'We always recommend that our customers quarantine their fish. It just makes sense to do everything you can to protect your existing pets, not to mention the money you have already spent on the inhabitants of your tank. When you add any new fish to your tank you are taking a risk of introducing disease or parasites, no matter where the fish has come from.

 In a shop situation it is impossible to guard against everything. Most shops do try, but with the number of fish in a shop system, coming from so many different places, it is very difficult. At Wonderfish our imported fish are quarantined in our specialised quarantine room for 7 days before we release them into the shop for sale. This allows us to make sure they are feeding and check them for disease, marks, signs of undue stress, etc. We are also constantly checking the fish in the shop for signs of poor health or stress. We treat our systems as required to keep everyone healthy.

No shop can guard against everything, however, and other factors such as the stress of being put into a bag and transported to another place, sudden changes in temperature, or settling in to a new tank with different water parameters and curious or possibly aggressive inhabitants all contribute to fish getting sick when they first go into a new environment

So, after all of this, wouldn't it be nice for a fish to have some quiet time in a tank of it's own before reaching its ultimate home in your display tank?

Which leads us to quarantine. From conversations I have with people in the shop, I find that most people misunderstand quarantine. People tell me they have set up a quaratine tank, but it is "still cycling". In actual fact, a quarantine tank is not meant to be set up like your display tank. You actually don't want bacteria in there, as if you do need to treat the inhabitant(s), you will possibly kill it off anyway. A quarantine tank doesn't have to be an elaborate or expensive setup. If you set up a quarantine like it was a display tank, the water quality will most likely be unstable as you are putting fish in for short periods of time and then leaving the tank with no load for periods of time. If you set up a very basic system with water quality kept up to scratch with frequent water changes, it works much better.

My quarantine tank at home is extremely simple - 40 litre tank, small hang on filter containing only dacron for mechanical filtration, small heater, no substrate and a couple of pvc pipes for hiding places. You can use a simple sponge filter or anything really basic for filtration. Ok, so I don't bring home any big fish. Obviously if you are dealing with larger fish you would want something with a bit more size so they don't get too stressed. But you get the idea. When I bring a fish home, I take water from one of my display tanks (where the fish will end up ultimately, anyway, and presumably this water is a good as you can make it), fill the tank, turn on the filter and heater, acclimatise the fish to the temperature and water parameters of the quarantine tank, and away we go.

The trick with this sort of system is to be very strict with your maintenance. Perform small water changes daily or every second day, depending on how much waste is being produced. Siphon out any leftover food and faeces from the bottom of the tank while doing water changes. It is also important to maintain a high level of oxygenation. This is particularly important while you are treating fish.

I like quarantining my new fish for a bunch of reasons. I can have a really close look at them and get to know them a little bit. They get used to strange human faces peering in at them all the time. I can make sure they are feeding and really get some weight on them if they are a bit thin. And, of course, if they do show any signs of disease they can be treated before having the opportunity to infect my other fish. (Side Note: This is a really good tank to teach mandarin fish to eat in. Mix live brine shrimp with frozen brine and mysis, shoot it in with a turkey baster so it all swirls around the fish's head (mandarins need to look at food for a loooong time before they decide to eat it...), and keep doing this until they start stuffing their faces. Works every time for me, and the mandarins in my displays are really fat and will eat anything...)

While your fish are in quarantine it's a good opportunity to give them a preventative worming treatment. Many wild caught fish have intestinal worms, it's just one of those things. We regularly worm our fish in the shop. We have had great success with using Praziquantal (the active ingredient in many commonly available worming treatments) orally. We mix a small amount in with the food, give it time to disintegrate, and feed to the fish. It also doesn't hurt to soak some food in garlic, which has been shown to boost the immune systems of fish.

I hope this has shed some light on the issue for people. If anybody wants to discuss this further with me, feel free to call, email or come visit me in the shop.

Kate.

Many people think that keeping fish is difficult and a lot of work, but that doesn’t have to be the case.  If you know the requirements of the fish you are keeping and provide those requirements, it can be a fun and rewarding hobby.

The first thing you need to do is decide what sort of fish you would like to keep.  It is a good idea to take into account how much space you have, how much time you are willing to devote to your tank, what sort of fish you like, and your budget.

Siamese Fighters

If you want something that is pretty, easy and inexpensive to keep, and doesn’t take up much space, a Siamese Fighter is for you.  Siamese fighters are able to live in a small bowl or tank without a filter as they have a special organ that allows them to breathe air from the surface of the water.  Siamese Fighters need to be fed a small amount of food daily and have about ¾ of their water changed once a week.  Provide a plant or ornament for them to hide in, and they will be happy. They don't tolerate other Siamese fighters, so keep them on their own, or in a community tank without other fighters.

Goldfish

Although goldfish are often kept in small bowls, this is not a good home for them.  Goldfish need a lot of oxygen in their water and produce a lot of waste, so should be provided with a filter.  They need some swimming space and will grow large, even when kept in a small tank, so keep this in mind when choosing your tank.  Providing at least 15 litres of water per small goldfish is recommended.

Goldfish like cold water, so don’t need a heater.  Feed a small amount of food every day (goldfish are very good at emotional blackmail, don’t let them get away with it) and change about ¼ of the water once a fortnight, and your goldfish will be happy.  You can add plants, however goldfish do like to eat plants, so you will need to keep replacing them.

Tropical Freshwater Fish

The only difference between setting up a tank for goldfish and freshwater tropical fish is a heater.  If you set your tank up with a good filter and heater, you have a much wider range of fish to choose from.  Keep in mind that not all fish get along, so seek advice to make sure the fish you are planning to keep together will get along.  Some tropicals also grow large, so make sure the fish you choose won’t outgrow your tank. 

Many tropicals don’t eat plants, so you can get creative with your aquascaping, using rocks, driftwood and plants to create a nice display and plenty of places for your fish to hide.  Feed your fish once a day and do a ¼ water change once a fortnight and your fish should stay happy.

Marine Fish

Keeping marine fish is a little more involved than freshwater and is more expensive to set up.  If you set your tank up properly, you will have far fewer problems than if you cut corners.  Larger tanks are much easier to look after than smaller ones, and in a larger tank you also have a larger range of fish to choose from.  You need a very good filtration system to keep your tank healthy, including a protein skimmer.  If you are keeping corals, you need strong lighting and plenty of flow in the tank.

A marine tank takes some time to cycle when you first set it up, and you need to allow this process to complete before adding fish.  It can take up to 8 weeks, so you need to be patient.  Frequency of water changes will depend on how your tank is set up and how many fish you have, but a good rule of thumb is a 20% water change once per month.  You also need to regularly check your salt levels, temperature, and general water quality.

There are many marine fish that don’t get along with each other, and some that eat coral, so make sure you get advice on compatibility when adding new animals.

With a bit of planning and forethought, fish are an interesting and rewarding pet for people of any age.  At Wonderfish we can guide you through the process of setting up your tank, help you choose compatible tankmates, and advise on all aspects of fishkeeping.  Come down and have a chat to us today.