I am going to tell you the worse fishkeeping story I have to tell, because, honestly it still turns my stomach a little bit. Think about it, a community tank for six years, a 55-gallon tank that was truly my pride and joy, filled with fish that I had carefully selected, and others that I had literally grown up from tiny juveniles. A tank where I knew each fish’s personality, where they liked to hang out, and which ones were the trouble makers.
Then I walked into my local pet store and saw these rummy-nose tetras, God, they looked amazing, the bright red nose, schooling together as if they were tied together by an invisible string. The store owner told me he had kept them in his tanks for weeks, and they looked healthy and ate great. And me? I made the decision that has haunted me for years, “It will be fine,” I told myself, “they look healthy, what could possibly go wrong?”
White spots (Ich) appeared in my tank three days later, not just on the new tetras but spreading throughout my tank like a fire. In less than a week I lost everything, six years of careful work down the drain. Many of those fish I had since I first got serious about aquarium keeping. I sat there for probably two hours staring at that empty tank trying to process the extent of my mess.
I left that tank empty for almost two months while I cleaned and disinfectied every piece of equipment, every decoration, every grain of sand in the bottom of the tank. During that long stretch of cleaning and waiting, I made a promise to myself that I have never broken since; every single fish gets quarantined. No exceptions, no short cuts, no “this time” nonsense.
The problem with quarantine tanks is they aren’t Instagram-able. There aren’t any glamour shots of a bare bottom 20-gallon with PVC pipe decorations and a single sponge filter. My current setup sits on a metal utility rack in my office, looking about as exciting as a doctor’s examination room. Which I guess is basically what it is.
The total setup cost me around $60 minus the tank itself. A basic heater, a sponge filter that I run in one of my established tanks so it is always ready to go, some PVC elbows and T-joints to provide some hiding places. I used no substrate as the glass provides a clear view of potential problems and make it easier to clean and medicate the fish. It’s functional as heck, but it has already saved me from losing countless fish and a lot of money.
Now I have a standard procedure that I follow for quarantine tanks. At least three weeks, no matter what. Doesn’t matter if the fish came from the best breeder in the world or the fish looks like the picture of health — it’s at least three weeks. I’m observing them closely during that time. Any changes in behavior, breathing rates, appetite or visible signs of parasitic infections or fungus.
A lot of people don’t understand that catching a fish, shipping it, transferring it between tanks, etc. puts a tremendous amount of stress on a fish’s immune system. A fish can appear to be in perfect condition when it arrives at your store, but weeks later it may crash due to the cumulative effects of that stress. The quarantine tank provides the fish with a safe place to decompress and allows you to detect potential problems prior to the disease spreading to other fish.
Following the loss of my community tank, I changed my strategy. Before, I would simply monitor the behavior of the fish in quarantine, but now I assume there is something to treat even if I can’t see it. I’ll typically do a preventative course of medications for freshwater fish after they’ve settled in for a couple of days. For marine fish, I have come to believe in the tank transfer method – basically transferring the fish from one sterile tank to another to break parasite life cycles without using medications.
Many people consider my methods overkill, treating fish that are likely healthy. My answer is simple, I’d rather treat 10 healthy fish unnecessarily than risk losing one to a preventable problem. Losing that entire community tank was enough for me to accept being the overly cautious guy.
The most difficult part of the process is not the actual setup or even the treatments, it is the waiting. When you have spent a small fortune on a fish you have wanted for months, the temptation to add the fish to your display tank to enjoy them is almost too much to resist. I have created rules for myself. I do not visit fish stores unless my quarantine tank is empty and ready to receive fish. This prevents those impulse purchases that I may want to cut corners on.
Quarantine tanks themselves are not glamorous. They’re plain, ugly, and uninteresting. Nobody is going to take a photo shoot of a bare-bottom 20-gallon with PVC pipe decorations and a single sponge filter. My current setup is on a metal utility rack in my office and looks as interesting as a medical examination room. Which I suppose is exactly what it is.
The cost of my quarantine tank is very low, approximately $60 (not including the tank). I use a simple heater, a sponge filter that I operate in one of my established tanks so it is always ready to use, some PVC elbows and T-joints to create hiding places for the fish. I have no substrate as it makes viewing for problems easier and allows me to easily medicate the fish. It’s purely functional, and it has already saved me from losing many fish and a large sum of money.
I have a standard procedure that I use for all of my quarantine tanks. It’s at least three weeks, regardless of the source of the fish or the apparent health of the fish. During this time, I watch the fish extremely closely. I am checking for any unusual behaviors, breathing patterns, appetite, or any physical signs of diseases such as parasites or fungi.
A lot of people are unaware that the stresses associated with catching, transporting, and acclimating fish can severely weaken a fish’s immune system. Although a fish may appear to be in perfect health upon arrival at your store, it may deteriorate significantly in weeks due to the cumulative effects of the stress.
The quarantine tank provides the fish a safe area to recover from the stresses associated with capture and transportation. It also allows me to detect potential problems prior to the disease spreading to the rest of my fish population.
Since I lost my community tank, I have taken a much more proactive approach to managing my fish population. Prior to this incident, I would only observe the fish during the quarantine phase and not treat the fish unless I observed a symptom of a disease. However, since this incident, I now assume that all fish brought home from the pet store are infected with a disease that requires treatment, even if I cannot visually identify the symptoms.
I have found that using a quarantine tank is beneficial beyond just preventing the introduction of disease into my aquarium. Quarantine tanks allow me to evaluate the temperament of aggressive fish, such as cichlids, in a controlled environment prior to introducing them to the community tank. I recently purchased a very aggressive cichlid, and I placed it in the quarantine tank to evaluate its behavior. After a couple of weeks of close observation, I determined that it was indeed an aggressive fish and therefore decided to place it in a species-specific tank to protect my other fish.
While quarantine tanks may seem like an unnecessary expense, especially for beginners, I can attest to the importance of having a quarantine tank as a means of protecting your investment in your aquarium and the health of your fish. I recommend that anyone serious about keeping fish invest in a quarantine tank and establish a routine of monitoring the fish for signs of disease or abnormal behavior. While quarantine tanks are not necessary for all types of fish, they are highly recommended for all freshwater fish and should be used for all saltwater fish.
When I first began keeping fish, I made the same mistake that many people make today. I added fish from several different pet stores at the same time. Unfortunately, this resulted in a devastating disease outbreak among my fish population. The reason for this is that fish from different pet stores can harbor different parasites and bacteria, which can be detrimental to the overall health of the fish population.
In fact, I experienced this firsthand when I lost an entire community tank due to a massive disease outbreak caused by adding fish from three different pet stores to the tank on the same day. The results were unlike anything I had ever seen before. Each fish showed different symptoms of disease, and it seemed like a new disease was appearing in the tank every day. I learned a valuable lesson that day. I vowed to never again add fish to my tank without first quarantining them for a minimum of three weeks to ensure that they were free from any disease-causing organisms.
I have also learned that quarantine tanks are useful for more than just preventing the spread of disease. Quarantine tanks are also useful for allowing you to evaluate the behavior of fish in a controlled environment prior to introducing them to your community tank. For example, I recently acquired a pair of German Blue Rams that I intended to introduce to my community tank. I placed them in the quarantine tank for a period of 21 days to evaluate their behavior and to determine if they were compatible with the other fish in the community tank. After 21 days, I evaluated their behavior and determined that they were a good match for my community tank. I then transferred them to the community tank, where they quickly became a favorite among my fish.
I have learned a number of lessons from my experiences with fishkeeping. I have learned that patience is a virtue. I have learned that it is better to err on the side of caution. I have learned that investing in a quarantine tank is a wise investment for anyone serious about keeping fish. I have learned that quarantine tanks are not a waste of money, but rather a valuable tool in the fight against disease. I hope that my experiences will help educate others on the importance of quarantining fish prior to introducing them to your community tank.
