How to Quarantine

Humblefish · Aug 23, 2017

Fringe09 said:
Does Seachem's ParaGuard do the same thing as Prazipro?

No. Prazipro is a dewormer useful for treating flukes & black ich: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/prazipro.247598/

At this time it is unknown what benefits, if any, Paraguard provides.

Fringe09 · Aug 23, 2017

Humblefish said:
No. Prazipro is a dewormer useful for treating flukes & black ich: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/prazipro.247598/

At this time it is unknown what benefits, if any, Paraguard provides.

Thanks

Slayvoff · Aug 23, 2017

Do I need to QT if I am just starting a new tank (first saltwater tank) so the fish will all be completely new anyway and then the DT is effectively also the QT?

Fringe09 · Aug 23, 2017

Getting ready to start quaranting.

Currently have:

20 gallon tank
Seachem Tidal Power Filter (includes foam filter for mechanical filtration and Matrix bio media for biological filtration)
Heater
PVC pipes

Ordered:

Hikari Usa Prazipro
Seachem Ammonia Alert
Seachem Cupramine Copper
Seachem Filter Media Bag for Matrix Carbon
Seachem Matrix Carbon
Seachem Prime (Ammonia Reducer)
Seachem Stability (Seed)

Need to order:

Powerhead or air pump/air stone

Brew12 · Aug 23, 2017

Slayvoff said:
Do I need to QT if I am just starting a new tank (first saltwater tank) so the fish will all be completely new anyway and then the DT is effectively also the QT?

I highly recommend it. I have treated every fish that goes into my system with coppersafe to kill any parasites even if the fish aren't showing symptoms. Copper and most other meds are not reef safe so if this first batch of fish has Ich the only way to treat it would be to move the fish to a QT/HT and leave the DT empty for 76 days.

Not a great way to start your first tank. I was very defensive of my DT when I started it up last year. I did lose some fish in the QT process but I have never had any sign of illness in my DT.

Brew12 · Aug 23, 2017

Fringe09 said:
Seachem Tidal Power Filter (includes foam filter for mechanical filtration and Matrix bio media for biological filtration)

I recommend leaving out the bio media. Its too hard to clean and dry. The foam filters will hold more than enough bacteria to process ammonia if set up correctly. Once you are done treating, you can pull the foam and throw it away.
Nothing wrong with trying to use the bio media as long as you are very careful. For me, it offers too high of a risk of cross contamination or improper decontamination.

Fringe09 · Aug 23, 2017

Brew12 said:
I recommend leaving out the bio media. Its too hard to clean and dry. The foam filters will hold more than enough bacteria to process ammonia if set up correctly. Once you are done treating, you can pull the foam and throw it away.
Nothing wrong with trying to use the bio media as long as you are very careful. For me, it offers too high of a risk of cross contamination or improper decontamination.

Bio media, Out! This is my first ever QT and I want to make sure I do it right while my DT is cycling.

Slayvoff · Aug 23, 2017

So what are all the medications/chemicals you need for this entire process? I have a tank, I fill it with salt water. Heater/filter/powerhead added. Then I can add the livestock?

Then I will need prazipro to proactively treat certain conditions that the fish may have that you can't see.

Also have ammonia alert to constantly monitor ammonia levels.

I saw in OP that Seachem Seed can be used to add the effects of biological filtration to the sponge of that HOB filter. So I guess whatever filter I have I would pour Seachem Seed on the filtration device...or can you just squirt some into the tank itself?

What else is needed and how do you go about adding it to QT tank? I want to make sure I go online and purchase it all right now so I don't miss anything. By the way, I have a big box of those MarinePure bio Media (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HT2ARFU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1) I was going to put in my saltwater tank's filter area (think I am going to get an AIO tank), can I do something with those in the QT tank?

Fringe09 · Aug 23, 2017

Slayvoff said:
So what are all the medications/chemicals you need for this entire process? I have a tank, I fill it with salt water. Heater/filter/powerhead added. Then I can add the livestock?

Then I will need prazipro to proactively treat certain conditions that the fish may have that you can't see.

Also have ammonia alert to constantly monitor ammonia levels.

I saw in OP that Seachem Seed can be used to add the effects of biological filtration to the sponge of that HOB filter. So I guess whatever filter I have I would pour Seachem Seed on the filtration device...or can you just squirt some into the tank itself?

What else is needed and how do you go about adding it to QT tank? I want to make sure I go online and purchase it all right now so I don't miss anything. By the way, I have a big box of those MarinePure bio Media (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HT2ARFU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1) I was going to put in my saltwater tank's filter area (think I am going to get an AIO tank), can I do something with those in the QT tank?

I recommend reading the first post. Everything is outlined step by step.

Humblefish · Aug 23, 2017

Fringe09 said:
I recommend reading the first post. Everything is outlined step by step.

+1 Also, here is a list of "must have" medications to use: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/medications-to-keep-on-hand.213574/#post-2445601

sigmarabi1 · Aug 26, 2017

I setup a QT about a week ago and dosed General Cure. Today I started the second round of GC, but one of my tangs is now showing signs of ich so I want to start cupramine. Is there any problems with dosing GC and Cupramine?

Humblefish · Aug 26, 2017

sigmarabi1 said:
I setup a QT about a week ago and dosed General Cure. Today I started the second round of GC, but one of my tangs is now showing signs of ich so I want to start cupramine. Is there any problems with dosing GC and Cupramine?

You should be fine. Point a small powerhead towards the surface just in case a bacterial bloom occurs.

ttabbal · Aug 27, 2017

Thanks for all the information posted on these threads. It's really a great resource for people like me that got impatient and caused problems. I just have a couple questions.

I'm 90% sure I am dealing with velvet. The fish show almost no outward symptoms, though I did catch a few spots on the black stripe on my clownfish. They are flashing and seem to avoid light. I have 2 left, the clown and a yellow tang. They are currently in a 20 gallon QT. I have an air stone, power filter with seeded bio media, PVC fittings, heater, and ammonia badge in with them. No carbon, skimmer or UV. They got a round of prazi in the DT when a tankmate was having issues, but didn't make it.

I've been raising coppersafe levels 5ml at a time trying to get a couple hours between doses. They will eat a little and I'm at 15ml, reading about 1ppm on the API test/ouija board. It's difficult to read, but I think that's about right.

There seems to be some dispute over the dosage for coppersafe to get therapeutic levels. I have about 18 gallons of water in the QT system, including the filter. At the label dose of 5ml/4gal, that puts me at 22.5ml. Is that sufficient? I'm testing as well, but it can be a bit difficult to interpret the test. I know high levels can be toxic for the fish as well, but not enough is ineffective and they will likely die from the velvet.

I'm going to go to the LFS and look for antibiotics as well. Any suggestions for good ones that would likely be available locally? I have petco, petsmart, and a couple reef stores available.

57hornet · Aug 27, 2017

I have a quarantine question regarding inverts. I am following Humblefish's protocals and have a fish QT and a coral QT. My question is what about other inverts (shrimp, crab, snails, erc.)? Also, do I need to "feed" my coral tank so there is an ammonia source or do the corals do that?

ttabbal · Aug 27, 2017

I've been at the label dose for coppersafe for 30min or so. Both fish are much more active and the yellow is breathing easier. The test looks closer to 2 than 1 ppm. They both have increased appetite from about 4 hours ago.

ttabbal · Aug 27, 2017

After reading up and testing 1 gallon dosed with the label dose of 1.25ml, I took the test tube and color card outside in direct sunlight. The QT and test samples looked the same, but looked like 1ppm. The manufacturer says that you should get 1.15ppm. I guess sunlight is the correct way to view the test. That's going to be irritating in winter, but I guess it is what it is. At least I figured out how to get a sensible reading out of the test.

I think it's a little ridiculous that the manufacturer recommends a dose that's too low for therapy.

Smo · Aug 27, 2017

ttabbal said:
After reading up and testing 1 gallon dosed with the label dose of 1.25ml, I took the test tube and color card outside in direct sunlight. The QT and test samples looked the same, but looked like 1ppm. The manufacturer says that you should get 1.15ppm. I guess sunlight is the correct way to view the test. That's going to be irritating in winter, but I guess it is what it is. At least I figured out how to get a sensible reading out of the test.

I think it's a little ridiculous that the manufacturer recommends a dose that's too low for therapy.

What kind of result do you get if you perform the same test with indoor lighting but raise the test tube about 1/2" above the white card stock?

ttabbal · Aug 27, 2017

Smo said:
What kind of result do you get if you perform the same test with indoor lighting but raise the test tube about 1/2" above the white card stock?

I tried lifting it up a little like that. It seems about the same to me. I did the same thing in direct sunlight and it was about the same as well. It does lighten the color a little, so I can see how that might help. I believe the rooms I tried indoors were CFL lighting. Though I did try a couple without room lights on, relying on the sun coming in from the window. It was indirect though, and read similar to the CFL. The big difference was going out in direct sunlight. The sun angle wasn't good for trying it in a window with direct sunlight though.

I've seen the effect with paints, but thought that with both samples in the same light it would be alright. I guess not.

ttabbal · Aug 28, 2017

I tried an east facing window this morning. I got a similar result compared to going outside. So at least I can test without standing in the snow in winter.

I found that I get closer to the expected results with the tube off the card by about half an inch. With the tube on the card, I get results that are about 0.5ppm high. Obviously, the reading is very subjective. I wish a programmable colorameter were inexpensive enough to pick up. Do a test at a few levels and generate a curve that you can share online.