Tank Specifications
10-20 gallon tank, bare bottom, simple sponge filter, heater, 1-2 PVC pipes for hiding. No substrate, no live plants.
Bare-bottom = easy cleaning, easy waste monitoring, no medication absorption by substrate.
Pre-Use Cycling
Keep a sponge filter running in your display tank 24/7. When new fish arrive, move that pre-cycled sponge to the quarantine tank — instant biological filtration.
Without pre-cycled media, you will get an ammonia spike in the first week of quarantine.
- ✦Match quarantine water parameters to source pet shop, not display tank — avoid double shock
- ✦Keep quarantine lights dim throughout the 4 weeks
- ✦Test water daily for the first week, then every 3 days
4-Week Protocol
Week 1: observation only. Test water daily. Watch for ich, fin rot, parasites.
Week 2: prophylactic salt (1 tbsp per 5 gallons) for community-tolerant fish. Skip for catfish, tetras, scaleless species.
Week 3: heat treatment (86°F for 7-10 days) to break ich life cycle if no salt sensitivity.
Week 4: observation, return to display tank parameters, then transfer.
When to Skip Quarantine
Never. There is no good reason to skip quarantine for a community tank.
Even quality breeders ship fish that carry latent disease. Quarantine is not paranoia — it is basic husbandry.