How to Quarantine

Reefinny · Mar 25, 2015

Nice write up, I am a fan of a good QT system. Too much money in livestock in the DT to take a chance.

Humblefish · Mar 25, 2015

LukeV said:
what about tangs? Would a cp treatment be less stressful then the copper treatment? Also would you say it's better to g bigger for a QT or stick with a 40 breeder?

I've used CP on tangs, angels, triggers, butterflyfish, Moorish Idols, basslets, dartfish, rabbitfish, anthias, gobies, blennies, even mandarins ... all with great success. A LFS I advise uses CP on fairy/flasher wrasses and reports no ill effects. The wrasses I had trouble with were several sixlines and a melanurus. All stopped eating and died within a week into treatment.

There are pros & cons of small QT vs. large QT. A small QT is easier to setup/break down, do large WCs to control ammonia, and cheaper to medicate. However, a large QT affords more stable water parameters, and is less stressful if you are QT'ing larger fish or fish that need more swimming room like tangs. What kind of fish are you looking to QT?

LukeV · Mar 25, 2015

Humblefish said:
I've used CP on tangs, angels, triggers, butterflyfish, Moorish Idols, basslets, dartfish, rabbitfish, anthias, gobies, blennies, even mandarins ... all with great success. A LFS I advise uses CP on fairy/flasher wrasses and reports no ill effects. The wrasses I had trouble with were several sixlines and a melanurus. All stopped eating and died within a week into treatment.

There are pros & cons of small QT vs. large QT. A small QT is easier to setup/break down, do large WCs to control ammonia, and cheaper to medicate. However, a large QT affords more stable water parameters, and is less stressful if you are QT'ing larger fish or fish that need more swimming room like tangs. What kind of fish are you looking to QT?

I will be QTing tangs(naso,clown,etc) clownfish, wrasses, long nose butterfly, and chromi. Maybe other medium smaller fish

Humblefish · Mar 26, 2015

LukeV said:
I will be QTing tangs(naso,clown,etc) clownfish, wrasses, long nose butterfly, and chromi. Maybe other medium smaller fish

For the tangs, I'd suggest a 29 gal or even a 40 breeder. Petco's $ per gal sale starts soon, at least where I live.

Triggerpuller · Mar 26, 2015

I guess my biggest fear going into the unknown, is what besides ammonia should you be looking for to make sure the water is not toxic? I guess I am just worried because I just put 160 dollars worth of fish in my QT and I just lost over 300 in fish in my DT due to Ich( my confidence in my ability to keep fish alive is wavering). The QT section I have been studying and researching in an attempt to rid my DT of ich for good.

Humblefish · Mar 26, 2015

Triggerpuller said:
I guess my biggest fear going into the unknown, is what besides ammonia should you be looking for to make sure the water is not toxic? I guess I am just worried because I just put 160 dollars worth of fish in my QT and I just lost over 300 in fish in my DT due to Ich( my confidence in my ability to keep fish alive is wavering). The QT section I have been studying and researching in an attempt to rid my DT of ich for good.

It's not unusual for your confidence to take a hit after a major fish loss. We've all been there - myself included. You will get your confidence back after a few "wins" in QT.

Ammonia is the only parameter you really need to monitor closely in QT. It's also important to acclimate your new additions properly: https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/fish-discussion/192300-how-acclimate.html

A_CoupleClowns · Mar 28, 2015

Great thread!

We are setting up our first QT. We have 5 tangs coming Tuesday and want to do it right with this new tank. We are planning on picking up two 40g at the petco sale on Sunday. We already have 2 heaters, 2 fluval 50 aquaclear powerfilters, 2 powerheads, plenty of egg crate for making dividers and tops for jumpers, and some pvc straights, elbows, and tees. We are also planning on picking up amonia badges, Selcon, Cupramine, Prazipro, salifert copper test kit, thermometers and dr tims nitrifyling bacteria (or Bio spira whatever is better). Are there any other must haves that we are missing? Just figured we would check in with someone who knows what they are doing so we have all the bases covered :tongue:

Here is the list of fish we have coming from LADD, we are very excited. Biggest one should be around 3", we hope LOL.

Dussumieri (2.75"-3.5")
Achilles (2.25"-2.75")
Powder blue (2.5"-3")
Powder brown (2.5"-3")
Orange shoulder (1/2"- 1")

After those are QT'd we will be QTing
Regal
Blonde Naso
Purple
Yellow (already have in our old tank)
Yellow Eye Kole (already have in our old)

Would be nice to get all five tangs in one 40 and the other five in the other 40 so we could release them into the big tank together at once. But we don't want to cramp the fish and stress them out either so we can just use both 40g for the first 5 tangs too. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Humblefish · Mar 29, 2015

A_CoupleClowns If you haven't opened them already, I would opt for the Aquaclear 70 HOB over the Aquaclear 50 for a 40 breeder QT with tangs in it. As I'm sure you know, tangs are pooping machines. Also, you'll want to add Dr Tims or Bio spira before adding any medications to the water. Turn off the HOB, and pour the nitrifying bacteria over the foam insert while it's inside the HOB (with just a small amount of tank water covering it.) Let it sit for an hour or so, for the bacteria to settle before turning the HOB back on. Do not use any medications for the first few days in order to allow time for the bacteria to begin colonizing inside the foam.

You are going to need some serious flow to accommodate the Acanthurus (Powder Blue/Brown, Achilles) tangs, as those are often collected in crest zones where oxygen levels are high. I would make sure the powerfilter is breaking the surface of the water, and also point a powerhead or two towards the surface in order to increase gas exchange. Have plenty of PVC elbows in QT and be prepared to move the tangs around if aggression starts.

May I ask what size DT all these tangs are ultimately going in? Unless it's a very large system or you have multiple tanks, you are asking for a massacre to happen mixing that many tangs. Acanthurus are notorious for being intolerant of other tangs, especially ones of the same genus. Unless all housed together in a 240+ gal tank. And even that may not be big enough long-term. :squigglemouth:

A_CoupleClowns · Mar 29, 2015

Humblefish said:
@<a href="https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/member.php?u=50273" target="_blank">A_CoupleClowns</a> If you haven't opened them already, I would opt for the Aquaclear 70 HOB over the Aquaclear 50 for a 40 breeder QT with tangs in it. As I'm sure you know, tangs are pooping machines. Also, you'll want to add Dr Tims or Bio spira before adding any medications to the water. Turn off the HOB, and pour the nitrifying bacteria over the foam insert while it's inside the HOB (with just a small amount of tank water covering it.) Let it sit for an hour or so, for the bacteria to settle before turning the HOB back on. Do not use any medications for the first few days in order to allow time for the bacteria to begin colonizing inside the foam. 
 
You are going to need some serious flow to accommodate the Acanthurus (Powder Blue/Brown, Achilles) tangs, as those are often collected in crest zones where oxygen levels are high. I would make sure the powerfilter is breaking the surface of the water, and also point a powerhead or two towards the surface in order to increase gas exchange. Have plenty of PVC elbows in QT and be prepared to move the tangs around if aggression starts. 
 
May I ask what size DT all these tangs are ultimately going in? Unless it's a very large system or you have multiple tanks, you are asking for a massacre to happen mixing that many tangs. Acanthurus are notorious for being intolerant of other tangs, especially ones of the same genus. Unless all housed together in a 240+ gal tank. And even that may not be big enough long-term. <img src="https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/images/smilies/cutemoticons/cutemoticons/squigglemouth.png" border="0" alt="" title="Squigglemouth" smilieid="386" class="inlineimg">

Thanks for the response!

Shoot already opened the aquaclear 50's to throw the ceramic media pellets and foam in our stock tanks to seed any type of bacteria population we can over the next couple days. Went ahead and threw a coraline covered frag plug in each ceramic media bag also, just to try and get a little direct bacteria contact. I suppose I will have to do extra water changes to keep up if there is a problem. We also have an old sro 150 skimmer we could throw into the mix if needed, I am sure it would help with aeration, just didn't want to be pulling any medications out of the water if we need to medicate them. Picked up the two 40g's today, and some Bio Spira. I will apply the bio spira just like you described, never added fish without cycling, new to the whole bio spira stuff.

We have plenty of powerheads and pumps laying around here. I was planning on a koralia 750gph in one 40g, and a sicce voyager 2 (800gph) in the other 40g. We have a koralia 1400gph we could run or combine with another to really up the flow in one tank. We also have 2 or 3 mag 3 pumps we could rig up for flow if you think we really need to pump up the jam. We have a bunch a pvc straights, elbows, and T's for hiding so we should be good to go on hiding spots. We have the egg crate dividers ready in case we need to do any separating.

We have a 400g (8x3x27") display and a 300g frag/sump (4x5x24"), 700g total volume. Here is a link to our build thread https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/large-aquariums-180g/189281-travis-jessicas-400g-build.html , stop in and say hi sometime if you have a minute

. We are QT and adding all 5 Acanthurus at once to try and discourage any of them from thinking they were the first Acanthurus in the territory. From what I have researched I am not as worried about the Dussumieri, Powder brown or Orange shoulder but the Achilles and Powder blue have me a little concerned about them being so aggressive.

Humblefish · Mar 29, 2015

A_CoupleClowns I'm relieved to hear you have such a large system. :high5: That definitely puts the odds more in your favor when it comes to mixing all those tangs. I actually know someone who is successfully keeping (so far) both a Powder Blue and Achilles in just a 180. I don't know if they might possibly be a male & female, but he did QT them together beforehand to see if any aggression issues would arise. Perhaps something to think about.

The AC 50 will still work fine, it's just that the AC 70 would give you better filtration/more flow in a 40 breeder. Are you planning on prophylactically treating or just passively observing in QT?

A_CoupleClowns · Mar 30, 2015

I think we will be prophylactically treating. Mostly because tangs are so often carriers of ich. Any tips for treating? We plan on getting the fish eating for a few days before starting any type of medication.

Humblefish · Mar 30, 2015

A_CoupleClowns said:
I think we will be prophylactically treating. Mostly because tangs are so often carriers of ich. Any tips for treating? We plan on getting the fish eating for a few days before starting any type of medication.

Most tangs handle copper well. I personally prefer Chloroquine phosphate over copper, but that is a lot harder to get. I also advise deworming your fish with Prazipro either before or after copper treatment.

A_CoupleClowns · Mar 30, 2015

Sounds good we just ordered cupramine and prazipro yesterday! Thanks for all the advice, we appreciate it.

Lee's Fragtacular Corals · Mar 31, 2015

What quarantine methods do you recommend for fairy wrasses?

Humblefish · Mar 31, 2015

Lee's Fragtacular Corals said:
What quarantine methods do you recommend for fairy wrasses?

Tank transfer method with a secure cover over the QT. :wink: https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/fish-disease-treatment-diagnosis/192655-tank-transfer-method.html

However, a LFS I advise treats all his with Chloroquine phosphate so I'm thinking of giving that another try (my early attempts of treating sixline wrasses with CP ended with a few causalities.) https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/fish-disease-treatment-diagnosis/192309-chloroquine-phosphate.html

merlberg · Apr 2, 2015

Treating with prazipro in QT I knw you should remove the carbon but what about the sponge in the HOB filter... Should that be removed as well n leave the filter empty?

Humblefish · Apr 2, 2015

merlberg said:
Treating with prazipro in QT I knw you should remove the carbon but what about the sponge in the HOB filter... Should that be removed as well n leave the filter empty?

Leave the sponge in when using any med - including Prazipro. It probably absorbs a little, but the overall impact is minimal IME.

merlberg · Apr 2, 2015

Thanks

merlberg · Apr 3, 2015

So I'm starting prazipro for sure today even tho I've had my fish for over a week and he seems fine but my 10 gallon tank still has an ammonia level of 0.25 n nitrite level of 0.25. I'm about to do a 40% water change can I add prime along with prazipro? I also added stress coat already since I use tap water.

Humblefish · Apr 3, 2015

merlberg said:
So I'm starting prazipro for sure today even tho I've had my fish for over a week and he seems fine but my 10 gallon tank still has an ammonia level of 0.25 n nitrite level of 0.25. I'm about to do a 40% water change can I add prime along with prazipro? I also added stress coat already since I use tap water.

I've mixed Prazipro with Amquel before (similar to Prime) and everything was just fine. However, I've read anecdotal accounts on various forums where posters described waking up to dead fish after mixing Prazi with Prime. But others say they've done it with no problems. :noidea:

Personally, I would avoid mixing the two if at all possible. Praziquantel, the active ingredient found in Prazipro, only remains active in the water column for 72 hrs anyway. So as long as you can go 3 days without doing a WC, you are fine.