Enough stress cannot be laid on the need of quarantining fish before adding them to your aquarium tank. Whenever you buy a new fish from any pet store, there is a risk that it might come with parasites and unwanted microbes. If you add this fish directly to your tank, you will end up adding these unwanted guests to your tank as well. This way, these disease causing organisms may impact the other healthy fish that are already in the tank. In a nutshell, not quarantining new fish and adding them directly to your tank is a deadly mistake.
Setting Up A Quarantine Tank:
Many aquarium tank owners are intimidated by the thought of having to set up a quarantine fish tank. But in reality, maintaining and setting up a quarantine tank is pretty simple. The quarantine tanks are used for the purpose of isolating newly bought fishes before adding them to the main tank so any microbes and unwanted parasites can be removed. Since it is a temporary tank and will not be housing a large number of fish at the same time, a small tank should suffice.
Moreover, setting up a quarantine tank is a one time investment. Imagine getting a very expensive and colorful fish and it dying because it was not quarantined? That would be a huge loss wouldn’t it be. But on the other hand, if you spend time, money and effort to set up a quarantine tank, you will be able to use it every time you get a new fish. And you will be a hundred percent certain that now the fish is ready to be added to your main tank and the risk of any damage to the fish’s healthy will be significantly less.
Other than this, a quarantine tank can be used for a number of different purposes and reasons. You can use it to quarantine new fish, other than this, if any fish falls sick, it can be taken out of the main tank. The sick fish can be added to the quarantine tank for the sake of isolation so it can be cared for accordingly. You can also use the quarantine tank to hold your fish when you clean the main tank. Since the male sex of most of the fish species tends to get aggressive during the mating season, the male fish can also be placed in the quarantine tank to avoid any conflicts. Therefore, ONE TANK, MULTIPLE USES!
Purpose And Benefits Of Fish Quarantining:
There are many advantages related to quarantining fish before adding them to an aquarium tank. Here are some significant perks of fish quarantining:
- Stress Management:
What happens when you enter an unfamiliar environment? You feel nervous and stressed. Same is the case with fish. Whenever you buy a new fish, give it time to adjust and adapt to its new environment. Adding it to the tank with other tank mates directly, will cause a lot of stress for the fish. But if it will be quarantined, it will get time to manage this stress and be prepared to cope up with the larger tank containing other tank mates.
- Medicating The Fish:
Due to the presence of microbes and based on the distance and time for which the fish has been travelling to reach you, it may have become a host to a number of microbes and unwanted parasites. Some fish also get sick during transit. To make sure that the fish is healthy itself, many a times one has to offer some medication. In order to medicate the fish it has to be taken out of the tank and kept in a separate one.
- Observing The New Fish:
The only way for one to find out whether the fish he has just bought is alright and healthy is by observing it. The fish should not show any physical signs of distress or disease and should be active in the tank depending on its temperament and nature. When new fish are added to the main tank directly, they tend to hide in nooks and corners as they feel secure this way. Therefore, it becomes very hard to be able to observe them and notice their behavior. Other than this, due to the other fish in the tank, the attention of the observer is also divided and he cannot focus on one fish in particular.
This is where the quarantine tank comes in handy. It allows on to observe the new fish and let it settle in properly. The fish will not be stressed out and the tank owner will be able to observe it and keep an eye on it.
- Adjusting To Water Change:
Water is different everywhere. No matter how hard you try to replicate the natural water parameters for the fish, there will always be some difference and fluctuation. The fish will need time to get comfortable and get used to this change in water parameters. The quarantine tank will allow the fish to do so without any issue.
To conclude, quarantining a new fish before adding to the main tank is extremely important and is a step that should not be skipped at all costs.
Process Of Quarantining A New Fish:
Now that we have discussed the purpose and benefits of quarantining a fish, we will move forward and go over the actual process of quarantining a fish.
Set Up A Quarantine Tank:
The first step is obviously to set up a quarantine tank. This is not very difficult. A quarantine tank is smaller as compared to the main tank and all it needs is heating, lighting and substrate. You may opt to keep the quarantine tank simple and not add any decorative items to the tank.
Filling Up The Tank:
Now that you have gathered the supplies for the quarantine tank, you can start by adding water to the tank. Make sure that the tank is cleaned and sterilized before you do this. Place the quarantine tank at a spot where you will be able to keep an eye on the fish and the fish too will feel safe. Using the water from the main tank, fill up the quarantine tank.
After filling up the tank with water, add the other items and install the heating and lighting etc.
Test The Tank:
Now you will use your testing kit to test the quarantine tank and make sure that it is as similar to the main tank as possible. The hardness level, pH and temperature are the factors that you should be looking for. You want to replicate the water conditions of the main tank as much as possible.
Introducing The Fish:
Using a plastic bag filled with tank water, slowly introduce the fish to the quarantine tank. Let the fish come out of the bag on its own and don’t shake or violently move the bag. Give the fish some time. This will reduce the stress of the fish and help make it calm and relaxed.
Do The Quarantine Tasks:
Now that the fish has been moved to the quarantine tank, your job begins. Make sure that you carefully observe the fish over the span of the coming three to four weeks. Look for any physical signs of illness or any general behavior that may be a sign of distress or disease.
Based on your observations, medicate the fish and treat it for any illness or disease. If you find the fish in quarantine to be sick, it is advised that the quarantine period is extended for another week or two even if the fish becomes healthy again. This way you will be a hundred percent sure that adding this new fish to the main tank will do no harm.
Moving The Fish:
After the quarantine period is over, you will now be moving the fish to its new home i.e. the main tank. The move from the quarantine tank to the main tank should be made slowly so the fish does not panic or go under any sort of stress.
Cleaning The Quarantine Tank:
After the fish has been moved over to the main tank, you can now clean the quarantine tank and put it away till needed again. The cleaning of the quarantine tank is an important step. Make sure that the tank is a hundred percent clean. Also, don’t forget to sanitize the tank as well. You don’t want any type of germs or microbes to breed in the tank and attack any other fish that might be added to the same quarantine tank.
Conclusion:
As explained by this article, quarantining a fish before adding it to the main tank is extremely crucial. You want to ensure the health of both the new fish as well as the ones that are already in the tank. The steps of quarantining and adding the new fish to the tank are pretty simple as well. Therefore, be responsible and always quarantine new fish before adding them to your tank.
