Current Quarantine Protocol

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Jay, I read the first few pages and without going thru 45 or so more pages, might you have a link to your most up to date QT procedures? By the way, thank you very much for the time you put into documenting this process and answering folks questions.

Thanks - what I do is edit the first page of the thread to keep it current…..

 

[Mac8128]

Jay, I read the first few pages and without going thru 45 or so more pages, might you have a link to your most up to date QT procedures? By the way, thank you very much for the time you put into documenting this process and answering folks questions.

Thanks - what I do is edit the first page of the thread to keep it current…..

Excellent, again thank you very much. I will be setting up my QT tank tomorrow with a sponge filter and a small bag of seasoned matrix from my nano. Dosing with ammonia I’m thinking that I should be able to get the QT up in 6 weeks or so. Reading more of this thread, sounds like I don’t want to keep the matrix in there when I start treating the fish. Correct??

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Excellent, again thank you very much. I will be setting up my QT tank tomorrow with a sponge filter and a small bag of seasoned matrix from my nano. Dosing with ammonia I’m thinking that I should be able to get the QT up in 6 weeks or so. Reading more of this thread, sounds like I don’t want to keep the matrix in there when I start treating the fish. Correct??

Your QT may establish faster than 6 weeks. Depending on how much seasoned material you use, it could be just a few days.

If the matrix is made from calcium carbonate / coral, then no, you don't want to keep it in there, and then, it will take longer for the sponge to become inoculated. If the matrix is siporex or ceramic, you can leave it in the QT.

 

[Mac8128]

Excellent, again thank you very much. I will be setting up my QT tank tomorrow with a sponge filter and a small bag of seasoned matrix from my nano. Dosing with ammonia I’m thinking that I should be able to get the QT up in 6 weeks or so. Reading more of this thread, sounds like I don’t want to keep the matrix in there when I start treating the fish. Correct??

Your QT may establish faster than 6 weeks. Depending on how much seasoned material you use, it could be just a few days.

If the matrix is made from calcium carbonate / coral, then no, you don't want to keep it in there, and then, it will take longer for the sponge to become inoculated. If the matrix is siporex or ceramic, you can leave it in the QT.

Looking at the Seachem website I didn’t see what Matrix is made from. According to ChatGPT here is what Matrix is made from:

A synthetic, inert, highly porous silicate-based material
• Similar in structure to sintered glass or pumice
• Chemically non-reactive in saltwater

So I will plan on using it to seed and help filter the QT.

 

[Mac8128]

Quick question, after doing a little searching with no real luck, I am wondering if there is an accepted frag dip / QT process that is as well documented as this one is???

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Quick question, after doing a little searching with no real luck, I am wondering if there is an accepted frag dip / QT process that is as well documented as this one is???

Sorry - I don't have a process that I recommend. What I do is hold new corals in a coral-only tray system for 30 days when I first acquire them, and then observe closely for signs of pests or diseases.

You could try posting in the main reef forum.....

 

[Saralay]

Hi,

A few questions:

• I have a lot of non-calcareous volcanic rock—the super porous ones used in freshwater tanks. Can I use those as media for the QT tank?
• The QT tank is a 30-gallon. How many fish can I quarantine at the same time?
• The correct hannah checker for coppersafe is the high range, right?

Thanks.

 

[oakcityreefer]

Anybody else see the Serious Reef (SRQT) quarantine procedure? Developed by Ryan (BRS), Elliot (Marine Collectors), and Bobby (Humblefish). Its a twist on the 14 day without using Formalin. Im brand new to reefing and QT so Im just wondering about the efficiency of this compared to 30 days in copper. I dont want to use Formalin but I would if it makes that big a difference. I'll do 30 days of copper if it just makes that much of a difference. But if something like this is 95% as effective as 30 days in copper and no Formalin then I think its worth trying.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hi,

A few questions:

• I have a lot of non-calcareous volcanic rock—the super porous ones used in freshwater tanks. Can I use those as media for the QT tank?
• The QT tank is a 30-gallon. How many fish can I quarantine at the same time?
• The correct hannah checker for coppersafe is the high range, right?

Thanks.

Some volcanic rock isn’t inert. If it has been used in aquariums and soaked for some time in the past it is likely safe to use. If it is fresh from the ground (like from a garden center) I would be leery of it.

The number of fish you can quarantine in a 30 gallon is based on their sizes. If the fish are all less than 2” long and are compatible, you could likely house 5 to 8 fish during a quarantine run.

Yes, for copper power or coppersafe, you want the Hanna HR checker.

 

[Saralay]

Some volcanic rock isn’t inert. If it has been used in aquariums and soaked for some time in the past it is likely safe to use. If it is fresh from the ground (like from a garden center) I would be leery of it.

The number of fish you can quarantine in a 30 gallon is based on their sizes. If the fish are all less than 2” long and are compatible, you could likely house 5 to 8 fish during a quarantine run.

Yes, for copper power or coppersafe, you want the Hanna HR checker.

Thanks.

The rocks are from a previous freshwater thanks, so should be safe to use.

 

[Saralay]

Hi.

Can't find Prazipro here in spain. Is Esha Gdex a good alternative to prazipro? If so, those are the instructions for a 30 gallon:

Should I treat that way 7 days apart or just one time like they recommend.

Thanks.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hi.

Can't find Prazipro here in spain. Is Esha Gdex a good alternative to prazipro? If so, those are the instructions for a 30 gallon:

Should I treat that way 7 days apart or just one time like they recommend.

Thanks.

Sorry - I can't advise you on that product because at least here in the US, I'm not able to find what the dose of praziquantel actually is in that product.

I found a web page that says that this product contains 66 mg praziquantel per ml. I cannot say if that page is accurate or not, but the full single dose for praziquantel is 2.2 mg/l. The day one dose that they show would contain 253 mg of prazi. To dose 30 gallons of water at 2.2 mg/l, you would add 250 mg of prazi. So - their day one dose is essentially a full dose. You should dose just that, and then 7 days later, dose it again, and 7 days after that dose it a third time.

Because it is a liquid formulation, it has some solvent in it, and you would need to know what they use for that.

 

[Saralay]

Sorry - I can't advise you on that product because at least here in the US, I'm not able to find what the dose of praziquantel actually is in that product.

I found a web page that says that this product contains 66 mg praziquantel per ml. I cannot say if that page is accurate or not, but the full single dose for praziquantel is 2.2 mg/l. The day one dose that they show would contain 253 mg of prazi. To dose 30 gallons of water at 2.2 mg/l, you would add 250 mg of prazi. So - their day one dose is essentially a full dose. You should dose just that, and then 7 days later, dose it again, and 7 days after that dose it a third time.

Because it is a liquid formulation, it has some solvent in it, and you would need to know what they use for that.

Sera Tremazol is available over here too. Any experience with that one?

That one recommend two doses separated by 7 days, but recommend too a 80% water change a few hours after each dose. Not sure why.

Thanks.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Sera Tremazol is available over here too. Any experience with that one?

That one recommend two doses separated by 7 days, but recommend too a 80% water change a few hours after each dose. Not sure why.

Thanks.

Sorry, I don’t know why they call for an 8O% water change just a few hours after a dose. I think you’ll need to contact Sera.

 

[Saralay]

Sorry, I don’t know why they call for an 8O% water change just a few hours after a dose. I think you’ll need to contact Sera.

I wasn’t able to obtain the information I was looking for. However, the praziquantel concentration appears to be higher than in PraziPro. I also noticed that the instructions mention the product can be used as a bath.

Is there any drawback to keeping fish in copper for an extended period? I was considering a treatment plan like the following:

21 days in Coppersafe at 2.25 ppm

Tramazol bath, then transfer to a new tank with Coppersafe at 2.25 ppm

8 days later, a second Tramazol bath

8 days later, a final Tramazol bath, then transfer to the display tank

That way the fish never leaves copper and should be covered for flukes.

Thanks.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I wasn’t able to obtain the information I was looking for. However, the praziquantel concentration appears to be higher than in PraziPro. I also noticed that the instructions mention the product can be used as a bath.

Is there any drawback to keeping fish in copper for an extended period? I was considering a treatment plan like the following:

21 days in Coppersafe at 2.25 ppm

Tramazol bath, then transfer to a new tank with Coppersafe at 2.25 ppm

8 days later, a second Tramazol bath

8 days later, a final Tramazol bath, then transfer to the display tank

That way the fish never leaves copper and should be covered for flukes.

Thanks.

Coppersafe doesn’t have any risk for use up to at least 3 months from my observations.

I just haven’t used Tramazol, so I can’t speak to that aspect of the treatment.

 

[Saralay]

Coppersafe doesn’t have any risk for use up to at least 3 months from my observations.

I just haven’t used Tramazol, so I can’t speak to that aspect of the treatment.

Thanks. I’ll go with that then, and I’ll import a bottle of PraziPro from eBay (at a very inflated price) in case I need to treat the display tank if flukes get through the tramazol.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Thanks. I’ll go with that then, and I’ll import a bottle of PraziPro from eBay (at a very inflated price) in case I need to treat the display tank if flukes get through the tramazol.

Do you have any EU information sources that could better advise you on using tramazol? It probably would work fine, I’ve just never used it, so I can’t speak from experience.

 

[Saralay]

Do you have any EU information sources that could better advise you on using tramazol? It probably would work fine, I’ve just never used it, so I can’t speak from experience.

No. Quarantining fish is very rare here, at least in Spain. Most LFS don’t even carry copper. I was lucky to find one store that has Coppersafe, but they don’t actually use it themselves

 

[Reefin' Steve]

Do you have any EU information sources that could better advise you on using tramazol? It probably would work fine, I’ve just never used it, so I can’t speak from experience.

Don't mean to jump in on saralay's discussion.

However, I lost my tank a couple months back, and I'm in the process of preventing that a second time. Tank went fallow, currently bleaching rocks to build a scape that won't trap detritus and allow for catching fish easier, saved sump media, and I'm working on improving QT (and all other) husbandry methods to strict, set routines based on any info I can find. I used mainly humble fish to develop a quarantine method, and found this when I went to make a post asking for review. It is almost eerily similar to what I came up with in the case of using a single tank method, I just have a couple questions.

Do you quarantine coral? I plan to, alongside a stout dip regimen. If you do, my main question is preferred dip... and can a coral quarantine be "rolling", or does it need to be like fish where you add coral, then wait 6 weeks or 76 days before adding more?

What are your thoughts on using Fritz Paracleanse as the Prazi product during observation? Or would you choose prazicleanse or PraziPro? I did read your post on PZQ but I didn't really pick up on what you prefer.

Otherwise my process came out very similar if not basically the same and Im glad to see it. My final question is how do you feel about a formalin/methylene blue dip (safety stop) at the start of quarantine? I saw in general you don't care for formalin, but have also recommended its use in other posts. Should steer clear for health risks? Not necessary? Too stressful? I respect any of these choices, but I'm also looking to negate any possible risk from reaching my display.

Thanks for all the excellent work you've done here.