First time quarantiner -Copperband

[HockeyRooster]

I have long wanted to add a copperband to my tank. Love the look of this fish and am hoping it will eat some aptasia.
I have never done a quarantine tank before but I have enough extra gear to put one together so I thought I better set it up for a copperband!
Tip: clean and set up your QT BEFORE you buy a fish.
I put live rock in because this will be unmedicated and there are pods, aptasia and a few zoas on the rock (I don’t want it to eat the zoas but I’d rather that than the fish die). I check it a few times daily and it’s been eating.

I would like to get help on one item-lighting. I don’t have a light directly on the tank but my phyto light is right beside it. The concern with the phyto light is that it is on for 16 hours a day. Is that too much light? I block the light so the tank doesn’t get any direct light for a few hours in the morning and evening (removing the cardboard I’m using to block the light for the middle part of the day). Does the tank need to be dark for more than 8 hours each day or is what I’m doing ok?

 

[ReefHog]

I would think it would be fine blocking the direct light for the few hours. I’d also work on getting him to eat frozen foods like clam slices and mysis or LRS.

 

[HockeyRooster]

I would think it would be fine blocking the direct light for the few hours. I’d also work on getting him to eat frozen foods like clam slices and mysis or LRS.

Thanks for the answer on the light.

he’s been in there in there since Saturday and ate a bit of brine shrimp that night. He ate a bit of Mysis and blood worm yesterday so things are going good. I bought some of those half shell clams when I got him and will put one in the tank tonight.

 

[ReefHog]

Bloodworms and brine are good to get him going. But he’ll need the mysis and clam to stay healthy. I’d also feed him two or three times a day. CBBs swim non stop and are skinny fish so they need food frequently. Remove what he doesn’t eat. Looks like a bare bottom tank so should be too much of a problem.

 

[pseudorand]

I would think it would be fine blocking the direct light for the few hours. I’d also work on getting him to eat frozen foods like clam slices and mysis or LRS.

You don't need light all the time, but get some good light in there at least every few days to take a look at him and check for ich and such -- that's the whole point of quarantine.

I lost a bunch of fish in QT for unknown reasons, but my foxface survived. So I put in DT one evening. The next morning with the bright DT lights on, I could clearly see he had ich. Now I'm pretty sure that's what killed my other fish in QT. I had dim light in QT and didn't bother cleaning the glass, so I never got a good enough look to see the ich.

Fortunately the fox face was in an acclamation box so I popped him back in QT and medicated. Some of my other fish in DT got ich but surprisingly all survived. Two months later the fox face is now going in DT a second time. He'll be free of the acclimation box tomorrow, and I've seen noick even under the bright DT lights. But I still lost over $100 of fish in QT because I didn't bother to light it properly

 

[Spieg]

As general rule, I don't put a light on QT tanks, but since you have some coral in there, you'll need some light.
Question for you - What are you going to do if during observation in QT, you discover the fish has some parasite that requires copper treatment, start an additional QT for medication?

 

[outerbank]

Small pieces of bay scallops always work for me. Cut the scallop into small chunks the size of a small to medium pellet and place 2-4 in the tank. They may sink to the bottom, but no worries as the best way to teach them to eat is usually getting them to eat a piece of scallop slowly skating across the bottom of the tank. Siphon off any uneaten food after about 30 minutes (I just use airline tubing to siphon off the small scallop pieces). About every hour add 2-4 new small chunks. The fish should eventually start eating the pieces out of the water column too. When fish is eating good, introduce different foods. Never place too much food in the tank. The less the better until eating aggressively. For some reason fish easily become timid if a bunch of uneaten food is floating around the tank. This has always worked for me. I have successfully used this method for 2 moorish idols, 1 copperband, 1 regal angel, and 1 potters angel. I have always done this in quarantine with the fish there by itself. It never has failed me and I have never lost a fish with this process.

 

[ReefRusty]

If you dont want a QT tank setup all the time, I'm guessing when you set it up each time you need to put it through the cycle process first. Or is there another way. Wife is a but unhappy about 2 tanks running.

 

[HockeyRooster]

Bloodworms and brine are good to get him going. But he’ll need the mysis and clam to stay healthy. I’d also feed him two or three times a day. CBBs swim non stop and are skinny fish so they need food frequently. Remove what he doesn’t eat. Looks like a bare bottom tank so should be too much of a problem.

Thanks for the tip to feed a few times a day. Will do since I’m at home.

As general rule, I don't put a light on QT tanks, but since you have some coral in there, you'll need some light.
Question for you - What are you going to do if during observation in QT, you discover the fish has some parasite that requires copper treatment, start an additional QT for medication?

If I need to medicate, I have bigger problems. I’m in Canada and it seems a lot of meds are not available here now. So I’m just hoping I don’t find any issues. If I need to medicate, I will just pull the rock out though.

If you dont want a QT tank setup all the time, I'm guessing when you set it up each time you need to put it through the cycle process first. Or is there another way. Wife is a but unhappy about 2 tanks running.

I just used water from my DT to set this up so no cycle.

 

[HockeyRooster]

Thanks for all the replies and help!