Tank Transfer Method

cpschult

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It's possible to do, but not recommended. Can you use distilled water instead?

I was considering buying water from the grocery store, I just use a 10g for TT and quarantine so would be cheaper than using RODI for this.

If you don't use a booster pump for your RODI system this might be a good reason to invest in one. Not only will it make water faster, but it will reduce the amount of waste water generated.

I have a booster pump, don't currently use it. I get 60 psi out of the tap. My plan was to let my water sit to degas and then run through DI using booster pump, just haven't got around to setting it up. Our water bill is going up x4, just can't see using any of that RODI water for quarantine. Might end up saving some rain water for RODI purposes at this cost.
 

cpschult

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How does your RODI cost $1/gallon?

Well, first the 5g things of water I can get are cheaper than 5$. Not a lot cheaper but cheaper. Second the high CO2 levels in the city of Waukesha's water cause incredible DI depletion (reason I got booster pump).

Although the more I crunch the numbers it appears you are right, even with the 4x water charges it looks like it may be cheaper to use RODI, depends on how cheap I can get 5g of distilled water. I'll need to break down how much I can actually make on my two cannisters of DI resin without CO2 degassing. For 10g of RODI (40g wastewater) it will cost about .59$ just for the water itself. I'm not calculating waste water fees, water access fees, or di resin/filters, etc.
 

Breadman03

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Well, first the 5g things of water I can get are cheaper than 5$. Not a lot cheaper but cheaper. Second the high CO2 levels in the city of Waukesha's water cause incredible DI depletion (reason I got booster pump).

Although the more I crunch the numbers it appears you are right, even with the 4x water charges it looks like it may be cheaper to use RODI, depends on how cheap I can get 5g of distilled water. I'll need to break down how much I can actually make on my two cannisters of DI resin without CO2 degassing. For 10g of RODI (40g wastewater) it will cost about .59$ just for the water itself. I'm not calculating waste water fees, water access fees, or di resin/filters, etc.

My water bill was 1.881 cents per gallon including sewer and all fees last month. At that rate, I'm probably spending about $10/month on reef water with about 2.5GPD evaporation plus water changes. I replace my pre filters about every 2-3 months, but I'm running a 150 and a 40 gallon QT as well as using RO drinking water for a family of six.

I think you would be well served by getting that degassing chamber set up, and maybe contacting Spectrapure or @Buckeye Hydro to see if there are any other options for you.
 

Daniel@R2R

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@Humblefish and @melypr1985 Maybe I missed it somewhere already addressed (and if so I apologize for redundant questions), but what is the best/least stressful way to transfer the fish from one tank to the other? I'm assuming you want as little water as possible from the original tank going to the destination tank. I tried moving the fish by hand out of water last night (my 1st transfer) and it seemed extremely stressful (thankfully, everyone seems fine today). I'm sure I'm doing it wrong and there's a better way...so...help?
 

Brew12

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@Humblefish and @melypr1985 Maybe I missed it somewhere already addressed (and if so I apologize for redundant questions), but what is the best/least stressful way to transfer the fish from one tank to the other? I'm assuming you want as little water as possible from the original tank going to the destination tank. I tried moving the fish by hand out of water last night (my 1st transfer) and it seemed extremely stressful (thankfully, everyone seems fine today). I'm sure I'm doing it wrong and there's a better way...so...help?
I use a colander. I hate using nets on fish. Mine is very similar to this.
https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/st...re-colander-trade/1016060372?Keyword=colander
 

Breadman03

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I use buckets with PVC pipes. Typically, the fish will be in the PVC and I can cap the ends with my gloved hands, tip one end up for drainage, then move the fish over. If that doesn't work, I use a net against the side of the bucket and use my free hand to coax the fish into the net, then move the net to the surface of the water and move it by hand.
 

Daniel@R2R

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Thanks guys! I was using a cup, top catch and then draining it into my hand. I'll have the colander before the next transfer. :)
 

melypr1985

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Thanks guys! I was using a cup, top catch and then draining it into my hand. I'll have the colander before the next transfer. :)

I have used a colander and a cup. It really depended on the fish. I have a yellow eye kole the spent his entire QT in a mug. I literally lifted the mug out, drained it into my hand and moved him that way. :rolleyes: I did the same with my eel in TTM, he was so easy. The blue star leopard I had to use the colander on. Mine isn't square though, it's a small oval with a handle.
 

Daniel@R2R

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I picked this one up. It is set to arrive tomorrow. :)
1.jpg
 

jeff williams

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Edit: A more detailed article covering TTM can be found here: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/spars-tank-transfer-method.209690/

Tank Transfer Method:
Treats Ich (Cryptocaryon irritans) only.

How To Treat - Tank transfer (TTM) is probably one of the most underused and underappreciated resources in our hobby. To properly execute TTM you need two tanks (or buckets), with dedicated equipment for each tank (not to be shared between the two). I personally use 2 of the 10 gallon tanks to do TTM, each with its own heater, thermometer, air stone, airline tubing and PVC elbows for hiding places. This is how TTM is implemented:
  • Day 1 - Fish is placed in initial QT.
  • Day 4 - Roughly 72 hours later transfer the fish to new tank. The time of day you do the transfer is unimportant, but never exceed 72 hours from the last transfer. The temperature and SG of the new tank should match the old one perfectly, so you can just catch & release (no acclimation). Transfer as little water as possible with the fish.
  • Day 7 - Repeat.
  • Day 10 - Repeat.
  • Day 13 - Repeat and done (fish should now be ich free).
After transferring, immediately sanitize the "old tank" and all equipment using bleach or vinegar. Rinse well. Let air dry thoroughly before next use. The air drying is the sterilization process when using vinegar, or detoxification process when using bleach.

Simply put, this process works because you are literally outrunning the parasite's known life cycle. If a fish is infected with ich, trophonts will leave the fish at some point during the TTM process, and the encysted stage doesn't have enough time to release theronts (i.e. free swimmers that re-infect the fish) before the fish exits the tank. Ammonia isn't much of a concern with TTM, because every 3 days the fish is placed in a new tank with new water; or you always have the option of using ammonia reducers, such as Amquel or Prime, in conjunction with TTM since there is no risk of negative interaction because no medications are present. However, you do have the option of dosing Prazipro (if you need to deworm) at the tail end of transfers 2 & 4 (or 1 & 3). The fish only needs 24 hours of exposure time to Prazipro, so dose 24 hours before you are set to make the next transfer. A second round of Prazipro is required 5-7 days after the first, but again dose the medication 24 hours before you are set to transfer the fish out. Just remember if you do this that you can't use any ammonia reducers while Prazi is present in the water.

One of the cons to tank transfer is the amount/cost of saltwater needed to do it. For example, using my 2-10 gallons I go through 50 gallons of saltwater before the TTM process is complete. However, a thrifty hobbyist can use water stored from a recent display tank water change to implement TTM. Obviously, this only works if you are 100% confident that your display tank is disease free and don't siphon anything off the bottom. ;) The other problem with TTM is netting the fish every 3 days. That concern can be somewhat alleviated by using a plastic colander in lieu of a net to catch the fish (square ones work better than round ones):
19817318939533p

Pros - Chemical free solution to ich, highly effective when performed properly, can be combined with deworming via Prazipro.

Cons/Side Effects - Cost (if using all new saltwater), time/effort expended, probably somewhat stressful on the fish being caught every 3 days, does not treat other parasites such as velvet, brook, uronema.
Why would this not work on velvet ? If you kept the lighting low and transferred every 72 hrs you should still be able to stay ahead of the tomont excysting shouldn't you?
 
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Humblefish

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Why would this not work on velvet ? If you kept the lighting low and transferred every 72 hrs you should still be able to stay ahead of the tomont excysting shouldn't you?

Some strains of velvet only remain on a fish for 12 hours before dropping off. The tomont can begin excysting and releasing dinospores 48 hours later. So, assuming worst case scenario - trophonts are dropping off as soon as you place the fish in QT - I would transfer the fish every 48 hours for velvet. However, understand what I am saying is still just theoretical and has never been tested.
 
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Humblefish

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Longest the velvet trophont can stay attached is 4 days. So, three transfers after the fish first enters QT might be good enough to get the job done. But I think I would do the transfers every 36 hours so you aren't even coming close to the 48 hour excystment period.
 
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Humblefish

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Four transfers would enable an even greater safety net. Can't wait to try this.
 

Brew12

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Longest the velvet trophont can stay attached is 4 days. So, three transfers after the fish first enters QT might be good enough to get the job done. But I think I would do the transfers every 36 hours so you aren't even coming close to the 48 hour excystment period.
Seems like you would need to do 4 transfers at 36 hr intervals and then another 3 transfers at 72 hr intervals to make sure you were covered for both Ich and Velvet. I'm way to lazy for that. More Coppersafe please! :p
 
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Humblefish

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Seems like you would need to do 4 transfers at 36 hr intervals and then another 3 transfers at 72 hr intervals to make sure you were covered for both Ich and Velvet. I'm way to lazy for that. More Coppersafe please! :p

12 days (or 288 hours) needs to pass before TTM is complete. The transfer interval needs to be at least 72 hours for ich or (theoretically) 36 hours for velvet. So, four 36 hour transfers gets you to 144 hours. With 144 hours left to go. So, if you wanted to use TTM to treat for both ich & (theoretically) velvet you would need to do one of the following:
  • Eight 36 hour transfers = 288 hours (safest bet)
OR
  • Four 36 hour transfers (144 hours) + Two 72 hour transfers (144 hours) = 288 hours (least amount of work)
Standard TTM (for ich) requires 4 transfers; the latter option (above) requires 6. o_O
 

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