What is your "good enough" quarantine procedure?

[QuinnLee512]

I started this hobby a couple of months ago with the intention of being safe and following the 76 days quarantine process. I currently have a DT that has never had livestock. A clownfish that has been in quarantine for 2 months of which last 3 weeks have been in 2.5ppm copper. I have another QT for just corals and inverts. I have corals in there for the past month and CUC for past 2 weeks. I'm finding it hard to maintain water parameters for 3 tanks. Sometimes I'm too busy( bought madden 22 last week and still haven't had time to play :-( ) So I'm wondering if there is a middle ground quarantine process that some of you use for fish, corals, and inverts? For example, I've seen some people say that they dip their corals and only put it in QT for 2 weeks instead of 76 days.

 

[kenbennedy]

I am honestly planning to only source pre-quarantined fish, and to dip corals.

 

[QuinnLee512]

I am honestly planning to only source pre-quarantined fish, and to dip corals.

What are you planning to do after you dip the corals? I also try my best to buy only from "clean" sources which I know isn't foolproof. For example, chaeto from only algaebarn and CUC from only reefcleaners.

 

[dwair]

For fish, I'll do 2 weeks of just observation before I treat, if I notice no issues, then I just stick em in tank. If I notice an issue, then I'll treat. Like I just got a bristletooth tang about 2 weeks ago, noticed he was breathing super hard and lack of strength, I attributed it to flukes, so I gave him a freshwater bath and now in the QT for 2 weeks of Prazi, after that I'll put him in DT. He looks good now

 

[QuinnLee512]

For fish, I'll do 2 weeks of just observation before I treat, if I notice no issues, then I just stick em in tank. If I notice an issue, then I'll treat. Like I just got a bristletooth tang about 2 weeks ago, noticed he was breathing super hard and lack of strength, I attributed it to flukes, so I gave him a freshwater bath and now in the QT for 2 weeks of Prazi, after that I'll put him in DT. He looks good now

My clown has been in QT for 2 months now. I'm still learning how to recognize that a fish is in distress. He seems fine to me. Wants to eat all the time. I'm thinking just throw him in the DT now. I'm thinking that I might be causing more harm than good since I'm not able to keep up with the parameters in all tanks.

 

[fishybizzness]

I applaud your determination! It definitely takes alot of discipline and time!

 

[kenbennedy]

What are you planning to do after you dip the corals? I also try my best to buy only from "clean" sources which I know isn't foolproof. For example, chaeto from only algaebarn and CUC from only reefcleaners.

Honestly probably straight into the display tank, my LFS options look promising but that is months out still.

 

[Tamberav]

I started this hobby a couple of months ago with the intention of being safe and following the 76 days quarantine process. I currently have a DT that has never had livestock. A clownfish that has been in quarantine for 2 months of which last 3 weeks have been in 2.5ppm copper. I have another QT for just corals and inverts. I have corals in there for the past month and CUC for past 2 weeks. I'm finding it hard to maintain water parameters for 3 tanks. Sometimes I'm too busy( bought madden 22 last week and still haven't had time to play :-( ) So I'm wondering if there is a middle ground quarantine process that some of you use for fish, corals, and inverts? For example, I've seen some people say that they dip their corals and only put it in QT for 2 weeks instead of 76 days.

82 degrees and 45 days for inverts and corals. My coral/invert tank has mature live rock and doesn't need much maintenance at all. A once a month water change will do it. It has an ATO.

TTM new fish, I use tap water and prime for the TTM to save water/time.... then into an observation tank that I set up with some biospira when I start the TTM process... so it will be ready to go when the fish is. It is fish only....so again... not much to maintain parameter wise since nitrates don't effect them so much and a cycled tank won't have ammonia issue.

I am not sure why you would need to do so much maintenance on your tanks but maybe time to refine the process or change up filtration.

 

[blaxsun]

I am honestly planning to only source pre-quarantined fish, and to dip corals.

Same. However, as a contingency (and as a result of a recent velvet outbreak), I’m now running an oversize UV with a good supply of Polyp Lab Medic on-hand.

Corals go straight in the tank after being dipped. For pest control I have an Arrowhead crab, Coral Banded Shrimp and Melanurus wrasse.

 

[Miami Reef]

I use copper metro and prazi in a 14 day treatment period. Then fish get transferred into a sterile QT for observation for another 2 weeks. 1 month total.

Corals and inverts follow this chart:

Coral/Invert Quarantine Time Frames

Coral/Invert Quarantine Time Frames IMPORTANT UPDATE: Raising aquarium temperature to 27C/80.6F can shorten the coral/invert isolation period to 6 weeks: New Ich Fallow Period Preface: The purpose of this article is to outline time periods required to properly quarantine (QT) marine corals &...

humble.fish

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

45 is Really as long as I go on new arrivals. Two days watching them to make sure they behave well and *****.. 30 days of Cupramine, back to back prazi rounds, into the tank.

 

[QuinnLee512]

82 degrees and 45 days for inverts and corals. My coral/invert tank has mature live rock and doesn't need much maintenance at all. A once a month water change will do it. It has an ATO.

TTM new fish, I use tap water and prime for the TTM to save water/time.... then into an observation tank that I set up with some biospira when I start the TTM process... so it will be ready to go when the fish is. It is fish only....so again... not much to maintain parameter wise since nitrates don't effect them so much and a cycled tank won't have ammonia issue.

I am not sure why you would need to do so much maintenance on your tanks but maybe time to refine the process or change up filtration.

How do you make sure that your alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium are in check? That's the maintenance that I'm mostly referring to.

 

[Miami Reef]

This is my treatment calendar. I use copper power. Metroplex from seachem, and API General Cure which has both metro and praziquantel in one dosage. It treats Ich, velvet, brook, uronema, and flukes.

Metronidazole needs to be dosed every other day. 2 doses of praziquantel dosed 6 days apart from each other, and copper power held for the entire duration.

If you are only using 1 QT tank, you will need to wait 1 month before you can reduce copper in the tank. If you have another tank, you can transfer the fish out from full strength to no meds (do not lower copper concentration before transferring) after 14 days.

I like the 14 day treatment better because it’s faster, more effective because no risk of tomonts, and less exposure to medication.

 

[dwair]

How do you make sure that your alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium are in check? That's the maintenance that I'm mostly referring to.

Thats just testing.

 

[Miami Reef]

How do you make sure that your alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium are in check? That's the maintenance that I'm mostly referring to.

Unless you have a ton of SPS corals in a small tank, water changes alone will replenish all the elements. A 10% weekly water change should be more than sufficient. Now, a massive frag tank will probably need an auto doser, but it’s very uncommon for the average quarantine reefer. 45 days (>80.5F) is not much time to worry about trace element dosing.

 

[QuinnLee512]

Thats just testing.

Yes but testing takes time x3 tanks and then based on the results, I will have to take action like water changes.

 

[dwair]

Yes but testing takes time x3 tanks and then based on the results, I will have to take action like water changes.

I mean I get that bud, but thats apart of Reefing lol. Or Just go get a Mastertronic/Trident and Doser to match so it auto doses for you and auto tests for you. Lot of money though.

 

[Tamberav]

How do you make sure that your alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium are in check? That's the maintenance that I'm mostly referring to.

Simple. I never check them.

If it is just a small QT tank for corals, just do a water change now and again. SPS grow great and I never check them. We are talking about a QT tank which is probably a nano. People run nano's on just water changes... should be easy for inverts and frags. If it is a full blown SPS tank with colonies, that is one thing... but it's just a frag QT tank. You don't need to dose 2 part for it.

I don't even check Mg and Ca on my big tank. Just alk since 2 part is dosed off that anyways and the 2 part also adds some Mg so between that and water changes it never changes. I realized I was testing Mg and Ca for years and they never were out of range so I stopped that BS.

Fish don't care about your alk/ca/mg so don't bother to check the fish one at all. Nothing should be using it up anyways.

 

[QuinnLee512]

I mean I get that bud, but thats apart of Reefing lol. Or Just go get a Mastertronic/Trident and Doser to match so it auto doses for you and auto tests for you. Lot of money though.

I know. I was just asking tamberav how he ensures those things are in check since he says that his tanks are pretty much no maintenance. I do have a doser in my DT.

 

[QuinnLee512]

This is my treatment calendar. I use copper power. Metroplex from seachem, and API General Cure which has both metro and praziquantel in one dosage. It treats Ich, velvet, brook, uronema, and flukes.

Metronidazole needs to be dosed every other day. 2 doses of praziquantel dosed 6 days apart from each other, and copper power held for the entire duration.

If you are only using 1 QT tank, you will need to wait 1 month before you can reduce copper in the tank. If you have another tank, you can transfer the fish out from full strength to no meds (do not lower copper concentration before transferring) after 14 days.

I like the 14 day treatment better because it’s faster, more effective because no risk of tomonts, and less exposure to medication.

Thanks I will keep this in mind for my next fish.