Current Quarantine Protocol

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I have a flame angel, royal gramma, and carpenters flasher wrasse in QT. The angel and wrasse are doing great, swim around together, eat, not shy after a couple days already, but the gramma...

The gramma disappeared after being in the tank for a couple minutes, and I didn't see it for 3 days. It constantly sleeps under cover of chaeto, sea lettuce or PVC, I have not seen it eat yet.

The couple times I have seen it awake briefly, it looks like it might have a couple white spots, and it yawned really big once.

When should I start copper? Usually I do the day after the fish are acting like they have adjusted, but I don't think the gramma is going to, and I think I need to get my medications going.

Any advice?

Royal grammas often have gill flukes, but that shouldn’t keep it from eating. Some grammas are collected in Haiti and just don’t do well.
I would start the copper now, for the benefit of the other fish at least.
Jay

 

[Court_Appointed_Hypeman]

Royal grammas often have gill flukes, but that shouldn’t keep it from eating. Some grammas are collected in Haiti and just don’t do well.
I would start the copper now, for the benefit of the other fish at least.
Jay

Tyvm Jay. Starting copper power tonight.

 

[Court_Appointed_Hypeman]

Tyvm Jay. Starting copper power tonight.

I do not know how long it takes for copper to offer relief. I assume this isn't the fault of the copper and is just a coincidence, but...

After reaching full copper tuesday night, this morning for the first time the gramma is swimming around, and all 3 fish are eating.

The gramma is darting a lot, but i am not as woried since it ate and its breathing seems fine.

 

[Bear Claw]

I am getting a yasha goby and a Randall's prawn pistol shrimp today. They are not fully paired and I was wondering what you recommend doing for quarantining. I know that copper is lethal to inverts so if I quarantined both I wouldn't do copper. I'd like to do it just to pair them up and get them eating well but I was wondering if it is even worth it? I know I could put the shrimp in my dt first and just quarantine the goby and add it later but Im worried about the shrimp eating and it not wanting to pair up with the yasha. Any thoughts?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I am getting a yasha goby and a Randall's prawn pistol shrimp today. They are not fully paired and I was wondering what you recommend doing for quarantining. I know that copper is lethal to inverts so if I quarantined both I wouldn't do copper. I'd like to do it just to pair them up and get them eating well but I was wondering if it is even worth it? I know I could put the shrimp in my dt first and just quarantine the goby and add it later but Im worried about the shrimp eating and it not wanting to pair up with the yasha. Any thoughts?

Shrimp/goby pairs are one of those special cases - you cannot quarantine those gobies along with the shrimp. What I do is an observational quarantine - add the shrimp goby pair as the first fish to the tank, then observe them for 30 days. Meanwhile, I fully quarantine any other fish to go into that tank.

Jay

 

[sc50964]

Shrimp/goby pairs are one of those special cases - you cannot quarantine those gobies along with the shrimp. What I do is an observational quarantine - add the shrimp goby pair as the first fish to the tank, then observe them for 30 days. Meanwhile, I fully quarantine any other fish to go into that tank.

Jay

Why can’t the goby be QT’ed before going to a tank that has the shrimp?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Why can’t the goby be QT’ed before going to a tank that has the shrimp?

Sure, it can be, but I worry that they may not pair back up properly. I just think the shrimp/goby pairs do better when kept together.

Jay

 

[Bear Claw]

Shrimp/goby pairs are one of those special cases - you cannot quarantine those gobies along with the shrimp. What I do is an observational quarantine - add the shrimp goby pair as the first fish to the tank, then observe them for 30 days. Meanwhile, I fully quarantine any other fish to go into that tank.

Jay

So should I put them in the qt and just do observational quarantine? The pair isn't my first fish in the tank.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

So should I put them in the qt and just do observational quarantine? The pair isn't my first fish in the tank.

It’s all about risk management - observing the pair in their own tank for a month is safer in terms of the risk of the goby introducing disease into your existing tank, but there is a risk to breaking the pair up by having to dig them out of the observation tank after a month and moving them to the display, sort of a double bounce.
Jay

 

[PotatoPig]

Hi Jay,

I’ve got a question about invert QT, and my apologies if this is answered earlier in the thread, but when doing QT on inverts is the QT time “per invert” or “since the last one was added”?

Asking as it seems things like ich would not have chance to re-attach to any shells/etc without a fish in there to fill the lifecycle.

I’ve seen come conflicting info on this so just curious, or is the answer that it depends on risk tolerance / what is being quarantined for?

 

[Court_Appointed_Hypeman]

Flame angel missing chunk of fin, def looks like a bacterial finrot from my experience in FW treatment.

I am on day 4 of full copper in the QT tank it is in. Can/should I dose kanaplex? Or something else? We have melafix on hand as well.

 

[Court_Appointed_Hypeman]

Video of fish under whites

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hi Jay,

I’ve got a question about invert QT, and my apologies if this is answered earlier in the thread, but when doing QT on inverts is the QT time “per invert” or “since the last one was added”?

Asking as it seems things like ich would not have chance to re-attach to any shells/etc without a fish in there to fill the lifecycle.

I’ve seen come conflicting info on this so just curious, or is the answer that it depends on risk tolerance / what is being quarantined for?

I prefer to use the last addition of any animal into a quarantine/isolation system as the “clock reset”, that is pretty standard in veterinary medicine.
Jay

 

[Hyphnx]

After losing most of my fish while on vacation in early July, I came back and set up a new QT. Started off with therapeutic levels of copper at 2.0 ppm. Levels have been a constant 2.08 to 2.10 since the tank was set up. DT has been fishless since 7/5 running at 83-84F. Inverts and corals are doing well, I was going to do the 45 day but decided to add an additional week just to be more cautious.

I will keep everyone updated as 8/25 is coming soon and that was the planned date that I add the fish back. I was going to add a black molly on 8/28 after a three day acclimation.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

After losing most of my fish while on vacation in early July, I came back and set up a new QT. Started off with therapeutic levels of copper at 2.0 ppm. Levels have been a constant 2.08 to 2.10 since the tank was set up. DT has been fishless since 7/5 running at 83-84F. Inverts and corals are doing well, I was going to do the 45 day but decided to add an additional week just to be more cautious.

I will keep everyone updated as 8/25 is coming soon and that was the planned date that I add the fish back. I was going to add a black molly on 8/28 after a three day acclimation.

The black Molly test is a cool idea, but in practice, it doesn’t always work, and the Molly itself can bring new diseases into your tank….I’d skip that.
Jay

 

[ryanaperez]

I recently started cycling a tank just last week using microbacter and 2 green chromis from my LFS. I did not quarantine the fish and added them directly to my display tank. Since then I continued to read on the importance of quarantining new fish. I purchased a lawnmower blenny and currently have him in my QT tank for observation. I don’t feel comfortable yet dosing copper and prazipro. I also do not plan on keeping these chromis, just using them for the cycle portion.

I guess my question for you is should I return the chromis back to the LFS, continue observing or treat the blenny I have and keep my display tank fallow? Should I remove the chromis add the blenny and just continue with quarantine all fish from here on out?

As for CUC/ Coral Frags is it completely necessary for them to be kept in a fallow QT for 76 days also? I personally find that too long, as I am a tad bit impatient lol.

I apologize for the long write up and appreciate and advice you could give. Otherwise I thank you for your time!

Thank you

 

[Superlightman]

Why would this be necessary as the QT will not contain life Rocks and if we keep the nutrients levels in range?fish can stay just with new salt water

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

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I recently started cycling a tank just last week using microbacter and 2 green chromis from my LFS. I did not quarantine the fish and added them directly to my display tank. Since then I continued to read on the importance of quarantining new fish. I purchased a lawnmower blenny and currently have him in my QT tank for observation. I don’t feel comfortable yet dosing copper and prazipro. I also do not plan on keeping these chromis, just using them for the cycle portion.

I guess my question for you is should I return the chromis back to the LFS, continue observing or treat the blenny I have and keep my display tank fallow? Should I remove the chromis add the blenny and just continue with quarantine all fish from here on out?

As for CUC/ Coral Frags is it completely necessary for them to be kept in a fallow QT for 76 days also? I personally find that too long, as I am a tad bit impatient lol.

I apologize for the long write up and appreciate and advice you could give. Otherwise I thank you for your time!

Thank you

First, if CUC/Frags come from a fishless tank, then no fallow period is needed. However, a lot of LFS put delicate/sick fish in their coral systems - crazy, but I see it all the time. They are "hoping" that the better environment of their coral systems will help the fish, when actually, it just makes their corals "typhoid Mary's". I hold those for at least 30 days in a fishless system, 45 days is safer.

No, don't return the chromis, if they have a disease, it is already in your tank. I would just keep them there, but don't add any new fish for 45 days or so.

Lawnmower blennies are a bit of an issue - they are difficult to feed properly, and putting them in a QT with no algae makes that issue worse. In addition, they are prone to diseases, so it is "darned if you do, darned if you don't" with them.

Jay

 

[ThaBeast]

@Jay Hemdal setting up a 20 long for coral QT. Will be used as a fish observation tank later. Would 8w or 15w AquaUV be better suited for this tank? Very little price difference, concerned about heat addition but still want to be in the proper range for sterilization

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

@Jay Hemdal setting up a 20 long for coral QT. Will be used as a fish observation tank later. Would 8w or 15w AquaUV be better suited for this tank? Very little price difference, concerned about heat addition but still want to be in the proper range for sterilization

I am not a strong proponent for using UV for disease control/eradication if it is used as a sidestream on a tank - just too much "pass by" for it to be effective. That said, use the 15w, the 8w is too small. The dose of UV needed to kill protozoans (to even reduce their numbers) is very high...

Ultraviolet Sterilizers eliminate diseases from aquarium water: Ultraviolet units have absolutely no effect on disease organisms, which live on the fish directly and do not need to leave the fish during some part of its life cycle (some protozoans, trematodes and most pathogenic bacteria). Other parasites such as larger protozoans and all multicellular parasites too big to be killed by aquarium-sized UV units. The expected benefits from a properly operating UV sterilizer would be a lowering of the free-floating bacterial and protozoan populations, as well as fairly good control (close to 100%) of these organisms when water flowing from one tank to another first passes through the UV sterilizer. Side-stream sterilization, where the irradiated water is returned to the same tank is was taken from is always less than 100% effective – too many of the target organisms are able to escape passing through the unit and are able to continue to reproduce.

Jay