Fallow tank

[sam51]

• Today at 10:46 AM

• 
  
• #1

Hi guys , I have an outbreak of ich, so all fish in QT,
The display tank has now 1 anemone, 2 scrimps,
The tank temp is 28 degrees,
So how long should this fallow time be,
In the meantime can I start to put any corals in,
Or do they harbor parasites.
Many thanks sam

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

• Today at 10:46 AM
• 
  
• #1

Hi guys , I have an outbreak of ich, so all fish in QT,
The display tank has now 1 anemone, 2 scrimps,
The tank temp is 28 degrees,
So how long should this fallow time be,
In the meantime can I start to put any corals in,
Or do they harbor parasites.
Many thanks sam

If the tank is kept at 28 C consistently, then you just keep it there with no fish for 45 days and you can add the fish back on day 46.

Parasites can come in on anything "wet," including corals, live rock, inverts, macroalgae, etc. - so to be safe, the fallow countdown would have to reset with any new additions.

That said, the chances of things other than fish bringing in disease are really, really small, but not zero (IIRC, I've seen 4 or 5 instances where it happened - see below for some examples). To be safe, you can QT any new "wet" additions for 45 days at 27.3C (81F), or you can go longer (with or without lower temps) to be safe - 60-76 days is generally recommended as the safest. The good news is that this gives you time to observe anything you're putting into your system for unwanted hitchhikers like invasive algae, "Aiptasia," predatory worms/flatworms, coral-eating nudibranchs, etc.

Coral frags:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/ich-or-velvet-from-a-coral-frag.1022892/https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/worth-it-to-qt-inverts.987228/#post-11524692Urchin:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/adding-corals-and-inverts-during-fallow-period.1057097/Snails:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/keeping-cuc-alive-in-quarantine.977868/