Coral/Invert Quarantine Time Frames

[Brew12]

Question on quarantining chaeto..
I know the 16 day quarantine applies to chaeto but if I have it in my coral quarantine with corals that were added before it is the 16 days still effective for removing ich free swimmers? The coral that were already in there could be releasing them during that 16 days making that uneffective correct?
In this case would I just need to watch it for a couple days to see if there are any unwanted pests and then give it a good rinse before going to dt? Would rinsing it be enough to remove ich free swimmers?

For Chaeto, yes, a good rinse should be all it takes.

 

[ReefWithCare]

Hi There,

Noob question here - but I heard some starfish you can't take out of water (per the site's recommendation - e.g. - KP Aquatics) ...how do you "rinse" them if that is the case?

I also saw on an old forum that BTA can be rinsed like starfish and urchins. How do torments attach to them if you just have the nem?

 

[drstardust]

Hi There,

Noob question here - but I heard some starfish you can't take out of water (per the site's recommendation - e.g. - KP Aquatics) ...how do you "rinse" them if that is the case?

I also saw on an old forum that BTA can be rinsed like starfish and urchins. How do torments attach to them if you just have the nem?

What I do is line up several 5 gal buckets of water. While keeping the starfish submerged at all times in a clear container, I take the container from bucket to bucket and give it a gentle "rinse" underwater in each bucket. I never expose it to air. Then take it to DT in that container. However, out of an abundance of caution I still keep the starfish in a fallow tank beforehand for at least 16 days to kill off any free swimmers that were present in the original LFS (or from wherever) water. If that makes sense

 

[Spar]

No. You don’t need to restart the clock on the original inverts that are at 5 weeks.

Playing devils advocate here, there is a chance that a protomont is with the water of the new invert, and then encysts on to one of the prior-added inverts. Thus, adding them is not really a great idea. You could QT them separately for a couple days to let the protomont encyst there, then move the new arrivals over to the 'continuation' QT system. Just needs that extra step.

 

[bbonilla68]

Can fish carry red planaria?

 

[Bthomas]

When quarantining shrimp, I know they only need to be quarantined until they molt but is it important to get them out of quarantine immediately after molt? Can they be reinfected if left in for a few days after they've molted?

 

[Spar]

When quarantining shrimp, I know they only need to be quarantined until they molt but is it important to get them out of quarantine immediately after molt? Can they be reinfected if left in for a few days after they've molted?

As long as no new fish have been added since, then anytime after a molt is sufficient. You just don't want the Protomont stage (when it jumps off a fish) to crawl onto the shell and form a new cyst. That stage will only take a couple days to complete or die off.

Make sure to give the shrimp a good rinse on the way out to make sure a free swimmer isn't in that little bit of water transferring with it (unlikely but possible). Or you could even house it separately for a couple days to be absolutely sure (seems excessive though).

edit: reading this after posting i realize sounds a little confusing on the "new fish" comment. I mean as long as you didn't add a fish recently to your shrimp QT tank... which if you are dealing with a fishless QT wouldn't have happened anyway.

 

[Brian Kennedy]

My old display went fallow on May 4 due to a severe ich and velvet outbreak. The cleaner shrimp, coral banded, a couple crabs and some nassarius snails were left in the infected display. The cleaner shrimp molted on May 9 and my coral banded shrimp molted on May 13. Can I rinse those two in clean salt water and transfer to the new display? I know the crabs and snails need the full 45/76 or the next molt.

 

[bluprntguy]

My old display went fallow on May 4 due to a severe ich and velvet outbreak. The cleaner shrimp, coral banded, a couple crabs and some nassarius snails were left in the infected display. The cleaner shrimp molted on May 9 and my coral banded shrimp molted on May 13. Can I rinse those two in clean salt water and transfer to the new display? I know the crabs and snails need the full 45/76 or the next molt.

Seems like it would be nearly impossible to "rinse" a cleaner shrimp and insure that you aren't transferring contaminated water. When I rinse corals, I usually hold them in the air and pour tank water over them. I shake them off and do that at least one more time to insure that I've rinsed all the old water away. I'd suggest leaving the shrimp and other inverts alone for 76 days.

 

[Spar]

My old display went fallow on May 4 due to a severe ich and velvet outbreak. The cleaner shrimp, coral banded, a couple crabs and some nassarius snails were left in the infected display. The cleaner shrimp molted on May 9 and my coral banded shrimp molted on May 13. Can I rinse those two in clean salt water and transfer to the new display? I know the crabs and snails need the full 45/76 or the next molt.

Yes, after a molt the molted crustaceans can move over. Although the risk is low, you would benefit from moving them for two more days to a separate container to ensure that if any cysts had just emerged that you don't transfer them over... that phase will die within a day of not finding a host.

 

[User]

Hi guys

I’ve just started buying corals for my ‘new’ 180 and got a few LPS and a long tentacle nem. They are together in a 20l QT tank, and I was planning on moving nem to DT on day 16 and the corals on day 76.

However- I didn’t appreciate before that the 16 day rule for nems only works if they are in QT separately from the corals. Since any infected corals can release free swimmers at any point in the 72 day period, the nem could absorb water containing free swimmers at any point in its 16 day cycle if CO-quarantined.

To be able to move nem on day 16, it has to go through QT isolated from any infected corals since they may be continually shedding freeswimming parasites.

Anyone persuade me I have flawed thinking and my original plan (co-QT) is good, or am I going to need to figure out a way of sharing one QT led (165w black box) with two tanks?

Thanks

 

[Spar]

Hi guys

I’ve just started buying corals for my ‘new’ 180 and got a few LPS and a long tentacle nem. They are together in a 20l QT tank, and I was planning on moving nem to DT on day 16 and the corals on day 76.

However- I didn’t appreciate before that the 16 day rule for nems only works if they are in QT separately from the corals. Since any infected corals can release free swimmers at any point in the 72 day period, the nem could absorb water containing free swimmers at any point in its 16 day cycle if CO-quarantined.

To be able to move nem on day 16, it has to go through QT isolated from any infected corals since they may be continually shedding freeswimming parasites.

Anyone persuade me I have flawed thinking and my original plan (co-QT) is good, or am I going to need to figure out a way of sharing one QT led (165w black box) with two tanks?

Thanks

You can just keep the Nem separate for a couple days and be fine. It will do just fine without light for that short period of time. I haven't heard of the "16 day rule" with nems before, I wonder why that would be necessary given there is nowhere for cysts to form on them. Should be no different from a molted crustacean.

All the 'freeswimmer' parasites will die within a day or two, so two days absent of somewhere to attach to, they are done for. Anyone disagree with this logic?

 

[User]

You can just keep the Nem separate for a couple days and be fine. It will do just fine without light for that short period of time. I haven't heard of the "16 day rule" with nems before, I wonder why that would be necessary given there is nowhere for cysts to form on them. Should be no different from a molted crustacean.

All the 'freeswimmer' parasites will die within a day or two, so two days absent of somewhere to attach to, they are done for. Anyone disagree with this logic?

Sorry, but yes, I disagree, and that’s the reason for the initial question.

The 16 day rule is literally in the first page of this thread.


Velvet dinospores freeswimmers are photosynthetic and can survive 15 days without a fish host. That’s the reason for the 16 days.

Freeswimmers don’t attach to nems, but they do get sucked up when the nem inflates abd deflates etc, and are then present in the water inside the anemone.

Minimum separation time therefore will need to be 16 days, so I’ll definitely need light.

Thanks.

 

[Spar]

Sorry, but yes, I disagree, and that’s the reason for the initial question.

The 16 day rule is literally in the first page of this thread.


Velvet dinospores freeswimmers are photosynthetic and can survive 15 days without a fish host. That’s the reason for the 16 days.

Freeswimmers don’t attach to nems, but they do get sucked up when the nem inflates abd deflates etc, and are then present in the water inside the anemone.

Minimum separation time therefore will need to be 16 days, so I’ll definitely need light.

Thanks.

dang I hate velvet... thanks for pointing that out though.

Not sure on the lights question. How much spread would you be getting over the coral if you shared?

Also keep in mind that velvet could transfer by aerosol, especially if that close proximity to the other tank. You'd be better off distancing the 2 QT's and get a separate simple bulb like a Par38. Surely that would work fine for a nem for 16 days. I used to QT coral for 75 days with one of those bulbs.

 

[User]

dang I hate velvet... thanks for pointing that out though.

Not sure on the lights question. How much spread would you be getting over the coral if you shared?

Also keep in mind that velvet could transfer by aerosol, especially if that close proximity to the other tank. You'd be better off distancing the 2 QT's and get a separate simple bulb like a Par38. Surely that would work fine for a nem for 16 days. I used to QT coral for 75 days with one of those bulbs.

Good to know about the par38- that makes for an easier work-around. And affirmative on the aerosol- my separate QT stations are 12 feet from each other.

And this is purely precautionary- no actual velvet known to be present.

 

[User]

dang I hate velvet... thanks for pointing that out though.

Not sure on the lights question. How much spread would you be getting over the coral if you shared?

Also keep in mind that velvet could transfer by aerosol, especially if that close proximity to the other tank. You'd be better off distancing the 2 QT's and get a separate simple bulb like a Par38. Surely that would work fine for a nem for 16 days. I used to QT coral for 75 days with one of those bulbs.

What colour temp par38 where you running? Daylight? Full spectrum?

Thanks

 

[Spar]

What colour temp par38 where you running? Daylight? Full spectrum?

Thanks

Full Spectrum, with 120 degree optics to spread the light a bit more.

 

[User]

Full Spectrum, with 120 degree optics to spread the light a bit more.

Got a link? I was thinking a daylight bulb from Home Depot but sounds like you were talking about a reef light.

Thanks

 

[Spar]

Got a link? I was thinking a daylight bulb from Home Depot but sounds like you were talking about a reef light.

Thanks

https://coralcompulsion.myshopify.c...-20k-full-spectrum-g3-non-dimmable-reef-light

I can't find the one I have on their website anymore. Mine is dimmable, but their Par38's now say non-dimmable.

Sorry, not a HD bulb. I just find these a lot cheaper than other reef lighting options. These are on Amazon as well FYI.

 

[User]

https://coralcompulsion.myshopify.c...-20k-full-spectrum-g3-non-dimmable-reef-light

I can't find the one I have on their website anymore. Mine is dimmable, but their Par38's now say non-dimmable.

Sorry, not a HD bulb. I just find these a lot cheaper than other reef lighting options. These are on Amazon as well FYI.

I just picked up what must be a Chinese knock off of that. Down to the black heatsink and same diode arrangement. It’s for a nem for 2 weeks- I’m sure it’ll be fine.

Thanks man