make it during the process are usually sick or weak in the first place.

A UV can assist in reducing the occurrence of ich in a tank. It does not eliminate or account for helping other issues.

I originally started in your same train of thought. Then I became more involved in the disease forum and now cannot recommend going without some sort of QT practice.

The best method is the one posted by @Jay Hemdal in the disease forum. While others will have a observational period of 2 weeks or a month rather than starting treatment immediately regardless of symptoms. The only catch to that is that some things require rapid response and you may be too late upon noticing.

 

[VintageReefer]

I would never advise anyone to be irresponsible. If you can get a qt then go for it

I personally don’t qt my fish or corals.

However I do own the tank and gear for one and don’t hesitate to set it up if/when needed. I’ve only needed to 2 or 3 times in 20+ years

 

[Jekyl]

As far as trusting your lfs, you shouldn't. Many LFS actually run their tanks at low salinity or with copper in their systems. This only prevents buyers from seeing the problem, lowering salt costs, and keeping the problem at a lower threat. Once the fish go home and into normal salinity, the problems present.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I think that a 10 gallon is a poor choice for a QT tank. A QT is very stressful to the fish by nature, putting fish into such a small tiny tank is even more stressful than necessary. IMO, 20 gallon should be the smallest size QT tank.

To me it doesn't matter how good the LFS is, you are new, and you will make mistakes that stress your fish. Any stress can make a fish succumb to disease. Even if the LFS QT's the fish for you, if your tank is a stressful environment, it will still get disease.

 

[VintageReefer]

Why not wait for the petco dollar per gallon sale or whatever it is and get two 40 breeders. One for qt and one for display.

 

[alpenreef]

I have been in the hobby less than 6 months. 2 things I have learned:
1) assume the new fish is riddled with parasites/diseases. Do not trust!
2) Quarantine fish

I either buy fully quarantined fish or stick them into my 29 gallon QT where sometimes they die 2 weeks in. I have at least had ich and flukes in my QT.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

The only way I would not quarantine would be if I only bought tank raised fish (that never got mixed in with wild caught fish) or to buy fish that were pre quarantined with a known method (some dealers will tell you they "quarantine" but really don't).

 

[Vassal of Ulmo]

I would never advise anyone to be irresponsible. If you can get a qt then go for it

I personally don’t qt my fish or corals.

However I do own the tank and gear for one and don’t hesitate to set it up if/when needed. I’ve only needed to 2 or 3 times in 20+ years

Is it possible to store a quarantine tank empty 90%+ of the time? I thought that wasn't allowed because of silicon seals drying out.

If I can store my quarantine tank empty (out of sight, out of mind), that would eliminate more of my fear factor towards quarantining.

 

[Vassal of Ulmo]

Do I need separate quarantine tanks for fish and corals? Like 10-20gal for fish and 5-10gal for corals? That could seem excessive to a beginner, but I also get the impression that disease and parasites are issues that can't be ignored.

 

[VintageReefer]

Do I need separate quarantine tanks for fish and corals? Like 10-20gal for fish and 5-10gal for corals? That could seem excessive to a beginner, but I also get the impression that disease and parasites are issues that can't be ignored.

You don’t need to quarantine corals just get a good dip and keep an eye out for aiptasia. I use coral rx and revive.

Coral rx as a general everyday dip, for new corals and to eliminate pests.

revive is a dip that is for corals that have some light damage and also deals with pests.

You can store tanks dry, they are stocked in stores dry. For me my qt tank is a old 32g biocube, it has rounded glass edges and no seams so it’s never been a worry for me. But I don’t see why tanks can’t be stored dry. The silicone seam you see on glass tanks is not the seal that keeps water out, the actual seal is in between the glass edges.

 

[Dierks]

Is it possible to store a quarantine tank empty 90%+ of the time? I thought that wasn't allowed because of silicon seals drying out.

If I can store my quarantine tank empty (out of sight, out of mind), that would eliminate more of my fear factor towards quarantining.

You can keep empty tanks with no issues with the seal in my experience.

 

[Jekyl]

Do I need separate quarantine tanks for fish and corals? Like 10-20gal for fish and 5-10gal for corals? That could seem excessive to a beginner, but I also get the impression that disease and parasites are issues that can't be ignored.

Tanks can be kept dry. You'll want to keep a sponge in your display tank as a means to house the bacteria needed for nitrification. After filling the QT tank put that sponge into the HoB filter to provide a means to keep ammonia in check.

Besides that, some pvc elbows to provide some cover and security for the fish. For testing hanna is good for both copper and ammonia. Salifert next in line and try to avoid using API tests.