How to Quarantine

[melypr1985]

Okay so I have just read through 75% of this thread and was wondering if I was able to use my DT water to fill up a 20gal and just passively observe while my fish was in QT and take action when needed. I am picking up the 20 tall tomorrow with PVC and a Longnose Butterfly. My LFS has had this little guy for about a month (fish isn't super popular by me) and he is doing excellent and is eating. I have a Light and heater and Bubbler. So would it be okay to "passively observe this guy and for how long before he hits the DT

I would add an HOB powerhead to the tank and observe for at least 30 days if that's the route you want to go. If you are certain that your display is disease free then using that water won't hurt anything.

 

[Zack K]

I would add an HOB powerhead to the tank and observe for at least 30 days if that's the route you want to go. If you are certain that your display is disease free then using that water won't hurt anything.

I am 99.9% the tank is disease free. Never had anybody show signs of anything over the past 10 years[emoji1360] And I will definitely add a HOB filter. Thanks for the quick response @melypr1085

 

[Humblefish]

I am 99.9% the tank is disease free. Never had anybody show signs of anything over the past 10 years[emoji1360] And I will definitely add a HOB filter. Thanks for the quick response @melypr1085

I suggest sitting in front of the QT every single day for 10-15 mins.

You are not just watching for physical evidence of disease; but also key behavioral symptoms: Heavy breathing, rubbing, flashing, head twitching, erratic swimming behavior, reduced appetite. Also, staying out of the light and swimming into the flow of a powerhead are telltale signs of Marine Velvet Disease.

 

[melypr1985]

I suggest sitting in front of the QT every single day for 10-15 mins.

You are not just watching for physical evidence of disease; but also key behavioral symptoms: Heavy breathing, rubbing, flashing, head twitching, erratic swimming behavior, reduced appetite. Also, staying out of the light and swimming into the flow of a powerhead are telltale signs of Marine Velvet Disease.

Yup yup... forgot to mention that. VERY important to the observation only method.

 

[Zack K]

Little guy is happy and swimming in the QT. He has eaten Frozen brine which is a good sign[emoji1360]

 

[mcarroll]

Excellent!

Once you feel the time is right, get him onto more reefy foods that have more of the right nutrition for him.

Live foods if at all possible. Blackworms would be a go-to size for your Butterflyfish, but anything live or whole-frozen you can make work! Fresh-frozen seafoods from the freezer aisle might be another great option, depending what's for sale near you.

Lots of food high in carotenoids would be a significant goal at this point.....small whole-frozen reef plankton, shredded (by you) whole-frozen krill, cyclopeeze, etc. Some flake food is not even bad for this, as long as it's an accompaniment for some of the better food options mentioned.

Found this after a quick search on your fish:

• Endoparasite species richness of New Caledonian butterfly fishes: host density and diet matter

(FULL PDF HERE)

Interesting that according to this analysis, your Butterflyfish is:

• a dedicated planktivore among a group of omnivores
• is apparently oriented to solitary being and (black color of their stub=) high parasite-species-density.
• I think both of those facts make the carotenoid angle for your feeding regime even more crucial to this fish's immunity.

Species, Diet, Social Group Size, Maximum Length (mm), Fish Density (fish per m2), and Fish Territoriality (m2)

(Low parasite richness is the white color, high is black.)

(omnivory is the ancestral state that's associated with low parasite richness....coralivores and planktivores are at the opposite end of the scale)

 

[mcarroll]

From those density and territorialty numbers, these guys should be expected to stress from any similar fish in the tank. Especially similar Butterflyfish.

 

[mcarroll]

220mm is over eight and a half inches long, BTW. It's not too common to get all tank-raised reef fish up to wild sizes, but it would make for a fun challenge!!! Can you imagine him at that size?!?! WOW.

 

[Zack K]

220mm is over eight and a half inches long, BTW. It's not too common to get all tank-raised reef fish up to wild sizes, but it would make for a fun challenge!!! Can you imagine him at that size?!?! WOW.

I appreciate the information. Will definitely go through and thoroughly read through the link. I will definitely try different foods. Would RODS mysis be okay?

 

[mcarroll]

It should be a great addition. Just don't give up on providing some live foods too!

 

[tutmatt3]

Below are pics of my 29 gallon QT. Please share pics/info about how you QT!

My 29 gal "fishless" frag tank. I place all corals/inverts in here for 76 days before they go into my DT. Just cheap T5 lighting, Koralia powerhead, HOB powerfilter, heater, rock/sand and a frag rack gets the job done.



More recent pic of my frag tank I use to QT:

Every time you add a new frag re begins the fallow clock correct?

 

[Brew12]

Every time you add a new frag re begins the fallow clock correct?

If you add a new frag to a DT then yes, it resets the clock for the DT.

If you add a frag to an invert/frag QT with no fish, then it doesn't reset the clock for any inverts or corals in the tank.

 

[tutmatt3]

If you add a new frag to a DT then yes, it resets the clock for the DT.

If you add a frag to an invert/frag QT with no fish, then it doesn't reset the clock for any inverts or corals in the tank.

That makes sense, because any free swimming version would (hopefully) rinse of when pouring AQ water over them, and tomont's would be encrusted onto whatever it came - so technically when it hatches it would starve and not release tomonts!

Thanks!

 

[Brew12]

That makes sense, because any free swimming version would (hopefully) rinse of when pouring AQ water over them, and tomont's would be encrusted onto whatever it came - so technically when it hatches it would starve and not release tomonts!

Thanks!

Exactly, and for shrimp and fish that molt, you can put them into the DT as soon as they molt because any cysts would stick to the molt.

 

[CarrieB]

So I know you shouldn't trust other people's tanks, but what about buying a clownfish from a breeder. Safe to assume that a baby raised from an egg is healthy?

 

[Brew12]

So I know you shouldn't trust other people's tanks, but what about buying a clownfish from a breeder. Safe to assume that a baby raised from an egg is healthy?

I wouldn't ever assume that. At the very least I would recommend asking the breeder. It is very possible that the water they use to breed the fish in is shared with other systems.

 

[melypr1985]

I wouldn't ever assume that. At the very least I would recommend asking the breeder. It is very possible that the water they use to breed the fish in is shared with other systems.

Exactly. I've gotten clowns from breeders that carried brook into our system at the shop.

 

[LDH]

It kills some but not all. FWIW; CP probably does too.

But that's the reason you want to seed the sponge for an entire month before using it. Because while copper/CP will put a dent in those bacteria levels, you won't lose it all. And a sponge heavily saturated with nitrifying bacteria will quickly bounce back.

And do you get a new sponge for every cycle your qt tank goes through? As in, I put fishes in the qt with a sponge that I've seeded for 30 days in my dt, I treat those fishes and then put them in my dt, do I now take out all the water, clean it all out and seed a new sponge for the next batch of fish?? Thanks @Humblefish !!!

 

[Brew12]

And do you get a new sponge for every cycle your qt tank goes through? As in, I put fishes in the qt with a sponge that I've seeded for 30 days in my dt, I treat those fishes and then put them in my dt, do I now take out all the water, clean it all out and seed a new sponge for the next batch of fish?? Thanks @Humblefish !!!

I always throw the old sponges out. They are so cheap compared to the value of fish and risk involved I see no reason to reuse them.

 

[LDH]

I always throw the old sponges out. They are so cheap compared to the value of fish and risk involved I see no reason to reuse them.

Ok thanks! So you basically just reset everything for every new batch of fish? Also, when @Humblefish says to run carbon for 24 hours where are you putting that? Is that in a hang on reactor or in a mesh bag ...? Sorry that's probably obvious to most but I don't actually know what that means.

So many thanks!!