Quarantine Success!! Yes, you read that right.

[ihavecrabs]

Scanning the Fish Disease QT page, we find ourselves scanning a lot of "QT Failed" threads. Tonight, I discovered an unwanted pest in my quarantine tank this evening (Not fish... I know.. probably the wrong section but since we cover coral QT here ;) ) however, I wanted to spread the good news..

I successfully quarantined red planaria flatworms from my display tank. Unbeknown to me, a flatworm either

a) Made it through a bayer dip (skim milk for 10-15 min)
b) An egg made it through and hatched while in quarantine

It is more likely the second; however, instead of treating 200 gallons of water in my display tank, I'm treating 30 gallons of water in a quarantine tank.

Good news today folks!

Mods, feel free to move if needed!

 

[melypr1985]

Excellent news and a bright, shiny spot in an otherwise (unfortunately) dark area of the forums.

 

[Jeff Hall]

Just put a melanarus or coris wrasse in your QT.

 

[Humblefish]

Thanks for sharing some good news! :)

 

[Jeff Hall]

Since when is quarantine a dark part of the hobby? I'm confused.

 

[melypr1985]

Since when is quarantine a dark part of the hobby? I'm confused.

He mentioned that so many threads are posted with failures or deaths.... which are a rather dark side. In contrast, he's posting a success which is a bright side. I never said that QT is a dark part of the hobby... only the failures and deaths.

 

[ihavecrabs]

Just put a melanarus or coris wrasse in your QT.

The main purpose of this QT is to stop fish diseases, Mainly ich and velvet, from entering the DT on coral or inverts. Adding a fish wouldn't work in this case as it would allow their lifecycle to continue.

Stopping coral pests is an added benefit of utilizing this time well for multiple dips and inspections [emoji4]

 

[Jeff Hall]

Sorry to anger everybody! I thought we were talking about a coral QT since you said that you dipped it in bayer. I don't think corals are a reccomended addition to a QT tank...I just attribute a lot of the success of keeping pests out of my tanks with dipping and having the right fish. Knock on wood never had an aiptasia, nudibrank, spider, or flatworm.

 

[melypr1985]

Sorry to anger everybody! I thought we were talking about a coral QT since you said that you dipped it in bayer. I don't think corals are a reccomended addition to a QT tank...I just attribute a lot of the success of keeping pests out of my tanks with dipping and having the right fish. Knock on wood never had an aiptasia, nudibrank, spider, or flatworm.

Nobody is angry at all. We are merely responding to your post explaining what's going on. You are correct... this is a coral QT that is being discussed. Most of us use a coral QT to keep the corals and inverts from bringing ich, velvet, ect into the display. The corals are kept in the QT for 76 days to allow any parasites riding in on them to starve to death before the coral is placed in the display. An added benefit of this QT is that coral pests are often found and addressed before the coral goes into the display. It's a good thing all around :)

 

[Jeff Hall]

Oh okay. I don't think that corals themselves can be a host for ich of velvet, correct me if I'm wrong. Maybe the rocks or frag plugs they come on but not the corals themselves.

 

[Maritimer]

They can ... as could any piece of rock.

Ich and velvet have a life-stage that attaches to some hard substrate and encysts, meanwhile breeding hundreds of little clones inside. That "tomont" can enter a tank attached to a coral, snail, shrimp, crab ... most inverts with shells. Keeping those animals in a fish-free environment for up to 76 days before moving them to your display will eliminate inverts as a vector for disease.

~Bruce

 

[ihavecrabs]

Oh okay. I don't think that corals themselves can be a host for ich of velvet, correct me if I'm wrong. Maybe the rocks or frag plugs they come on but not the corals themselves.

You may only be thinking of the cyst stage and I would agree that plugs and rocks would be the most concern. However, anything wet can transport ich, velvet, etc. Better to let it run its course away from the fish.

Think snail shells, hermit crab shells, shrimp/crab/lobster shell before it molts, water within anemones or sea hares, etc.

 

[Jeff Hall]

They can ... as could any piece of rock.

Ich and velvet have a life-stage that attaches to some hard substrate and encysts, meanwhile breeding hundreds of little clones inside. That "tomont" can enter a tank attached to a coral, snail, shrimp, crab ... most inverts with shells. Keeping those animals in a fish-free environment for up to 76 days before moving them to your display will eliminate inverts as a vector for disease.

~Bruce

They can attach them to the coral itself?

 

[ihavecrabs]

They can attach them to the coral itself?

Any droplet of water [emoji4]

 

[melypr1985]

They can attach them to the coral itself?

Not the flesh, but the skeleton, rock, and plugs. Also the water inside the coral/invert (or even the water ON a coral/invert) could hold the free swimming stage of any fish parasite.