Trying to start a parasite free reef. Advice needed!

[mattnano]

Hey all, I like many of us have dealt with ick in the past and I was thinking about trying to start an ick free reef this go around. The problem is I’m starting with dry rock and would really like to get some real ocean micro biome to help with the uglies. I was thinking either ocean direct sand or Tampa bay live sand. I was considering ordering all my fish from Dr. Reef quarantined.

Here are my options as I see it. I am open to any other options.

1. Most likely to have zero parasites- set up my tank now with Tampa bay live sand (lots of live critters) sand and wait 76 days fallow. Then add my quarantined fish. Only problem with this is it puts my shipping time in January which isn’t the best time to ship fish.

2. Use Carib sea “ocean direct” sand and Dr Tim’s to cycle my tank now. Add quarantined fish when tank is cycled. (Hoping the ocean direct sand has been fish free for 76 days)

3. Use Tampa bay live sand and dr Tim’s. Add non QT fish (way less $) and have my own QT ready to go incase of outbreak. I could also not add any clean up crew and be ready to go hypo if I do get an outbreak. I’ve had great luck with hypo in the past and it would allow me to keep the fish in the display tank thus reducing stess on them.

Open to any other ideas!

Thanks!

 

[blaxsun]

4. Get a UV sterilizer.

 

[tzabor10]

What I have done is to medicine free quarantine all fish. They sit for 3 weeks in a 40 breeder and there they are in a small group (3-5 fish). They get used to me, the food, the salt, my maintenance routine. This reduces stress. IMO all fish have disease but only show it when they are stressed. Get them eating and feeling safe and their immune systems will fight all of that. Fat fish are happy. Good luck

 

[legalizedreefer]

option 5: don’t try to set up a 100% parasite free reef tank

It’s borderline impossible and will surely lead to frustration.

You are better served to spend the time and energy off the bat preparing for how to best reduce the symptoms.

- lots of hiding spaces
- buy fish that play nice with each other
- feed a good quality food, and lots of it
- UV is a great tool

I’m Canadian, so fish medication is not an option for me. I’ve had new fish show ich before and it has always gone away on its own. Every fish in my tank is so healthy that they don’t even break out from it if a new fish comes in with it. I can’t imagine I’d have many of them left if I immediately yanked them out of the tank at the first sign of ich and moved them, yet again, to a new environment with sad little PVC couplings to hide in. Just my $0.02

 

[Dburr1014]

Hey all, I like many of us have dealt with ick in the past and I was thinking about trying to start an ick free reef this go around. The problem is I’m starting with dry rock and would really like to get some real ocean micro biome to help with the uglies. I was thinking either ocean direct sand or Tampa bay live sand. I was considering ordering all my fish from Dr. Reef quarantined.

Here are my options as I see it. I am open to any other options.

1. Most likely to have zero parasites- set up my tank now with Tampa bay live sand (lots of live critters) sand and wait 76 days fallow. Then add my quarantined fish. Only problem with this is it puts my shipping time in January which isn’t the best time to ship fish.

2. Use Carib sea “ocean direct” sand and Dr Tim’s to cycle my tank now. Add quarantined fish when tank is cycled. (Hoping the ocean direct sand has been fish free for 76 days)

3. Use Tampa bay live sand and dr Tim’s. Add non QT fish (way less $) and have my own QT ready to go incase of outbreak. I could also not add any clean up crew and be ready to go hypo if I do get an outbreak. I’ve had great luck with hypo in the past and it would allow me to keep the fish in the display tank thus reducing stess on them.

Open to any other ideas!

Thanks!

Get and use your own quarantine tank.

 

[tzabor10]

option 5: don’t try to set up a 100% parasite free reef tank

It’s borderline impossible and will surely lead to frustration.

You are better served to spend the time and energy off the bat preparing for how to best reduce the symptoms.

- lots of hiding spaces
- buy fish that play nice with each other
- feed a good quality food, and lots of it
- UV is a great tool

I’m Canadian, so fish medication is not an option for me. I’ve had new fish show ich before and it has always gone away on its own. Every fish in my tank is so healthy that they don’t even break out from it if a new fish comes in with it. I can’t imagine I’d have many of them left if I immediately yanked them out of the tank at the first sign of ich and moved them, yet again, to a new environment with sad little PVC couplings to hide in. Just my $0.02

Is that $.02 Canadian or USD?

Seriously, I do all that too. Great suggestions

 

[legalizedreefer]

Is that $.02 Canadian or USD?

Seriously, I do all that too. Great suggestions

Sorry I should have clarified. It’s my $0.027CAD

 

[ReefGeezer]

The problem is I’m starting with dry rock and would really like to get some real ocean micro biome to help with the uglies.

That is a problem. As long as there is bare substrate exposed to light you will get the uglies no matter how much "live sand or rock you add. If you could possibly afford it, ditch the dry rock and start with real ocean live rock. Otherwise be prepared to battle the uglies for a year or two regardless.

I was considering ordering all my fish from Dr. Reef quarantine

Great place. I use Dr. Reef for quarantined fish. BUT... Their value is weeding out weak specimens or those that won't acclimate to captivity rather than absolutely guaranteeing disease free fish. If you put their fish in poor conditions, the stress will allow any latent disease, parasites, or etc. might show up.

1. Most likely to have zero parasites- set up my tank now with Tampa bay live sand (lots of live critters) sand and wait 76 days fallow. Then add my quarantined fish. Only problem with this is it puts my shipping time in January which isn’t the best time to ship fish.

2. Use Carib sea “ocean direct” sand and Dr Tim’s to cycle my tank now. Add quarantined fish when tank is cycled. (Hoping the ocean direct sand has been fish free for 76 days)

3. Use Tampa bay live sand and dr Tim’s. Add non QT fish (way less $) and have my own QT ready to go incase of outbreak. I could also not add any clean up crew and be ready to go hypo if I do get an outbreak. I’ve had great luck with hypo in the past and it would allow me to keep the fish in the display tank thus reducing stess on them.

4. Check the articles linked in my signature. Start the tank with Tampa Bay Saltwater (TBS), KP Aquatics, or Gulf Live Rock.com live BASE rock. Don't order the premium rock yet. Make sure you acclimate the rock per the suppliers' direction to help remove any pests. Watch the tank for a couple of weeks (day and night) and pick out any pests.

 

[jda]

Unless you are going to full quarantine all inverts, corals, etc. going forward with a full-fledged coral QT, then go with #1, wait for the microfauna to spread and then get some fish - this might be close to the fallow period anyway. The stuff like worms, pods, starfish, etc. on live rocks really keep parasite tomonts or theronts at bay since they will all get consumed by hungry things. In most cases, a mature, established tank with diverse microfauna is enough to keep disease at bay - this is what was happening in the olden days when live rock was prevalent when people found that keeping fish disease free after 6-12 months was really easy. I do this, but I do have a tank ready if I need to treat a single fish for ich or velvet - recently got a velvety fish and I had to remove it from one of my introduction tanks to treat, but none of the other fish in the tank ever got the velvet - this tank has microfauna like a reef tank.

With #2, you are really worried about this and ready to hope? Hope seems counter to the point of the thread.

With #3, there is more stuff on real live sand than just bacteria. Hypo will harm these things just as much as it will live rock.

In any case, the benefit of real live rock is just too great for other reasons. Shipping fish in January is a lot better than in the summer, IMO.

 

[Fish Fan]

Great read so far, I just want to tag along as I'm just now setting up some QT tanks.

Thank guys!

 

[mattnano]

I thought of another alternative option that I am now leaning towards. I think I’m going to set the tank up now with caribsea “live” sand aka wet sand with bottled bacteria and my Marco rock. I will purchase the Tampa bay live sand any keep it in my QT fallow for 80 days. After the 80 day mark I will mix it into my sand bed. This will also give me 80 days to observe the sand for unwanted critters.

Ps: I do plan to QT everything that comes into the tank including coral and inverts in a separate tank.

I want to do everything I can to keep disease/ pests out of the tank.

 

[Fish Fan]

I thought of another alternative option that I am now leaning towards. I think I’m going to set the tank up now with caribsea “live” sand aka wet sand with bottled bacteria and my Marco rock. I will purchase the Tampa bay live sand any keep it in my QT fallow for 80 days. After the 80 day mark I will mix it into my sand bed. This will also give me 80 days to observe the sand for unwanted critters.

Ps: I do plan to QT everything that comes into the tank including coral and inverts in a separate tank.

I want to do everything I can to keep disease/ pests out of the tank.

I am very interested in TBS live rock and sand, and have for years been scared of the "nasties", and also wondering if you can get rid of them by keeping the base rock and sand in the dark for a couple months. I am right now really considering ordering one of their small Treasure Chests to start a small nano tank, and just see what becomes of it, no dark period at all.

I am also planning for and building a 40-80 gallon that I would consider my "main" DT and for that I want to try the sanitary approach, using dry rock/sand, bottled bacteria, etc, which is why I'm tagging along here.

But I'm intrigued by TBS aquacultured rock and sand.

 

[Max93]

IMO just do a completely fishless reef for the first few months while you’re filling up with coral. Add your fish last, buy them already quarantined.

 

[SpursFan]

Anything wet 45-80 days in QT, it's the only sure way but can easily be broken if you don't follow all the requirements(cross contamination, tank separation, etc). I cycled my dry rock for 8-10 weeks, setup tank, gave it a week or so(zero cycle) and started adding QT'd fish over a couple weeks. All fish are going through observation then treatment as needed, minimum 30 days in QT. Inverts are going through 45 days at 81 degrees in fishless QT. Coral will go into a grow out frag tank for 45+ days.

We dealt with velvet on a small start up tank that was up a couple month and had fish in there for 30+ days, added some crabs, frags and chaeto and boom velvet outbreak. 25 yrs with tanks never QTd never even heard of velvet, since we setup a large system 270 or so gallons the risk was not worth it.

Edit - also have KP aquatic live rock (20lbs) cycling 80+ days that will get added soon for biodiversity.