Okay thanks! I’ve lost a few really amazing fish in this tank so I’d be willing to wait 4 months if it meant the risk would be gone lol
I feel your pain. I lost half of my fish in 18 hours to a velvet introduction.
There is a thread in the sticky section above where we discuss 45 day fallow periods. Longer is of course safer, but 76 days is longer than needed. The sweet spot is somewhere in between these two numbers…..
Thanks for your help. Would it be okay if you could post the link to that thread? I’m on mobile and I’m not too sure what you mean by sticky section. Thank you!
Ha - I was mobile also, so couldn't link. I'm at my desk now, here is the link:
www.reef2reef.com
Awesome, thank you for that. I’ve read through quite a lot of the thread and I just had 2 questions. I keep my tank running at 26 degrees Celsius and my salinity is 1.025sg. Would you recommend raising either of those parameters at all? I’ve currently got soft and LPS corals in this tank. Thank you.Ha - I was mobile also, so couldn't link. I'm at my desk now, here is the link:
45 Day Fallow periods
I've been doing some research into the "76 day fallow period". I never heard of that prior to coming to Reef2Reef this past summer. I had always used 32 days as the maximum time for a tomont to remain viable under tropical conditions, and then I would round up to 45 days to help ensure that...
Jay
At 26 C., you'll need to leave the tank fallow for longer - trouble is, this isn't an exact science. Basically, the lower risk is seen in the longer fallow times at higher temperatures. Reinfection is more common in shorter times at lower temperatures. The range is 45 days to 76 days. If you are risk averse, go for 76. If you are in a hurry, raise the water temp to 27 C. (presuming your inverts can adjust) and then go for 45 days. However, in looking back, it seems you had a die off. If that is the case, opt for the longer period, AND raise the temp a bit.
Thank you for your reply. I’ll crank up the temperature so I can be extra sure as opposed to having a lower temperature. I’ve had some pretty bad deaths from velvet lately to the point I questioned my position in the honby but persistence and learning is key so fallow is the best method for me before I start to quarantine in 45-76 days. I had one last question. If I purchase coral while my tank is fallowing, can I consider the fallow reset because of the risk of Ich and velvet being on the coral or would it be okay? Thanks!
If the new coral comes from a system that has a sick fish in it, then yes, that would reset the counter. Trouble is, you probably won’t know if it did or not. Diseases moving on corals can happen, but it isn’t a certainty. I try to hold new corals in a tank without fish for 30 days if I can.
I’m pretty confident that my LFS doesn’t have stuff on their corals but as you said you can never be too sure and that would be a nightmare to Introduce a potential parasite after fallowing. Thanks for all your help!
It really is a shocking lesson to go through. I think for most of us, because we think a QT is ugly and more time etc. we don’t bother until we get a hard lesson. I definitely agree I started with freshwater myself and still have those tanks but just for me, nothing beats the colour and variety of salt water there are always new fish that make me drop my jaw. Best of luck to you as well fingers crossed for both of us that we never need to hear the word disease in our tanks again.
In regards to keeping the nitrifying bacteria alive while my tank is fallowing, how often would you say feeding would be needed? Would twice a day as per usual be excessive? Thanks
If the tank has a good population of bacteria (say the tank has been set up for 6 months or more) you don't need to feed them. Corals give off some material for the bacteria to feed on (which they get from photosynthesis). If the fear is getting into an ultra low nutrient situation, you could put in a pinch of pellets once a week or so, and monitor your phosphorus and nitrate.
I’ve heard Dr Timothy Hovanec say something similar. It’s remarkable how long they can go without nutrition but on the other hand most people including myself tend to anthropomorphisise simple organisms such as bacteria. Thanks for your help!
I just had a late follow up to this thread. I’m starting the fallow today. The tank is 24 degrees Celsius with LPS and soft corals in it. Would you recommend putting it up to 28 instantly or over the course of a few days? Thanks!
Well, 27 c is a better target. You need to raise it over a few days. If there is ANY concern that your corals can’t handle it, you should just keep the tank as is and opt for a longer fallow time.
Hi,
You are pretty close to the full term, however are you certain that there are no diseases issues in the tank this fish would be coming from? Often moving a fish will cause a latent disease to start up.
