What exactly am I looking for when QTing?

[JR8999]

I have at 10g BB QT. I had two OC clowns in there for 5 weeks and then moved them to DT. Now I have a purple firefish in QT. Like the clowns he swims around, eat, hides...pretty normal stuff. What should I be looking for specifically ??
Thanks!

[Xavibear]

Any signs of disease, infections & parasites.

[unfeazi]

Your goal is to make sure the fish are eating and not showing unusual behavior. Also look for signs of ich and flukes, specifically look at the fins and eyes. Some people like to run medication even with no signs just to make sure they keep their fish in their DT disease free. Always make sure you have the fish eating before medicating because most medications will suppress their appetites.

[inetmug]

And bring up copper slow....

[JR8999]

After reading various opinions I've decided not to medicate.

[pyithar]

i use cupramine to qt every fish. i just don't wanna take the risk. i've learned the "ich" lesson the hard way.

[oh207]

If you are only observing then look for white spots, fin rot, pop-eye, loss of appetite, erratic behavior...
With that said, many diseases are not observable with the naked eye and cannot be diagnosed by behavior only. A fish can have flukes and you wouldn't know. And clownfish....well, they just clown around sometimes so you never really know for sure if their behavior is normal or questionable.
A complete ich wipeout taught me a hard lesson. I did QT, but all that meant for me was just having the fishes in a separate tank. With no changes or modifications unless I see something. But I never saw anything.
I now treat prophylactically. I do 2 doses of prazipro for flukes. And I keep in hypo for 6 weeks. Altogether my QT period is 12 weeks.

[ca1ore]

After reading various opinions I've decided not to medicate.

I think that is a perfectly fine approach, but still don't rush things. I also just observe most fish (other than Nitrofuracin green powder upon initial introduction), but do so for at least 6 weeks.

[MondoBongo]

After reading various opinions I've decided not to medicate.

this is my typical stance as well.

i just observe closely over the course of 8 - 10 weeks. make sure there are no external signs of parasites. that the fish is eating normally and acting normally.

i also usually take this time period as an opportunity to introduce the fish to the various foods i use, in a setting where there will be no competition.