QT fish and coral question

[Ok_cowboy1]

if I buy fish or corals (I still have a while since I'm just starting) from my LFS and the have been in their ranks a little while, do I still need to QT them? The LFS has an immaculate clean store! He is highly reputable!

 

[cromag27]

You'll get different opinions on this. first, I don't qt corals, just a good Bayer dip and that's it. second, since you are just starting up, you could add your fish straight to your tank once it's cycled. all subsequent fish would be qt'd. the downside is that you can't add a lot of fish to begin with.

 

[melypr1985]

Hi there! I'll say that I'm on the other side of the fence here. You need to QT all your fish especially the first additions. Those first fish can bring in ick and velvet and all kinds of other parasites that will then infect every other fish that follows even though you went through the trouble to QT them. Doesn't sound like a good plan.

Corals should be QT'd simply because ick and velvet can encyst on the frag plugs, rocks, and stony parts of the corals and travel into the tank that way. There are many people here that can attest to this. It does happen and it's really annoying when it happens to you.

Here are some links to read through and make your own decision about what's best for you. Good luck!
Ich eradication vs. Ich management
How to Quarantine

 

[joro]

I'll give you the recent experience answer

I started (after losing the first few fish) to QT all fish using a specific regimen and had ich re-appear after fallow/QT when I introduced the new fish. From discussions with others on this forum it seems that the ich may have been reintroduced by some corals I added to the tank during the fallow period where it may have been encrusted as mentioned by @melypr1985 - despite the fact that I dipped all corals. As such, I'd recommend a QT on both though, full disclosure, I'm not 100% on board with the coral QT at this point despite the troubles I had. There's a ton of anecdotal evidence on both sides, so it's ultimately your decision to weigh the pro/cons of various approaches and how you want to apply them to your tanks! Good luck!

 

[mcarroll]

the downside is that you can't add a lot of fish to begin with.

I agree with the rest, but I don't like to look at that as a downside.

Maybe the opposite – adding a lot of fish at the beginning should be viewed as a downside, IMO.

I think if you start off with fewer fish and just learn to keep them for a while (months...even a year or more) you're chances of success skyrocket and the chances of any kind of disease problems drops as close to zero as it can get.

If you can't keep that first batch of fish happy and healthy (and maybe breeding) in that amount of time, then don't bother adding more fish - somehow you aren't doing it right.

Seems logical...probably sounds crazy.

 

[x_burt]

Always qt. it catches up with you eventually if not and you'll just wish you'd started qt from the beginning.

 

[Mitch Summerford]

I'm in that boat right now. Didn't QT starting out on my big tank. first 4 fish were great/healthy. I added a tang with ich. Killed 2 of my existing fish and anything I add in. Going to start QT fish from now on. I can't do coral too so just hoping QT'ing fish works for me.