Quarantine Salinity

[Maximus93101]

Hi folks, after a 15 absence from the hobby, I am getting back into the swing of things with a new IM 50 Lagoon AIO that just arrived today.

Things are a little different now with dry rock instead of live rock (I think this is a good trend, personally, even if it is slightly more challenging in the initial stages) Also, there is is a higher emphasis on properly quarantining your fish and corals.

I have a small 15 gallon tank set up as a QT tank, have a small 75 Watt heater, a small HOB filter, cheap eBay light and a Bio-Media brick and some PVC pipe for the fish to hide.

My question is, that I understand having a lower salinity and temp from your main tank is preferable. My QT tank is currently set up for 75 degrees at 30ppt, while my main tank will be 77 degrees at 3ppt.

Just checking on what y'all thing a a good QT tank should run as far as temp and salinity.

 

[Spare time]

The temperature should be 81F in the QT. Salinity doesn't matter (outside of normal care) unless you are doing hyposalinity.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hi folks, after a 15 absence from the hobby, I am getting back into the swing of things with a new IM 50 Lagoon AIO that just arrived today.

Things are a little different now with dry rock instead of live rock (I think this is a good trend, personally, even if it is slightly more challenging in the initial stages) Also, there is is a higher emphasis on properly quarantining your fish and corals.

I have a small 15 gallon tank set up as a QT tank, have a small 75 Watt heater, a small HOB filter, cheap eBay light and a Bio-Media brick and some PVC pipe for the fish to hide.

My question is, that I understand having a lower salinity and temp from your main tank is preferable. My QT tank is currently set up for 75 degrees at 30ppt, while my main tank will be 77 degrees at 3ppt.

Just checking on what y'all thing a a good QT tank should run as far as temp and salinity.

There was a typo, what is your salinity of the main tank? I'm guessing 35 ppt?

Jay

 

[Maximus93101]

There was a typo, what is your salinity of the main tank? I'm guessing 35 ppt?

Jay

Nice catch. Yes. The main tank is 35ppt, NOT "3" ;0)

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Nice catch. Yes. The main tank is 35ppt, NOT "3" ;0)

I wouldn't go much below 30 ppt in your QT unless you are aiming to use full hyposalinity. I hear people using "partial hypo" in QT, but really, it doesn't offer much benefit to the fish, and then, you need to deal with adjusting the fish back up after the QT period is finished. Even going from 30 to 35, I would adjust the salinity of the fish in the QT up over a day or so as opposed to acclimating them much in an hour or so. Marine fish handle drops in salinity very well, but rises must be done more slowly.

Jay

 

[kingjoe]

Hi folks, after a 15 absence from the hobby, I am getting back into the swing of things with a new IM 50 Lagoon AIO that just arrived today.

Things are a little different now with dry rock instead of live rock (I think this is a good trend, personally, even if it is slightly more challenging in the initial stages) Also, there is is a higher emphasis on properly quarantining your fish and corals.

I have a small 15 gallon tank set up as a QT tank, have a small 75 Watt heater, a small HOB filter, cheap eBay light and a Bio-Media brick and some PVC pipe for the fish to hide.

My question is, that I understand having a lower salinity and temp from your main tank is preferable. My QT tank is currently set up for 75 degrees at 30ppt, while my main tank will be 77 degrees at 3ppt.

Just checking on what y'all thing a a good QT tank should run as far as temp and salinity.

It looks like you have a good quarantine set up. About the only thing I would do would be to drop the salinity down to ~26-27 ppt. Some dealers keep their salinity low to discourage ecto-parasites, and acclimating a fish over a couple of hours from, say, 26 ppt up to 30 ppt is very hard on it and can lead to osmotic shock- the fish's internal specific gravity rises faster than its system can accommodate due to the body absorbing too much high salinity water too quickly. It is much easier for them to transition from a higher salinity to a lower one. Once your new fish is acclimated to QT, you can slowly raise the salinity over a couple of weeks. I actually keep two quarantine tanks- one at 34-35 ppt for corals and inverts, and one at around 27 ppt for fish. The coral quarantine tank is a help for some of the more delicate fish like butterflies, because it is basically a small reef tank, and I sometimes transfer them there for a couple of weeks after their salinity adjustments and medication protocols in the fish QT. It is sort of a transition between quarantine and the display tank. Regarding temperature, I keep all of my tanks at about 75F. I also run a small UV sterilizer on my fish QT when I'm not medicating.

 

[Maximus93101]

It looks like you have a good quarantine set up. About the only thing I would do would be to drop the salinity down to ~26-27 ppt. Some dealers keep their salinity low to discourage ecto-parasites, and acclimating a fish over a couple of hours from, say, 26 ppt up to 30 ppt is very hard on it and can lead to osmotic shock- the fish's internal specific gravity rises faster than its system can accommodate due to the body absorbing too much high salinity water too quickly. It is much easier for them to transition from a higher salinity to a lower one. Once your new fish is acclimated to QT, you can slowly raise the salinity over a couple of weeks. I actually keep two quarantine tanks- one at 34-35 ppt for corals and inverts, and one at around 27 ppt for fish. The coral quarantine tank is a help for some of the more delicate fish like butterflies, because it is basically a small reef tank, and I sometimes transfer them there for a couple of weeks after their salinity adjustments and medication protocols in the fish QT. It is sort of a transition between quarantine and the display tank. Regarding temperature, I keep all of my tanks at about 75F. I also run a small UV sterilizer on my fish QT when I'm not medicating.

That's some great information, thank you! As of now, I decided to just set up the QT tank with 35ppt at 77 degrees. In other words, standard water parameters.

I just got 2x Percula clowns and a Tailspot Blenny yesterday and they are currently in the QT tank. For now, I will just hold the fish for at least four weeks for observation, while I get the main tank set up and fully cycled. By the time the main tank is ready to go, the QT fish should have "done their proper time" and should be ready to move into the main tank.

I know some like to dose with copper and medicate the fish immediately, but I think my thought process is that I will just use QT as a holding tank for observation, and medicate only if I see issues with the fish.

 

[kingjoe]

That's some great information, thank you! As of now, I decided to just set up the QT tank with 35ppt at 77 degrees. In other words, standard water parameters.

I just got 2x Percula clowns and a Tailspot Blenny yesterday and they are currently in the QT tank. For now, I will just hold the fish for at least four weeks for observation, while I get the main tank set up and fully cycled. By the time the main tank is ready to go, the QT fish should have "done their proper time" and should be ready to move into the main tank.

I know some like to dose with copper and medicate the fish immediately, but I think my thought process is that I will just use QT as a holding tank for observation, and medicate only if I see issues with the fish.

I have a medication regimen that I generally follow with new arrivals, but unless they are sick right out of the bag, I wait a week or two to get them settled in and eating. The shipping ordeal is stressful enough, so the medicating can wait for a bit. I agree with your four week minimum. Sometimes a fish might be getting sick or harboring a burgeoning parasite infestation, but his resistance could be very strong, and symptoms won't manifest for several weeks. So, a solid month in QT is definitely a good idea.