Beginners Guide to Acclimation and Quarantine

[ScooterV]

My foxface does that if I stick my tongue out at him or look cross-eyed. He may be fine and just nervous or unhappy. How long until you let him out? Is there a bully in the tank you're allowing to wear itself out?

 

[Chris Wells]

@Brew12
HELP! I put a Scribbled Rabbitfish into an acclimation box in my DT about two hours ago. He had spent 2 mos in QT and was doing great. I checked SG in both tanks (1.025) and temperature 76.8. I then did a drip acclimation for about 30 min before placing him in the acclimation box.
He is clearly in distress. Got his camouflage color going and is listing at about a 45° angle and not moving much at all. His pectoral fins are moving rapidly but other than not much movement; he seems to be drifting with the flow in the tank. Thought maybe the LED lighting was bothering him so I covered the box to make it darker. Another fish, a clownish, from the same QT is doing fine. Should I just give him more time? Put him back in the QT?

I think I might post in the Fish Disease Treatment and Diagnosis just in case @Brew12 is unavailable. I would put him back in QT where he is OK until I got some more input from the experienced folks like #reefsquad.

 

[Chris Wells]

I see he is on now.

 

[Brew12]

@Brew12
HELP! I put a Scribbled Rabbitfish into an acclimation box in my DT about two hours ago. He had spent 2 mos in QT and was doing great. I checked SG in both tanks (1.025) and temperature 76.8. I then did a drip acclimation for about 30 min before placing him in the acclimation box.
He is clearly in distress. Got his camouflage color going and is listing at about a 45° angle and not moving much at all. His pectoral fins are moving rapidly but other than not much movement; he seems to be drifting with the flow in the tank. Thought maybe the LED lighting was bothering him so I covered the box to make it darker. Another fish, a clownish, from the same QT is doing fine. Should I just give him more time? Put him back in the QT?

That is pretty typical Rabbitfish behavior. They are very timid fish that can do some amazing camo work.

Do you have some shelter in the box with him to help him feel safer?

 

[PeterG]

Thank you so much for responding so quickly. Yes, as an afterthought I put a piece of PVC pipe into the acclimation box.
So I should just let him rest and come around? Should I keep the AB darkened for today - night lighting will start up soon anyway.

 

[PeterG]

My foxface does that if I stick my tongue out at him or look cross-eyed. He may be fine and just nervous or unhappy. How long until you let him out? Is there a bully in the tank you're allowing to wear itself out?

Was going to keep him in the acclimation box until tomorrow to let everyone see the newcomers. No real bully behavior from anyone in the tank that I have observed.

 

[Brew12]

Thank you so much for responding so quickly. Yes, as an afterthought I put a piece of PVC pipe into the acclimation box.
So I should just let him rest and come around? Should I keep the AB darkened for today - night lighting will start up soon anyway.

Unless you have a known aggressive fish that is much larger than him in the tank, you may just want to let him out. Those venomous spines on his back will deter most bullies.

 

[PeterG]

Unless you have a known aggressive fish that is much larger than him in the tank, you may just want to let him out. Those venomous spines on his back will deter most bullies.

I've not observed any aggressive behavior form anyone in the tank (six-line wrasse, Xmas wrasse, coral beauty, 2 - pajama cardinals, snowflake clown).
OK, I'll give that a go. Hope he doesn't retreat into the nether reaches, never to be seen again. I'll keep the black darwin clown in the AB til tomorrw. I've also got a flame angel and a sail tang still in the QT. Was going to acclimate them one at a time after I put these two in gen pop.

 

[Brew12]

I've not observed any aggressive behavior form anyone in the tank (six-line wrasse, Xmas wrasse, coral beauty, 2 - pajama cardinals, snowflake clown).
OK, I'll give that a go. Hope he doesn't retreat into the nether reaches, never to be seen again. I'll keep the black darwin clown in the AB til tomorrw. I've also got a flame angel and a sail tang still in the QT. Was going to acclimate them one at a time after I put these two in gen pop.

He will hide for awhile. Most likely pin himself against a rock for awhile and lose his color. Completely normal for this fish.

Agreed that the clown could use more time in the box.

 

[PeterG]

He will hide for awhile. Most likely pin himself against a rock for awhile and lose his color. Completely normal for this fish.

Agreed that the clown could use more time in the box.

Thanks gain for all your support. I've released him into the tank. He took off and is hiding out somewhere.

 

[PeterG]

He will hide for awhile. Most likely pin himself against a rock for awhile and lose his color. Completely normal for this fish.

Agreed that the clown could use more time in the box.

UPDATE: Rabbitfish is out swimming around. Normal color has returned. What a relief! Thank you again.

 

[Brew12]

UPDATE: Rabbitfish is out swimming around. Normal color has returned. What a relief! Thank you again.

Glad to help! Even happier that he seems to be doing fine!

 

[Patricedion]

Hi guys. I want to introduce new inverts to my tank. Do I follow the same directions in the quarantine guide, minus the copper, of course ? Thanks !

 

[Brew12]

Hi guys. I want to introduce new inverts to my tank. Do I follow the same directions in the quarantine guide, minus the copper, of course ? Thanks !

Inverts are an entire different ball game. A 10 day QT will be almost worthless for most of them. Some inverts don't require much QT at all. What kind of inverts did you get?

 

[Patricedion]

Inverts are an entire different ball game. A 10 day QT will be almost worthless for most of them. Some inverts don't require much QT at all. What kind of inverts did you get?

Just some snails to replenish my cleaner crew, maybe a crab. I just don't want to reintroduce a desease in my tank.

 

[Brew12]

Just some snails to replenish my cleaner crew, maybe a crab. I just don't want to reintroduce a desease in my tank.

I purchase all of my CuC critters from Reefcleaners.org

It is possible that a parasite will come in on one of their shells but incredibly unlikely since they don't keep fish in the same water as the inverts. They do collect from the ocean, so there is some risk involved, but I consider it minimal.

To eliminate that risk completely you would need to QT the snails for 76 days from the day they ship or you buy them from the LFS. I consider any snail from a LFS to be high risk since I believe most LFS's have parasites in their systems. Non-hermit crabs and shrimp should wait 76 days or until they molt. Once they molt they can be safely transferred.

 

[Patricedion]

I purchase all of my CuC critters from Reefcleaners.org

It is possible that a parasite will come in on one of their shells but incredibly unlikely since they don't keep fish in the same water as the inverts. They do collect from the ocean, so there is some risk involved, but I consider it minimal.

To eliminate that risk completely you would need to QT the snails for 76 days from the day they ship or you buy them from the LFS. I consider any snail from a LFS to be high risk since I believe most LFS's have parasites in their systems. Non-hermit crabs and shrimp should wait 76 days or until they molt. Once they molt they can be safely transferred.

Thanks for the quick response. Since I'm from Canada, I can't purchase my CuC from Reefcleaners.org and I don't know any other online stores that I can trust. So, I have to rely on my LFS. Because I've already lost all my fishes to white velvet once and I've just finished my 76 days fallow, I'm fearful of an other outbreak. So, it seems I will start my first quarantine with 3 or 4 fishes, then start an other one with the inverts.

 

[Brew12]

Thanks for the quick response. Since I'm from Canada, I can't purchase my CuC from Reefcleaners.org and I don't know any other online stores that I can trust. So, I have to rely on my LFS. Because I've already lost all my fishes to white velvet once and I've just finished my 76 days fallow, I'm fearful of an other outbreak. So, it seems I will start my first quarantine with 3 or 4 fishes, then start an other one with the inverts.

Unfortunately, I agree. That is likely your best bet. If your fish came from your LFS that had velvet then it is likely that the inverts in their systems have it in cyst form on their shells.

One nice thing about an invert/coral QT is that each invert gets its own 76 day clock. You can add an invert on day 75 and still move the original one into the DT the next day. It isn't like a fish QT where adding a new fish restarts the clock.

 

[Patricedion]

That's a relief. So, I understand it's the same for corals; a dip in Rx isn't enough ?

 

[Brew12]

That's a relief. So, I understand it's the same for corals; a dip in Rx isn't enough ?

It is the same. Dips haven't been scientifically tested but they likely won't work.