So what the difference between a short and long QT process

[MizzouMark]

@Jay Hemdal I changed the QT process I use to substitute the PraziPro step with hyposalinity. I was concerned about the Prazi-eating bacteria reducing the effectiveness on flukes. I also found that having to restart the QT tanks to remove that bacteria to be a hassle. I now use four weeks of Copper Power followed by 35 days of 16 PPT hyposalinity (plus two days reducing and five days raising the salinity). This has worked well on anthias, tangs, wrasses and a Copperband butterfly. Is this an acceptable protocol or should I adjust something?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

@Jay Hemdal I changed the QT process I use to substitute the PraziPro step with hyposalinity. I was concerned about the Prazi-eating bacteria reducing the effectiveness on flukes. I also found that having to restart the QT tanks to remove that bacteria to be a hassle. I now use four weeks of Copper Power followed by 35 days of 16 PPT hyposalinity (plus two days reducing and five days raising the salinity). This has worked well on anthias, tangs, wrasses and a Copperband butterfly. Is this an acceptable protocol or should I adjust something?

Funny you should ask. I just revised our quarantine protocol for 2026 - I added two new options. One is similar to yours, but only two weeks of copper (for velvet) and then full hypo at 1.009 for 30 days to control ich, flukes and turbellarians. The other option I introduced was to combine copper and powdered prazi (not Prazipro) at the same time.

So - yes, your modification will work just fine. It actually works better against Neobenedenia and turbellarians than the original process does.

Here is a link to the revised protocols:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/current-quarantine-protocol.825055/

 

[MizzouMark]

I considered running full hypo but had a bad experience with that in 2012 when the salinity dropped below 1.009 due to my refractometer not being calibrated accurately. I lost several fish that I had in QT. I was researching alternatives to Prazipro for managing flukes and read your Hyposalinity article referencing QT at 16 PPT. I bought a Milwaukee Instruments MA887 Digital Seawater Refractometer to supplement my optical refractometer and tried the 16PPT hypo on my last batch of fish. Worked great and I don't have to restart my QT tanks. Thanks!

 

[427HISS]

Going on vacation during a quarantine run always has some potential for issues that can crop up with nobody available to react to them properly. However, our quarantine process has a lot of time built in where there really isn't anything proactive that needs to be done once the copper dose is hit, but before the set praziquantel doses begin. A few days shouldn't matter - I leave tanks alone for 3 to 5 days with no real issues.

Hey Jay, what is meant by, "our quarantine process" ?

 

[Mebbid]

Have you thought about the tank transfer method?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hey Jay, what is meant by, "our quarantine process" ?

It's the quarantine process I developed with the help of the Fish Medics here. I just posted a revised version yesterday:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/current-quarantine-protocol.825055/

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I considered running full hypo but had a bad experience with that in 2012 when the salinity dropped below 1.009 due to my refractometer not being calibrated accurately. I lost several fish that I had in QT. I was researching alternatives to Prazipro for managing flukes and read your Hyposalinity article referencing QT at 16 PPT. I bought a Milwaukee Instruments MA887 Digital Seawater Refractometer to supplement my optical refractometer and tried the 16PPT hypo on my last batch of fish. Worked great and I don't have to restart my QT tanks. Thanks!

The trouble is that if you do not reach a specific gravity of 1.009, (12 ppt) then ich (Cryptocaryon) won't be controlled. The 16 ppt value is for treating flukes and turbellarians only. As you discovered though, the 1.009 SG is tricky as most fish will not tolerate one bit lower than that, and ich can survive at 1.010 or 1.011