Quarantine service? Would you pay?

[Palting]

As someone who does QT and treats all his incoming fish, I can tell you it is not that hard to do. Nor is it that expensive, as my example and the others have shown. I do hyposalinity, and maybe prazipro on occasion, but I do treat all my fish. You can argue to add $45 for a refractometer to the initial cost to set-up, but it's something you need anyway. And once you get started, cost is negligible and the learning curve is not steep. And I don't trust employees at storefronts to do things roperly. I'm sure we all have horror stories about LFS's.

I can understand things from your perspective, though, railcar, where you are home only for 2 days every 2 weeks, and there is no one willing to take the responsibility in your absence. In your case, I agree you'd probably have to look for an LFS or on-line vendor that guarantees a proper QT and treatment when needed, and guarantees a disease free fish, for an extra, say 10% of the cost of the fish. Don't know if you'll find any, though

 

[SeymourDuncan]

What is harder??
Quarantine procedures or long term reef keeping??

 

[Railcar79]

Depends on your corals. Light lps and some softies like my tank, qt is a lot more involved. If you keep SPS than reef is harder

 

[buddythelion]

As a part of the facility where I'm buying my corals from? Hell yeah.

As a 3rd party? Nope. You can't exactly expect to place a few hundred dollars worth of corals into the hands of someone else just to QT your pieces. You also need to realize that a QT facility would be placing your corals into an environment full of medication and pests. Have room for a chair in your house? Then you have room for a small 10 gallon tank for QT.

 

[SeymourDuncan]

Room for a chair!? I wish!

 

[SeymourDuncan]

Has anyone seen the salt?

 

[Squishie89]

Maybe the blue christmas tree has it

 

[fyrfytr]

I would not. Not quite the same, but it is kind of like having someone else train you dog for you then handing you the leash. During the QT process you can learn a lot about your fish and their individual characteristics. You also have the ability to watch them eat and in the case of some fish (lions) you can wean them from live fish to a prepared diet

 

[richfavinger]

Just to add for Railcar79 I spent about $230 to setup my 40B QT system... (3-weeks ago) :frusty:

 

[Squishie89]

I just thought of a possible thing that could happen. If your fish dies while in QT at a store and you don't check in on it they could just give you a new fish that has not been QTed and say it was. =/

 

[Palting]

Just to add for Railcar79 I spent about $230 to setup my 40B QT system... (3-weeks ago) :frusty:

OMG. What did you buy??

 

[SeymourDuncan]

^^^the marble stand

 

[richfavinger]

40B Tank $100
Penguin 400 $60
A few PVC fittings to hide out in and a sheet of egg crate for a top $20
Thermometer and Ammonia Alert $10
Copper Safe $20 (Large bottal)
Copper Test $10
IO Bio-Spira $20
--- Adds up when your at the mercy of LFS prices and in a hurry...

 

[SeymourDuncan]

Yeah, that's the truth! At least it will look nice. My qt tanks are never classy

 

[Railcar79]

I got a qt tank if I ever get the time to do it and teach my wife how to manage it. 20 long with stand, light, sponge filter. If I don't get the time, I may fill it with damsels for the kids.

 

[SeymourDuncan]

You could always Fill it with your kids for the wife? Quarantine them into obedience lol.

 

[Railcar79]

i would but that darn 1 inch per gallon limit. 12 years, 10 years, 8 years and 6 years, I would need at least 300 gals to hold them all.

 

[SeymourDuncan]

I heard you just had to make sure the fish was wet...size isn't the issue. Just spray the ones that stick up out of the water

 

[Railcar79]

Well if that is the case I am throwing a Naso in that 20 long. Always likes the way they looked.

 

[SeymourDuncan]

Lol...exactly.

I have thought of setting up an extra pc4 and sl1 on my reefkeeper to control a quarantine tank.
The sl1 does pH, temp, and has 2 switch ports for floats. The sl2 does salinity...I could automate hypo! Which if you had a net module and the right app...could all be controlled and monitored from anywhere, even work. So you could actually have your wife be the eyes and you could take care of the whole quarantine online. Now that would be a pricey qt...but cool nonetheless