Any tips for invert QT?
- Thread starter RWhitt907
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Put them (and anything else wet that isn't a fish) in a fishless tank for 60-76 days and keep them fed - that allows time for any fish diseases to die off, and gives time for you to observe and deal with other issues you can observe (like bubble algae or hydroids on snail shells, parasites in a shrimp, etc.).
Personally, I'd a meaty pellet or frozen feed and supplement it with algae/an algal feed, but only a meaty feed is really necessary:
^This is exactly what I do. I’m keeping three 10 gallon QT/Observation tanks for all new livestock - a medicated fish QT, a coral observation tank, and a third observation tank for motile inverts like snails, shrimp and crabs. I’m running this tank with just a heater and an AquaClear HOB filter, no ATO currently, no light, except ambient daylight and a little spill over from the coral observation tank that’s next to it (I keep my fish QT greater than 10 feet away from all other tanks to minimize any pathogens or parasites that can be passed by airborne water droplets (<Yes, this is a thing!)). My coral observation tank is bare bottom with a frag rack, but for the other inverts I gave the them an inch or so of dry sand and a few pieces of dry rock for real estate. I feed them almost as if I’m feeding fish, I give them frozen as well as flaked and pellets, and I encourage a little algae to grow in this tank, and they seem to do fine.
There’s some debate over how long you should quarantine motile inverts until considering them safe to add to your display tank. Some say that crabs and shrimp only need to be held until they molt, others say to hold everything for 30 days, many say 60 days, and 76 days is also commonly discussed. I go with the 76 day time frame, I just feel it’s that much safer, and I don’t mind being a little extra patient. I’m trying to hold new coral frags for the full 76 days as well before adding them to my DT.
And just to mention it, for the fish I’m using the R2R approved QT protocol found here:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/current-quarantine-protocol.825055/
The QT protocol found at HumbleFish and Reef is also very popular, but I chose the above method because the authors are right here on R2R and available if you have questions (HumbleFish also has a help forum, but I figured I’m already a member here).
I hope that helps, good luck!
Zinda
Community Member
Hi @Fish Fan ! I'm curious how you keep "challenging" corals that are described as needing "established" tanks alive for 76 days in a QT tank. I'd throw any clams in that category and I guess most SPS but I don't have first hand experience with those. Do they really survive that long in a tank with freshly made salt water, a solid lighting system and a (basically) empty tank? Aren't these tanks missing whatever magic (the microbiome? copepods?) an "established" tank has?
For motile inverts, a mature tank doesn't seem to be a necessity as these animals are largely very hardy. For corals, I think it's important that the QT/observation tank is well established and mature. I think it's best to try to keep the corals as stable as you would in your main display tank.
Zinda
Community Member
Oh boy, I guess like a lot of the reefing hobby, this is the exact opposite of the advice I'm getting over on this thread. There, I'm slowly getting convinced that a freshly cycled, very simple tank is actually easier for QT'ing these "difficult" livestock. Love to have you join in that discussion!
you can also save yourself the time and headache and get all your properly quarantined inverts and clean up crew from a very well trusted source like invertedreef.com who only specialize in properly quarantining inverts and clean up crew and nothing else. They are a terrific solution and have always had 100% success with their team!
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