Retail QT Setup

[Ultra Aquatics]

I’m in the process of setting up a retail brick and mortar store. Mostly will be corals but also will be offering some fish that are basic QT. will be doing 14+ days of copper and prazi or general cure.

Our plan is to setup 6 x 20L tanks with either sponge filters or HOB. Haven’t decided which, leaning toward sponges?

Would love to hear some ideas/critiques and other considerations I may be missing. Most info I find is geared toward a hobbyist qt at most a couple fish.

Also, just to be clear this isn’t a “might be doing situation”, I already have the commercial space and some coral tanks are in process of cycling etc.

 

[blaxsun]

I'd opt for HOB myself. Tidal Gardens has a good fish quarantine video on their channel (sorry, didn't have the link handy) that you might find of interest. This is mainly for internal use in their coral systems, but they have a half dozen or so tanks.

 

[Ultra Aquatics]

I'd opt for HOB myself. Tidal Gardens has a good fish quarantine video on their channel (sorry, didn't have the link handy) that you might find of interest. This is mainly for internal use in their coral systems, but they have a half dozen or so tanks.

Thanks, I’ve watched a lot of their stuff. I loved their setup so much I decided to put all of our frag/display tanks on 8020 stands

 

[mike89t]

I believe that @Jay Hemdal has set-up some larger Quarantine setups for Public Aquariums before. He might be able to provide some advice.

 

[jt8791]

My lfs runs hob filters on all their small tanks. New location they are still in the process of finishing. I’m actually amazed at the number of tanks they have going, between display tanks and all the qt tanks in the back room. New location is smaller than the last so they are trying to utilize every bit of space they can.

 

[Jacked Reefer]

Look into a matten filter for something like a pings filter but a lot cleaner looking. Works good on QTs IME. And would serve the purpose of multiple identical tanks very well.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I’m in the process of setting up a retail brick and mortar store. Mostly will be corals but also will be offering some fish that are basic QT. will be doing 14+ days of copper and prazi or general cure.

Our plan is to setup 6 x 20L tanks with either sponge filters or HOB. Haven’t decided which, leaning toward sponges?

Would love to hear some ideas/critiques and other considerations I may be missing. Most info I find is geared toward a hobbyist qt at most a couple fish.

Also, just to be clear this isn’t a “might be doing situation”, I already have the commercial space and some coral tanks are in process of cycling etc.

Personally, I’d go with good sponge filters for bio filtration AND a HOB for circulation and mechanical filtration.
Six separate tanks may be a bit of of hassle when it comes to running treatments and then if they are in proximity to each other biosecurity can be an issue. If you plan to run big groups of fish all at once, a central system would save you a lot of work. If you plan to get fewer fish in at one time, then having separate tanks would work better.
Jay

 

[Spare time]

Are the fish moved to non copper tanks after 14 days? My concern with that is that you may miss something and then contaminate the non copper tank.

 

[Ultra Aquatics]

Look into a matten filter for something like a pings filter but a lot cleaner looking. Works good on QTs IME. And would serve the purpose of multiple identical tanks very well.

Thanks I will check it out for sure.

 

[Ultra Aquatics]

Personally, I’d go with good sponge filters for bio filtration AND a HOB for circulation and mechanical filtration.
Six separate tanks may be a bit of of hassle when it comes to running treatments and then if they are in proximity to each other biosecurity can be an issue. If you plan to run big groups of fish all at once, a central system would save you a lot of work. If you plan to get fewer fish in at one time, then having separate tanks would work better.
Jay

Ok so maybe I go with 2 x larger tanks and both hob and sponge filter. I’ve been looking at the seachem tidal hob’s. They look Pretty nice.

 

[Ultra Aquatics]

Are the fish moved to non copper tanks after 14 days? My concern with that is that you may miss something and then contaminate the non copper tank.

Yes the idea would be to then place them in non-medicated tanks in the display part of the store. Perhaps going the whole 30 days is better with copper and prazi/metro? This of course increases turnaround time for sale.

 

[Chrisv.]

Yes the idea would be to then place them in non-medicated tanks in the display part of the store. Perhaps going the whole 30 days is better with copper and prazi/metro? This of course increases turnaround time for sale.

I can't speak for everyone, but if one store in my area did full medicated by the book qt and everyone else did nothing, or even two weeks, I would buy 100% of my fish from the place that did the full 30 days. I would be willing to pay for some premium for this service.

 

[Ultra Aquatics]

I can't speak for everyone, but if one store in my area did full medicated by the book qt and everyone else did nothing, or even two weeks, I would buy 100% of my fish from the place that did the full 30 days. I would be willing to pay for some premium for this service.

Thanks, I plan to be very upfront with our process. Explain exactly what treatments were done and length of time.

 

[mdb_talon]

Haha i think most of stores in my neck of the woods cant even spell QT

 

[Chrisv.]

Thanks, I plan to be very upfront with our process. Explain exactly what treatments were done and length of time.

Honestly I think it's an incredibly strong marketing point. I HATE doing qt at home. You could become known as the store in your area that sells healthy well conditioned fish. I know it isn't trivial to do in terms of additional tank space requirements and the cash that would be tied up in stock that was still in qt.

The other model I have seen with companies that do ultra clean fish online is "pre-sale" where people buy the fish but can't have them until they get a clean bill of health and a full qt/treatment. That probably shifts the financial burden from the retailer to the customer, which I think is appropriate in this case.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

I second going larger systems over smaller.

14 days isn't long enough under copper imo for the state of fish coming in through the supply lines right now.

Biosecurity will be Paramount. Plan to have separate EVERYTHING from tools to holding vessils. Have them clearly marked. It all of my 40b qt tools have red electrical tape. 20g have yellow. Clean tank tools aren't marked.

 

[Ultra Aquatics]

I second going larger systems over smaller.

14 days isn't long enough under copper imo for the state of fish coming in through the supply lines right now.

Biosecurity will be Paramount. Plan to have separate EVERYTHING from tools to holding vessils. Have them clearly marked. It all of my 40b qt tools have red electrical tape. 20g have yellow. Clean tank toldt aren't marked.

Larger it is then! I like the idea of color coding everything, will definitely use that.

 

[Spare time]

Yes the idea would be to then place them in non-medicated tanks in the display part of the store. Perhaps going the whole 30 days is better with copper and prazi/metro? This of course increases turnaround time for sale.

Alternatively you could keep them in copper til sold. This is how a lot of stores do it.

 

[Ultra Aquatics]

Alternatively you could keep them in copper til sold. This is how a lot of stores do it.

Yea a few stores in our area do that, I'm not a fan. We will have to inform every customer that there is copper in the water and to NOT pour it in their DT, which of course one eventually will

Also, from my experience when done this way, the copper is merely keeping the disease at bay until the customer gets home.

 

[Spare time]

Yea a few stores in our area do that, I'm not a fan. We will have to inform every customer that there is copper in the water and to NOT pour it in their DT, which of course one eventually will

Also, from my experience when done this way, the copper is merely keeping the disease at bay until the customer gets home.

Honestly, it is less of a problem than you think. Most people will remember not to pour your water in the tank.

The only way you can guarentee the fish not to transfer disease is a 45 day QT at 80-81 degrees or so at 2.5ppm copper power (or similar) with no new additions. Jay Hemdal has a guide. The risk you take of doing less than this is that you could contaminate the non qt tank and then have to keep it fallow for 45 days.