How long until you know your safe without quarantine

[trembz]

I know quarantine is the way to go, and I do definitely do it after a crash a few years back, but let's say you buy a fish directly from the store and place it in your display, how much time do you think it's take until you know you added a completely healthy specimen without seeing any traces or signs of diseases on that fish or any of your current livestock ?
Curious to hear what people think

[lpsouth1978]

Until it is no longer healthy or happy. A healthy, happy fish can keep most diseases and parasites at bay, however once they are stressed or unhappy, they may show signs of disease or parasites. If you are not QT'ing every fish you purchase, you WILL or likely DO have parasites/disease in your DT already. I have yet to see a LFS that properly QT's everything.

I had to learn this the hard way. It is MUCH easier to deal with a QT when purchasing fish, than it is to QT after the DT becomes infected.

[scuzy]

you really can't tell when you are safe. the parasites don's show its ugly head until something stresses the fish out.

[MondoBongo]

~72 days for ich. other things can vary in length. some, like intestinal parasites, you might never know for sure.

-edit- this is assuming that no other additions of anything wet happened in that time period.