How to Quarantine

[HotRocks]

Anyone out there use UV sterlizer in QT tank. Does it help?

You don't want to run UV with any meds. Copper for example will become fatally toxic to the fish in treatment.

 

[Greenstreet.1]

Forget to address this ^^^^^

 

[JCTReefer]

I ordered 4 fish on Sunday, July 1 from LiveAquaria. The shipped on July 2 to be picked up on July 3 at the UPS holding facility. Needless to say they didn’t make the flight from Louisville KY on the 3rd due to bad weather. And on top of that, UPS was not delivering on the 4th. So I wasn't able to pick the shipment up until early July 5. The order consisted of 3 Royal Grammas and 1 Hovens Wrasse. One Gramma was DOA. All the rest were surprisingly alive but highly stressed. Salinity in quarantine was already matched to shipping water at 1.018.. So a quick float and then directly in my acclimation bucket that had been adjusted to the same ph, salinity and temp of the shipping water. PH was around 6-7 when I tested the bags water. Ammonia was 6ppm. 1 ml of vinegar per gallon will drop Ph by about .3 units. I use this to adjust the acclimation/transition water. After the initial entrained ammonia was flushed out of the fishes systems I began to then bring the Ph up to that of the quarantine tank (8.1)…. All the fish made it through the night but the wrasse died on day 3.. This was an 1 1/2 female.. I had actually ordered a male and they sent me the wrong gender. LA made good on it after I sent them a pic of the female for review and they refunded the full amount for the wrong gender. I was surprised. I knew they would if a fish died, but didn't expect a refund for the wrong gender. This was before the wrasse passed. I wasn't overly concerned about the gender issue because it would almost assuredly change into a male anyway at some point. At this point the 2 surviving grammas are in quarantine and have had their first round of general cure. I’m waiting 5-7days to do the second round. I received an in stock notification this morning that LA had medium sized male Fiji Halichoeres melanurus back in stock. I was thinking of going with a slightly larger specimen this go round. (2.5 to 3.5 inches) Im debating on weather to wait until the two grammas have completed general cure and 30 days of copper.. Or, possibly go ahead and order the wrasse and reset the clock on the quarantine tank. All I really have invested is 1 round of general cure. I would have ideally ran all the first batch of fish through meds at the same time and not have to do two separate treatments that would take 3 months to do, including observation for two weeks after meds. I also had purchased copper power and a Hanna High range copper checker so I could ramp of copper slowly over 8 days to therapeutic levels for the copper sensitive wrasse. I am shooting for 1.75ppm which I think is a happy medium. Equates to roughly 1 ml of copper per gallon I believe.. So the question is, should I wait until the grammas have had a full treatment of meds and made it through full quarantine period? Transfer them to DT.. And then, break it down and sterilize. Reset up again, and then quarantine the Wrasse seperately? Any opinions out there? Decisions decisions,,, Hmmm…

 

[Halal Hotdog]

I ordered 4 fish on Sunday, July 1 from LiveAquaria. The shipped on July 2 to be picked up on July 3 at the UPS holding facility. Needless to say they didn’t make the flight from Louisville KY on the 3rd due to bad weather. And on top of that, UPS was not delivering on the 4th. So I wasn't able to pick the shipment up until early July 5. The order consisted of 3 Royal Grammas and 1 Hovens Wrasse. One Gramma was DOA. All the rest were surprisingly alive but highly stressed. Salinity in quarantine was already matched to shipping water at 1.018.. So a quick float and then directly in my acclimation bucket that had been adjusted to the same ph, salinity and temp of the shipping water. PH was around 6-7 when I tested the bags water. Ammonia was 6ppm. 1 ml of vinegar per gallon will drop Ph by about .3 units. I use this to adjust the acclimation/transition water. After the initial entrained ammonia was flushed out of the fishes systems I began to then bring the Ph up to that of the quarantine tank (8.1)…. All the fish made it through the night but the wrasse died on day 3.. This was an 1 1/2 female.. I had actually ordered a male and they sent me the wrong gender. LA made good on it after I sent them a pic of the female for review and they refunded the full amount for the wrong gender. I was surprised. I knew they would if a fish died, but didn't expect a refund for the wrong gender. This was before the wrasse passed. I wasn't overly concerned about the gender issue because it would almost assuredly change into a male anyway at some point. At this point the 2 surviving grammas are in quarantine and have had their first round of general cure. I’m waiting 5-7days to do the second round. I received an in stock notification this morning that LA had medium sized male Fiji Halichoeres melanurus back in stock. I was thinking of going with a slightly larger specimen this go round. (2.5 to 3.5 inches) Im debating on weather to wait until the two grammas have completed general cure and 30 days of copper.. Or, possibly go ahead and order the wrasse and reset the clock on the quarantine tank. All I really have invested is 1 round of general cure. I would have ideally ran all the first batch of fish through meds at the same time and not have to do two separate treatments that would take 3 months to do, including observation for two weeks after meds. I also had purchased copper power and a Hanna High range copper checker so I could ramp of copper slowly over 8 days to therapeutic levels for the copper sensitive wrasse. I am shooting for 1.75ppm which I think is a happy medium. Equates to roughly 1 ml of copper per gallon I believe.. So the question is, should I wait until the grammas have had a full treatment of meds and made it through full quarantine period? Transfer them to DT.. And then, break it down and sterilize. Reset up again, and then quarantine the Wrasse seperately? Any opinions out there? Decisions decisions,,, Hmmm…

So I recall reading a post from @Humblefish about adding fish in the middle of QT. With CP apparently it also works as a barrier for treated fish when new additions are added. So with CP apparently it does not reset the clock. I believe with copper it does reset the clock. If you are planning on adding new fish and want to use copper, I would probably recommend waiting until you get the new arrival and start them all on copper at the same time and run through two rounds of GC (spaced 5-7 days apart). For my fish GC was an appetite suppressant, so I started running CP a week before adding GC. Most of my information is based on reading forums, have run 6 fish through medicated QT and have been successful so far, but that is a small sample size.

 

[JCTReefer]

So I recall reading a post from @Humblefish about adding fish in the middle of QT. With CP apparently it also works as a barrier for treated fish when new additions are added. So with CP apparently it does not reset the clock. I believe with copper it does reset the clock. If you are planning on adding new fish and want to use copper, I would probably recommend waiting until you get the new arrival and start them all on copper at the same time and run through two rounds of GC (spaced 5-7 days apart). For my fish GC was an appetite suppressant, so I started running CP a week before adding GC. Most of my information is based on reading forums, have run 6 fish through medicated QT and have been successful so far, but that is a small sample size.

Thanks for the input! That being said, I'll probably hold off on the second round of GC and wait until the wrasse is acquired. Then after the wrasse is eating and settled for a few days start ramping up copper. And then restart the GC treatment. The Grammas have actually been eating fairly well on it. Hex shield and SA hatchery diet is what I've been feeding them. Not sure if the Hex shield with metro is really needed since the GC already has metro in it, but with the grammas having white stringy poo, I thought it wouldn't hurt. Most of my info is also based on reading forums. Especially this one! Seems like I've been reading for months now..Im glad you've had success with your quarantine procedures thus far!!! Thanks again for taking the time to respond

 

[Halal Hotdog]

Thanks for the input! That being said, I'll probably hold off on the second round of GC and wait until the wrasse is acquired. Then after the wrasse is eating and settled for a few days start ramping up copper. And then restart the GC treatment. The Grammas have actually been eating fairly well on it. Hex shield and SA hatchery diet is what I've been feeding them. Not sure if the Hex shield with metro is really needed since the GC already has metro in it, but with the grammas having white stringy poo, I thought it wouldn't hurt. Most of my info is also based on reading forums. Especially this one! Seems like I've been reading for months now..Im glad you've had success with your quarantine procedures thus far!!! Thanks again for taking the time to respond

So I asked Humblefish about GC being added to the water column vs fed to the fish. His reply was that adding GC to the water column can be beneficial, but not to the same degree as if bound to their food. You could use Focus from Seachem and bind GC to food you are feeding. Apparently doing this also makes the medication reef safe. My only concern is controlling dosage of how much medication each fish gets. If your current food is already medicated than that might be your best route for treating internal parasites.

 

[miroch]

I am currently building a larger DT and will be transferring everything over once complete. My plan is to QT the fish beforehand because I have ich in the tank but I haven't seen any signs in about 5 years. I fear that the stress of moving everything over to a new tank will bring back the ich. My plan is a 20g QT, is this big enough for 7 fish? (hippo and yellow tang, 1 chromis, 1 wrasse, 1 bicolor angel, 2 clowns)
The current DT would need to be left fallow for 72days, could I transfer the fish over to the new DT after the copper treatment in QT?

 

[HotRocks]

I am currently building a larger DT and will be transferring everything over once complete. My plan is to QT the fish beforehand because I have ich in the tank but I haven't seen any signs in about 5 years. I fear that the stress of moving everything over to a new tank will bring back the ich. My plan is a 20g QT, is this big enough for 7 fish? (hippo and yellow tang, 1 chromis, 1 wrasse, 1 bicolor angel, 2 clowns)
The current DT would need to be left fallow for 72days, could I transfer the fish over to the new DT after the copper treatment in QT?

I would use no smaller than a 40b, and fallow for 76 days. You should be good to go!

 

[LouieP]

I started reading this thread this weekend and Im at post 444. If I use Chloroquine phosphate or cupermine in a quarantine tank can that tank be used as a reef tank at a later date?

 

[Brew12]

I started reading this thread this weekend and Im at post 444. If I use Chloroquine phosphate or cupermine in a quarantine tank can that tank be used as a reef tank at a later date?

Yes, as long as it is drained and cleaned.

 

[LouieP]

So Ive been thinking about quarantining my fish & going fallow in my DT.

Here's my fish list:
Blue Star Leopard Wrasse 2.5+ years
Green Chromis 2+ years
2 TR Clowns 2+ years
Red Sea Regal Angel 6+mths
Purple Tang 6+ mths
Sm Clown Trigger 6+ mths
Blotchy Anthias 3 mths
Small juv Aussie Tusk Wrasse 2 mths
Tiny Foxface new
small juv Emperor Angel new
Bellus Angel new
Cleaner Wrasse new

I do see ich on newer fish so I know all have it, I see scratching & some twitching. My bellus has lymphocystis which I know is a virus which I "cleaned" most of it off by rubbing the fish fins between the net. Im concerend with putting so many fish in the 60 cube, I will be seeding it with a sponge & a filter sock from my DT to minimize an NH3 spike. I might get Tim's or Fritz bacteria to play it safe. All of my fish are eating flakes & pellets 5 x a day on feeder. Before I found out about this thread, last week I did a Prazi dose which my regal didnt like too much since she didnt go after the flake/pellet mix but she did eat the seaweed I think I went 24 hrs then I turned back on the UV, ozone & put the carbon back. I run UV 24/7 (I just had to replace the bulb & ballast) & run Ozone at night in my DT.

I do have & feed Dr G's Anti-Parasitic & Anti-Bacterial Caviar but Im not 100% sure if they work???

Im not sure whats the best course of action with so many fish. TTM or CP or Cupermine or some fish TTM & the others CP/Cupermine. My DT is in my office so I couldnt set up a QT there but I have a 60 cube & sump that I had sitting around that Im now setting up at home as a QT.

Edit: Im at post 764!

 

[LovesDogs_CatsRokay]

So I'm on day 9 of copper safe treatment (3rd day of fully therapeutic) and I'm already pretty frustrated with all the dosing and testing. I have the Hanna checker but even that's kind of a pain trying to get all the reagent out of the packet and into the bottle. I always seem to spill it and have to start over. Now my ammonia badge is starting to look a little grayish so I think I'm going to need to do a water change and try and match the copper level. More frustration. I wish I had gone with TTM, and am considering abandoning the copper treatment and switching to TTM. Would that be crazy? I'm treating a large fairy wrasse, a flasher wrasse, and a coral beauty in a 29 gallon tank.

Edit, if I pull them after 10 days, temporarily while I clean the 29g, that wouldn't leave me much time to get the biofilter re-established in the 29g. If I pull them now and do TTM and clean the 29g, it will give me 2 weeks bottled bacteria to do its thing.

 

[Brew12]

So I'm on day 9 of copper safe treatment (3rd day of fully therapeutic) and I'm already pretty frustrated with all the dosing and testing. I have the Hanna checker but even that's kind of a pain trying to get all the reagent out of the packet and into the bottle. I always seem to spill it and have to start over. Now my ammonia badge is starting to look a little grayish so I think I'm going to need to do a water change and try and match the copper level. More frustration. I wish I had gone with TTM, and am considering abandoning the copper treatment and switching to TTM. Would that be crazy? I'm treating a large fairy wrasse, a flasher wrasse, and a coral beauty in a 29 gallon tank.

In my opinion, yes, it would be crazy unless you plan on doing the many extra transfers it takes to also remove Velvet. I believe the transfer would need to be done every 36 hours. That is much more work than measuring copper. Not to mention that if you already have the extra system you only need to treat in copper for another 7 days. Then you can move the fish into a clean (even if small) system and clean out the 29g tank to put them back into for additional treatment and/or observation. You only need to treat in copper for 10 days if you transfer to a clean system.

 

[LovesDogs_CatsRokay]

In my opinion, yes, it would be crazy unless you plan on doing the many extra transfers it takes to also remove Velvet. I believe the transfer would need to be done every 36 hours. That is much more work than measuring copper. Not to mention that if you already have the extra system you only need to treat in copper for another 7 days. Then you can move the fish into a clean (even if small) system and clean out the 29g tank to put them back into for additional treatment and/or observation. You only need to treat in copper for 10 days if you transfer to a clean system.

The fish are from my DT that is going fallow. I've had them long enough that I'm sure they don't have velvet. They'd be dead already if they did. And I still have another 60 days left on my fallow period that I would switch them back to the 29g for. 4 transfers seems like less work than dealing with copper, at least for me.

However, I didn't realize I could pull them after 10 days. That doesn't seem as bad as 30. Maybe I'll go ahead and do the water change and leave them in there for 7 more days. Then use TTM on future fish. I just hope I don't have to do more copper-filled water changes during the 7 days. Copper makes me nervous and the process has been frustrating for me so far. I just don't think its the QT method for me.

Edit: But if I pull them after 10 days temporarily while I clean the 29g. That doesn't give me much time to restabilish the bio filter in the 29. If I pull them now and do TTM it would give me two weeks for some bottled bacteria to do its thing in the 29.

 

[Brew12]

The fish are from my DT that is going fallow. I've had them long enough that I'm sure they don't have velvet. They'd be dead already if they did. And I still have another 60 days left on my fallow period that I would switch them back to the 29g for. 4 transfers seems like less work than dealing with copper, at least for me.

However, I didn't realize I could pull them after 10 days. That doesn't seem as bad as 30. Maybe I'll go ahead and do the water change and leave them in there for 7 more days. Then use TTM on future fish. I just hope I don't have to do more copper-filled water changes during the 7 days. Copper makes me nervous and the process has been frustrating for me so far. I just don't think its the QT method for me.

Edit: But if I pull them after 10 days temporarily while I clean the 29g. That doesn't give me much time to restabilish the bio filter in the 29. If I pull them now and do TTM it would give me two weeks for some bottled bacteria to do its thing in the 29.

I tried TTM with my first batch of fish ever, and I found it much more labor intensive than using copper. All the salt water mixing and cleaning 2 sets of equipment every few days got old. Was much happier with the occasional copper test. To me, the easiest was using CP, but that can be hard to get. You need a vet's prescription to ensure you get a quality product.

You can start establishing the new biofilter for the 29g now if you want. A 5g bucket, small powerhead or air stone, a good size pinch of food or some pure ammonia, and a bottle of Biospira are all you need. Just make sure you get water flow over/through your choice of bio media.

 

[LovesDogs_CatsRokay]

I tried TTM with my first batch of fish ever, and I found it much more labor intensive than using copper. All the salt water mixing and cleaning 2 sets of equipment every few days got old. Was much happier with the occasional copper test. To me, the easiest was using CP, but that can be hard to get. You need a vet's prescription to ensure you get a quality product.

You can start establishing the new biofilter for the 29g now if you want. A 5g bucket, small powerhead or air stone, a good size pinch of food or some pure ammonia, and a bottle of Biospira are all you need. Just make sure you get water flow over/through your choice of bio media.

I'm paranoid about the copper level dropping and want to test every other day if not every day. Plus I happen to have a stack of empty 66 quart plastic tubs in the basement, so I figured I could just use a new one at each transfer and clean them all at once.

Thanks for the tip on getting the biofilter going. I'll do that.

I'm glad I posted here first instead of just acting out of frustration!

 

[JCTReefer]

So I'm on day 9 of copper safe treatment (3rd day of fully therapeutic) and I'm already pretty frustrated with all the dosing and testing. I have the Hanna checker but even that's kind of a pain trying to get all the reagent out of the packet and into the bottle. I always seem to spill it and have to start over. Now my ammonia badge is starting to look a little grayish so I think I'm going to need to do a water change and try and match the copper level. More frustration. I wish I had gone with TTM, and am considering abandoning the copper treatment and switching to TTM. Would that be crazy? I'm treating a large fairy wrasse, a flasher wrasse, and a coral beauty in a 29 gallon tank.

Edit, if I pull them after 10 days, temporarily while I clean the 29g, that wouldn't leave me much time to get the biofilter re-established in the 29g. If I pull them now and do TTM and clean the 29g, it will give me 2 weeks bottled bacteria to do its thing.

Having just purchased a Hanna High Range copper meter that's never been used, I can't say how difficult it is to use. However, having used the Hanna ULR Phosphorus Checker several times, it seems less involved. What I do that seems to help with the reagent is get some scissors and cut along the lines and make a V shaped funnel to pour the powder out. Get a toothpick and scrape any powder that's stuck in the creases and break it up before pouring it out. Do this before turning on the meter and taking your "control" reading.... At this point it seems like the copper test would be the easy way to go. Just my two cents

 

[LovesDogs_CatsRokay]

Having just purchased a Hanna High Range copper meter that's never been used, I can't say how difficult it is to use. However, having used the Hanna ULR Phosphorus Checker several times, it seems less involved. What I do that seems to help with the reagent is get some scissors and cut along the lines and make a V shaped funnel to pour the powder out. Get a toothpick and scrape any powder that's stuck in the creases and break it up before pouring it out. Do this before turning on the meter and taking your "control" reading.... At this point it seems like the copper test would be the easy way to go. Just my two cents

Its not difficult to use the copper checker, and I do make the funnel out of the packet. The problem is I'm clumsy and most of the time end up knocking vial over or bumping the funnel and spilling half the powder on the table.

 

[Seahorsekelly69]

Great article! I too have an observational quarantine for new seahorses and also hospital tank for any problems. My saving grace is keeping pre-cycled media. A brute full of cycled rock and sponge and 5 gal bucket of k1 that are fed ammonia to keep the good bacteria growing allow me to set up a tank very quickly. I can bleach, dry, and have a new cycled tank in the same day by just adding some of this media to a filter or sump. Very convenient, and helps avoid any cross contamination from tank water. With seahorses, they need hitches more than hiding spots, but everything else is pretty much the same. Many ways to accomplish the goal, but quarantine can make EVERY difference. Thanks for sharing great info! I wrote a little clip too https://seahorsewhisperer.com/acclimate-quarantine-new-seahorses/

 

[Seahorsekelly69]

I'm sorry but what is TTM please?

Tank Transfer Method. You move the fish from one QT to another during the life stage of the parasite in which it is not on the fish. With no fish, the parasite cannot complete the life cycle and dies. But, it's really important to continue the transferring for a long enough period that the fish are truly parasite free.