QT

[tjhart69]

I just started the reefing hobby 6 months ago and I have loved reading the forums for information, however I sometimes have trouble discerning which method is most appropriate for my situation. I really appreciate any help that experienced reefers can offer.

I have set up a QT, it is 20g long with an established filter sponge from my DT sump. I have a heater and some PVC for hiding.
I have ordered 3 fish, a naso tang (2-2.5 inch), hippo tang (1.5-1.9 inch), and a foxface (2-2.5 inch).

My questions are:

1. I have prazipro, cupramine and copper safe. Which is best? Do they all accomplish the same thing? I am most concerned about ich in the tangs, as I read the forums it seems quite common.

2. Is 14 days appropriate for treatment and then transfer to DT? Or why would I choose the 30 day QT which I have also read about on the forums.

3. My fish will arrive in hyposalinity 1.018-1.019, should I match that in my QT tank and gradually increase salinity to my DT salinity? Or should I drip acclimate on arrival to my QT salinity? (QT and DT are same salinity currently at 1.025)

4. QT size, is the 20g long big enough for the above mentioned fish? Should I set up another QT tank and separate the fish?

If you have any other advice to offer, I would greatly appreciate it. I am trying to do this the right way the first time. I do currently have fish in my DT, but I have not yet QT'd prior to introducing to my DT.

 

[czoolander]

I just started the reefing hobby 6 months ago and I have loved reading the forums for information, however I sometimes have trouble discerning which method is most appropriate for my situation. I really appreciate any help that experienced reefers can offer.

I have set up a QT, it is 20g long with an established filter sponge from my DT sump. I have a heater and some PVC for hiding.
I have ordered 3 fish, a naso tang (2-2.5 inch), hippo tang (1.5-1.9 inch), and a foxface (2-2.5 inch).

My questions are:

1. I have prazipro, cupramine and copper safe. Which is best? Do they all accomplish the same thing? I am most concerned about ich in the tangs, as I read the forums it seems quite common.

2. Is 14 days appropriate for treatment and then transfer to DT? Or why would I choose the 30 day QT which I have also read about on the forums.

3. My fish will arrive in hyposalinity 1.018-1.019, should I match that in my QT tank and gradually increase salinity to my DT salinity? Or should I drip acclimate on arrival to my QT salinity? (QT and DT are same salinity currently at 1.025)

4. QT size, is the 20g long big enough for the above mentioned fish? Should I set up another QT tank and separate the fish?

If you have any other advice to offer, I would greatly appreciate it. I am trying to do this the right way the first time. I do currently have fish in my DT, but I have not yet QT'd prior to introducing to my DT.

I personally QT for 30 to 40 days . But i have had velvet before so i dont play around

14 days i know is not long enough for a velvet life cycle

Im not expert on QT but i believe you are safer with 30-40 days rather than 14

Good luck !

 

[ebushrow]

1. pazipro cupramine and copper safe are not the same. Copper for ich, Pazi for parasites such as flukes etc. you can take the wait and see approach or you can treat prophilacticly up to you here whatever you are most comfortable with.

2. 30 days is a much better time point for reasons of different ailments with different life cycles.

3. Drip aclimate them to your qt tank over an hour or so to not shock them. But you want to match what is in nature and hyposalinity can sometimes mask disease. You can also freshwater dip in some rodi water of the same temperature for 10 mins to dislodge flukes from the gills.

4. I see no reason to set up another tank to separate the fish, atleast not at this point

 

[Sharkbait19]

Both coppersafe and cupramine treat for ich and velvet. Coppersafe is less harsh and is typically recommended for that reason.
Prazipro will treat for flukes, and should also be treated.
Copper should be run for 30 days. Afterwards, prazi should be treated twice for 9 days each.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

We keep our current general quarantine protocol here:

Current Quarantine Protocol

2023 Quarantine Procedures Jay Hemdal David Scarborough Protozoans (Cryptocaryon/ich, Amyloodinium/velvet) and Metazoan trematodes/flukes are by far the most common parasites found on newly acquired fish. A carefully managed quarantine process can effectively eliminate these parasites before...

www.reef2reef.com

1. I have prazipro, cupramine and copper safe. Which is best? Do they all accomplish the same thing? I am most concerned about ich in the tangs, as I read the forums it seems quite common. I prefer coppersafe and Prazipro.

2. Is 14 days appropriate for treatment and then transfer to DT? Or why would I choose the 30 day QT which I have also read about on the forums. 30 days copper, followed by prazipro is best.

3. My fish will arrive in hyposalinity 1.018-1.019, should I match that in my QT tank and gradually increase salinity to my DT salinity? Or should I drip acclimate on arrival to my QT salinity? (QT and DT are same salinity currently at 1.025) Drip acclimating up from that low is difficult and shouldn't be done. Better to match the salinity of the QT to that the fish arrive in.

4. QT size, is the 20g long big enough for the above mentioned fish? Should I set up another QT tank and separate the fish? That size is ok, as long as you have a good biofilter to mediate ammonia issues.

Jay

 

[tjhart69]

We keep our current general quarantine protocol here:

Current Quarantine Protocol

2023 Quarantine Procedures Jay Hemdal David Scarborough Protozoans (Cryptocaryon/ich, Amyloodinium/velvet) and Metazoan trematodes/flukes are by far the most common parasites found on newly acquired fish. A carefully managed quarantine process can effectively eliminate these parasites before...

www.reef2reef.com

1. I have prazipro, cupramine and copper safe. Which is best? Do they all accomplish the same thing? I am most concerned about ich in the tangs, as I read the forums it seems quite common. I prefer coppersafe and Prazipro.

2. Is 14 days appropriate for treatment and then transfer to DT? Or why would I choose the 30 day QT which I have also read about on the forums. 30 days copper, followed by prazipro is best.

3. My fish will arrive in hyposalinity 1.018-1.019, should I match that in my QT tank and gradually increase salinity to my DT salinity? Or should I drip acclimate on arrival to my QT salinity? (QT and DT are same salinity currently at 1.025) Drip acclimating up from that low is difficult and shouldn't be done. Better to match the salinity of the QT to that the fish arrive in.

4. QT size, is the 20g long big enough for the above mentioned fish? Should I set up another QT tank and separate the fish? That size is ok, as long as you have a good biofilter to mediate ammonia issues.

Jay

Thank you! I have will use the current quarantine protocol that you linked to. Is there a rule on number/size of fish to quarantine together?

 

[Sharkbait19]

Number of fish per tank really depends on how much maintenance you want to do (more fish = more waste) and the specific fish. Some will be pretty aggressive and shouldn’t be kept with the more peaceful ones in the small qt. Try to go for smaller individuals just so they are more comfortable for their time in qt - a 3 inch tang in a 20 is a lot better than a 5-6 inch one.