Quarantine Questions

[merloquin]

I am in the process of setting up a 120 gallon display tank. I am interested in quarantining any new fish before they are added to the DT. To that end, I have read several threads on this process from @Humblefish and @Brew12. Some added info, I am only able to set up one QT in addition to my main tank. I have read the article on aerosol transmission of various fish parasites and the recommendation to keep tanks ten feet apart. With that in mind, I have a place to generate RO/DI water and mix saltwater, an area for a QT tank and an area where my DT will be, all which are at least 10' from each other. Beyond that, there simply isn't anymore space in my setup for another QT in order to do tank transfer, etc. Last, I am willing to be patient and treat and observe the newly purchased fish before adding them to my DT, to ensure the fish are off to a good start.

For my QT, I will be using a 20 gallon tank, HOB filter, PVC pipes for the fish to hide, a Seachem Ammonia Alert badge, heater, temp gauge, and a powerhead for water flow.

Given all of that, here are my questions:

1. What is the best method to match salinity in the QT to the water the fish is received in? What is the specific process? I am confused as to how to raise or lower salinity. I understand how to mix the salinity initially (I am using Instant Ocean salt) and measuring with a refractometer to test the result. But if the reading comes out to be X and you wish to go to Y, how does one raise or lower the salinity to get to the new value? Is this simply a guessing game of adding RODI to dilute or adding salt to increase concentration? Does anybody have specific guidance as to how much RODI dilutes a specific amount of saltwater and vice versa for increasing the concentration?
2. There seem to be many methods of treatment with different medications and processes. One involves copper + metronidazole and the other involves chloroquine. Then there is a separate period of deworming. My question is, which is better?
3. If I choose to go the route of copper + metro, what is the total time frame involved? By my read of humblefish's article it would be 5-7 days to raise copper concentration to therapeutic levels, 30 days of keeping copper at therapeutic level, then a 7 day period of treatment with general cure for intestinal issues, then a period with no meds for 14 days to observe and retreat as necessary. That's essentially 58 days, or nearly 2 months. Do I have that timeframe correct or am I missing anything? I have seen some videos of people with one tank doing this in only 30 days. One example here: HOW I QUARANTINE NEW SALTWATER AQUARIUM FISH (STEP BY STEP). Just curious what is the safest, yet most expeditious method, of getting newly purchased fish into your DT with a reasonable degree of confidence they will be free of ailments.
4. How many fish can be QT'd together at one time? (Assuming of course the fish are compatible with each other).
5. After the period of medication, how do you remove the medications from the water to allow for an observation period if needed? What method of fish transfer is best to avoid contaminating the main tank with copper? (I would think a strainer as shown by @Brew12?)

I greatly appreciate any and all guidance here. I am working with my spouse who is much more knowledgeable and has kept saltwater fish before, but basically was one of those in the camp of not QTing fish before adding to the DT. After reading several articles, we are convinced QTing is the way to go, but we want to be sure to do it right.

Thanks in advance!

 

[lapin]

To raise or lower salinity you either add salt or remove salt water and add rodi water. If you are adding salt be sure to mix it for 10 min or so before adding fish.

 

[merloquin]

To raise or lower salinity you either add salt or remove salt water and add rodi water. If you are adding salt be sure to mix it for 10 min or so before adding fish.

Thanks for the reply. Do you know of more specifics related to the process? For example, how much RODI is added to dilute a specific amount of saltwater to a specific reading and vice versa for increasing the salinity. I was kind of hoping to not have it be a guessing game of add a little, take a bit out, measure, rinse and repeat, etc....

 

[shootingstar_reef]

Unfortunately, there are no specifics as it varies by person and by brand. You can always use proportions though:

If you have 10 gallons at 1.024sg, adding another 10 gallons of RODI should drop it to (about) 1.012sg.

Your salt should have some sort of ratio; tropic marin has "37-40g" of salt to raise 1 L of RODI water to "1.025-1.027" (or 1/2 cup for 1 gal). You can do the hard calculations, but there is still a margin of error, and it ends up still being a little bit of a guessing game '-_- but with these ratios you can at least narrow it down I guess, haha

 

[missgoofyx24]

Aquarium Calculators

An index of useful aquarium calculators and converters.

www.hamzasreef.com

1. ^^^ There you go. I had the same wonders at first! There is also one for copper power if you're planning to use that and need to calculate the doses... I'll link that below.

Copper Power Calculator | CALCONIC_ Calculator

Custom Copper Power Calculator calculator, built using CALCONIC_

www.calconic.com

2. I went with the copper power route because it seemed the simplest. From my understanding, you can't mix the other one with one of the other drugs. I can't remember which one.

3. This is the schedule I use. I printed it out and laminated it so I can hang it above the tank and use a wet erase pen to cross off each day or write notes on it to adjust the schedule if needed.

I can send you the file if you'd like. The "HF recipe" is @Humblefish's recipe for intestinal parasites and I only do that if I see evidence of such. I start feeding that recipe as soon as I see the symptoms. Just remember that the schedule above is all dependent on how the fish are reacting to the copper and other medications. I run a HOB filter, a powerhead, and a bubbler just in case the medications cut into more oxygen uptake. If the fish seem stressed, you may need to spend a longer time increasing the copper dose.

4. Like you said, only keep fish together that tolerate each other and then remember to only add the amount that are okay for the size of your tank. Hopefully @Humblefish will chime in if I'm wrong, but the only thing I can think of besides aggression levels is to be careful not to pair fish together that have different tolerances of copper, so you can properly raise the ppm according to their sensitivity. Also, keep in mind the bio-load and how it may be more sensitive to swings since there will be no live rock or sand in there.

5. You can use cuprisorb to absorb the copper or you can simply put them into a 5 gallon bucket with their original heater and a bubbler while you empty the tank and clean it. Then fill the clean tank with salt water with the clean equipment. I freshwater dip between transfers, with a strainer and a bowl, and then transfer into clean tank. You'll clean the filter and replace all the media with new stuff. If you want to shorten the observation period, you can use black mollies. I haven't done it yet, but that's due to the nearby pet store never having them.