Your thoughts on "Ich-Free" tanks - IS IT POSSIBLE?

[daniella3d]

They are less stressed in the display tank? are you sure of that? what if they have to adjust to other fish and being chased around and attacked?

Why would a well setup quarantine tank being any more stressful than going into a display tank? a tank is a tank and it's not the ocean (although that to should be quite stressfull in the surviving predators etc process). The fish is alone and does not have to witstand other fish attack or adjust to other fish territory so how can that be stressful? Given the QT is large enough and there is some hiding place or liverock, how is that more stressful?

If they don't need hypo or chemical then why do they die from ich in the DT? How many people here put new fish in their display tank only to see them being chased around by other fish for a week and sometime more?

yeah yeah...I know, here we go again you will say but those are valid points.

But what about the existing fish?

When you introduce a new fish within your community of existing fish you run the risk of losing them all, doesn't that bother you? If your fish are healthy why would you risk their lives and make them sick by adding a new fish carrying a disease? I love my fish and don't want to see them dead or sick. Doesn't that make sense?

Originally Posted by MarkoD

the point is that putting a fish in quarantine will stress it out more than if you put it directly in the large display tank. Given that its less stressed in the display tank, it is more likely to start eating and in result more likely to fight off any parasite or disease naturally. Like you said, "saltwater fish are tough". they dont need chemicals or hyposalinity, they need to feel comfortable and fed. Nature then takes its course

[MarkoD]

A display tank is larger, has rock and other fish. My fish don't chase each other around because I've provided enough space so they can all establish their own territories. Putting a fish alone in a relatively small tank is more stressful. I've observed in my tank that fish feel more comfortable in numbers.

And since this thread is about ich. Why would adding an infected fish affect all the other fish in the tank? If they're happy and healthy it won't matter. And once you put the new fish in, once it's happy it'll fight the parisite and that's it. (doesn't take 6-8 weeks in a small 20 gallon tank)

[MarkoD]

If you're so sure that you don't have ich in your tank then prove it.

Do a test. Chase your least favorite fish around with a net for an hour or 2.

[Aquattro]

Daniella, the fish can become stressed by being placed in a smaall bare tank with nowhere to hide and no other fish to distract all the predators that the new fish is sure are there, just waiting to get it. This can cause stress.

I always add new fish directly to the DT, sometimes there is a bit of chasing, but there are plenty of places to hide and the fish always settles in much quicker than I've seen in QT tanks.

This is my experience and my preference. It's how I've always operated and I've never lost a fish to ich in 14 yrs of keeping saltwater fish. It may not be your preference, but we'll have to just agree to disagree.

Readers can hear my story and your story and decide. You don't need to sell your story so strongly.

I may have ich in my tank, but my fish are healthy and fight it off. Same as my house..I'm sure there are cold and flu virii here, but I don't have a cold or the flu. I can't quarantine any new person or object coming into my house, and surprisingly, nobody in my house is dying. I just added new fish to my tank, no ich, no death, just happy fish.

This works for me and many others. If you have an established QT system, then great, glad that works for you, but it's not what I would do myself.