Qt/observation overkill??

[hillg2784]

There’s a lot of information out there, but from what I’ve gathered, a common approach is to use a quarantine setup to proactively treat new fish, then transfer them to an observation tank before moving them into the main display.

I’ve also read that corals should be quarantined and observed for roughly 45 days before being added to the display. Inverts, on the other hand, may need to be quarantined for up to 78 days to prevent anything—such as parasites hitchhiking in the water they arrived in or on their shells—from making it into the main tank.

With that in mind, does this setup make sense?

• A fully cycled QT tank using plastic bio media (like bio balls) with no live rock or sand, where all new fish undergo copper treatment for 30 days.
• After treatment, fish are moved to a separate observation tank for another 2 weeks before entering the main display.
• Once a batch completes the 30-day QT, new fish are added to the QT tank to keep the biological cycle active until the display is fully stocked.
• The observation tank would also double as an invert holding tank during fishless 78-day observation periods before inverts go into the display.
• A third tank would be dedicated to corals for observation, dipping, and pest management before corals are introduced to the display.

All three tanks would be cycled, but none would contain live rock or sand. The coral and observation tanks could run more traditional filtration media and filters.

 

[BryanM]

Seems like a fine plan. For me personally it is overkill, I am bucking the system but I don't do any of that.

I do dip corals.

 

[hillg2784]

I haven’t done any of that yet, but I’m dealing with Ich again. Fortunately, I haven’t lost anything this time—at least not so far.

Going forward, though, the process outlined above seems like it could really help reduce my anxiety and give me more confidence when adding new livestock. While spending a few hundred dollars on extra tanks and quarantine setups may feel expensive upfront, it could easily save money in the long run—especially if I end up investing in high-dollar fish. Losing even one expensive fish could cost as much as, or more than, the entire quarantine setup.

I’m also not exactly a patient person, but this hobby is definitely helping me become one… lol