For seven years I too would just add fish to my display after drip acclimatizing and I was LUCKY... let me repeat.... I was LUCKY!!!
That all changed when I added a beautiful exotic looking tang to my display. Several days later he started flashing but nothing visible... fish started dying within 24 hours, and within 48 hours I had lost all but 2. I was living the VELVET nightmare.
Some of my fish I had over 6 years. I had a beautiful Powder Brown Tang, a spawning designer pair of clowns (that I got as teeny tiny babies), a Candy Cane Basslet (cough cough) just to name a few. The losses were DEVASTATING. I almost quit the hobby.
I have gone full circle and now QT ALL my fish. Kept my DT fallow for 5 months also.
I used to be of the belief that QT would be way more stressful on new fish. A small barren tank, being isolated... vs having a reef environment, with lots of dark hiding spaces, and fellow fish...
So wrong!!! Instead they get to emerge and eat at their own pace, without being chased, they get stronger and with that bolder.
LOL I did splurge recently and got myself another Candy Cane Basslet (cough, cough... cough, cough). Had him in QT for 9 weeks (a wrasse he was with died for no apparent reason and didn't want to take any chances).
He did his typical hiding but quite soon figured out that I was that 'wonderful thing' that brought him tasty treats. He soon whipped out every time he saw me by the tank.
When the day came to graduate to the DT, he did his panic thing and went into hiding... and my other normally docile fish became temporary bullies and chased him around. Had about a week of this. Eventually they chilled out and guess he became hungry enough. So good thing he was nice and plump going into the tank.
But LOL he still comes dashing out whenever he sees me looking into the tank. He comes out of nowhere. I can go from side-glass to side-glass and BOOM there he is right in my face. These fish are normally quite cryptic... its quite cool... the bond he made with me from his QT time LOL
Yes, I am now completely reformed and no longer play the Russian Roulette game. I DO QT ...at least my fish LOL. Can't say that for corals yet (although I do dip)... and for now just very hopeful that I don't get 'bit'
