Do I need a quarantine tank?
• No you don’t need a quarantine tank though they have their advantages if you are willing to go to the extra effort.
• You should be alright without a quarantine tank as long as you only buy fish and corals from the most reputable dealers ensuring they are not sick when you get them.
• If you are buying fish form a dealer you can check the fish before you buy them.
• If you go to a good dealer they will only let you take the fish if it is settling in well.
• If you are pulling fish out of the ocean I strongly suggest you use a quarantine tank.
• It is important to extensively observe the aquarium behavior of the new fish in the store before you consider introducing it to your display tank. If you are concerned about the health of your fish do not put it in the main display tank.

What are the advantages of a quarantine tank?
• The fact that you are able to use strong doses of medication in the quarantine tank is great to enable you to cure problems faster.
• If you are able to quarantine inverts such as coral even live rock it is great because you may be able to cure them and detect the presence of any pests or parasites before they are introduced to the main display.
• Any strange contagious diseases may be able to be detected before they infest the main tank.

What are the disadvantages of a quarantine tank?
• Most people are unable to offer the same high quality conditions in the quarantine tank as they do in the main display tank. Therefore a fish is less likely to settle in to the quarantine tank and more likely to get sick due to stress, which may not have been suffered in the main tank.
• They can be expensive and they take time to run.

How do I set up a quarantine tank?
• Try to make the quarantine tank as big possible and all the same rules apply as the main display tank in regards to aiming for high water quality.
• Keep a separate logbook for the quarantine tank.
• Use a good quality medication in the water. Some people treat the quarantine tank with copper, so if you do then add a column for copper to your quarantine tanks logbook.
• Make sure there are some places the fish can hide, even if for example it is just in conduit pipes.
• Don’t use a protein skimmer or carbon because it will pull out the medication.
• You only need a light on the quarantine tank when you are observing the fish or any inverts.
• You don’t need substrate in a quarantine tank.
• Run the quarantine tank at 27-28’C while trying to treat parasites.

by Paul Talbot