How long to quarantine for?

[jacoste]

So the nitrite levels in my quarantine tank have finally started to drop after more than three weeks sitting steady somewhere between 2 and 5ppm and I'm pretty sure my fishless cycle is nearing completion (after more than 5 weeks it's about time too). YAY!

When the cycle has finished I'm planning on starting with the rummynose tetras (see planned stocking for the 42 gallon in my sig - there may be some slight changes to this but nothing major). The question is, can I add all 8 of them to the QT at once or should I do it in 2 batches? The tank is about 10 gallons, is being cycled using fish food (couldn't find any ammonia without stuff added to it) and the ammonia never got much over 1ppm so I'm not sure if there are enough bacteria to handle 8 fish without going into a mini-cycle.

Also, how long should I be quarantining (assuming all goes well and everyone's healthy)? I was thinking 3 or 4 weeks but would like to hear what others think is a good length of time.

[Dave66]

Personally, I quarantine all new arrivals at least a month, and over the last 30 years, no disease of any kind have gotten into my tanks because of it.

If your QT tank is completely cycled and the rummies are small, you could put all eight in. After a month, I'd put four in your tank one week, the other four the following week, assuming none show signs of disease while in quarantine.

Dave

[Little Embers]

I would suggest adding the rummynoses last, they can sometimes be very sensitive to new tank conditions and water quality.

[Mvjnz]

I also quarantine for one month. I've had new fish get sick after about 2 weeks, so quarantining for two weeks or less would be pointless.

[Jaster]

I had 8 in a 10 gallon for almost a month and a half (wasn't planned to be that long... had an issue with the main tank so I couldn't move them). With them being swimmers they weren't too thrilled on the small tank but they did survive it. When I first got them they didn't mind the tank but as they grew over the 6 weeks they were starting to show signs of issues. They weren't swimming around that much and the red on their noses faded some. I was doing a 25% water change every 3-4 days or so for them. I had a bit of a hard time keeping the ammonia levels in check as they got bigger as well.
You could start with a slightly smaller school if you are worried about room in QT, say 5 or 6 and add more to the school later on.

Good luck! I love my rummys. They are soo much fun to watch. Very active fish!

[korith]

I've got a 10g to use as a fry/quarantine tank. I wait at least 3 weeks, you just never know how healthy the fish are at your lfs. A good temporary container for larger fish, can use a rubbermaid bin. Costs about $5-6 at walmart.

[jacoste]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I think I'll be getting the rummynoses in two batches. The only reason I can think of to get them all at once is that it'll take less time to get my tank stocked and that's not a good enough reason at all. So I'll get them in two batches of four and hopefully they'll be happy and not too restricted or crowded in the 10 gallon for a month.

My nitrites were at 0 today so I think the tank's cycled. I'll keep the fishless cycle going for a while longer as I'm visiting my parents over the weekend for mother's day, and then I can get the first batch of fish early next week. YAY!!!