My upcoming QT plan, what do you all think?

Miller535 · May 7, 2020

Hello all. I have a 125 gallon tank that I have not added a fish to in several years. I purchased some corals from Blue Zoo that are coming in on Saturday with a lawnmower Blenny. I have a 10 gallon tank I am going to QT him in. This is my plan, it's not ideal I know, but I think better then nothing. I have a 10 gallon qt, hob filter, and heater. I have one of those sponge filters that is coming in today, I am going to put that in my sump until tomorrow evening. Where I am going to take 10 gallons out of my dt to fill the qt (DT needs a water change anyhow), get everything running in the qt. I also bought a bottle of fritz turbo that I am going to add tomorrow. I am hoping between the sponge filter being in my sump for a day and the fritz that I will have enough biological filtration for this little guy.

Medcine wise this is my plan. I bought copper power, but it will not be in until 6 days after the fish arrives. So I am going to just observe him for the first day, and then give him a prazi pro treatment. By time that is done, the copper power should be here, and I can start treating with copper. Treat for 14 days I believe? And then I intend to leave him in qt for 2 weeks past that. I know this is not the 76 days some recommend but I think still pretty good. What do you all think?

Big G · May 7, 2020

Soak the HOB foam pad and the bubble filter pad in the Fritz Turbo ( I usually let mine soak in the sump for 30 days to get a good bacterial colony growing, but in a pinch, an over night soak in Bio Spira, or Stability, or Fritz is good too). Also add some ceramic media (Seachem Matrix or Fluval BioMax) to the HOB in a mesh bag. Soak it too in the Fritz.

Add a small powerhead aimed up at the surface where it is actively rippling the water's surface. It will provide maximum O2 that will be especially important when dosing Prazi, copper, etc.

Do you have a Seachem Ammonia Alert Badge for your tank?

Miller535 · May 7, 2020

Big G said:
Soak the HOB foam pad and the bubble filter pad in the Fritz Turbo ( I usually let mine soak in the sump for 30 days to get a good bacterial colony growing, but in a pinch, an over night soak in Bio Spira, or Stability, or Fritz is good too). Also add some ceramic media (Seachem Matrix or Fluval BioMax) to the HOB in a mesh bag. Soak it too in the Fritz.

Add a small powerhead aimed up at the surface where it is actively rippling the water's surface. It will provide maximum O2 that will be especially important when dosing Prazi, copper, etc.

Do you have a Seachem Ammonia Alert Badge for your tank?

I do not. But I do have a red sea ammonia kit

Miller535 · May 7, 2020

Just in case I bought the ammonia badge, supposed to be delivered same day as the fish. .How long are those good for, @Big G ? 3 days, a week?

Big G · May 7, 2020

Miller535 said:
Just in case I bought the ammonia badge, supposed to be delivered same day as the fish. .How long are those good for, @Big G ? 3 days, a week?

I've left them in copper and med QT's for month to 2 months, and longer in my coral invert QT. Just keep an eye on them. You never know when you might have been shipped a really old one or an improperly stored one. So double check its reliability with an occasional test by using a Red Sea ammonia test, Salifert or similar.

Best way to properly read the Seachem Ammonia Alert badge is to light it from "behind" with a small flashlight.

Miller535 · May 7, 2020

Big G said:
I've left them in copper and med QT's for month to 2 months, and longer in my coral invert QT. Just keep an eye on them. You never know when you might have been shipped a really old one or an improperly stored one. So double check its reliability with an occasional test by using a Red Sea ammonia test, Salifert or similar.

Best way to properly read the Seachem Ammonia Alert badge is to light it from "behind" with a small flashlight.

I was hesitant to buy one because I had always heard they were not very accurate and I have the red sea ammonia kit. But for $7 why not. Good to know about the flashlight.

Do blennies typically handle copper well?

Jedi Knghit · May 7, 2020

Per Seachem, the badges are good for a year.

FYI, one dose of Prazi isn't sufficient. You need a second dose 5-7 days later.

Fourteen days in Copper Power at 2.00 ppm is sufficient as long as you transfer to a clean sterile QT after the 14 days, otherwise 30 days then remove the copper from the water via, WC, carbon, etc.

Miller535 · May 7, 2020

Jedi Knghit said:
Per Seachem, the badges are good for a year.

FYI, one dose of Prazi isn't sufficient. You need a second dose 5-7 days later.

Fourteen days in Copper Power at 2.00 ppm is sufficient as long as you transfer to a clean sterile QT after the 14 days, otherwise 30 days then remove the copper from the water via, WC, carbon, etc.

Really? Hikari says: "A single treatment lasting 5-7 days is normally sufficient" (for Prazi). Have you experienced something making you think the second dose is needed?

What is the purpose of the sterile transfer?

Jedi Knghit · May 7, 2020

The primary reason to use an ammonia badge is that ammonia tests are inaccurate with copper in the water.

Check this thread for questions about specific species/tolerance for copper questions.

Fish and Treatment Guidelines (with chart)

Fish and Treatment Guidelines (with chart) The following chart is a quick reference guide on what QT protocol should be used according to which type of fish you are running through QT. It will give you an idea of which methods are generally safest with certain species but is not meant to be...

www.reef2reef.com

Jedi Knghit · May 7, 2020

Miller535 said:
Really? Hikari says: "A single treatment lasting 5-7 days is normally sufficient" (for Prazi). Have you experienced something making you think the second dose is needed?

What is the purpose of the sterile transfer?

I would highly suggest reading these threads for questions about treatments.

Treatment Options Index

This thread contains links to useful treatment options. Please click on the blue links below for more info. :) Treatment Options 102 provides a brief rundown of most medications & treatments. Acriflavine is a first aid antiseptic. Antibiotics treats bacterial infections. Chloroquine...

www.reef2reef.com

My Current QT Process

UPDATE, 10/9/22: For those looking for quarantine information, our current process is kept updated on the first page of this thread (post any questions at the end of the thread). https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/current-quarantine-protocol.825055/ Thanks, Jay Hemdal I am frequently...

www.reef2reef.com

Big G · May 7, 2020

Miller535 said:
I was hesitant to buy one because I had always heard they were not very accurate and I have the red sea ammonia kit. But for $7 why not. Good to know about the flashlight.

Do blennies typically handle copper well?

I've always found the badges to be very accurate. But I do double check them.
Blennies usually do well with copper. But you never know from fish to fish if you may have one that is copper sensitive. That's why it's best to slowly ramp up to therapeutic level over 3-5 days unless it's an emergency for something like velvet that is attacking your fish.

Big G · May 7, 2020

Miller535 said:
Really? Hikari says: "A single treatment lasting 5-7 days is normally sufficient" (for Prazi). Have you experienced something making you think the second dose is needed?

What is the purpose of the sterile transfer?

You dose. Wait 5-7 days, do a 25% water change. Then dose again. Wait 5-7 days, do a 25% water change. And then observe for 10-14 days.

The second dose is for any eggs the flukes/worms may have laid that were not killed by the first dose.
We have seen some prazi resistant flukes recently. So observing is key. Sometimes another round of treatment is necessary. And or switching to a different med.

Big G · May 7, 2020

Miller535 said:
What is the purpose of the sterile transfer?

The transfer to the sterile QT is to observe for 14 days for any parasites that may have escaped the first dosing. Sometimes the parasites are deep within the gill membrane and are protected to some degree by the mucous coating of those membranes. So we move to a fresh, sterile QT where you know there are zero parasites in the water, and watch to see if any stragglers pop up. Or you just leave the fish in the copper 30 days. But some fish have a hard time with copper. So the 14 day treat and then move is a good move for those copper sensitive fish.

Miller535 · May 7, 2020

Big G said:
You dose. Wait 5-7 days, do a 25% water change. Then dose again. Wait 5-7 days, do a 25% water change. And then observe for 10-14 days.

The second dose is for any eggs the flukes/worms may have laid that were not killed by the first dose.
We have seen some prazi resistant flukes recently. So observing is key. Sometimes another round of treatment is necessary. And or switching to a different med.

Could I dose copper power during the second time of dosing prazi?

Big G · May 7, 2020

You can use prazi and copper at the same time. But . . . it causes extra stress on the fish's immune system. I try not use more than one med at a time. Low stress on the fish's immune system is good.
Very important to use a powerhead aimed up at the surface where it is actively rippling the water's surface. Prazipro has a chemical in it that keeps the praziquantel in solution. That chemical, oxybispropanol uses a lot of the O2 from the water column and the fish can become O2 starved. A powerhead gives the most O2, more than a bubbler.

Miller535 · May 7, 2020

Big G said:
You can use prazi and copper at the same time. But . . . it causes extra stress on the fish's immune system. I try not use more than one med at a time. Low stress on the fish's immune system is good.
Very important to use a powerhead aimed up at the surface where it is actively rippling the water's surface. Prazipro has a chemical in it that keeps the praziquantel in solution. That chemical, oxybispropanol uses a lot of the O2 from the water column and the fish can become O2 starved. A powerhead gives the most O2, more than a bubbler.

Well, I don't want to stress him out any more then I have to. So I guess I will dose the prazi both times before I dose the copper power.

I have a Jebao pp-8 I could use in the tank, if I turn it down the whole way hopefully it won't be too much current for him.

Big G · May 7, 2020

Miller535 said:
I have a Jebao pp-8 I could use in the tank, if I turn it down the whole way hopefully it won't be too much current for him.

I keep a really small, cheap powerhead just for the QT. But you're right you don't want it blowing the fish around.

ReefHog · May 7, 2020

Miller535 said:
76 days some recommend but I think still pretty good. What do you all think?

76 days is for live rock and coral quarantine. Yes parasites can come in on corals and rock. I usually only do 45 days on corals as it was only one strain of ick under very specific circumstances that went like 72 days.