The cons of quarantine

[kien]

To set up a QT tank in a pinch I just take live rock and some water out of my display tank and put it in the QT tank.

I haven't purchased a fish in ages but I usually play it by ear. A combination of factors like how fragile I think the fish is, how healthy I think the fish is and how healthy I think his previous tank mates were, etc. Either way, it's a total crap shoot, unfortunately.

EDIT: And by "display tank" I mean my sump. I have a pile of live rock down there that's handy for QT tanks.