The quarantine tank plays a crucial role in the marine aquarium hobby simply because there are a percentage of marine aquarium fishes that enter the trade with some form of disease or marine parasite. Most hobbyists will always tell you to quarantine every time you buy a new fish. But the vast majority of hobbyists simply do not quarantine and some end up paying the price for this mistake.
Quarantine tanks should be used by all members of the aquarium hobby when introducing new fish to a tank, but are unfortunately used by less than 5% of all aquarium owners. Every time we bring a new inhabitant into our aquarium we run the risk of introducing disease and parasites. At the same time, new fish will be very stressed from transport and relocation and will be very susceptible to any diseases or parasites present in the new environment. A quarantine tank protects your existing investment while allowing new fish to regain optimum health before their final stressful transition. In our opinion, a quarantine tank is a vital piece of equipment that should be used by all aquarists.
Quarantine tanks should be used by all members of the aquarium hobby when introducing new fish to a tank, but are unfortunately used by less than 5% of all aquarium owners. Every time we bring a new inhabitant into our aquarium we run the risk of introducing disease and parasites. At the same time, new fish will be very stressed from transport and relocation and will be very susceptible to any diseases or parasites present in the new environment. A quarantine tank protects your existing investment while allowing new fish to regain optimum health before their final stressful transition. In our opinion, a quarantine tank is a vital piece of equipment that should be used by all aquarists.
The problem with aquariums is the fact that it is a closed system, unlike the vast oceans that our livestock come from. As such, any parasitic organism, fungus or disease can quickly spread among the livestock like wildfire. This is especially true when dealing with marine ich and marine velvet.
While both parasites have the potential to wreak havoc on our aquariums, marine velvet does it in much quicker fashion. Specimens can perish as quickly as two days. This is because the marine velvet parasitic dinoflagellate tends to attack the gills which can eventually suffocate the fish or damage the gills so extensively that death comes quickly.
So the answer to the unknown organisms that are present on new fish is the quarantine tank. The quarantine tank is where all new fish are kept for a period no shorter than a month. It is where they are observed, treated and taught to accept prepared foods. It is especially handy when a specimen has a marine parasite as some parasite medication contains ingredients (copper) that will surely destroy the biological filter of the main display aquarium along with any invertebrates present.
Some fish stores do practice quarantining on their own but this varies from store to store. Some are trustworthy while others always seem to stock specimens that are suffering from one ailment or another. It is always better to err on the side of caution rather than risk your present livestock.
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