Current Quarantine Protocol

[Jay Hemdal]

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.

I isolate corals, both to reduce fish diseases as well as to identify coal pests. Minimum 30 days, 45 is better, and no, I don’t use a rolling time, if I add new animals, I restart the clock.

I prefer plain praziquantel powder over Prazipro or prazi/metro mix’s. I think Prazicleanse is just PZQ.

I would NEVER use formalin dips on just shipped fish. Years ago, I developed a triage process that included formalin dips on just shipped fish. It was very similar to safety stop, which I had never heard of. However when I analyzed the results, the mortality rate was unacceptably high, so I stopped doing that. Dips are never 100% effective. I only use them as a diagnostic tool paired with a microscope.

 

[Reefin' Steve]

I isolate corals, both to reduce fish diseases as well as to identify coal pests. Minimum 30 days, 45 is better, and no, I don’t use a rolling time, if I add new animals, I restart the clock.

I prefer plain praziquantel powder over Prazipro or prazi/metro mix’s. I think Prazicleanse is just PZQ.

I would NEVER use formalin dips on just shipped fish. Years ago, I developed a triage process that included formalin dips on just shipped fish. It was very similar to safety stop, which I had never heard of. However when I analyzed the results, the mortality rate was unacceptably high, so I stopped doing that. Dips are never 100% effective. I only use them as a diagnostic tool paired with a microscope.

I figured that it couldn't be a rolling coral QT. But I was also just hoping to keep a nano frag tank somewhere. I guess I just have a choice to make there and quarantine separate, or restart the clock on the frag tank anytime new ones are brought in.

I read your post on formalin fatalities trying to answer my own questions with your past posts. I wasn't sure if you would use it after a day or three of observation before beginning medicated quarantine, I suppose.

I appreciate the fast reply. Sounds like I will use your method and only keep a safety stop or two on hand.

 

[CaptainScuba]

My only fish (Hector Goby) began showing obvious signs of ich yesterday. Small white dots and occasionally rubbing in the sand as to attempt to remove the parasites. I have a IM10 nuvo laying around that I planned to setup but haven’t gotten to yet.

It has a Sicce 0.5 pump for flow and a 50w heater to maintain a temperature. The back chamber of my display tank has media bags of bio filtration; one with matrix media and one with very small live rock rubble. I ordered a hanna copper checker and copper power.

Can I move a bag of the matrix or the rock rubble over to the qt tank as my form of biological filtration and run it with just the heater and return pump? I have microbacter7 and microbelift special blend on hand if I can’t use the matrix or the rubble; I will just need to add something to the tank for the bacteria to grow on?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

My only fish (Hector Goby) began showing obvious signs of ich yesterday. Small white dots and occasionally rubbing in the sand as to attempt to remove the parasites. I have a IM10 nuvo laying around that I planned to setup but haven’t gotten to yet.

It has a Sicce 0.5 pump for flow and a 50w heater to maintain a temperature. The back chamber of my display tank has media bags of bio filtration; one with matrix media and one with very small live rock rubble. I ordered a hanna copper checker and copper power.

Can I move a bag of the matrix or the rock rubble over to the qt tank as my form of biological filtration and run it with just the heater and return pump? I have microbacter7 and microbelift special blend on hand if I can’t use the matrix or the rubble; I will just need to add something to the tank for the bacteria to grow on?

Matrix would be better choice than rock rubble, as that will absorb some copper from the water. If you do use the rock, you shouldn’t then reuse it in a tank with invertebrates afterwards.

You should monitor the ammonia and keep it below 0.5 ppm. You may need to add bottled bacteria, it’s tough to really judge how well the matrix will work in a passive flow situation (it works better by having water flow around it like through a filter).

 

[CaptainScuba]

Matrix would be better choice than rock rubble, as that will absorb some copper from the water. If you do use the rock, you shouldn’t then reuse it in a tank with invertebrates afterwards.

You should monitor the ammonia and keep it below 0.5 ppm. You may need to add bottled bacteria, it’s tough to really judge how well the matrix will work in a passive flow situation (it works better by having water flow around it like through a filter).

I will be placing it in the back chamber of the AIO tank so it should get more than just passive flow; hypothetically somewhere around 185gph minus whatever loss the Sicce 0.5 has from head pressure going ~6 inches from the bottom of the tank to the return. Would the back chamber of an AIO not see similar flow pattern / rate as a HOB or canister filter?

So if I use the matrix would it be safe to return it to my display tank eventually? Or not necessarily? It’s a cheap biomedia so I’d gladly dispose of it at the end of treatment if it’s a “rather safe than sorry scenario.”

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I will be placing it in the back chamber of the AIO tank so it should get more than just passive flow; hypothetically somewhere around 185gph minus whatever loss the Sicce 0.5 has from head pressure going ~6 inches from the bottom of the tank to the return. Would the back chamber of an AIO not see similar flow pattern / rate as a HOB or canister filter?

So if I use the matrix would it be safe to return it to my display tank eventually? Or not necessarily? It’s a cheap biomedia so I’d gladly dispose of it at the end of treatment if it’s a “rather safe than sorry scenario.”

Matrix won’t absorb copper, but the biofilm on it could hold some. You can salvage the matrix for future use by cleaning it well with white vinegar and lots of water to rinse it (of course that will remove all the beneficial bacteria, so you’ll need to repopulate that).

 

[CaptainScuba]

Matrix won’t absorb copper, but the biofilm on it could hold some. You can salvage the matrix for future use by cleaning it well with white vinegar and lots of water to rinse it (of course that will remove all the beneficial bacteria, so you’ll need to repopulate that).

Okay my quarantine tank is set up and I will be moving the fish over in a day or two. I'm waiting on the hanna copper checker to be delivered to begin treatment. I have two questions that I hope you don't mind answering.

The sticky thread about going follow is a bit confusing; one of the most recent posts in there talks about 90+ days and using UV sterilizers to find success. But the original post talks about 45-60 days depending on temperature. But ultimately that thread looks as if its been quiet for quite some time. If I am planning on doing a full 64 day quarantine with coppersafe and prazipro, do I need to do anything special with my display tank? The tank has 8lbs liverock, 10lbs aragonite sand, corals, snails, shrimp, crabs. It fluctuates been 73-76 degrees, but will gladly bump the temperature a bit if it will rid the tank of parasites.

Secondly.... I am thinking this may be a good opportunity to pick up one or two additional fish to quarantine in conjunction with my hector goby. I'm realizing that otherwise, I will need to go 64 days to clear the goby, then an additional 64 days to quarantine any future fish; meaning 128 days until I can add any "new" fish - seems long and daunting. Is there any reason that it would be a bad idea to bring in one or two new fish from the LFS to join my goby in quarantine?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Okay my quarantine tank is set up and I will be moving the fish over in a day or two. I'm waiting on the hanna copper checker to be delivered to begin treatment. I have two questions that I hope you don't mind answering.

The sticky thread about going follow is a bit confusing; one of the most recent posts in there talks about 90+ days and using UV sterilizers to find success. But the original post talks about 45-60 days depending on temperature. But ultimately that thread looks as if its been quiet for quite some time. If I am planning on doing a full 64 day quarantine with coppersafe and prazipro, do I need to do anything special with my display tank? The tank has 8lbs liverock, 10lbs aragonite sand, corals, snails, shrimp, crabs. It fluctuates been 73-76 degrees, but will gladly bump the temperature a bit if it will rid the tank of parasites.

Secondly.... I am thinking this may be a good opportunity to pick up one or two additional fish to quarantine in conjunction with my hector goby. I'm realizing that otherwise, I will need to go 64 days to clear the goby, then an additional 64 days to quarantine any future fish; meaning 128 days until I can add any "new" fish - seems long and daunting. Is there any reason that it would be a bad idea to bring in one or two new fish from the LFS to join my goby in quarantine?

There is NO evidence of ever needing to go fallow for 90+ days. UV sterilizers have NO benefit in this process, because they do not reach the resting tomont stage at all, and even if they did, they do not have the power to kill tomonts.

What happened with "fallow periods" was that somebody found Colorni's original paper that showed possible ich tomont survival in bacteria free, cool water in a petri dish at 76 days. He then began spreading that information. People then took that and just added extra time to it for some reason. In real life aquariums, the timeline is much shorter. 60 days is plenty safe. In literally all cases I've heard of fallow failing it goes like this: "I let me tank go fallow for 60 days and added a new tang and it got ich". In reality, the new tang came in with ich. Fallow periods for flukes and velvet are shorter than for ich.

You should bump the temperature up to 79 degrees during a fallow period.

Consecutive quarantine periods can be a real issue when stocking a new tank - unless you buy most/all of the fish at once. Trouble is, with that, you need a large, well established QT (beneficial bacteria-wise).

 

[CaptainScuba]

There is NO evidence of ever needing to go fallow for 90+ days. UV sterilizers have NO benefit in this process, because they do not reach the resting tomont stage at all, and even if they did, they do not have the power to kill tomonts.

What happened with "fallow periods" was that somebody found Colorni's original paper that showed possible ich tomont survival in bacteria free, cool water in a petri dish at 76 days. He then began spreading that information. People then took that and just added extra time to it for some reason. In real life aquariums, the timeline is much shorter. 60 days is plenty safe. In literally all cases I've heard of fallow failing it goes like this: "I let me tank go fallow for 60 days and added a new tang and it got ich". In reality, the new tang came in with ich. Fallow periods for flukes and velvet are shorter than for ich.

You should bump the temperature up to 79 degrees during a fallow period.

Consecutive quarantine periods can be a real issue when stocking a new tank - unless you buy most/all of the fish at once. Trouble is, with that, you need a large, well established QT (beneficial bacteria-wise).

Amazing! Thank you for all of the thorough responses. I will begin slowly raising the temp of both tanks to 79 over the next few days while waiting for supplies. I moved a second bag of mature seachem matrix into the back chamber of the quarantine tank (totaling one 500mL container of matrix). I am thinking of throwing one or two additional very small fish in there with my goby to quarantine. I moved my week old activated carbon bag over to the quarantine tank as well as I've been told it harbors plenty of bacteria & goodies as well (only for the time being; until I begin medicating the tank).

 

[Michael Hughes]

@Jay Hemdal I've been planning to do 76 day isolation of all inverts and corals in a fish free frag tank (at 78 degrees) before moving them to the DT. Based on the above, a 60 day isolation would be sufficient? Are we still talking close to 100% risk elimination in this particular case?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

@Jay Hemdal I've been planning to do 76 day isolation of all inverts and corals in a fish free frag tank (at 78 degrees) before moving them to the DT. Based on the above, a 60 day isolation would be sufficient? Are we still talking close to 100% risk elimination in this particular case?

Yes - you might want to go at 79 degrees, or even 81 if the corals/inverts can tolerate it, but 60 days at 78 will work. We used to "burn out" ich in a 25 day fallow period, by heating the tank to 86. Now, be aware that this does NOT work on active infections with fish in the tank, it just makes the infection proceed even faster. I often hear people to "raise the temperature to treat for ich". That only works for freshwater ich, a different species of parasite.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Amazing! Thank you for all of the thorough responses. I will begin slowly raising the temp of both tanks to 79 over the next few days while waiting for supplies. I moved a second bag of mature seachem matrix into the back chamber of the quarantine tank (totaling one 500mL container of matrix). I am thinking of throwing one or two additional very small fish in there with my goby to quarantine. I moved my week old activated carbon bag over to the quarantine tank as well as I've been told it harbors plenty of bacteria & goodies as well (only for the time being; until I begin medicating the tank).

Carbon can harbor beneficial bacteria, but it takes a lot longer than one week for it to become well colonized - more like a month to 6 weeks at a minimum.

 

[reefnoob9]

2024 Quarantine Procedures

Jay Hemdal
David Scarborough


Protozoans (Cryptocaryon/ich, Amyloodinium/velvet) and Metazoan trematodes/flukes are by far the most common parasites found on newly acquired fish. A carefully managed, proactive quarantine process can effectively eliminate these parasites before adding the fish to your display tank. This process does not fully control Brooklynella, Uronema, viruses or internal parasites. Those issues however, make up a proportionally much smaller number of disease cases in marine fish.

Quarantine tank Requirements:

Tank must be large enough to comfortably handle the number and size of fish for up to 9 weeks.

• Tank should have a filtration system that has completed the nitrogen cycle. Canisters, HOB overflow filters, or appropriately sized sponge filters are acceptable.
• The tank should offer clear lateral viewing of the fish, bins and opaque containers that only allow for "top down" viewing are not a good idea to use, since careful observation of the fish is very important.
• The filtration system must not use carbon or other absorbing/adsorbing filtrants (e.g. Polyfilter) that might absorb copper or medication. NO calcareous rock LIVE or DEAD.
• Bare bottom should be used. A saucer with non-calcareous sand can be utilized for wrasses, gobies, blennies or other species which are overly stressed by the bare bottom. Painting the underside of the tank black can also help
• Heater/thermometer
• Removable structure, e.g. PVC pipe may be used to provide hiding places for the fish.
• Ambient light will often be adequate for the QT tank. Avoid using bright reef lights.
• A means to maintain oxygen levels should be available. Air stones and sponge filters are usually adequate. Powerheads may create too much current and they do not aerate well.
• A lid should be used to prevent the fish from jumping out of the tank.
• Set salinity level and temperature to the same levels as in your Display Tank.

Days 1 – 2: Observation - let the fish settle in and determine proper diet.

• Set QT temperature to 78 - 80 degrees F.
• Acclimate the new fish to the QT:
  • Measure salinity of the water in which the fish arrived.
  • Adjust salinity in QT to within 2 ppt of the salinity of the water in which the fish arrived.
  • Acclimate the fish to the QT gradually over 45 minutes.
• Observe the fish for any symptoms which might influence the treatment(s) you should administer.
• Determine if the fish are eating adequately to proceed.

Day 2: Begin Copper Treatment

• Add Coppersafe or copper power to the QT to achieve a concentration of 2.25 to 2.50 ppm over the course of 24 hours. This can be done in two doses 12 hours apart or multiple smaller doses if you prefer. Coppersafe will not be effective until a concentration over 2.0 ppm is present. A target of 2.25 ppm will allow for fluctuations without the risk of falling below the 2.0 ppm threshold. Hanna Copper checker is the most accurate test to use.
• Never use ammonia removing products or other reducing agents (dechlorinator) when dosing copper. Most products bind copper with an amine to reduce toxicity to the fish. Reducing agents break that bond, releasing free copper that can harm the fish.
• Feed and top off tank water normally.

Days 3 – 32: Continue Copper Treatment

• Monitor copper ppm regularly. If the copper level remains steady day to day, you can test less often, but if the concentration falls below 2.0 ppm, you may need to extend the 30-day count for the copper treatment.
• Monitor water quality parameters as you would for your display tank.
• If the copper or ammonia levels ever exceed guidelines, be prepared to administer water changes (pre dosed with copper) to correct the problem.

Day 34: Copper Done

• Begin copper removal through water changes.
• Binding agents Cuprisorb may be used to hasten the removal process, but work best with ionic copper.
• Carbon is usually too slow or ineffective at removing copper and should not be relied upon without adequate monitoring.

Day 35: Praziquantel Treatment #1

• Confirm copper has been removed adequately to drop the concentration to less than 1 ppm. Copper and Prazi should not be administered simultaneously unless there is suspicion of a severe fluke infection.
• Add Praziquantel to the QT per the dose on the label.
• Ensure the additional oxygenation source is working. This treatment will potentially reduce the oxygen levels within the QT to critical levels without additional air flow.
• Remove carbon or other chemical filtrants. Continuing running any protein skimmers, but don't collect the skimmate, let it run back into the tank.

Day 42, Day 49: Praziquantel Treatment #2, #3

• Add Prazi to the QT per the instructions on the label, 8 days apart. Spacing needed for these treatments is based on killing new flukes hatching from previously laid eggs. The time interval is not well known. A range of 7 to 9 days seems to give the best results.

Day 64: New Fish QT complete

• Observe fish for 2 weeks after last prazi dose. Note: many public aquariums do not move fish out of quarantine unless they are in the middle of a full copper treatment. This vastly reduces the risk from Cryptocaryon or Amyloodinium. To use that method, substitute a copper treatment for this 2 week observation period, and move the fish out around day 10.
• Conduct a 5-minute fresh water dip if the fish is of a species particularly susceptible to Neobenedenia flukes. If flukes are detected, reduce QT salinity to 50% and hold for an additional 35 days.
• Confirm salinity and temperature of QT and DT are the same, add fish to DT.

Variation from this process:
Do not use copper on sharks, rays, eels or flashlight fish.
Wild caught clownfish are prone to Brooklynella, and may need formalin treatments.

All wild caught fish have a potentially high mortality rate from a variety of other reasons, just be aware that losing fish during this quarantine time can happen.

Jay, could you explain why this about procedure is more effective or not compared to the brs-8020 protocol?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Jay, could you explain why this about procedure is more effective or not compared to the brs-8020 protocol?

Well, the method we developed is essentially 100% effective for 100% of the effort (for the typical treatable diseases; protozoans and flukes). I don't feel that an 80% effectiveness rate is viable, since that 20% failure rate is going to show up in your DT, including harm to your older fish. I'm also opposed to "100% water changes" - those are tough to do, and is rough on the fish due to extra handling. Various forms of their method that I've seen also include antibiotics and formalin use. Formalin shouldn't be used in homes and antibiotics must never be used as a preventative, only to treat identified bacterial diseases (so as to help avoid developing antibiotic resistant bacteria strains).

We're currently working on the 2026 version of the protocol. it should be ready in a few days. I'm developing two other options that are near 100% effective, but reduce the time spent by 30 to 50%.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Well, the method we developed is essentially 100% effective for 100% of the effort (for the typical treatable diseases; protozoans and flukes). I don't feel that an 80% effectiveness rate is viable, since that 20% failure rate is going to show up in your DT, including harm to your older fish. I'm also opposed to "100% water changes" - those are tough to do, and is rough on the fish due to extra handling. Various forms of their method that I've seen also include antibiotics and formalin use. Formalin shouldn't be used in homes and antibiotics must never be used as a preventative, only to treat identified bacterial diseases (so as to help avoid developing antibiotic resistant bacteria strains).

We're currently working on the 2026 version of the protocol. it should be ready in a few days. I'm developing two other options that are near 100% effective, but reduce the time spent by 30 to 50%.

To anyone following this thread. I just posted a major update to our quarantine process on the first page of this thread. Basically, it introduces two other options to the full quarantine method that are equally effective, but take less time. These two methods may be a bit more stressful for some species, but some people seemed more interested in shaving time off of the process......

 

[Michael Hughes]

Great update! It may be valuable to include some additional guidelines on properly disposing of copper wastewater. For example, I'm on a septic tank with a drain field, so any copper-contaminated wastewater could eventually find it's way to my backyard food forest. This is something I'd like to avoid. Thus, I'll be using cuprisorb to remove copper before emptying the wastewater into the salt-tolerant garden in the front.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Great update! It may be valuable to include some additional guidelines on properly disposing of copper wastewater. For example, I'm on a septic tank with a drain field, so any copper-contaminated wastewater could eventually find it's way to my backyard food forest. This is something I'd like to avoid. Thus, I'll be using cuprisorb to remove copper before emptying the wastewater into the salt-tolerant garden in the front.

The main issue with aquarium chemicals being disposed of properly include formalin (which we don’t advise people to use) as well as antibiotics. In FW, malachite green would be an issue. Copper at 2 ppm isn’t an issue, it is actually a micro nutrient.

However, dumping a lot of seawater into your system could be an issue with the bacteria. I’m on a septic, and when I dump seawater, I flood it with an equal amount of freshwater to dilute the salt. I also add septic bacteria “just to be sure”.

 

[CaptainScuba]

Optional - conduct a 5-minute freshwater dip if the fish is of a species particularly susceptible to Neobenedenia flukes. If flukes are detected, reduce QT salinity to 50% and hold for an additional 35 days.

Hey Jay, my fish are finally being fully treated by copper. I'm looking ahead to prepare supplies for the following quarantine steps. I just ordered an air pump for the prazi treatment stage to keep the water properly oxygenated. After that it looks like some time for general observation and then this optional treatment. Is there a list somewhere of species that are, "particularly susceptible to Neobenedenia flukes"? I've searched around a bit and have not found much on the topic.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Hey Jay, my fish are finally being fully treated by copper. I'm looking ahead to prepare supplies for the following quarantine steps. I just ordered an air pump for the prazi treatment stage to keep the water properly oxygenated. After that it looks like some time for general observation and then this optional treatment. Is there a list somewhere of species that are, "particularly susceptible to Neobenedenia flukes"? I've searched around a bit and have not found much on the topic.

I compiled a list some time ago:

Angelfish, Pomacanthus sp. ++
Barrimundi, Lates sp. ++
Batfish, Platax sp. +++
Butterflyfish, Chaetodon sp. ++
Cichlid, Tilapia sp. +++ (when housed in seawater)
Invertebrates 0 (but may carry eggs)
Jacks, Caraganidae +++
Lionfish, Pterois sp. +
Lookdowns, Selene sp. +++
Pyramid butterflyfish, Hemitaurichthys sp. +++
Grouper family, Serranidae ++
Garden eel, Taenioconger sp. +
Remora, Echeneis sp. +
Sharks and rays, Elasmobranchs 0
Surgeonfish, Acanthurus sp. ++
Spadefish, Chaetodipterus faber +++


Aquarium hosts for Neobenedenia sp. 0=not infected, + = sometimes infected, ++=commonly infected, +++=very commonly infected (From Bullard et-al 2000 and personal obs.)


Here is a research paper that I contributed towards about 25 years ago:

https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1416&context=parasitologyfacpubs

 

[reefnoob9]

2026 Quarantine Procedures

Jay Hemdal
David Scarborough

Introduction
Protozoans (Cryptocaryon/ich, Amyloodinium/velvet) and Metazoan trematodes/flukes are by far the most common parasites found on newly acquired marine fish. A carefully managed, proactive quarantine process can effectively eliminate these parasites before adding the fish to your display tank. This process may not fully control Brooklynella, Uronema, viruses or internal parasites. Those issues however, make up a proportionally much smaller number of disease cases in marine fish.

Options

1) Full quarantine process. 64 days including a 14-day observation period.

2) Two weeks copper (for velvet) followed by 30 days hyposalinity (for ich, flukes, Brooklynella and black ich). 45 days, with 5 days at the end to return from hyposalinity.

3) Combining copper and prazi to reduce the treatment time from 64 days to around 35 days. There is increased stress on the fish for doing this in some cases.


Quarantine tank Requirements:
Tank must be large enough to comfortably handle the number and size of fish for up to 9 weeks.

Tank should have a filtration system that has completed the nitrogen cycle. Canisters, HOB overflow filters, or appropriately sized sponge filters are acceptable.

• The tank should offer clear lateral viewing of the fish, bins and opaque containers that only allow for "top down" viewing are not a good idea to use, since careful observation of the fish is very important.
• The filtration system must not use carbon or other absorbing/adsorbing filtrants (e.g. Polyfilter) that might absorb copper or medication. NO calcareous rock LIVE or DEAD.
• Bare bottom should be used. A saucer with non-calcareous sand can be utilized for wrasses, gobies, blennies or other species which are overly stressed by the bare bottom. Painting the underside of the tank black can also help
• Heater/thermometer
• Removable structure, e.g. PVC pipe may be used to provide hiding places for the fish.
• Ambient light will often be adequate for the QT tank. Avoid using bright reef lights.
• A means to maintain oxygen levels should be available. Air stones and sponge filters are usually adequate. Powerheads may create too much current and they do not aerate well.
• A lid should be used to prevent the fish from jumping out of the tank.
• Set salinity level and temperature to the same levels as in your Display Tank.

1) Full Quarantine Process

Days 1 – 2: Observation - let the fish settle in and determine proper diet.

• Set QT temperature to 78 - 79 degrees F.
• Adjust the salinity to match the value that the fish will be arriving in (if known).
• Acclimate the new fish to the QT:
  • If not done in step above, measure salinity of the water in which the fish arrived.
  • Adjust salinity in QT to within 2 ppt of the salinity of the water in which the fish arrived.
  • Acclimate the fish to the QT gradually over 45 minutes Use aeration. Additonal acclimation information is here: https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/acclimation-methods.903/
• Observe the fish for any symptoms which might influence the treatment(s) you should administer.
• Determine if the fish are eating adequately to proceed.

Day 2: Begin Copper Treatment

• Add Coppersafe or copper power to the QT to achieve a concentration of 2.25 ppm over the course of 24 hours. This can be done in two doses 12 hours apart or multiple smaller doses if you prefer. Coppersafe will not be effective until a concentration over 2.0 ppm is present. A target of 2.25 ppm will allow for fluctuations without the risk of falling below the 2.0 ppm threshold. Hanna Copper checker is the most accurate test to use.
• Never use ammonia removing products or other reducing agents (dechlorinator) when dosing copper. Most products bind copper with an amine to reduce toxicity to the fish. Reducing agents risk breaking that bond, releasing free copper that can harm the fish.
• Feed and top off tank water normally.

Days 3 – 32: Continue Copper Treatment

• Monitor copper ppm regularly. If the copper level remains steady day to day, you can test less often, but if the concentration falls below 2.0 ppm, you may need to extend the 30-day count for the copper treatment.
• Monitor water quality parameters as you would for your display tank.
• If the copper or ammonia levels ever exceed guidelines, be prepared to administer water changes (pre dosed with copper) to correct the problem.

Day 34: Copper Done

• Begin copper removal through water changes.
• Binding agents Cuprisorb may be used to hasten the removal process, but work best with ionic copper.
• Carbon is usually too slow or ineffective at removing copper and should not be relied upon without adequate monitoring.

Day 35: Praziquantel Treatment #1

• Confirm copper has been removed adequately to drop the concentration to less than 1 ppm. Copper and Prazi should not be administered simultaneously unless there is suspicion of a severe fluke infection.
• Add Praziquantel to the QT per the dose on the label.
• Ensure the additional oxygenation source is working. This treatment will potentially reduce the oxygen levels within the QT to critical levels without additional air flow.
• Remove carbon or other chemical filtrants. Continuing running any protein skimmers, but don't collect the skimmate, let it run back into the tank. Additional information about dosing praziquantel is found in this file: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/dosing-praziquantel-pzq.1105700/

Day 42, Day 49: Praziquantel Treatment #2, #3

• Add Prazi to the QT per the instructions on the label, 8 days apart. Spacing needed for these treatments is based on killing new flukes hatching from previously laid eggs. The time interval is not well known. A range of 7 to 9 days seems to give the best results.

Day 64: New Fish QT complete

Observe fish for 2 weeks after last prazi dose. Note: many public aquariums do not move fish out of quarantine unless they are in the middle of a full copper treatment. This vastly reduces the risk from Cryptocaryon or Amyloodinium. To use that method, substitute a copper treatment for this 2 week observation period, and move the fish out around day 10.

• Optional - conduct a 5-minute freshwater dip if the fish is of a species particularly susceptible to Neobenedenia flukes. If flukes are detected, reduce QT salinity to 50% and hold for an additional 35 days.
• Confirm salinity and temperature of QT and DT are the same, add fish to DT. No acclimation is required if the two tanks match in these parameters.

2) Modified Quarantine Process with Hyposalinity

This method is faster than the full process, but hyposalinity is less forgiving and some fish are sensitive to it. It does have the added benefit of helping to control Brooklynella in clownfish and black ich turbellarians in tangs.

Days 1 – 2: Observation - let the fish settle in and determine proper diet.

• Set QT temperature to 78 - 79 degrees F.
• Adjust the salinity to match the value that the fish will be arriving in (if known).
• Acclimate the new fish to the QT:
  • If not done in step above, measure salinity of the water in which the fish arrived.
  • Adjust salinity in QT to within 2 ppt of the salinity of the water in which the fish arrived.
  • Acclimate the fish to the QT gradually over 45 minutes Use aeration. Additonal acclimation information is here: https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/acclimation-methods.903/
• Observe the fish for any symptoms which might influence the treatment(s) you should administer.
• Determine if the fish are eating adequately to proceed.

Day 2: Begin Copper Treatment

• Add Coppersafe or copper power to the QT to achieve a concentration of 2.25 ppm over the course of 24 hours. This can be done in two doses 12 hours apart or multiple smaller doses if you prefer. Coppersafe will not be effective until a concentration over 2.0 ppm is present. A target of 2.25 ppm will allow for fluctuations without the risk of falling below the 2.0 ppm threshold. Hanna Copper checker is the most accurate test to use.
• Never use ammonia removing products or other reducing agents (dechlorinator) when dosing copper. Most products bind copper with an amine to reduce toxicity to the fish. Reducing agents risk breaking that bond, releasing free copper that can harm the fish.
• Feed and top off tank water normally.

Days 3 – 16: Continue Copper Treatment

• Monitor copper ppm regularly. If the copper level remains steady day to day, you can test less often, but if the concentration falls below 2.0 ppm, you may need to extend the 14-day count for the copper treatment.
• Monitor water quality parameters as you would for your display tank.
• If the copper or ammonia levels ever exceed guidelines, be prepared to administer water changes (pre dosed with copper) to correct the problem.

Day 16: Copper Done, begin hyposalinity. Hold fish at a specific gravity of 1.009 for 30 days and then return to normal salinity over 3 to 5 days. Refer to this file for complete instructions:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/hyposalinity.880546/

Day 47: Begin returning tank to normal salinity.

Day 50: Quarantine process completed.



3) Modified Quarantine Process with Overlapping Copper and Prazi

Note: Pure powdered prazi should be used as liquid Prazi products may cause more stress to the fish that is important to minimize since the fish are concurrently being dosed with copper.

Days 1 – 2: Observation - let the fish settle in and determine proper diet.

• Set QT temperature to 78 - 79 degrees F.
• Adjust the salinity to match the value that the fish will be arriving in (if known).
• Acclimate the new fish to the QT:
  • If not done in step above, measure salinity of the water in which the fish arrived.
  • Adjust salinity in QT to within 2 ppt of the salinity of the water in which the fish arrived.
  • Acclimate the fish to the QT gradually over 45 minutes Use aeration. Additonal acclimation information is here: https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/acclimation-methods.903/
• Observe the fish for any symptoms which might influence the treatment(s) you should administer.
• Determine if the fish are eating adequately to proceed.

Day 2: Begin Copper Treatment

• Add Coppersafe or copper power to the QT to achieve a concentration of 2.25 ppm over the course of 24 hours. This can be done in two doses 12 hours apart or multiple smaller doses if you prefer. Coppersafe will not be effective until a concentration over 2.0 ppm is present. A target of 2.25 ppm will allow for fluctuations without the risk of falling below the 2.0 ppm threshold. Hanna Copper checker is the most accurate test to use.
• Never use ammonia removing products or other reducing agents (dechlorinator) when dosing copper. Most products bind copper with an amine to reduce toxicity to the fish. Reducing agents risk breaking that bond, releasing free copper that can harm the fish.
• Feed and top off tank water normally.

Days 3 – 32: Continue Copper Treatment and start prazi treatment

• Monitor copper ppm regularly. If the copper level remains steady day to day, you can test less often, but if the concentration falls below 2.0 ppm, you may need to extend the 30-day count for the copper treatment.
• Monitor water quality parameters as you would for your display tank.
• If the copper or ammonia levels ever exceed guidelines, be prepared to administer water changes (pre dosed with copper) to correct the problem.
• On day 7: Add Praziquantel to the QT per the dose on the label.
• Ensure the additional oxygenation source is working. This treatment will potentially reduce the oxygen levels within the QT to critical levels without additional air flow.
• Remove carbon or other chemical filtrants. Continuing running any protein skimmers, but don't collect the skimmate, let it run back into the tank. Additional information about dosing praziquantel is found in this file: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/dosing-praziquantel-pzq.1105700/
• Second prazi dose on day 14 and a third dose on day 23. A 25% water change (treated with copper) should be made prior to each prazi dose.

Day 34: Treatments Done

• Begin copper removal through water changes.
• Binding agents Cuprisorb may be used to hasten the removal process, but work best with ionic copper.
• Carbon is usually too slow or ineffective at removing copper and should not be relied upon without adequate monitoring.
• Confirm salinity and temperature of QT and DT are the same, add fish to DT. No acclimation is required if the two tanks match in these parameters.

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General Notes:

Do not use copper or hyposalinity on sharks, rays, some eels or flashlight fish.

Do not use ionic copper products, as these are harsher than amine-chelated products such as Copper Power of Coppersafe.

Wild caught clownfish are prone to Brooklynella, and may need metronidazole or formalin treatments. Other sensitivities towards medications are listed in this file:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/fish-treatment-variations-by-species-and-medication.1078949/

All wild caught fish have a potentially high mortality rate from a variety of other reasons, just be aware that losing fish during this quarantine time can happen.

If the fish appear ill during any quarantine process, the issue needs to be diagnosed in case additional treatment is required. The Fish Medics on Reef2Reef can help you with that, or refer to this file for self-diagnosis:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/self-diagnosis-of-common-marine-fish-diseases.1141555/

Does the kind of salt used matter for QT? BRS had advised non reef salt to avoid interaction of the Ca, Mg Alk etc with the treatment. Should I only use the 'regular' salt for QT?

Is there any authoritative source is could consult to know whether copper and prazi are safe to use on my fish? I see the warnings on checking if the fish can handle these, but unsure where.