The DOs and DON’Ts of Quarantine

[rockstarta78]

What would be a good all-around chelated copper? Coppersafe?

 

[Humblefish]

What would be a good all-around chelated copper? Coppersafe?

That's what I've always used in the past. Although I'm itching to try Copper Power (another brand of chelated copper.) Been hearing some good things about it.

 

[rockstarta78]

As always, thank you @Humblefish. I have an unopened cupramine guess I am returning that.

 

[DannyB]

What is the best process for keeping your DT quarantine contaminant free when your hands could have been exposed to a potential disease? I know disposable gloves is probably the ideal answer but sometimes water gets higher than the gloves.

 

[melypr1985]

What is the best process for keeping your DT quarantine contaminant free when your hands could have been exposed to a potential disease? I know disposable gloves is probably the ideal answer but sometimes water gets higher than the gloves.

Wash and dry your hands thoroughly in between tanks.

 

[Humblefish]

Wash and dry your hands thoroughly in between tanks.

+1 Also, make sure you do not share anything wet between two tanks you do not wish to cross contaminate. All my QTs have dedicated eye droppers (for water testing), feeding apparatus, etc.

 

[JakeK]

Can ruby reef rally be used as a prophylactic dip at a lower concentration for new fish entering QT? Is it advisable?

 

[Humblefish]

Can ruby reef rally be used as a prophylactic dip at a lower concentration for new fish entering QT? Is it advisable?

Rally contains acriflavine, and I've found it useful for a couple of things:

1. To provide temporary relief for marine velvet disease, before the fish is transferred into QT and treated with copper or CP for complete eradication.
2. Complete eradication of brook if the fish is transferred into a "clean" QT post bath.

In both instances acriflavine is taking the place of formalin, which accomplishes the same. However, acriflavine is a far gentler chemical than formalin and also contains antibacterial properties formalin does not. So, I see no harm in using it as a prophylactic bath for new fish entering QT to remove "surface" parasites. I typically administer the bath for 45-60 mins at a dosage of 2/3 teaspoon per gallon; aerate heavily and temp control the bath water.

 

[rockstarta78]

I am seriously thinking about getting this.

http://m.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=4721

 

[melypr1985]

I am seriously thinking about getting this.

http://m.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=4721

There is nothing wrong with Coppersafe and would be a good addition to your medicine cabinet for things like velvet outbreaks. (as an example)

 

[rockstarta78]

So I am getting a Darwin ocellaris from a breeder who no longer has a reef system per se. He's now strictly into breeding clownfish. Do you guys think I should still quarantine the new fish? The fish would be about an inch when I get it. Since he claims is a sterile environment do you suggest I still wait 6 weeks in QT before putting it in my DT?

 

[Jlobes]

So I am getting a Darwin ocellaris from a breeder who no longer has a reef system per se. He's now strictly into breeding clownfish. Do you guys think I should still quarantine the new fish? The fish would be about an inch when I get it. Since he claims is a sterile environment do you suggest I still wait 6 weeks in QT before putting it in my DT?

its really your call, do you wanna risk it? how well can you trust his "sterile" system?

i would still QT.

 

[rockstarta78]

Lol you are thinking like me. I was leaning towards. QT.

 

[melypr1985]

Lol you are thinking like me. I was leaning towards. QT.

The problem is that there are still fish in his system. It only takes one sick one to pass the illness or parasite on to all the others. I'd suggest QT as a priority no matter where they come from.

 

[rockstarta78]

The problem is that there are still fish in his system. It only takes one sick one to pass the illness or parasite on to all the others. I'd suggest QT as a priority no matter where they come from.

Melypr1985 I have a quick question, since these are juvenile clownfish, can I use Mardel Coppersafe to profelecticly treat them in my QT before putting them in my DT? since this is my first reef tank and I just finished cycling the tank (just did a full water change), I want to make sure I don't introduce any diseases to the DT. I was also going to do one dose of Prazi.

 

[melypr1985]

Melypr1985 I have a quick question, since these are juvenile clownfish, can I use Mardel Coppersafe to profelecticly treat them in my QT before putting them in my DT? since this is my first reef tank and I just finished cycling the tank (just did a full water change), I want to make sure I don't introduce any diseases to the DT. I was also going to do one dose of Prazi.

Yes you can absolutely treat them with coppersafe. You can also treat with prazipro. In fact, I'd say that's a great thing to do with all new arrivals. (if you are deciding against TTM that is). One thing though, You'll need to run two rounds of Prazi 5-7 days apart with a water change in between.

 

[rockstarta78]

Yes you can absolutely treat them with coppersafe. You can also treat with prazipro. In fact, I'd say that's a great thing to do with all new arrivals. (if you are deciding against TTM that is). One thing though, You'll need to run two rounds of Prazi 5-7 days apart with a water change in between.

As always thank you so much for your response.

Actually I don't have space or 2 tanks to do TTM. I'd rather do TTM but sadly that's not an option. That's why I am going coppersafe and prazipro for QT.

BTW Can you use coppersafe on watchman goby? I need to find a list of all fishes that are treatable with coppersafe.

 

[melypr1985]

BTW Can you use coppersafe on watchman goby? I need to find a list of all fishes that are treatable with coppersafe.

Yes you can. You can do coppersafe with most fish... I've seen it done with angels and wrasse both with success, though these people took great care and had extensive experience with copper treatment and fish in general. If plenty of care is taken and the knowledge of what it looks like for a fish to be copper intolerant then you could try it on any fish with scales. It's a good idea to not treat any smooth skinned or scale-less fish like eels with any copper.

 

[saltwater newby]

Just some stuff I thought up. I'll probably add more later. Please list any useful tips you might have in the comments below!

Quarantine DOs and DON’Ts​

The purpose of this article is to offer useful tips and point out common mistakes made during quarantine (QT).

• DO quarantine for a minimum of 4 weeks; longer is always better (in most cases.) DO house your QT at least 10 feet away from any other saltwater tank/vat, to avoid aerosol transmission. DON’T house corals/inverts in your fish QT.

• DO float & release your new fish; DON’T drip acclimate if you can help it. One of the advantages of QT is you can set the specific gravity (SG) to match the bag water. This can usually be determined beforehand by asking the online vendor or local fish shop (LFS) what SG they keep their fish in. Knowing this, you can just float the fish for 20-30 minutes, to slowly bring the temperature of the bag’s water to match that of the receiving tank. Once that is done, open the bag and double check the SG. So long as the SG is within .001 (up or down) of the receiving tank, you can release the fish without further acclimation. If the SG in the bag is lower than the QT, you can quickly lower the SG of a QT by replacing some saltwater with freshwater. If the SG in the bag is much higher than that in the QT, then you are forced to drip acclimate. When doing drip acclimation use an ammonia reducer (ex: Amquel or Prime) if a fish has been in transit for more than a couple of hours.

• DON’T add more fish to the one(s) you already have in QT. You risk introducing a new disease into your QT and having to restart the QT clock. Be patient; add more fish once the current occupants have graduated to the DT.

• DON’T cram too many fish or house incompatible species in a QT. If you are forced to, then create compartments within the QT by using eggcrate or some other divider. Ideally it’s best to QT just a couple of fish at one time. Speaking of eggcrate, DO use that or some other material to build a secure top for your QT - especially if housing known jumpers. Be aware certain fish (Diamond Goby immediately comes to mind) are capable of jumping or even wiggling their way through eggcrate, so a screen on the bottom of the eggcrate must also be employed to prevent their escape. Crazy, I know.

• DON’T use rock or substrate in a fish QT. These absorb copper and other medications, making it difficult to maintain a stable level. There’s a reason so many go bare bottom and use PVC elbows for hiding places. And even without live rock, you can still have biological filtration in QT to help control ammonia (see below).

• DO utilize biological filtration in QT; DON’T rely solely upon water changes (WC) to keep ammonia under control. We all have busy lives these days, so it’s tempting to put off that WC until tomorrow. In our display tank (DT) this is acceptable, but in a QT it can be fatal. What you need is an insurance policy… Most hang on back (HOB) power filters utilize some sort of biomedia (ex: sponge, bio-balls, ceramic noodles, bio-wheel). All these need to become a working bio filter is to be seeded with some nitrifying bacteria. You can accomplish this one of two ways:

1. Seed your biomedia in a high flow area of your DT’s sump (or behind some rocks) for a minimum of 1 month before QT.
2. Pour one of those “bacteria in a bottle” products (ex: Bio-Spira, Seachem Stability, Dr Tim's Nitrifying Bacteria) over your biomedia just prior to use.

• DON’T use an ammonia reducer, such as Amquel or Prime, in conjunction with copper (ex: Cupramine, Coppersafe). The resulting chemical interaction turns copper toxic. There have also been some anecdotal accounts of fish wipeouts after mixing ammonia reducer with Prazipro, antibiotics, etc.

• DO test for ammonia often (and pH if doing hyposalinity); DON’T worry about nitrates, phosphates, even nitrites in a fish QT. Ammonia is toxic to ALL marine animals, even at low levels. However, most other parameters only affect fish at extremely high levels; unlike with corals/inverts.

• DON’T bother testing for ammonia if copper or certain other medications are present in the water. Copper renders most ammonia test kits useless; you will get nothing but false positives. The workaround is to use a Seachem Ammonia Alert badge, which works even in the presence of medications.

• DON’T raise copper too quickly, especially when treating known copper sensitive species such as angelfish. Take 3-5 days to reach therapeutic levels instead of the usual 24-48 hours recommended on the labels. The sole exception to this rule is when treating for velvet.

• DO provide plenty of gas exchange when using medications, as most will deplete the water of oxygen. This can be accomplished by pointing a powerhead towards the surface of the water or by using an air stone.

• DON’T overdose medications; if in doubt always underdose. With copper, you need to buy a test kit to ensure you are treating within the therapeutic range. The dosage instructions on the bottles are notoriously inaccurate. DON’T mix medications without first checking to see there are no known negative interactions.

• DON’T run UV, ozone, a protein skimmer or carbon while using copper/medications. Be sure any filter pad you are using doesn’t remove medication.

• DON’T cross contaminate! Nothing should ever go from your QT into the DT. Conversely, if you are going fallow in the DT to eradicate some disease… you must take care not to reinfect your QT with that same disease. The above also applies to water change vats.

• DO keep your QT clean even if ammonia is zero. You can use airline tubing to siphon debris off the bottom without wasting too much water. DO replace the appropriate amount of copper when doing water changes (but not for top off water).

• DO feed frequent small meals in QT; DON’T feed nori unless it’s very thin strips. The issue with nori is fish tear it apart, and tiny pieces get all in the water. Newly acquired fish and fish being treated with medications will typically have decreased appetites. Therefore, small feedings 2-3x daily are optimal to reduce uneaten food left on the bottom of the tank.

• DON’T move a fish from QT to DT unless he looks perfectly healthy and is eating well. Whatever doesn’t look right about the fish isn’t going to get any better once he’s in the DT. But DO synchronize the SG/temp of your QT & DT before the fish gets transferred, so you can avoid having to do any acclimation procedure.

While not really a “DO and DON’T”, it is my personal belief that a fish QT should be kept simple. I prefer small QTs that I can quickly break down, sanitize and then re-start as needed. In my experience, newly acquired fish seem to do better in QT if placed in an almost sterile environment using freshly mixed saltwater. And if you ever happen to experience some unknown “Typhoid Mary”-like disease which wipes out your entire QT; you’ll want to completely break down & sterilize that tank before ever using it again.

I have a 30g and a 5g available for qt
I much rather use the 5g to save money on water. I was hoping to add 2 clowns this weekend. Will that be ok? Can I use new saltwater from LFS that's been in my sealed bucket for 2 days ? I have microbacter 7 can I use it on the filter sponge??

 

[Humblefish]

I much rather use the 5g to save money on water. I was hoping to add 2 clowns this weekend. Will that be ok? Can I use new saltwater from LFS that's been in my sealed bucket for 2 days ? I have microbacter 7 can I use it on the filter sponge??

A 5 gal should be fine for two clowns and two clowns only. Keep a very close eye on the ammonia, however.