Fallow period for new reef tank

mikeg18

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 6, 2021
Messages
76
Reaction score
95
Location
Long Island
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
ok so I recently started a new 200 gallon reef tank with dry rock and about 1 inch of sand in September. After the cycle, I added to my tank fully quarantined/treated fish for 90 days: three pyramid butterflies, three Bimacs, and a blue assessor.

Everyone was thriving until I turn the lights on and added the cleanup crew. Within 3 weeks my first spot of ich showed up. The first single spot appeared and then disappeared after about a week, only to come back with a couple more 10-14 days later. As you probably guessed, this became exponentially worse.

This week I lost all three Bimacs and one butterfly so I pulled the two remaining and the assessor (which hasn’t skipped a beat btw) into a hospital tank for copper treatment.

I did about 150 gal water change and dropped the salinity to 1.009 and raised the temp from 77 to 81. All inverts are out of the tank too.

After reading some of these posts, it seems I should raise the salinity back to nsw. So what I gather in my situation is If I do this, the fallow period should be good at 45 days? Anything else I should be doing?
Thanks

576A78A1-A8D8-48EF-898D-DFBE82D12230.jpeg
 

Jay Hemdal

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 31, 2020
Messages
25,288
Reaction score
25,188
Location
Dundee, MI
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
ok so I recently started a new 200 gallon reef tank with dry rock and about 1 inch of sand in September. After the cycle, I added to my tank fully quarantined/treated fish for 90 days: three pyramid butterflies, three Bimacs, and a blue assessor.

Everyone was thriving until I turn the lights on and added the cleanup crew. Within 3 weeks my first spot of ich showed up. The first single spot appeared and then disappeared after about a week, only to come back with a couple more 10-14 days later. As you probably guessed, this became exponentially worse.

This week I lost all three Bimacs and one butterfly so I pulled the two remaining and the assessor (which hasn’t skipped a beat btw) into a hospital tank for copper treatment.

I did about 150 gal water change and dropped the salinity to 1.009 and raised the temp from 77 to 81. All inverts are out of the tank too.

After reading some of these posts, it seems I should raise the salinity back to nsw. So what I gather in my situation is If I do this, the fallow period should be good at 45 days? Anything else I should be doing?
Thanks

576A78A1-A8D8-48EF-898D-DFBE82D12230.jpeg
Fallow periods are not a well-defined science. The actual time it takes depends on so many variables - temperature, parasite load, structure in the reef, etc. The range of time is 45 to 75 days. Here is a thread that discusses the topic of shorter fallow periods:

Jay Hemdal
 
OP
OP
mikeg18

mikeg18

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 6, 2021
Messages
76
Reaction score
95
Location
Long Island
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Notwithstanding that this is not exact science, I am asking the group for a consensus on what they would do, given my tank’s parameters I provided above.

I have read through the other research papers that you provided (albeit not done recently) in the other threads and they seems to imply you were partial to the 45 days at 81F and nsw.

Thanks in advance for the advice.
 

threebuoys

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 24, 2020
Messages
2,172
Reaction score
4,743
Location
Avon, NC
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Notwithstanding that this is not exact science, I am asking the group for a consensus on what they would do, given my tank’s parameters I provided above.

I have read through the other research papers that you provided (albeit not done recently) in the other threads and they seems to imply you were partial to the 45 days at 81F and nsw.

Thanks in advance for the advice.
Do you have coral or invertebrates in the tank which you are trying to save?

If not, since the tank is so new, any you used dry trock, you could break it down completely, sterilize, and start over from scratch probably in less time if you are in a hurry.
 
OP
OP
mikeg18

mikeg18

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 6, 2021
Messages
76
Reaction score
95
Location
Long Island
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
It’s crossed my mind.

Would prefer to avoid that route and just have a more mature tank weather it be 45 or 90 days later. We all know it takes so much longer to get a mature/thriving reef from dry rock. I’m good with waiting.

goes to show you no matter how hard you try, sometimes it’s just a crap shoot. We quarantine our fish and corals but the clean up crew screwed me!
 

jmichaelh7

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
May 29, 2020
Messages
3,853
Reaction score
1,959
Location
Hanford ca
Rating - 0%
0   1   0
81 degrees 45 day fallow. If it drops once below 81 you start over. You can also do the regular temp at 76 days fallow.

I really think the easy thing in the future is to quarantine and avoid fallow. It can be a mess
 

KrisReef

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
May 15, 2018
Messages
11,541
Reaction score
27,322
Location
ADX Florence
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Hmmm. How come know one has showed up to advocate for the UV assault riffle?

OP-Forgot to mention, Sorry about your losses. Pyramid's have a special place in my own heart. Also agree the scape is fantastic. Rock solid thread thus far!
 
OP
OP
mikeg18

mikeg18

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 6, 2021
Messages
76
Reaction score
95
Location
Long Island
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Thanks I’ve been keeping reefs since 2001 when I watch the towers fall. Bought myself a BMW and a tank, said life was too short!

Went a little crazy with the build: Elos 160xl, gnc Blu-ray lights, RE sump, and GHL controller. Never had such an issue with fish disease before. Tried to do everything right that I could. Oh well. Just want to make it successful now
 

Attachments

  • 2B3B8D03-94A8-406F-AB2B-28B2C49A1606.jpeg
    2B3B8D03-94A8-406F-AB2B-28B2C49A1606.jpeg
    119.9 KB · Views: 35
  • 9A9CE365-2811-48FA-84EA-D227C6A9688E.jpeg
    9A9CE365-2811-48FA-84EA-D227C6A9688E.jpeg
    131.8 KB · Views: 32
  • CC358F2D-341A-48F6-BA45-31B0C8DAA126.jpeg
    CC358F2D-341A-48F6-BA45-31B0C8DAA126.jpeg
    210.7 KB · Views: 36

Lowell Lemon

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
May 23, 2015
Messages
3,926
Reaction score
16,517
Location
Washington State
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Love the tank. Sorry for your loss. Have you considered live rock to kick start the biodiversity in the tank?

I used to follow a recipe for success that was something like this. 1) add seeded live rock and test levels for ammonia and nitrite. 2)If levels were stable ramp up lighting and add all the inverts over the next month. 3) Add fish 3-6 months after inverts after system was more mature. I used U.V. if the customer was in a hurry for the "final" display population.
 
OP
OP
mikeg18

mikeg18

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 6, 2021
Messages
76
Reaction score
95
Location
Long Island
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I have considered a small portion of LR but was talked out of it. I think some of the Florida stuff looks good. Joe Cap at Unique corals has really nice stuff (and expensive!) too.

Think I’m committed to powering through with the tank as is. Just wanted the correct info on salinity, temp, and duration. Thanks for the reply
 

Tamberav

7500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 4, 2014
Messages
9,550
Reaction score
14,629
Location
Wauwatosa, WI
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
What kind of rock is that? Looks like some sort of man made to Tonga? I like it. Better then the fake purple Tonga rocks that look like a certain body part :p

I am a big fan of live rock otherwise. KPA stuff I really like.
 
OP
OP
mikeg18

mikeg18

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 6, 2021
Messages
76
Reaction score
95
Location
Long Island
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
It’s called Aquaroche. It’s imported from France. It really is nice stuff.

 

Lowell Lemon

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
May 23, 2015
Messages
3,926
Reaction score
16,517
Location
Washington State
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Still suggest establishing inverts and cuc first then 3 months later fish. Then you avoid repeat of your experience. Just a thought.
 

gbroadbridge

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 25, 2021
Messages
3,921
Reaction score
4,059
Location
Sydney, Australia
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
ok so I recently started a new 200 gallon reef tank with dry rock and about 1 inch of sand in September. After the cycle, I added to my tank fully quarantined/treated fish for 90 days: three pyramid butterflies, three Bimacs, and a blue assessor.

Everyone was thriving until I turn the lights on and added the cleanup crew. Within 3 weeks my first spot of ich showed up. The first single spot appeared and then disappeared after about a week, only to come back with a couple more 10-14 days later. As you probably guessed, this became exponentially worse.

This week I lost all three Bimacs and one butterfly so I pulled the two remaining and the assessor (which hasn’t skipped a beat btw) into a hospital tank for copper treatment.

I did about 150 gal water change and dropped the salinity to 1.009 and raised the temp from 77 to 81. All inverts are out of the tank too.

After reading some of these posts, it seems I should raise the salinity back to nsw. So what I gather in my situation is If I do this, the fallow period should be good at 45 days? Anything else I should be doing?
Thanks

576A78A1-A8D8-48EF-898D-DFBE82D12230.jpeg
This seems to be increasingly common with new tanks started with dry rock.

I had something similar happen to me.

I have a 40w pentair UV running at a slow flow rate on a 75g tank and it still bit me and killed a tang.

I don't whether the fish have very weak immune systems or if we're being too clean and using too much technology, but for now I'm just running my tank dirty deliberately and taking a page from Paul B's book and making my own natural food. Still doing water changes, but not cleaning the glass every day and fiddling all the time.

In a few months I'll try another tang and see what happens

Regards
Graham
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
mikeg18

mikeg18

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 6, 2021
Messages
76
Reaction score
95
Location
Long Island
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Still suggest establishing inverts and cuc first then 3 months later fish. Then you avoid repeat of your experience. Just a thought.
Thanks was thinking that too. So you’re suggesting nsw not hyposalinity. But what about inverts that we need to add as years pass? They don’t last very long usually bc we have so little food for them. Are people quarantining inverts too? Not sure had tot do that successfully.
 

Lowell Lemon

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
May 23, 2015
Messages
3,926
Reaction score
16,517
Location
Washington State
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Thanks was thinking that too. So you’re suggesting nsw not hyposalinity. But what about inverts that we need to add as years pass? They don’t last very long usually bc we have so little food for them. Are people quarantining inverts too? Not sure had tot do that successfully.
It seems that some are QT inverts later in the tank life. I guess that depends on your views and experience. Just my opinion but a mature reef seems much less prone to disease than a new one without a live rock start. Lasse here on the forum did a recent DNA test of his tank and no trace of disease or parasites. There are others who have not done prophylaxis with similar results. Just lucky or is biodiversity important to prevent parasites and disease? Sponges, corals, and other filter feeders may be part of the solution. Just conjecture on my part no proof.
 
Back
Top