How long to Keep Fish In QT

[BuckeyeFan]

Have read That most ppl keep there new fish in QT any where from 2-8 weeks before putting them in their DT. So my ? what's everyone on here do ? Do you wait a week and say thats good ? or do you wait it out ..Thanks

[Reefer1225]

A lot of strong opinions on this one. I have read most, and standard response is 4-8 weeks b/c takes time to show symptoms of disease and treatment. This is the right way to go, but for I am impatient and haven't lasted more than 2 weeks before I break them out of jail. With my mandarin, I put him right (after proper acclimation of course) in because I heard they were resistent to disease b/c of their skin? Didn't know if that was true, but was excited to put him in. This might bite me in the *** one day, but ok so far. If its a tang, then I would definitely try 4+ weeks.

[enjetek]

Personally I would treat with 2 doses of prazi pro and also go 2-3 weeks using cupramine. Make sure the fish are eating first before trying any of those if it makes you feel better.

[saltysailor2329]

Well I just got my QT set up and haven't added anything since, but I have seen where most people quarantine for 4-8 weeks to ensure safety of the DT once added. Good luck.

[briankmarsh1980]

I personally treat all fish as if they have something....
I give a week of para guard
A week of prozi pro
3-4 weeks of cupramine
And then I give a 2 week observation period before they go into the DT.
And all inverts get a 4 week QT

[jeff@zina.com]

Originally Posted by BuckeyeFan

what's everyone on here do ?

Quarantine until the fish is safe to transfer to the system. There really isn't a simple time frame to tell you. Most of the time it's four weeks for me. it's been as long as five months. And I never treat unless there's something to treat.

Jeff

[Spek]

extra care should be taken with angels and tangs

gotta fatten whatever it is up, make sure it is definitely eating and healthy in addition to disease watching

[Sk8r]

4 weeks is standard. If you haven't seen any outbreak in 2 weeks, you can relax a bit and quit obsessive inspection of same, but because of the life-cycle of some problems, best wait another two to prove they're good and there's nothing hidden. The very act of moving a fish to a new tank often causes a breakout if one is primed to happen. So they can look great---you move them---and there you are.

[helcat17]

So if moving them to another tank causes problems then why wouldn't moving them from the QT cause an issue?

[thegrun]

Originally Posted by helcat17

So if moving them to another tank causes problems then why wouldn't moving them from the QT cause an issue?

If you wait long enough, (4-5 weeks) the problem disease should manifest itself. Often a healthy fish is able to fight off the problem without medication and the aquarist never even knows there was an issue. If you shorten the quarantine duration, during the stress of transfer, the undetected disease may suddenly present itself. Which is why 5 weeks is best IMHO.

[Sk8r]

It won't cause an issue if the fish doesn't carry the parasite. The four weeks is to be surer and surer he doesn't before letting him into your tank.

Here's why: a lot of people mistake what qt is FOR. It's not to protect the fish---the ability to treat him if he does break out is what protects the fish. The main reason is to protect your TANK. If you let a fish with ich into your tank, he breaks out in something like pustules---which rupture, thus convincing the newbie reefer it's all over and the fish got well. Nope. When the rupture happened, all the little parasites (like in Alien) head for the sandbed to complete the other part of their life cycle before going back into the I-need-a-fish phase of their lives. Getting the parasite out of the sandbed is a pita requiring 8 weeks of no-fish-in-tank. So your 4 week qt on each fish is a way of saving a lot of grief.
For more info, read the excellent sticky above on the life cycle of ich.
There are other diseases, but after 2 weeks it's less likely the fish will show them; but ich is the really sneaky, here again, gone again, and back again pest. The thing is, one your tank is infested, any fish you put in will be a target until you clean the tank up.