Quarantine setup

[LuapYllier]

Hello all!

I have seen lots of comments about quarantining new fish while reading around. My idea of doing a quarantine up until now has been to put the bag the new fish came in into the water for an hour or two so it can acclimatize to the new water. Boy was I off lol. I see people suggesting months of isolation.

So my question is, What types of setups do some of you have for doing your quarantine?
I have a newly built pond outside the house but no room inside for any aquariums nor do I have any sort of equipment for an outside one...so if I was going to need to purchase something for the purpose of adding new fish...give me some ideas of what extent I might need.

Are we talking a full tank set up with aerators and filters and the whole nine?

Is there any way you can use say a tote or a bucket or something that you can pour the main pond water into a few times a week to cycle the water?

 

[Lisak1]

I'll give the controversial answer - for the very reasons you mentioned, we don't have any quarantine set up. We just don't have the space for it nor do I want to invest in extra equipment that would just sit 99% of the time. We don't add new fish very often (this year was the first time in 6 years) so it would be something that would see very little use in my ponding life. We do have a small patio pond that we have set up spring through fall, so I could use that if I were inclined.

I'm in no way saying quarantine is not a valid idea - I'm just saying, practically speaking, for many garden pond owners like myself it's a difficult proposition. If I were keeping high value koi I'm sure my approach would be different. My basic approach now is to let the fish fill the pond on their own!

I also have in the back of my mind a thought that Meyer Jordan (valued forum member and experienced pond keeper who unfortunately passed away a few years ago) shared - you can quarantine new fish and they can pass all the rigorous inspections you put them through with flying colors and then you introduce them into your established pond - your current herd may very well have developed immunity to something that the new fish have never been exposed to or vice versa. Kind of like putting a new child into a pre-school - one group has developed the same immunities, but may not be immune to something the new kid introduces to the group, or vice versa. Both groups were healthy prior to exposure, but they had never been exposed to each other. I don't know if that makes sense the way I explained it, but it made sense when he shared it! I'll see if I can locate the original thread.

And now I'll make room for others to share how you're REALLY supposed to do it!

 

[Lisak1]

Here's the post I was referring to. Here's the link to the whole thread:

Sick fish?

Few days ago I bought two Shubunkin and two Koi. All are 3-4" First day they seemed okay, swam around and ate some. Now the two Koi and one Shubunkin (he barely moves, and seems to be breathing heavily) hide all the time, never see them eat. While the other Shubunkin is flourishing, chasing and...

www.gardenpondforum.com

 

[LuapYllier]

I don't know if that makes sense the way I explained it, but it made sense when he shared it! I'll see if I can locate the original thread.

And now I'll make room for others to share how you're REALLY supposed to do it!

Thanks Lisa. That made perfect sense.
I already wondered the same thing. I also think that the stresses of multiple new environments including a quarantine that might not have optimal conditions might be more detrimental to the fish than taking your chances with the pathogens. To expand on your analogy, They do not quarantine the new kid entering a classroom. Sure he might get sick but you stay vigilant and keep your eyes open for any issues that may arise.

 

[Lisak1]

I also think that the stresses of multiple new environments including a quarantine that might not have optimal conditions might be more detrimental to the fish than taking your chances with the pathogens.

Also a very good point. When you consider all the factors involved I think it becomes a bit more complicated than just keeping a new fish in a separate holding tank for a specific period of time and then it's all going to be fine.

Again, I would never discourage anyone from quarantining new fish before adding them to their pond if that's an option for them and something they feel more comfortable doing - I just think it's more realistic to accept that adding new fish to an established population will always come with some risks. If you're buying fish from a reputable source they should have already been in quarantine prior to being made available for purchase, so hopefully the risk of adding a diseased or parasite carrying fish to your pond has already been eliminated.

 

[EricV]

What I do: I have a couple of 35 gallon preformed garden ponds that I got for a song ($15 or so). MacCourt is the brand name. Inside of that I stick a 300 g/h pump I picked up from Harbor Freight. The pump goes in a planter basket filled with lava rock.

When I want to start a quarantine, I fill it with pond water and rinse off a skimmer brush or pad in the water a few hours before I put the fish in. Every few days I will top off the quarantine pond with water from the real pond. That way the water stays the same and I can clear out some of the ammonia that might be building up. (Back when I tested, I never saw any sign of it.) This works fine for a half dozen 4" goldfish.

The same "pond" is also used as a rinse tank for my filter material when I clean and other purposes, so I get quite a bit of use of it.

 

[addy1]

I added fish once around 5ish years ago, before that only home grown, since then only home grown. My home grown are beautiful.
Did not have any issues that I saw. No expensive koi.