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Quarantining New Fish

You should quarantine your fish if it’s sick, but quarantining new fish really depends on the situation. To find out if you need to quarantine your new fish, read on.

What is a quarantine tank?

A quarantine tank is used to isolate a fish from other fish. A quarantine tank is simply another tank that is used solely for temporarily housing one fish. Generally, quarantining new fish or sick fish requires a 10-20 gallon tank. A quarantine tank needs to be set up with the exact same specifications as your main tank. It needs to have the same water temperature, pH level and filtration system. This will make your fish feel at home while it’s separated from its normal environment.

Quarantining new fish has different motives than quarantining sick fish, however, a quarantine tank should have its own net. This will protect the fish in the home tank from being contaminated by any bacteria manifesting in the quarantine tank.

When to use a quarantine tank

Quarantining new fish isn’t always necessary. It really depends on the type of fish you have in your tank. If you’re introducing a fish that’s the same species and roughly the same size as the other fish in your tank, a quarantine tank is probably unnecessary. But, if you’re introducing a different type of fish to the tank or the fish is smaller than the other fish, you should put it in a quarantine tank. Some fish are aggressive. Putting them in a quarantine tank next to the other fish will let you feel out how the fish will interact with the other fish in the tank. Putting a small fish in a tank full of large fish can be disastrous. So, if you have a young fish, put it in a quarantine tank until it gets bigger and then introduce it to the rest of the population.

Quarantining a new fish that’s virtually identical to other fish in the tank usually isn’t necessary. However, you will need to allow your new fish to adjust to the tank temperature before plopping it in. To do this, place your fish in the tank while it’s in its pet store bag. Let him sit in the bag for a couple of hours while he gets used to the water temp and then dump him in!

Other reasons for quarantine tanks

Quarantining a new fish is one reason fish owners quarantine their fish. Sick fish, pregnant fish and baby fish should also be quarantined. This will ensure the safety of the other fish and the survival of the smaller fish. Quarantining new fish isn’t always necessary, so ask your pet provider about it before leaving the store.

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