My QT Plan

[Susan Edwards]

I think I’ve come up with a QT Plan. I admit I'm nervous as I've never done fish QT and just set up a coral qt but after losing most my fish to MV, I now QT. On the 14th, I can move my qt’d fish back into my main tanks. I’m going to spend the next few days after resetting up the QT tank which is a 20 gal hex. First, my goal/method/mission statement <g> will be to have an acclimation and observation tank. Second, tank needs to be fish friendly, and viewing friendly—spa vacation for fish to be pampered.

I plan to:
· Remove the sand as it did have copper treatment
· Remove and clean the pvc tower/sterialize all pvc and save for later needs
· Keep the 2 pcs of rock that I added after copper treatment was done and copper test showed 0 and add a couple others (put them in when the scooter blenny went in as he was treated separately with CP)
· Add some gaudy cheap flowers to add hiding places <g> and maybe a ceramic decoration fish can hid in if there is room or build something with rock. Need a bit more rock though.
· Clean out the small canister filter and order the new hob filter that has an actual media chamber instead of using “cartridges” which are useless
· Clean the glass and add fresh live sand
· Save half the water and refill with tank water—tank will have been fallow for 76 days
· With new sand and filter media, the tank will be ready. With half old water, half tank water, it won’t be a “fresh” cycle
· Set up this week in my main tank a plastic food storage container with sand complete with pods and rubble rock I have laying in bottom of my tank. Let it get lots of nice pods living in it and then add to the QT so there are pods for the mandarin I’m going to get in a couple weeks. Yes, will have to supplement. Also get some pot scrubbers or foam sponges (refill for hob filters?) and put in MD sump. As the tank has been fallow just short of 76 days, I think I can do that this week, after all, there won’t be any fish added until the 14th. I’ll leave the sponges there until a day before I bring home new fish. That will be at least 2 weeks to be seeded.
· Add some of my trochus snails to both the hex qt and the coral qt. Which means no copper used.
· Add more biospira for new bio load. Currently there are six fish in there. I plan to only get 4 (mandarin, pair of clowns, a goby or blenny) but I could get six if small. (currently have 2 chromis, 2 damsels, 1 sand sifter goby and 1 scooter blenny)

The other thing I’m going to start doing is feeding some live food to all fish. I seldom feed flake, and pellets are for the bottom scavengers, not fish. I always feed a mix of frozen, believing it’s more natural, but I like Paul B’s theory on the benefits of live food and fish needing bacteria, not sterile environments to keep strong immune systems. Going to order brine shrimp eggs and get other live foods which will help the mandarin and all the others

If I need to medicate, I will have to evaluate what is needed and if I can add to the QT/Observation tank or not. If need be, I set up a small 3-5 gal hospital tank using water from Main display (will also be adding sponges to sump to always have on hand. That means either another small tank and using one of the other hob’s I have. Figure out what other meds to have on hand. I have cp which I prefer to use over copper, which I also have. That’s it.

Thoughts, suggestions?

 

[ngoodermuth]

Some thoughts... having an observational QT is fine, but like you mentioned if the fish require medication a hospital tank would be needed. If ich or velvet would present itself, all the fish in observation would need treated in a bare-bones hospital tank and the observation tank would either need to be broken down, rock and sand removed/replaced and tank and all equipment sterilized; or left fallow for 76 days, just like a display. Depending on how many fish require treatment, 3-5 gallons will likely be too small for any significant treatment timetable. I'd suggest picking up something a bit larger, like a 10-20g minimum. I would avoid adding inverts in the observation tank as well, as that would almost force you to have to run fallow or find them their own, separate holding tank.

CP is great for mandarins, but not for wrasses, anthias, or hippo tangs. CP isn't "bad" for rock, but still not suggested outside of a bare-bones QT as the rock/sand/biofilm can cause the levels to fluctuate and at the moment we have no way of testing for CP in the water.

Here is a helpful table for deciding which medications are safe for which fish:

Fish and Treatment Guidelines (with chart)

https://www.reef2reef.com/index.php?threads/Fish-and-Treatment-Guidelines-(with-chart).283450/

Also, when QT'ing your mandarin... I've found nutrimar ova to be a great supplemental food

 

[Susan Edwards]

Good thoughts @ngoodermuth I guess the observation can be turned into a hospital by removing sand and rocks and putting back in the pvc tower if more than one fish is ill. I might also put sand in a pie dish type of container (hex tank) so it can be easily removed. So maybe store bought decorations better than using rock. I can put rubble rock in canister for biological filtration. It can be boiled and left in sun in order to be reused. Or tossed. I think I also have some plastic bio balls.

I also have something called rid-ick plus. Is it any good or a waste of my $$.

 

[ngoodermuth]

I think keeping sand in a glass dish and using artificial decorations/pvc are good ideas...that makes it easier to clean and add medications when needed. A couple inches of sand in a dish won't effect levels enough to be problematic like live rock, so that could stay if meds are needed.

Most of those so-called ich treatments are only good for management, at best. They won't completely rid your tank. Copper, CP, and TTM are all proven methods for eradicating ich. But, TTM won't help with velvet.

CP is the best choice when possible, IMO, since it treats all of the big 4 parasites: ich, velvet, brook, and uronema. I just happen to like buying wrasses, so I don't use it as much.

 

[Susan Edwards]

good to know on sand in dish so that's what I'll do. And any snails can be removed and tossed into the coral qt tank as that will never have fish in it.