5 Reasons Why You Should Have a Quarantine Tank
A quarantine tank is referring to a secondary fish tank for isolating sick or potentially diseased fish away from the main aquarium/show tank. We highly recommend all the more serious aquarium fish hobbyists to have one.
What is a Quarantine Tank?
A quarantine tank is a fish tank for isolating certain aquarium fish from the rest of the fish. It is about preventing or stopping the spreading of diseases and parasites.
There are several good reasons why you should have a quarantine tank if you are a serious long-term fish lover
1. A quarantine tank can stop a potential outbreak of fish diseases and parasites in your main aquarium/show tank.
There are many fish diseases, and parasites are widely spreading in aquarium fish trade. Many of them are contagious and deadly. Everyone who has kept fish for quite a while must have encountered them at some point. The fact most of the fish stores have a centralized filter system for all their fish tanks is making the situation worse. Every new fish they get might catch something.
Every time we bring a new fish home, it is potentially infected. A single fish carries contagious disease or parasite will contaminate the whole tank. Without proper treatment, the aquarium can suffer heavy fish losses. Since it cost us money, time, and effort to set up a well-established aquarium, it would be terrible if we lose most if not all of the fish.
Fish diseases and parasites have various stages. An infected fish might not show any symptom when we just bought it. By the time the sign is showing, it might be too late. The outbreak has already started.
Under normal circumstances, it takes minimal two weeks for any symptom of parasites and diseases to show on a fish.
That is when a quarantine tank comes in handy. We recommend putting all new fish in a quarantine tank for at least two weeks. Prolong it to 3~4 weeks just to make sure they are free of diseases and parasites if you have the patience.
2. No need to treat the whole tank in the case only the new fish is sick.
A few weeks after you have isolated the new fish in the quarantine tank, the new fish can go to the main tank if it is healthy. If not, you only need to treat the new fish in the quarantine tank instead of having to put every healthy fish in the main tank through the treatment. Some treatment can be harsh on the fish.
3. Lessen the cost of treatment
A lot of treatment for fish relays on medications. Most of the fish meds require a specific ratio of the water in the fish tank. Treating the main fish tank can be costly since it is usually not small.
A much smaller quarantine tank does not need as many meds to reach the same concentration. As a result, it saves money on the fish medications.
4. A quarantine tank is not just for the new fish
Fish do not have to catch contagious diseases or parasites to become sick. Sometimes they might develop certain sickness on their own. In this case, a quarantine tank can become a hospital tank for the sick fish. Whether or not they need treatment, you do not have to worry about putting the main tank through any possible trouble. Return the sick fish to the main aquarium after it is healthy again.
5. A quarantine tank can also act as a breeding tank at the time of need.
For the aquarium fish hobbyists who are interested in breeding the fish, an extra fish tank can always come in handy.
Most fish breeding will fail in the main aquarium because other fish will eat their eggs and the fry. Let the breeding fish have their breeding tank will solve the problem.
So now we know all the good things about having a quarantine tank for the aquarium fish.
How do we set up a quarantine tank?
We need some of the usual gears. But only the most basic ones. The idea of a quarantine tank is that it is makeshift. Keep it simple and cheap.
A fish tank – Unless you have some huge fish, just get a small fish tank for it. The minimum 5-gallon recommendation applies here too.
A filter – You will need a filter as with for all fish tanks. A sponge filter will be perfect. It is the cheapest and easy to maintenance.
A heater – A cheap low wattage, a non-adjustable heater will be just fine.
An air pump might not be necessary if you have a Y valve or T valve with extra air tubing to share with the same air pump for multiple fish tanks.
Separate Maintenance gears – You also need a different set of gravel vacuum, algae scraper, fishnet, and buckets for the partial water change. In case there is indeed something contagious, you do not want it to spread to the other fish tanks.
There is no need for gravel or decoration since it is only a temporary home for the fish. Once again, just keep it simple and low cost unless you want to turn it into a mini show tank. No need for a canopy, since it is not cheap. I have used a piece of foam from a hardware store to cover up the top of the tank to prevent fish from jumping out. The air pump powered sponge filter will pump fresh air into the fish tank, so there is no worry about the ventilation.
One more thing, you can use the sponge filter in the main tank alongside its primary filter system to keep it cycled. Do not return it to the main tank from the quarantine tank unless you are sure there is nothing contagious. With the sponge filter kept cycled in the main tank, you may take down the quarantine tank once it is no longer needed. It can be put back on short notice as long as you have the cycled sponge filter.
And of course, there is no need for a quarantine tank if you have no plan to get any new fish anytime soon. It is the most important for the aquarium hobbyists who frequently add new fish to their main tank. The more fish you have, the more expensive your fish is, the more reason you have to use a quarantine fish tank. Saltwater aquarium keepers will benefit even more from a quarantine tank. Because marine fish have much higher price tag.