I know Im wrong, but...

I must confess I don't quarantine my fish or coral anymore. I had a QT set up for the first few months but it became a hassle to keep up with the "empty tank" and I took it down. Since Any new fish have gotten a quick acclimation then its into the tank. Am I playing Russian Roulette here? My fish all pretty much come from liveaquaria and they generaly have healthy specimens and I havent noticed an bad effects, did I just get lucky? Anyone else let the fish "jump right in"?

 

I use the drip acclimation method until they start moving around actively in the bucket. Then I drop them in the tank. It is a good way to acclimate and rinse them before adding to your DT.

 

yes i just drip and drop them myself with no problems as of yet.

 

if you know the source where you get your fish/corals & have observed them for a bit before buying them, you should be ok. Nothing is 100% foolproof but I trust my LFS, they stock from the same sources & allow me to make sure the fish are healthy & eating before I buy them. I usually have them held for 4-5 days before I bring them home.

 

i do pretty much the same with fish never had any problems as of yet

 

I always do the typical "bag float" after I have emptied about half of the LFS water out of the bag. I add some tank water to the floating bag (about a baster full) every 10-15 minutes for about 45 minutes. Also, I have given this advice; use Marine-Max by Tropical Science in your aquarium. It is all natural and boosts the fished immune system to keep them strong enough to ward off diseases.When you are ready to add fish again, dose it one day before you add a new fish. This is for any new fish in the future also. You can also add it after water changes (stress) to help the fish maintain a healthy un-compromised immune system.

 

FYI there are ways to use a QT without keeping a tank running full time for it. Just keep the equipment (10-20g tank, powerhead, heater, filter, some big PVC for hiding) in a closet, buy a couple cheap filter pads/sponges and keep the filter sponge/pad in your DT sump which should keep it relatively stocked with bacteria. When you decide you want to get a new fish, you setup the tank, even on the floor or a desk or something somewhere, throw in some water from the display or even use new saltwater (I've used a combination of both) and you're ready to go.

I've been running a QT full time while I'm stocking up my new system (which has been the better part of a year! ) but after the initial stocking I'll be taking it down and just doing the quick QT. I'm happy I did, the last 2 fish I bought were visibly fine at the store but after 2 days at home in the QT they came down with ich, I've been able to treat them with hyposalinity very easily. Keeping the other tank running was totally worth not risking my existing fish to the ich.

This is just one anecdote of course, there are plenty of people who don't use a QT and get by just fine without one, I feel like it's always risky not using one (not that a QT is always perfect). If I can help it I'll always be using one. QT's are a relatively hotly debated topic, I'm sure you can find plenty of more info/opinions searching these forums or using Google if you like.

 

I agree with Screwtape. I like the last few words of some of the posts "as of yet". Maybe a QT isn't needed, but why risk it? I'd rather be safe than sorry.

 

I guess I just like to ride the lightning

 

Unfortunately it will bite you one day, usually when the tank is well stocked wth very expensive inhabitants.