Quarantine 40-50 fish from existing 500 gallon reef

Jeffdstafford · Dec 13, 2016

Thanks, it was a doosey! And yes, just ich thankfully, no velvet!

Good to know about the bacteria being dormant, I was assuming they were ready to go. I'll dump it in now, and start putting some more in this weekend. And yes, I won't start copper until they're all in, so the 30 day and fallow clock won't start until then..luckily I've got time to do this correctly, so not going to rush and lose any fish over doing something dumb and impatient

melypr1985 · Dec 14, 2016

You're going to do great! Keep us posted and take lots of pictures. This will be needed by somebody else with a large system sometime in the future.

Having the method down and documented of how to get all these fish into QT, what to use for it ect. will be a big help to somebody.

Jeffdstafford · Dec 14, 2016

Excellent suggestion; I'm normally terrible at remembering to take pictures once I get going on something, however I am always the first one wanting to see pictures on others' threads! I poured a bottle of Bio Spira in the QT last night in preparation for the upcoming additions.

Also, does Coppersafe have any major impact on bacteria life? Can't find anything saying it wipes it out, so I'm assuming it is largely unaffected by the medication?

Humblefish · Dec 14, 2016

Jeffdstafford said:
Also, does Coppersafe have any major impact on bacteria life? Can't find anything saying it wipes it out, so I'm assuming it is largely unaffected by the medication?

It will initially put a dent in your bacteria population, but they will adapt and bounce back quickly.

Jeffdstafford · Dec 14, 2016

Gotcha, thanks

Jeffdstafford · Dec 16, 2016

Let the games begin.. Wish me luck everyone, gonna be a long night!

Jeffdstafford · Dec 16, 2016

I've learned my lesson trying to drain a 500 gallon tank with a small spare pump.. I need this done quickly, and have just the item for that!

Jeffdstafford · Dec 16, 2016

And my last bit of procrastination, my faithful helper with me til the end, or until he's bored of me

tj w · Dec 16, 2016

Looks like your off to a great start Jeff. I commend you for taking the right approach even though it's a ton of work it will definitely pay off for you. Following along for sure!

Jeffdstafford · Dec 16, 2016

Thanks for the kind words! I agree, well worth the effort to properly care for all the inhabitants.

Concerning corals, how does everyone quarantine corals? That will be my next research phase. Beyond an initial dip, is it just a wait and observe thing mostly?

melypr1985 · Dec 16, 2016

Jeffdstafford said:
Thanks for the kind words! I agree, well worth the effort to properly care for all the inhabitants.

Concerning corals, how does everyone quarantine corals? That will be my next research phase. Beyond an initial dip, is it just a wait and observe thing mostly?

Your doing a great job! Best of luck with the process.

As far as your question goes. I keep a coral QT in the form of a JBJ 20 gallon frag tank. The tank itself doesn't really matter as much as there not being any fish in there. So, you keep the corals and inverts in a fishless tank for 76 days. They can then be added to the display. You'll need at least and HOB filter, a T5 light, heater and some sand and live rock....maybe a powerhead. That's it

Humblefish · Dec 16, 2016

Might wanna put visqueen down over that nice looking rug, as you are gonna have water everywhere before this is all done.

Myka · Dec 16, 2016

Good luck! I've done this from a 250-gallon tank. I used the same qt tub you're using. I probably had half the fish you do. I'm a bit concerned about the size of the qt compared to the number of fish so I'm glad you're doing it in stages.

jaws789832 · Dec 16, 2016

Anyone know what the chances of HLLD using coppersafe? I ask because you have a lot of tangs there and I know they are kind of sensitive to copper. I used cuprimine with 2 tangs. The yellow developed HLLD and the Powder brown didn't. He cured up fast but he still (8 months later) shows some scarring from it.

melypr1985 · Dec 16, 2016

jaws789832 said:
Anyone know what the chances of HLLD using coppersafe? I ask because you have a lot of tangs there and I know they are kind of sensitive to copper. I used cuprimine with 2 tangs. The yellow developed HLLD and the Powder brown didn't. He cured up fast but he still (8 months later) shows some scarring from it.

I've kept tangs for months in Coppersafe and haven't had a single one develope HLLE. In fact, I've gotten a few from vendors that came with HLLE and it has healed up nicely while being in Coppersafe. This is in an LFS I work at, so that explains the length of time in a copper system

Jeffdstafford · Dec 16, 2016

Geez I've got a lot of coral and a lot of rock.. Probably have 800 lbs in buckets so far.. These bins are for the coral. I should have the remainder of the rock out in about 30 minutes, will drain the tank and move the fish out, and commence putting the tank back together.
The moving fish in phases plan is totally out after I started this project, there's no way to catch any substantial amount of fish without disassembling the tank so I'm going to have to do the move all at once. I also am very concerned about the size of my quarantine tank, I will probably just do heavy water changes and maintain copper levels for the month, and then get a second tub and split the fish up for the remaining couple months during observation.

melypr1985 · Dec 16, 2016

Jeffdstafford said:
Geez I've got a lot of coral and a lot of rock.. Probably have 800 lbs in buckets so far.. These bins are for the coral. I should have the remainder of the rock out in about 30 minutes, will drain the tank and move the fish out, and commence putting the tank back together.
The moving fish in phases plan is totally out after I started this project, there's no way to catch any substantial amount of fish without disassembling the tank so I'm going to have to do the move all at once. I also am very concerned about the size of my quarantine tank, I will probably just do heavy water changes and maintain copper levels for the month, and then get a second tub and split the fish up for the remaining couple months during observation.

Oh man! I can imagine the trouble. I don't blame you for wanting to only do this once. I think you'll be able to manage it though.... You've got a good plan and know the risks.