Brooklynella transfer on equipment?

SeaShine · Feb 18, 2023

Hi everyone! This is my first post of reef2reef (I'll put up a build thread soon). But for now, I have a situation. I just used a tong in a new set up holding tank that I used last night in a tank that's in the beginning of its sixth week of being fallow. ARGH! I can't believe I did it! The tong is metal and dried over night and this morning, I used it to feed a snail in the new setup. The new tank is a 20 gallon (I broke down my 7-year old AIO due to algae and am starting again). I have a 6 or 7 year old six-line wrasse who never caught the Brook and who is in a 10 gallon hospital tank. But I'm getting a yellow watchman goby from Whitlyn Aquatics on Tuesday and was going to transfer the wrasse to the 20 gallon set up so that I could put the Watchman Goby in the 10 gallon and observe/treat if necessary. Now, I'm afraid to use the 20 gallon because the tong may have contaminated it? The 20 gallon has about $80.00 of real ocean water in it and I can't afford to dump it and buy new ocean water, again. I could however, dump it and mix saltwater. However, I'm not sure that would be good for the wrasse. Or, maybe the metal tong didn't contaminate the tank? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated since I need to prepare for the watchman goby and made that clumbsy mistake. I really don't want Brook again. Thanks!

vetteguy53081 · Feb 18, 2023

SeaShine said:
Hi everyone! This is my first post of reef2reef (I'll put up a build thread soon). But for now, I have a situation. I just used a tong in a new set up holding tank that I used last night in a tank that's in the beginning of its sixth week of being fallow. ARGH! I can't believe I did it! The tong is metal and dried over night and this morning, I used it to feed a snail in the new setup. The new tank is a 20 gallon (I broke down my 7-year old AIO due to algae and am starting again). I have a 6 or 7 year old six-line wrasse who never caught the Brook and who is in a 10 gallon hospital tank. But I'm getting a yellow watchman goby from Whitlyn Aquatics on Tuesday and was going to transfer the wrasse to the 20 gallon set up so that I could put the Watchman Goby in the 10 gallon and observe/treat if necessary. Now, I'm afraid to use the 20 gallon because the tong may have contaminated it? The 20 gallon has about $80.00 of real ocean water in it and I can't afford to dump it and buy new ocean water, again. I could however, dump it and mix saltwater. However, I'm not sure that would be good for the wrasse. Or, maybe the metal tong didn't contaminate the tank? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated since I need to prepare for the watchman goby and made that clumbsy mistake. I really don't want Brook again. Thanks!

If you rinsed it, no need to worry regardless as Brooklynella hostillis needs a host fish to survive and continue its cycle. Tongs, spoon, net will be of any risk.

SeaShine · Feb 18, 2023

vetteguy53081 said:
If you rinsed it, no need to worry regardless as Brooklynella hostillis needs a host fish to survive and continue its cycle. Tongs, spoon, net will be of any risk.

Unfortunately, I didn't rinse the tongs from the night before, but they had dried overnight. Do you think that's a problem? There's no fish host in the tank now, but I wanted to move my wrasse into it before Tuesday. You think dried but not rinsed will transfer any remaining Brook from my DT? Thanks for your reply. "Tongs, spoon, net will be of any risk." Sorry this is the part that confuses me. Will or will not be a risk?

vetteguy53081 · Feb 18, 2023

SeaShine said:
Unfortunately, I didn't rinse the tongs from the night before, but they had dried overnight. Do you think that's a problem? There's no fish host in the tank now, but I wanted to move my wrasse into it before Tuesday. You think dried but not rinsed will transfer any remaining Brook from my DT? Thanks for your reply. "Tongs, spoon, net will be of any risk." Sorry this is the part that confuses me. Will or will not be a risk?

I dont see it being a problem at all

SeaShine · Feb 18, 2023

vetteguy53081 said:
I dont see it being a problem at all

Thanks so much! I really appreciate it.

Jay Hemdal · Feb 18, 2023

SeaShine said:
Hi everyone! This is my first post of reef2reef (I'll put up a build thread soon). But for now, I have a situation. I just used a tong in a new set up holding tank that I used last night in a tank that's in the beginning of its sixth week of being fallow. ARGH! I can't believe I did it! The tong is metal and dried over night and this morning, I used it to feed a snail in the new setup. The new tank is a 20 gallon (I broke down my 7-year old AIO due to algae and am starting again). I have a 6 or 7 year old six-line wrasse who never caught the Brook and who is in a 10 gallon hospital tank. But I'm getting a yellow watchman goby from Whitlyn Aquatics on Tuesday and was going to transfer the wrasse to the 20 gallon set up so that I could put the Watchman Goby in the 10 gallon and observe/treat if necessary. Now, I'm afraid to use the 20 gallon because the tong may have contaminated it? The 20 gallon has about $80.00 of real ocean water in it and I can't afford to dump it and buy new ocean water, again. I could however, dump it and mix saltwater. However, I'm not sure that would be good for the wrasse. Or, maybe the metal tong didn't contaminate the tank? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated since I need to prepare for the watchman goby and made that clumbsy mistake. I really don't want Brook again. Thanks!

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

Brooklynella is a protozoan with no testing/cyst stage so air drying will kill it.

Jay