• Skip to main content
AlgaeBarn

AlgaeBarn

Marine Aquariums Made Easy!

  • Sign In
  • Cart
    • Shop See All
      • Ultimate Packs See All
      • Ultimate Refugium Starter
      • Clam Keeper Kits
      • Ultimate Ecopack
      • Mandarin Feeder Kit
      • Hair Algae Killer Kit
      • See All Ultimate Packs
      • Live Foods See All
      • Copepods
        • Ecopods
        • 5280 Pods
        • Galaxy Pods
        • Poseidon's Feast
        • Tisbe Pods
        • Tig Pods
      • Food Combos
        • Ecopods & Phyto
        • Galaxy Pods & Phyto
        • Poseidon's & Phyto
        • Tig Pods & Phyto
        • Tisbe Pods & Phyto
      • Phytoplankton
        • Oceanmagik
      • Brine Shrimp
        • Simple Brine
        • Nano Brine Shrimp
      • Most Popular Products See All
        • Galaxy Pods 5 Species Copepod Blend

          Galaxy Pods

          $66 – $139
          Shop Now
        • Ecopods 4 Pack Special

          $99
          Shop Now
        • Galaxy Pods & Phyto Combo

          $80
          Shop Now
        • 5280 Pods

          $45
          Shop Now
      • Macroalgae See All
      • Clean Macro Series
        • Clean Chaeto
        • Clean Sea Lettuce
        • Clean Green Ogo
        • Clean Mocha Ogo
        • Clean Mocha Spike Sphere
        • Pom Pom
        • Red Ogo
        • Red Spike Sphere
        • Red Spaghetti
        • Red Mangrove
      • Premium Rare Macro
        • Leafy Ogo
        • Blue Hypnea
        • Dragon's Tongue
        • Thick Ogo
      • Most Popular Products See All
        • Clean Chaeto

          $20 – $65
          Notify Me When in Stock
        • Clean Sea Lettuce

          $20 – $95
          Shop Now
        • Red Ogo

          $20 – $80
          Notify Me When in Stock
        • Red Mangrove

          $13
          Shop Now
      • Captive Bred Fish See All
      • Gobies
        • Green Mandarin
        • Court Jester Goby
        • Watchman Goby
        • White Spotted Goby
      • AngelFish
        • Biota Coral Beauty
        • Maculosus Angel
        • Majestic Angel
        • Swallowtail Angel
      • Tangs
        • Yellow Tang
        • Blue Tang
      • More Species
        • Grammas
        • FileFish
        • Blennies
        • Damsel
        • ClownFish
        • RabbitFish
      • Most Popular Products See All
        • Blue Mandarin

          BIOTA Green Mandarin

          $99
          Shop Now
        • ORA Neon Goby

          $35
          Shop Now
        • Captive Bred Yellow Tangs by BIOTA

          BIOTA Yellow Tang

          $239
          Notify Me When in Stock
        • ORA Premium Picasso

          $145 – $300
          Shop Now
      • Captive Bred Invertebrates See All
      • Clams
        • Ora Derasa Clam
        • Squamosa Clam
        • Ora Gigas Clam
        • Ora Maxima Clam
        • Ora Hippopus Clam
      • Shrimp
        • Ora Peppermint Shrimp
        • Harlequin Shrimp
      • Snails
        • Cerith Snails
        • Trochus Snail
        • Nassarius Snails
      • Urchins
        • Ora Tuxedo Urchin
        • Ora Pincushion Urchin
      • Most Popular Products See All
        • Animated gif of peppermint shrimp

          ORA Peppermint Shrimp

          $49 – $119
          Shop Now
        • 10 Cerith Snails

          Cerith Snail

          $25 – $39
          Shop Now
        • pincushion urchin lytechinus variegatus reef safe and captive bred by ora for sale at algaebarn

          ORA Pincushion Urchin

          $29 – $55
          Shop Now
        • Gold Maxima Clam Bed

          ORA Maxima Clam

          $50 – $90
          Notify Me When in Stock
      • Corals See All
      • LPS Corals
        • Biota Pearl Bubble
        • ORA Pearl Bubble
        • ORA Marshall Island Goniopora
        • ORA Marshall Island Hammer
      • SPS Corals
        • ORA Pearlberry Acropora
        • ORA Micronesian Imperial Acropora
        • ORA Turquoise Acropora
        • ORA Micronesian Yellow Porites
      • Soft Corals
        • BIOTA White Polyp Toadstool
        • ORA Long Polyp Leather Coral
        • ORA Silver Xenia
        • ORA Pulsing Xenia
      • Frag Packs
      • Most Popular Products See All
        • Biota Pearl Bubble Coral

          $60
          Shop Now
        • ORA Pearlberry Acropora

          $290
          Shop Now
        • BIOTA White Polyp Toadstool

          $65
          Shop Now
      • Additives & Bacteria See All
      • Live Cultures & Bacteria
        • Turbostart 900 Saltwater
        • Aquarium Cycle Kit
        • Coralline Algae
        • PNS Yellosno
        • PNS Probio™
      • Additives & Chemicals
        • Nitrocycle
        • Clarifier
        • Fritz A.C.C.R
        • Fritz RPM Salt
      • Most Popular Products See All
        • Mandarin Feeder Kit by Algaebarn

          Mandarin Feeder Kit

          $66
          Shop Now
        • MarinePure 10 Cubes

          2″ Cubes

          $5 – $99
          Shop Now
        • Coralline Algae in a Bottle, In Pink or Purple!

          Coralline Algae

          $22 – $44
          Shop Now
        • Ultimate Refugium Starter Pack

          $120 – $450
          Shop Now
      • Aquarium Supplies See All
      • Fuge Lighting
        • AI Fuge 16HD Light
        • Kessil A360X Fuge Light
        • Kessil H160
        • Kessil H80
        • Chaetomax
      • Biomedia
        • Marinepure Gems
        • Marinepure Rocks
        • Marinepure Plate
        • Marinepure Cubes
        • Marinepure Spheres
      • Foods
        • Dragon Roe
        • Simple Brine
        • Can'O Cyclops
        • Benereef™
        • Fresco Cyclops
      • Rock & Sand
        • Dry Rock
        • Clam Rocks
      • Most Popular Products See All
        • Mandarin Feeder Kit by Algaebarn

          Mandarin Feeder Kit

          $66
          Shop Now
        • MarinePure 10 Cubes

          2″ Cubes

          $5 – $99
          Shop Now
        • Coralline Algae in a Bottle, In Pink or Purple!

          Coralline Algae

          $22 – $44
          Shop Now
        • Ultimate Refugium Starter Pack

          $120 – $450
          Shop Now
      • CADE Aquariums See All
      • Reef Series
        • CADE REEF 500 S2
        • CADE REEF 600 S2
        • CADE REEF 900 S2
        • CADE REEF 1200 S2
        • CADE REEF 1500 S2
        • CADE REEF 1800 S2
        • CADE REEF 2100 S2
      • Frag Series
        • CADE Frag 600 S2/F
        • CADE Frag 900 S2/F
        • CADE Frag 1200 S2/F
        • CADE Frag 1500 S2/F
      • Peninsula Series
        • CADE Peninsula 1200 S2/P
        • CADE Peninsula 1500 S2/P
        • CADE Peninsula 1800 S2/P
      • Most Popular Products See All
        • CADE REEF 2100 S2

          $7,225
          Shop Now
        • CADE Peninsula 1500 S2/P

          $5,525
          Shop Now
        • CADE REEF 1200 S2

          $4,125
          Shop Now
        • CADE Frag 900 S2/F

          $3,275
          Shop Now
    • Contests Win Free Aquarium Supplies!
      No Purchase Necessary*
    • Top Deals Huge Savings!
    • AlgaeBarn Heroes Discount for Military,
      First Responders and more!
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
  • Shipping
You are here: Home / Saltwater Aquariums / Why You Need a Quarantine Tank
Warning - Marine Aquarium Quarantine Area

Why You Need a Quarantine Tank

by greg.chernoff

Most of us invest a lot into our aquarium systems. Some of us invest a whole lot. The best means of protecting your growing livestock collection (i.e. investment) is a rigorously maintained and monitored system of quarantine. But we all already know that, right? A quarantine (QT) tank is that one thing we should have. And easily could have… Yet we somehow never find the time or space. We could definitely think of things that would be more fun to do with our money…Yes, a properly set up quarantine tank will cost plenty of time, space and money. And it will not be particularly exciting to operate it. In fact, most of the time, it might not even have anything of note in it. Yet, it can pay for itself in a single instance.

Better Safe

Imagine the first time you bring home that little wrasse for your reef aquarium. It looked so healthy, had been at the shop for a while, was eating so well… and it’s a such a great store.
You hardly ever see sick fish there. But, a few days after bringing your new acquisition home and putting it in quarantine, you notice a few small dots on the fins. Marine ich! Shouldn’t be a surprise, since so many aquarium fish are exposed to it as they move along the supply chain.

The first thing you’ll do is high-five yourself for having the wisdom of using a quarantine system instead of just dumping the animal straight into your large and mature reef tank. You might not have even seen the parasite so soon if the fish had not been in QT where it was so much easier to look at closely. Now you can jump on treatment immediately!

Because this requires a medication that is not safe with corals, you are lucky enough just to have a QT tank ready and on hand to use. But you can breathe an extra big sigh of relief because you won’t have to somehow net that two-inch wrasse from a huge tank full of live rock. By putting your new fish straight into QT, you avoided an enormous amount of stress for both yourself and the animal. Oh, and let’s remember also that because you did not expose the sick specimen to healthy specimens, you only need to treat this fish instead of all the fish in that tank. Lastly, being as the quarantine tank is a tenth of the volume of the main tank, you do not need to purchase nearly as much medication.

Your quarantine system doesn’t seem so much like an “extra” or a frivolous luxury right now, does it?

[CFish]

Making Quarantine Work

The first question one might ask is, when is the best time to set up a quarantine system? The answer is simple: Right away! It will need to be ready and cycled sooner than the main tank (everything is going into QT first, right?). Your quarantine might be up and running–and holding livestock–before you even haul the main tank home! We know what you’re thinking: Nobody, as in nobody ever, buys a quarantine set-up before buying their first display tank. Just doesn’t happen in the real world.

Fair enough. But just consider this before embarking on your next aquarium project, even if it’s just a modest one. It is a plain fact that there are lots of aquarium diseases out there. There is always one just lurking around the corner. Some of these are quite devastating. These
pathogens do not care how much you spent on that fish. They couldn’t care less about how long you’ve been patiently growing that mother colony.

For sure, the best way to deal with these maladies is to avoid them altogether. Here, the old saying that “an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure” holds so very true. It is never
too soon to build and establish a quarantine system! In fact, the best thing to do is set up two systems, particularly if you plan to build a large, well- stocked reef aquarium. In this way you can evaluate (and treat, if necessary) your fish and invertebrates separately.

The quarantine tank does not have to be massive. It does, however, need to be big enough to comfortably house each animal physically as well as remain stable chemically. It could definitely be said that QT tanks are frequently undersized. But the real issue is usually with quality. The QT is a place to rest and heal. If it is dirty, weakly aerated and of poor water quality, then what’s the point? Yes, the QT tank should be roomy, but even more importantly, it should have excellent water quality always.

On the other hand, a quarantine system should be sparsely “decorated.” This often means no sand or rock. Simple, inert, easily removed/easily cleaned objects like PVC pipe or flower pots are instead provided as hiding places. An egg crate rack works best for situating sessile creatures such as corals or tube worms. This ensures that the system is always easy to maintain and the inhabitants are always easy to observe.

One other consideration is proximity to the main system. The further the QT is from your display tank, the less likely it is that a drip or splash will result in contamination. While it may indeed be most convenient to keep all the tanks together (in a dedicated fish room, for example), keeping your QT in the same general area just increases the risk of salt spray reaching the other tank, a
fish net going into the wrong tank, etc.

Easy in

When a quarantine system is properly set up and maintained, there is never a rush to move animals into the main system. The QT has excellent filtration, lighting, circulation, etc. and can house the specimens indefinitely.

Think of the entire quarantine process as peace of mind rather than a pain in the butt. Caring for your quarantine tank might not be the most fun part of aquarium keeping. But the first time you
discover a disease in QT–rather than in the display tank–you’ll be quite glad you went through the trouble!
[CFish]

Related Posts

Does CADE Make Good Aquariums for Beginners?

Choosing the right aquarium system as a beginner can be an overwhelming task. The honest truth is that this decision has the potential to make a crucial

Read More about Does CADE Make Good Aquariums for Beginners?

Can I Put Dry Rock in a Reef Tank?

The relationship with aquascaping the reef tank can be a complicated one! The hobby of reef keeping has advanced significantly. Back in the early days of

Read More about Can I Put Dry Rock in a Reef Tank?

Enter the AlgaeBarn Upcycle Contest to Win the New Ultimate Galaxy Pack!

Coral reef ecosystems are incredibly intricate and delicate. There are thousands of different species that live on reefs, from tiny shrimp to the largest

Read More about Enter the AlgaeBarn Upcycle Contest to Win the New Ultimate Galaxy Pack!

Didn't find what you were looking for?

Browse the AlgaeLab by Category

  • Advanced Education
  • Beginners Education
  • CADE Aquariums
  • Captive Bred Fish
  • Clean Up Crew
  • Company News
  • Copepods
  • Corals
  • Freshwater
  • Freshwater Aquariums
  • Intermediate Education
  • Invertebrates
  • Live foods
  • Macroalgae
  • Phytoplankton
  • Product Info
  • Refugium Education
  • Rock and Substrate
  • Saltwater Aquariums
  • Wholesale

Company

  • About Us
  • The AlgaeLab Blog
  • Our Team
  • FAQ

Get in Touch

  • Contact Us
  • AOA Claim Form
  • Press Inquiries
  • Call Us: 772-444-7637

Policies

  • Legendary AOA Guarantee
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

Other

  • Store Locator
  • Wholesale & B2B inquired
  • Business Location

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Join our mission to build a more sustainable aquarium hobby, one tank at a time!

Copyright 2022, AlgaeBarn LLC - Live Copepods and Phytoplankton

adroll_adv_id = "RWFLKG57L5GR7KGYSOEUOK"; adroll_pix_id = "CH2QRUFHXZELLLCMHAB5GI"; adroll_version = "2.0"; adroll_current_page = "other"; adroll_currency = "USD"; adroll_language = "en_US";
0

Your Cart is Empty