Quarantine for Acros

[jda]

If you are going to QT corals against fish diseases, then dig in for the long haul. 70 days is no joke in a small tank. Keep your parameters solid and you will likely be testing every day. My guess is that you do not do it for long... it is just so hard that most people do not. One of the hardest things is that you cannot add corals for 70 days either. If you are going to qt inverts, then it is easy to feed hermits, but snails will require some film algae for best results.

I have a coral QT, but it is 110-120 gallons and it takes care of it's self for the most part. However, I only use this for coral pests and not fish pests, so I do not have to wait 70-80 days. Most of the time, it just exists with the lights off and nothing in it. I add ammonium to the top off water to keep the bio cycle going.

If you end up not making it, order some live rock from the ocean. These will come with microfauna and microbes and stuff that will eat fish pathogens in your tank. There is little chance of an ich tomont making it in my substrate whereas people who set up with bare bottom, dry/dead rock and the like just make an ideal breeding ground for fish parasites. This is not eradication, but I have not seen a white spot on my fish in many, many years and I do not quarantine them - just isolate until they are eating well and not skittish anymore. This is what people mean when they say that fish do better in a mature tanks.

 

[callen.haines]

If you are going to QT corals against fish diseases, then dig in for the long haul. 70 days is no joke in a small tank. Keep your parameters solid and you will likely be testing every day. My guess is that you do not do it for long... it is just so hard that most people do not. One of the hardest things is that you cannot add corals for 70 days either. If you are going to qt inverts, then it is easy to feed hermits, but snails will require some film algae for best results.

I have a coral QT, but it is 110-120 gallons and it takes care of it's self for the most part. However, I only use this for coral pests and not fish pests, so I do not have to wait 70-80 days. Most of the time, it just exists with the lights off and nothing in it. I add ammonium to the top off water to keep the bio cycle going.

If you end up not making it, order some live rock from the ocean. These will come with microfauna and microbes and stuff that will eat fish pathogens in your tank. There is little chance of an ich tomont making it in my substrate whereas people who set up with bare bottom, dry/dead rock and the like just make an ideal breeding ground for fish parasites. This is not eradication, but I have not seen a white spot on my fish in many, many years and I do not quarantine them - just isolate until they are eating well and not skittish anymore. This is what people mean when they say that fish do better in a mature tanks.

So you think its probably worth it for me to be Qt'ing inverts and definitely fish, but maybe cut the acro from the frag plug instead of Qt'ing them? cause most people definitely don't QT corals.

 

[jda]

I am not really trying to suggest anything to anybody as far as a paradigm... you need to figure out what works for you. I am just recommending that you have a realistic approach and understand that what you are talking about is not for the faint of heart, nor is it impossible. Getting down to pure coral and dipping might be perfectly fine for you, but only you can decide this.

I do not QT for fish diseases. This works for me. It certainly will not for everybody.

 

[Dlealrious]

I quarantine my acro and tank is simple. Heater and a wavemaker. Doser for 2 part though dont actually check water. Just small ammounts of 2 part. Kh been down 4's with no issue. Water changes are basically done with water i replace for dipping. Cut bases and glue onto new plug and for wild pieces cut anyrock off base. I dip 3 times or sometimes 4. A good light definatley does a long way.

 

[naterealbig]

Sounds amazing thank you for help, definitely going to get the all for reef stuff. got my quarantine tank filled with water last night so when my new tank is ready for corals hopefully that one will be mature enough

No problem at all. Ya the AFR stuff is awesome. If it wasn't so expensive I'd run it on my big tanks, as it has magnesium, and major and minor trace elements. I also feed the QT tank a mix of amino acids, Reef Chili, Reef Roids, and Selcon (all mixed together) 1 ml a few nights a week. Let me know if you have any more questions.

 

[callen.haines]

No problem at all. Ya the AFR stuff is awesome. If it wasn't so expensive I'd run it on my big tanks, as it has magnesium, and major and minor trace elements. I also feed the QT tank a mix of amino acids, Reef Chili, Reef Roids, and Selcon (all mixed together) 1 ml a few nights a week. Let me know if you have any more questions.

thank you tons for the info

 

[chrisletize]

If you are going to QT corals against fish diseases, then dig in for the long haul. 70 days is no joke in a small tank. Keep your parameters solid and you will likely be testing every day. My guess is that you do not do it for long... it is just so hard that most people do not. One of the hardest things is that you cannot add corals for 70 days either. If you are going to qt inverts, then it is easy to feed hermits, but snails will require some film algae for best results.

I have a coral QT, but it is 110-120 gallons and it takes care of it's self for the most part. However, I only use this for coral pests and not fish pests, so I do not have to wait 70-80 days. Most of the time, it just exists with the lights off and nothing in it. I add ammonium to the top off water to keep the bio cycle going.

If you end up not making it, order some live rock from the ocean. These will come with microfauna and microbes and stuff that will eat fish pathogens in your tank. There is little chance of an ich tomont making it in my substrate whereas people who set up with bare bottom, dry/dead rock and the like just make an ideal breeding ground for fish parasites. This is not eradication, but I have not seen a white spot on my fish in many, many years and I do not quarantine them - just isolate until they are eating well and not skittish anymore. This is what people mean when they say that fish do better in a mature tanks.

dude- jda, you just opened my mind. I'm very familiar with the concept of setting up a clean "sterile" systems, and the difficulty therein knowing nature hates a vacuum. A single specimen slipping through the gate proliferates and wrecks everything. That training came from growing mushrooms like lions mane and cordiceps. But the idea of specifically adding natural defenses from ocean rock, genius. Obviously there are other hitchhikers you have to watch for, but the mindset of using natural defenses is pretty amazing. I would love to get to experiment with that methodology someday