Fishes make wonderful pets for children, but their needs and specific ways of being taken care of; should not be taken lightly. One of the most important things a fish owner can do when bringing home their new fish is to hold it in a quarantine tank, first. Under no circumstances should you allow your new fish to join the existing tank and possibly infect the other fishes.
It is good practice for all fish keepers to have a standby quarantine tank set-up, just in case anything happens and you need a spare tank.
A quarantine tank has its uses for all types of fishes needs, as well as providing a new dwelling for your fish. Having a back-up tank allows you to house a fish that has unfortunately become unwell and requires some form of medication or treatment.
It also proves useful should one of your fish becomes pregnant, they can give birth and raise their fry without the worry of them being eaten by their other tank friends.
Carry on reading to understand the importance of a quarantine tank.
Always keep a quarantine tank on standby
It is important that your quarantine tank is always be set up on standby and maintained just like your normal fish tank so that it can be used at any time should a situation arise. It is crucial that the tank is ready when needed. The time it takes to set a tank up to the correct level of water and temperature can prove harmful in terms of time and can have devastating consequences on a fish that may have fallen unwell and needs to be separated from their fry and rest until they become well again.
Why you may need your quarantine tank
There are many reasons why you might need an emergency tank on standby, reasons such as; housing a new addition before they're introduced to the main water tank and its residents. This will give you enough time to observe them for a period of time to make sure that they're not unwell or have any diseases or health ailments that can infect and be passed onto your other fish.
If something goes wrong with the existing tank, for example, the filtration breaks or the heater stops working. The fish can be safely transported to the quarantine tank whilst the issue is fixed.
The maintenance of a quarantine tank is normally fairly cheap and easily done. It should be smaller than your main tank, as it will only be used incase of an emergency. You won't need to focus too much on the look of the tank as it will only be used for its functionality rather than its decorative look.
Stages for setting up your quarantine tank
It is very important that you keep the quarantine tank clean and frequently change, or clean the filter if it has been used to house sick fish. This will ensure that no germs are passed on from other illness. The emergency tank will also need time to refresh with the new water added after the thorough cleaning. It is also important that you do not place the new fish in the same water that has housed any sick fish; for obvious reasons.
You must ensure that the quality of water and it's set-up in terms of size are kept to near enough the same as the main tank. This will make the move between tanks smoother and less stressful.
When you've purchased your fish, it is important that you have done everything you can to ensure that the fish are healthy and fit. Some health related issues are not always visible. This is the reason why the new fish should be placed in the quarantine tank for round about a 2 week period so that you can watch them with a close eye before adding them to their new family.