Quarantine tank

[Headrush]

I keep SA/CA cichlids. and right now I have:

7" female JD
5.5" male GT
4" male Firemouth

These are my largest fish.

Would a 10-15 gallon be ok for a quarantine in case of emergencies? will add the hood and heater etc too of course...Just thought it would be a responsible move on my part as a fish keeper

Thanks

 

[livebearerfreak]

go more along teh line of a 20 long as 10s and 15s are 10 inches wide and 20 long is 12 inches wide and more room

 

[balton777]

A 15 gallon would be perfect. I use a 20-long and even recently kept my 13" Jag in it for a while.

 

[Headrush]

ok was thinking that 10-15's are cheaper and fish arent usually in them long....maybe a week right?

never used one and was going to grab one down at the bargain shop... used of course, but if I can find a used 20 I'll grab it for a decent price

 

[Gourami Swami]

The only concern with a 10g would be that the fishcould not turn around. 15g will do you fine. I pesonally use a standard 20g.

 

[Headrush]

I'm thinking I should QT any new fish in there and treat them as if they were sick before putitng them in my tanks. Would I be risking losing them if they're not sick and I medicate for parasites and bacteria anyway?

 

[Cross127]

29's are the Best IMO I only use 29 gallons for fish 6" and up for QT. Anything less goes into a 10. NOOOOOOO do not medicate if there is no need. Very very bad misconception of QT fish. Only medicate if the fish shows signs of illness in the QT tank. If you medicate the fish without any disease it may cause sterilization and immune system weakness. I mean a natural med will have minimal effect but still don't do it. Like Melafix is all natural and I use it to heal fins and such when needed but thats the only time I will use it and I only will use it if the fins are bad or they aren't growing back after 4 days. The whole point of Qt is so you can watch for disease before the main tank and if there is nothing wrong then it is ok to put it in the main tank. Fish should be QT'ed for a minimum of 2 weeks to get a complete observation of the fish.