Proper QT time for new fish?

1077

Two weeks for fishes is normally my quarantine length.But I have on occasion after observing fish in dealer tanks for two weeks,then placed them in my tank/tanks. I have also regretted doing so on occasion. As it is for most I would suspect,, I find it quite hard to wait the 14 days but it is what I try to do.

Tyyrlym

Two weeks is the minimum. If you QT for less than that you're just wasting a tank by calling it a QT. Four weeks is the longest I QT for. Most diseases or parasites are going to show up by then. If they've been doing just fine for four weeks straight I have no reservations about putting them into the main tank. I have QT'd a few fish before for 3 weeks when I spotted a few new fish I had to buy right then or lose them.

A few things to note, QT time is based off when the last fish entered the tank. If you put in a half dozen tetras, then two weeks later toss in a pleco guess how long you've QT'd the tetras for? Zero. QT length is then based off the pleco. Moral of the story, buy in batches. Second, if a fish gets sick in QT the QT timer restarts from when the fish is cured and all the fish go through QT again.

Remember, you want a QT steady state with healthy fish for a good bit of time for it to have done its job. My QT is easy. I have my QT tank set up on a stand right beside my computer desk. The problem for me isn't that I can't wait to get the fish in the main tank, its that sometimes I don't want to move them out!

La Reina

I'm not set up for quarentines over two weeks. All i've got to use is a bucket with heater and bubbler
, no filter. So yay for daily water changes!

Mikaila31

levamisole HCL is what I use. Its a common and very safe dewormer for lots of animals. The stuff I bought was from the local farm store.