Quarantine First Fish

[Rizup]

Just thought I would ask - is it necessary to quarantine the first fish you put into your tank? I have a pair of clownfish that are tank raised. They came out of an established tank that was being taken down. They were at the LFS for a short time when I found them. Just wondering if it is necessary to quarantine these as they are the first fish I will be putting into my tank.

By the way, they are currently in quarantine and have been for the last three weeks. Thanks for the input.



Mike

[Freed]

Would you be able to tell if there were any diseases in the tank the fish came from considering all the other fish that have come and gone out of that same tank/system just by looking at the water? Answer that and then you'll know what the answer is to your original question.

[michellejy]

I quarantined mine, but that's mostly because I didn't have the main tank set up when I bought them. :lol:

I think the biggest concern is that if they do have some sort of parasite, you'll have to treat them and potentially leave your tank empty for 6-8 weeks so the parasite can't find a new host.

[snorvich]

The fallow time, by the way, for 100 percent (actually 99%) parasite elimination, is 11 weeks.

[Mentat]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14337085#post14337085 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Rizup
Just thought I would ask - is it necessary to quarantine the first fish you put into your tank? ..... Just wondering if it is necessary to quarantine these as they are the first fish I will be putting into my tank.

Yes, QT can help prevent contaminating DT and creating treatment issues; no matter if other fish are present or not.

[MatthewLaw]

i would strongly suggest quarantining the tank whether it is your first of 50th fish.

[Rizup]

So as I said before, the fish have been in quarantine for three weeks now. Everything seems good and they are eating very well. I have heard that from 4-6 weeks is the recommended time to quarantine. Is 4 weeks sufficient or is it better to go for 6? Thanks again for all the input.

Mike

[michellejy]

If they seem fine, I'd think 4 weeks is plenty. Depending on the source of the fish, I've had some that were quarantined for less time.

[MatthewLaw]

i agree with mihcellejy.

[Rizup]

Awesome! Six more days to go then if everything continues as is. Hopefully I can go ahead and have my next fish purchase ready to go into quarantine right after I pull these guys. Thanks again for all your help.

Mike

[Laddy]

Clowns are prime candidates for a fresh water dip too. I usually do this right before I send them to QT.

QTing is a good practice. It's always good to pull new fish aside and say, "ok, you'll get three hots and a cot, and try not to stir up the sand too much....welcome to the rock!"