Equipment

Quarantine Tank: A Crucial Part of Aquarium Success

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  1. Avatar Paul B says:

    If you use a quarantine tank I would not put in live rock or any type of filter. I prefer to just change maybe 25% of the water every day with water from your main reef. This has a couple of benefits, it gets the fish used to your tank water, and it keeps it’s water clean without the need to cycle a quarantine tank. Replace your tank water with new water so you can call it a slow water change.

    1. Avatar Moh Aifan says:

      Thank you so much! the best idea for QT water change ever!

  2. Avatar Tim says:

    One thing I would add is an ammonia detector. I saw one in the picture but you didn’t mention it.
    I’ve been using Chloroquine Phosphate to treat Cryptocaryon (marine ich) in QT. I also had a severe breakout and it’s no fun trying to get rid of. Trying to catch fish in a rock filled display is hard so it’s best to treat fish before introducing them in DT. I’m now a firm believer in QT!!!

    1. Avatar Jeff Kurtz says:

      Both great points, Tim! Thanks for sharing these suggestions.

  3. While a quarantine tank is a good idea, I personally have had more success without one. Why? Two reasons mainly: 1. The temperature is controlled in my display tank only. No chiller for hospital tank and livestock was stressed out and died! 2. Biological environment in display tank is supportive more than no biological in quarantine tank is. No deep sand bed/live rock. So for the last five years my 75gal saltwater reef tank has had 1 death..nemo committed suicide. I’d say that’s proof enough not to use a hospital/quarantine tank. All my other fish have been doing great!

    1. Avatar Jeff Kurtz says:

      Thanks for sharing your experiences, John! There’s no question that a quarantine tank won’t do its intended job unless it provides suitable water parameters and biological filtration.
      As I touched upon in the post, if I know I’ll be acquiring new specimens in the future, I usually put some rocks in the sump of my display tank several weeks in advance so they have a chance to become seeded with nitrifying bacteria. Then I move them to the quarantine tank as soon as I get the new fish home.
      If I don’t have that much time on my hands, I’ll sometimes pull a few chunks of live rock from my display tank to provide biofiltration in quarantine. Then, if the fish prove to be healthy and no treatment is necessary, I’ll put the rocks back in the display.
      I haven’t always been so fanatical about quarantine, but I became so after going through an extremely frustrating Cryptocaryon outbreak in my display tank. That’s an experience I never want to repeat!

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