Current Quarantine Protocol

[kmwcane]

Some public aquariums also do that second copper treatment as extra insurance. I normally don’t, but there is no harm in doing it. They often just do 72 hours, so five days is fine.

Jay - thank you so much. I appreciate you taking the time to respond.

 

[huthain]

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.

***********************************************

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/

Hey Jay thanks a million for this, ive watched countless videos and read articles but was always intimidated by the idea of a quarantine tank until I read yours! Very concise leaves almost no room for doubt.

However one question comes to mind, is this applicable to any new fish that you get too? Would u just used the full course treatment regardless if they show symptoms or not? Or do you observe new fish and if they don't show symptoms you would transfer them after an observation period without any of the copper or prozi medication.

Thanks a bunch again!

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Hey Jay thanks a million for this, ive watched countless videos and read articles but was always intimidated by the idea of a quarantine tank until I read yours! Very concise leaves almost no room for doubt.

However one question comes to mind, is this applicable to any new fish that you get too? Would u just used the full course treatment regardless if they show symptoms or not? Or do you observe new fish and if they don't show symptoms you would transfer them after an observation period without any of the copper or prozi medication.

Thanks a bunch again!

I use this protocol on any new fish that come through a pet store or from most shipping sources. The only time I might relax things a bit are captive raised fish direct from the breeder or fish that have been given a comprehensive quarantine like from Dr. Reef.

The problem with “observational quarantine” is the minimum time that takes is 40 or more days, and then it allows flukes to get through, and even ich sometimes.

 

[huthain]

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.

***********************************************

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/

Hi Jay sorry this may sound like a dumb question, but based on my calculation day 56 is the end of the 3rd and final dose of prazi, why does it then follow to say day 64 end of QT? You've mentioned 2 weeks of monitoring wouldnt that be 70 and not 64?

Also im planning on doing this with my foxface, diamond goby and eightline flasher wrasse. I know i have to ease into the cooper for a week to get it to therapeutic dose but what about the prazi? Do I ease into that as well and how long for? I assume if I do ease into that then only when I reach the full dose do I start counting it as day one correct?
Sorry if im asking alot I wanna make sure I do the best I can for the fish

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Hi Jay sorry this may sound like a dumb question, but based on my calculation day 56 is the end of the 3rd and final dose of prazi, why does it then follow to say day 64 end of QT? You've mentioned 2 weeks of monitoring wouldnt that be 70 and not 64?

Also im planning on doing this with my foxface, diamond goby and eightline flasher wrasse. I know i have to ease into the cooper for a week to get it to therapeutic dose but what about the prazi? Do I ease into that as well and how long for? I assume if I do ease into that then only when I reach the full dose do I start counting it as day one correct?
Sorry if im asking alot I wanna make sure I do the best I can for the fish

We’re trying to shorten up the time frame without ruining the efficacy. I think the first week of observation overlaps the last week of the 3rd prazi dose. Sometimes, people just do two prazi doses. There could also be an addition error……

No - you do NOT want to “ease into” the copper dose. You don’t need to do that with amine-chelated copper (coppersafe and copper power). That’s old advice fro using more toxic ionic copper. You want to get an accurate dose in 24 hours. Delaying that can allow diseases to get a head start.

The only thing about prazi is to use good aeration and dose it to the actual water volume of the tank. If you don’t know that, just estimate it at 85% of the tank’s rated volume.

 

[kboogie]

@huthain I wanted to let you know I've been using Option 3 - Overlapping Copper and Prazi with great success. This keeps the 99% effectiveness of the longer process in half the time (34 days instead of 70 days), when you combine that with Jay's treatment by species-specific treatments, you have a hard-to-beat process.

 

[huthain]

@huthain I wanted to let you know I've been using Option 3 - Overlapping Copper and Prazi with great success. This keeps the 99% effectiveness of the longer process in half the time (34 days instead of 70 days), when you combine that with Jay's treatment by species-specific treatments, you have a hard-to-beat process.

It does sound a lot more convenient my only issue is i cant seem to get my hands on powdered prazi, the only thing I can get is prazipro which is liquid, which he clearly states not to use fir the 3rd method

 

[kboogie]

It does sound a lot more convenient my only issue is i cant seem to get my hands on powdered prazi, the only thing I can get is prazipro which is liquid, which he clearly states not to use fir the 3rd method

I use this Prazi powder.

https://a.co/d/051YorWR

I’m not sure if it is available in your location.


If you don’t have access to Prazi powder I wonder if a fresh water dip would be a decent alternative.

I’m curious what Jay and Medics think about using fresh water dips as a substitute when Prazi is not available.

 

[huthain]

I use this Prazi powder.

https://a.co/d/051YorWR

I’m not sure if it is available in your location.


If you don’t have access to Prazi powder I wonder if a fresh water dip would be a decent alternative.

I’m curious what Jay and Medics think about using fresh water dips as a substitute when Prazi is not available.

I can have this shipped by amazon, what dosage do you use?

 

[kboogie]

I use this Prazi powder.

https://a.co/d/051YorWR

I’m not sure if it is available in your location.


If you don’t have access to Prazi powder I wonder if a fresh water dip would be a decent alternative.

I’m curious what Jay and Medics think about using fresh water dips as a substitute when Prazi is not available.

I can have this shipped by amazon, what dosage do you use?

2.2mg/L

You will need a milligram scale to measure out the powder.

I use this one but you can use any milligram scale.

https://a.co/d/05vComOh

When dosing the powder to the quarantine tank you will want to express the powder through a fine stocking or coffee filter into a high flow area. This allows the particles to disperse and not clump together. That is an important step. I use a reef diaper which is a disposable filter sock made from a coffee filter like material. I make a pouch and shake the pouch in the very top of the water ensuring the powder only enters through the filter. Then at the end, when I see very little powder coming out the filter, I rub the pouch between my fingers to express the last bits which tend to clump up in the pouch.

 

[huthain]

I use this Prazi powder.

https://a.co/d/051YorWR

I’m not sure if it is available in your location.


If you don’t have access to Prazi powder I wonder if a fresh water dip would be a decent alternative.

I’m curious what Jay and Medics think about using fresh water dips as a substitute when Prazi is not available.

I can have this shipped by amazon, what dosage do you use?

2.2mg/L

You will need a milligram scale to measure out the powder.

I use this one but you can use any milligram scale.

https://a.co/d/05vComOh

When dosing the powder to the quarantine tank you will want to express the powder through a fine stocking or coffee filter into a high flow area. This allows the particles to disperse and not clump together. That is an important step. I use a reef diaper which is a disposable filter sock made from a coffee filter like material. I make a pouch and shake the pouch in the very top of the water ensuring the powder only enters through the filter. Then at the end, when I see very little powder coming out the filter, I rub the pouch between my fingers to express the last bits which tend to clump up in the pouch.

You are an absolute Legend will look at ordering this too.

My first quarantine process will be for my existing fish so i also wsnt to run fallow for 76 days, which means the seperate treatment option fits the timeline just fine. But ill get these for any new fish after the fallow period.

Thank you appreciate you

 

[Jay Hemdal]

You are an absolute Legend will look at ordering this too.

My first quarantine process will be for my existing fish so i also wsnt to run fallow for 76 days, which means the seperate treatment option fits the timeline just fine. But ill get these for any new fish after the fallow period.

Thank you appreciate you

While 76 days fallow will obviously work, 60 days is fine if you are in a time crunch. Here is a post I made about that:

45 Day Fallow periods

I've been doing some research into the "76 day fallow period". I never heard of that prior to coming to Reef2Reef this past summer. I had always used 32 days as the maximum time for a tomont to remain viable under tropical conditions, and then I would round up to 45 days to help ensure that...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[huthain]

You are an absolute Legend will look at ordering this too.

My first quarantine process will be for my existing fish so i also wsnt to run fallow for 76 days, which means the seperate treatment option fits the timeline just fine. But ill get these for any new fish after the fallow period.

Thank you appreciate you

While 76 days fallow will obviously work, 60 days is fine if you are in a time crunch. Here is a post I made about that:

45 Day Fallow periods

I've been doing some research into the "76 day fallow period". I never heard of that prior to coming to Reef2Reef this past summer. I had always used 32 days as the maximum time for a tomont to remain viable under tropical conditions, and then I would round up to 45 days to help ensure that...

www.reef2reef.com

Ive gone through the first 3 pages, interesting read, but everywhere there that i read youve mentioned 45 days and not 60. Did that timeline change?

My biggest concern with the fallow period is outbreak of algae without fish controlling it and nutrients bottoming out for my corals.

Jay do you recommend prazipro(liquid) in conjunction with copper for the 3rd option of quarantine or should i stick to the powder form?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Ive gone through the first 3 pages, interesting read, but everywhere there that i read youve mentioned 45 days and not 60. Did that timeline change?

My biggest concern with the fallow period is outbreak of algae without fish controlling it and nutrients bottoming out for my corals.

Jay do you recommend prazipro(liquid) in conjunction with copper for the 3rd option of quarantine or should i stick to the powder form?

45 days is the absolute minimum for temperatures above 82 f. Use 60 days for temps below that, or for an extra buffer for safety.

I’ve heard more negative reactions with prazipro over powdered prazi (which is what I use). My fear is that combining that with copper, will just increase the chance of problems.

 

[huthain]

45 days is the absolute minimum for temperatures above 82 f. Use 60 days for temps below that, or for an extra buffer for safety.

I’ve heard more negative reactions with prazipro over powdered prazi (which is what I use). My fear is that combining that with copper, will just increase the chance of problems.

Ok this is clear, do you use the 3rd method often? While sounds very tempting im also worried about harming the fish or increasing mortality rate.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Ok this is clear, do you use the 3rd method often? While sounds very tempting im also worried about harming the fish or increasing mortality rate.

No - I have an even longer process that I use. When I was a public aquarium curator, we had over 100,000 gallons of tropical saltwater exhibits on one system. I couldn’t risk an epizootic, so our process was very extended - basically, any fish loss in the system held up their release from quarantine until the histopathology results came back.

The third process is a bit riskier, but still much better than those “quick” quarantine methods out there……

 

[huthain]

No - I have an even longer process that I use. When I was a public aquarium curator, we had over 100,000 gallons of tropical saltwater exhibits on one system. I couldn’t risk an epizootic, so our process was very extended - basically, any fish loss in the system held up their release from quarantine until the histopathology results came back.

The third process is a bit riskier, but still much better than those “quick” quarantine methods out there……

So for the average hobbyist, would you say stick to the first option as being the best and least riskiest?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

So for the average hobbyist, would you say stick to the first option as being the best and least riskiest?

If the time frame is acceptable, yes I would go with that.

 

[huthain]

If the time frame is acceptable, yes I would go with that.

Excellent, thank you Jay. One thing I love im this hobby more than the hobby itself is how amazing and helpful the community is.

Really appreciate you!

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Excellent, thank you Jay. One thing I love im this hobby more than the hobby itself is how amazing and helpful the community is.

Really appreciate you!

Let us know if you having any questions as you go through the process!