Dipping/quarantining

[fjr_wertheimber]

Hey, just curious guys and gals... as I plan out my, er, plan for my upcoming tank, I'm taking a long, hard look at how I did everything on my previous tank, and curious to get other folks thoughts on various aspects. What kind of dipping/treatment/quarantine do y'all do with new fish in your tanks, and why? Have you ever lost fish due to this treatment? Recommendations/tips/thoughts on the process?

Thanks,
A.J.

[Still Learning]

I think a quarantine tank (QT) is best. You put your new additions in there for a couple of weeks and see if anything pops up.

If something does pop up then you treat. I am fond of copper, but easiest to use in a QT. Fresh water dips are good, but usually only if fish is already infected.

I think a lot of what you do depends on what happens in the QT. If everything is fine then no need outside the QT for treatments/dips.

Have I lost fish in QT? YES!! Just glad it was in the QT instead of my main tank. Although, I can't say if QT and any treatment actually caused the death or if the illness caused the death. Most of your success is your ability to spot that something is wrong early on and treat.

When will you be setting up your tank?

[Mr Cob]

I like the idea of QT. I would if I could.

I would treat every fish as if they had ich...because most do anyways even if you don't see signs of it....unless they have already been QT'd and treated by someone else in a controlled environment.

[kkiel02]

I leave fish in my 45 gallon tub for 3-4 weeks which has copper. I dip my corals for pests.

[Europhyllia]

I dip my corals with reef dip from seachem and found they actually like it.
Same with new fish: stressguard from seachem.
I started that after ordering a few times from an online supplier and they always send a little dose of stressguard for acclimation. They're livestock always arrived in excellent health and acclimated well every time.
It's not a medication and not toxic. It actually reduces stress on the fish rather than increase it.
I am getting anthias tomorrow. They were pre-treated for internal stuff but I would consider feeding dewormers to them if they weren't.
I do have a QT tank but's apart from the stressguard it's chemical free.

[alton]

This months Coral Magazine has an articile on Fish Quarantine. I have to agree with most of it, I use to quarantine fish in a 29g for a month and then move them to the main tank. Now I wait for a fish to stay in the fish store and wait a week for them to acclimate to the stores tanks and are eating and doing well. If the store ends up selling them before that oh well. Some of our fish stores keep copper in there tanks, others like GC Reef have a system they run them through and I feel comfortable adding these fish straight to my tank and not taking the chance of stressing them out again in a smaller tank. In saying that I do stay away from the typical ICH magnets.