QT Invertebrates and green mandarine

Noob_Sam · Oct 24, 2020

Hello,
So I wanted to get a couple more snails and crabs for my reef tank but I don't want the risk of them bringing parasites into my tank. I know ich and velvet cant live on them but I heard that it can live for some time on their shells? Is this true? and I wanted to know how do I QT them? Lastly I wanted to get a green mandarin. I know that ick and velvet cant live on them but they can be carriers. And that I cant QT them in copper, so how do i QT them.
Thanks.

leighla wolf · Oct 24, 2020

Noob_Sam said:
Hello,
So I wanted to get a couple more snails and crabs for my reef tank but I don't want the risk of them bringing parasites into my tank. I know ich and velvet cant live on them but I heard that it can live for some time on their shells? Is this true? and I wanted to know how do I QT them? Lastly I wanted to get a green mandarin. I know that ick and velvet cant live on them but they can be carriers. And that I cant QT them in copper, so how do i QT them.
Thanks.

Mandarin are scaleless fish. You have to quarentine them with chloroquine phosphate in a separate tank with extra air like an air stone! Also, Dr. Reef on here sells prequarentined snails and hermits and fish and is the best guy around! I’m actually getting ready to buy some hermits myself from him!

His website is:

https://quarantinedfish.us/

leighla wolf · Oct 24, 2020

leighla wolf said:
Mandarin are scaleless fish. You have to quarentine them with chloroquine phosphate in a separate tank with extra air like an air stone! Also, Dr. Reef on here sells prequarentined snails and hermits and fish and is the best guy around! I’m actually getting ready to buy some hermits myself from him!

His website is:

https://quarantinedfish.us/

Oh and to get chloroquine phosphate l, contact your vet (if you have a cat or dog) or local aquarium vet. You’ll have to send them pictures of your fish (this will help avoid you having to take the fish in!) haha with an explanation and usually won’t have to pay a vet fee. My aquarium vet has done this for me in the past. Be aware that chloroquine phosphate will cause the tank to have an algae explosion though! And also make sure it eats prepared foods. Mine (my profile pic Icarus who got much fatter than that picture...I got him starving from a Petco display tank) I don’t know if pods can live/be sustained in a quarantine tank with meds/ no sand/ etc.

Noob_Sam · Oct 24, 2020

leighla wolf said:
Mandarin are scaleless fish. You have to quarentine them with chloroquine phosphate in a separate tank with extra air like an air stone! Also, Dr. Reef on here sells prequarentined snails and hermits and fish and is the best guy around! I’m actually getting ready to buy some hermits myself from him!

His website is:

https://quarantinedfish.us/

leighla wolf said:
Oh and to get chloroquine phosphate l, contact your vet (if you have a cat or dog) or local aquarium vet. You’ll have to send them pictures of your fish (this will help avoid you having to take the fish in!) haha with an explanation and usually won’t have to pay a vet fee. My aquarium vet has done this for me in the past. Be aware that chloroquine phosphate will cause the tank to have an algae explosion though! And also make sure it eats prepared foods. Mine (my profile pic Icarus who got much fatter than that picture...I got him starving from a Petco display tank) I don’t know if pods can live/be sustained in a quarantine tank with meds/ no sand/ etc.

oh ok I see. Thanks so much. I will check out the link you provided.

leighla wolf · Oct 24, 2020

Noob_Sam said:
oh ok I see. Thanks so much. I will check out the link you provided.

Definitely do!

Noob_Sam · Oct 24, 2020

leighla wolf said:
Definitely do!

Also do you know anything about cyanobacteria in a reef tank?

leighla wolf · Oct 24, 2020

Noob_Sam said:
Also do you know anything about cyanobacteria in a reef tank?

Yeah. That’s a nutrient issue. Do you know what your nitrates, salinity, lighting schedule are? Do you have a refugium? A lot of people want to use things like chemiclean but that’s just a bandaid and it will come back with a vengeance. Can you give me some more information on your tank and how old it is? What sort of filtration? Stock? Etc?

Noob_Sam · Oct 24, 2020

leighla wolf said:
Yeah. That’s a nutrient issue. Do you know what your nitrates, salinity, lighting schedule are? Do you have a refugium? A lot of people want to use things like chemiclean but that’s just a bandaid and it will come back with a vengeance. Can you give me some more information on your tank and how old it is? What sort of filtration? Stock? Etc?

Yes ofc. So I have 2 fluuval 307. I have my lights on for 10ish hours. Its a 80 gallon and its been a year and 3 months since I first set it up. I have 2 clowns, coral beauty, blue tang, yellow tang, a damsel, a pair of Banggai Cardinal, a reef safe puffer idk the name he is small 3ish inches, eel, coral shrimp, 5 snails and 2 crabs. i am planning to make a DIY hang on the back refugium soon. Also I use API saltwater test kit and everything reads 0. So i think its the lights? Also i have a hang on the back protein skimmer.

leighla wolf · Oct 24, 2020

Noob_Sam said:
Yes ofc. So I have 2 fluuval 307. I have my lights on for 10ish hours. Its a 80 gallon and its been a year and 3 months since I first set it up. I have 2 clowns, coral beauty, blue tang, yellow tang, a damsel, a pair of Banggai Cardinal, a reef safe puffer idk the name he is small 3ish inches, eel, coral shrimp, 5 snails and 2 crabs. i am planning to make a DIY hang on the back refugium soon. Also I use API saltwater test kit and everything reads 0. So i think its the lights? Also i have a hang on the back protein skimmer.

Are you sure everything’s reading zero? A lot of times low nutrients causes Cyano. If your readings for phosphate and nitrate are 0 a refugium with something like chaeto will die because they use nitrate and phosphate to grow. Cyano from low nutrients and That mixed with lights that have a lot of white in them. White light feeds algae. When was the last time you did a water change as well? Do you use rodi water? Have you tested the TDS of this water?

Noob_Sam · Oct 24, 2020

leighla wolf said:
Are you sure everything’s reading zero? A lot of times low nutrients causes Cyano. If your readings for phosphate and nitrate are 0 a refugium with something like chaeto will die because they use nitrate and phosphate to grow. Cyano from low nutrients and That mixed with lights that have a lot of white in them. White light feeds algae. When was the last time you did a water change as well? Do you use rodi water? Have you tested the TDS of this water?

Well since the readings are 0 I thought to my self that there is no reason for me to do a water change. So last time was like around a month when I had some nitrates. I use ocean water from my lfs and RODI water for the water that was evaporated. My phosphates are around 0.10-0.25 ppm ( I use the API for that as well and the results are yellow with a little green ish but stronger yellow). I feed a cube of ocean nutrition formula two, Mysis and brine shrimp, and nori every other day. Maybe I have too much filtration?

Noob_Sam · Oct 24, 2020

Noob_Sam said:
Well since the readings are 0 I thought to my self that there is no reason for me to do a water change. So last time was like around a month when I had some nitrates. I use ocean water from my lfs and RODI water for the water that was evaporated. My phosphates are around 0.10-0.25 ppm ( I use the API for that as well and the results are yellow with a little green ish but stronger yellow). I feed a cube of ocean nutrition formula two, Mysis and brine shrimp, and nori every other day. Maybe I have too much filtration?

btw the cyanobacteria is a red slimy algae like right? Just so we are talking about the same thing. Its very small though. Like a 2 cm circle of cyanobacteria is on my sand and little in another corner and very small amount on one of my live rock.

leighla wolf · Oct 24, 2020

Noob_Sam said:
btw the cyanobacteria is a red slimy algae like right? Just so we are talking about the same thing. Its very small though. Like a 2 cm circle of cyanobacteria is on my sand and little in another corner and very small amount on one of my live rock.

Yes lol. Same thing we are discussing. Over filtering can cause cyano. Canister filters aren’t always the best because I believe ph fluctuates as well. Do you add marine buffer? Also if it is small amounts of cyano before they get out of hand I would turn off filters while doing a water change to vaccuum up as much as you can. But you might need MORE nutrients if your readings are correct.

leighla wolf · Oct 24, 2020

leighla wolf said:
Yes lol. Same thing we are discussing. Over filtering can cause cyano. Canister filters aren’t always the best because I believe ph fluctuates as well. Do you add marine buffer? Also if it is small amounts of cyano before they get out of hand I would turn off filters while doing a water change to vaccuum up as much as you can. But you might need MORE nutrients if your readings are correct.

Also, your lights may be on too long or strong depending on your lighting system. And making sure you have flow in tank is also a reason. Detritus buildup leads to elevated phosphates. If you don’t have corals or even if you have softies you can do a three day lights out period to kill the existing cyano before you suck it up.

Noob_Sam · Oct 24, 2020

leighla wolf said:
Yes lol. Same thing we are discussing. Over filtering can cause cyano. Canister filters aren’t always the best because I believe ph fluctuates as well. Do you add marine buffer? Also if it is small amounts of cyano before they get out of hand I would turn off filters while doing a water change to vaccuum up as much as you can. But you might need MORE nutrients if your readings are correct.

My Ph has been around 8.2-8.4 all the time. I just got a marine buffer. But i have never used it. I will do a water test right now and will post the results.

Noob_Sam · Oct 24, 2020

leighla wolf said:
Also, your lights may be on too long or strong depending on your lighting system. And making sure you have flow in tank is also a reason. Detritus buildup leads to elevated phosphates. If you don’t have corals or even if you have softies you can do a three day lights out period to kill the existing cyano before you suck it up.

Yeah I got some corals but I think they will be fine without lights for 3 days.

leighla wolf · Oct 24, 2020

Noob_Sam said:
Yeah I got some corals but I think they will be fine without lights for 3 days.

That will make a difference but like I said. These are bandaids. Ultimately you have to find the source of it. I use chemicals like seachem phosgaurd and chemipure but I use them sparingly and based on my tanks needs. I have refugiums in my tanks though.