Quarantining (QT) your fish is a topic we have looked at in the past in the blog post: Is quarantining your fish necessary? But, what we haven’t talked about is how you should go about quarantining your fish, what equipment you will need & what options you have.
I was going to write a whole big post about it, but then realised all I would be doing is writing another version of the post I followed to set up my QT system.
So, credit where credit is due, the article you need to read is this one, by Humble Fish. The article is well written, informative & easy to follow.
How to Quarantine – Marine Fish Diseases and Treatment
The following are the bare essentials:
- Aquarium (10-30 gallons seems to work for most people. Bigger QT lets you house more fish and gives you more wiggle room when it comes to ammonia. Smaller QT is cheaper, easier to maintain and can be setup/broke down quickly.)
- Heater and thermometer
- Small powerhead or air pump and sponge filter, for circulation & gas exchange.
- Freshly mixed saltwater which has been fully dissolved and circulating for at least 24 hours.
A small amount of sand is fine in QT, but rock is best avoided as it will absorb many medications. However, one or two small pieces of live rock may be added for ammonia control, so long as they are coming from a disease-free tank. The live rock will need to be removed once a disease is spotted and before medications are used. Furthermore, the live rock must be considered “contaminated” once exposed to a fish disease, and sterilized in a chlorine:water (1:10 ratio) solution. Using a lid is very important to prevent fish from jumping out. As mentioned previously, egg crate can be used, but sometimes it is necessary to sew screen under the eggcrate top to prevent small fish from jumping through the holes.
To read the full article visit here How to Quarantine – Marine Fish Diseases and Treatment
