Is this a bad idea, or is it ok?

[Ratbrow]

I hae an 8 gallon QT that needs some livestock. My next two fish are going to be a Royal Gramma and a Blue Chromis. Can I QT both of them at the same time, will they get along? I have two clowns in the DT already, and I just thought if the Chromis and Gramma became friends they would be more comfy when they finally go in the DT.

[Denbf58]

not a good idea a 8 gal is not large enough for a qt you do not want to stress a fish during the qt for 4-6 weeks

[dkeller_nc]

Royal Grammas can be quite shy, and most damsels can be quite belligerent. That's OK if they're in a large tank with plenty of hiding spaces, but can be disastrous in a small tank with little in the way of cover.

Keep in mind that a quarantine tank isn't just for disease control, though that is an important function. Its other major purpose is to isolate a wild-caught fish that is likely extremely stressed and malnourished after being captured, taken off of food for shipping purposes, plunked into a dealer's tank with intense lighting and aggressive tankmates, and then put into yet another SW system with different chemistry (the hobbyist's tank) and offered strange food that its never seen before.

When thought about this way, it's not surprising that mortality rates for a hobbyist that simply introduces the new fish into their DT from the bag can be 50% or higher.

[Gagonzalez]

I would say 8g is not big enough for 2 fish. I do think 1 would be fine though. I would recommend hand feeding small quantities multiple times a day as well to keep any food from falling. Works well for me.

[MrTuskfish]

Royal Grammas can be quite shy, and most damsels can be quite belligerent. That's OK if they're in a large tank with plenty of hiding spaces, but can be disastrous in a small tank with little in the way of cover.

Keep in mind that a quarantine tank isn't just for disease control, though that is an important function. Its other major purpose is to isolate a wild-caught fish that is likely extremely stressed and malnourished after being captured, taken off of food for shipping purposes, plunked into a dealer's tank with intense lighting and aggressive tankmates, and then put into yet another SW system with different chemistry (the hobbyist's tank) and offered strange food that its never seen before.

When thought about this way, it's not surprising that mortality rates for a hobbyist that simply introduces the new fish into their DT from the bag can be 50% or higher.

Good advice & info!.

[Timfish]

Interesting responses, in the past I have routinely qt half a dozen fish in a 15 gallon so I was going to say no problem. But I used a 9 watt sterilizer and base rock from another system so there is a good range of bugs and worms.