Q Tank For Malawis

[locust267]

OK, so I used to use a tank to quarantine any community fish and I'm assuming even if I dont need a tank for introductory reasons (as meant to stock all cichlids at once) I will still need one if/when a fish gets ill?

My only problem is spare tank is only 54l (30cmx60cmx30cm)- And really cant afford (or fit in) a bigger tank.

How do you guys go about adding new fish and quarantining ill fish?

I will actually be adding my cichlids in two batches to my 260l - If I'm ordering from reputable breeder is quarantining still important?

Cheers

 

[rifty]

thats fine to Q them in im guessing they will be juvies so the size will be fine.
if you can quarantine it would put your mind at ease then do it!

 

[locust267]

Cool, thanks - Yes they should only be small but was just worried about the size of tank.

What's the Q time on newcomers?

Cheers

 

[rifty]

million dollar question!
depends who you get them from and what they are
if i know the seller i put mine straight in now unless they are wilds
but if unsure 2 weeks will allow you time to watch and spot obvious issues with health, eating etc.
biggest advice I can give you is find a good breeder,find out what food they use as you may need some to whene them over to what you use, if you use an lfs ask where they get thier malawis from before buying and if the whole tank has coloured up males be concerned they have been hourmone fed and never buy a runt looking malawi cos you feel sorry for them it will probably die and who knows what was up with it in the first place!

 

[locust267]

million dollar question!
depends who you get them from and what they are
if i know the seller i put mine straight in now unless they are wilds
but if unsure 2 weeks will allow you time to watch and spot obvious issues with health, eating etc.
biggest advice I can give you is find a good breeder,find out what food they use as you may need some to whene them over to what you use, if you use an lfs ask where they get thier malawis from before buying and if the whole tank has coloured up males be concerned they have been hourmone fed and never buy a runt looking malawi cos you feel sorry for them it will probably die and who knows what was up with it in the first place!

Excellent, thanks - I guess the first lot I order can go straight in the freshly cycled tank anyway and if I use a breeder people on here have recc'd and I like the first batch, there is only a small chance the next batch will be bad... Either way I'll set up the Q tank with sand and rock for when the second batch arrive.

Cheers

 

[rifty]

cool be careful who you buy from as some peoples first experiences ordering are sometimes a little bias as they compare ok fish to lfs stock so of course they look real good!
northants malawis is a good example of a good breeder who posts tho!he isnt a mass fish factory like some and his fish are tip top