Sps quarantine

rs1831 · Mar 13, 2016

I've recently had some issues with some fish that could have been avoided. I am going to be quarantining everything before it goes into my main tank from this point on. What kind of set up do you use to quarantine sps for the 70+ days that is recommended?

Thanks,
Roland

rayn · Mar 13, 2016

@Humblefish or @melypr1985 for a better answer. But, I don't think they need the days like fish do. However the time does give you enough to have them grow up and be ready for your DT.

Setup should be as close as possible to your DT. Lighting, parameters, water changes. Then the switch isn't as drastic.

Humblefish · Mar 13, 2016

My 29 gal "fishless" frag tank. I place all corals/inverts in here for 76 days before they go into my DT. Just cheap T5 lighting, Koralia powerhead, HOB powerfilter, heater, rock/sand and a frag rack gets the job done.

However, in your situation you are going to need stronger lighting (LEDs maybe?) and stronger flow to accommodate SPS. The lack of fish will help keep nutrients down.

cb684 · Mar 13, 2016

I just wrote two posts about this yesterday in another thread. Not exactly about the setting but some discussion about risks...
Here is the link: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/c...ebrates-avoiding-disease.239336/#post-2799157
Good luck!
CB

melypr1985 · Mar 13, 2016

I have a jbj frag tank that I use. I like the all in one feature which makes it pretty simple and less equipment to buy for it. Either method is perfectly fine

The main thing to remember, is NO FISH!

rs1831 · Mar 13, 2016

Thanks everyone. I just purchased everything needed for a fish quarantine tank and I actually have most of what I need for a coral tank. I was going to connect the frag tank to my display but now that is out of the question so all I need is a skimmer.

rs1831 · Mar 13, 2016

I guess I have another question. If I set up up a quarantine tank for corals with a heater, flow, filter, and led lighting that could support sps would sps be ok under those circumstances for the suggested period of time since there would be no bioload? Should I have live rock in there? I am considering setting up a fishless frag tank such as Humblefish and then setting up an actual frag tank that is plumbed into the sump of my display.

Thanks!

melypr1985 · Mar 13, 2016

rs1831 said:
I guess I have another question. If I set up up a quarantine tank for corals with a heater, flow, filter, and led lighting that could support sps would sps be ok under those circumstances for the suggested period of time since there would be no bioload? Should I have live rock in there? I am considering setting up a fishless frag tank such as Humblefish and then setting up an actual frag tank that is plumbed into the sump of my display.

Thanks!

It's perfectly fine to have live rock and even live sand in a fishless frag tank. As far as a bioload goes, you can always feed your coral. Coral themselves will create a very small bioload while absorbing nutrients and expelling waste. I have coral food (oyster feast) and occasionally will have things like snails, hermits and starfish in there as well that will need to be fed.

rs1831 · Mar 13, 2016

melypr1985 said:
It's perfectly fine to have live rock and even live sand in a fishless frag tank. As far as a bioload goes, you can always feed your coral. Coral themselves will create a very small bioload while absorbing nutrients and expelling waste. I have coral food (oyster feast) and occasionally will have things like snails, hermits and starfish in there as well that will need to be fed.

Thank you for the response. Would you set up both, a coral quarantine tank and a frag tank or just one?

melypr1985 · Mar 13, 2016

rs1831 said:
Thank you for the response. Would you set up both, a coral quarantine tank and a frag tank or just one?

Honestly I'm sticking with just the one. But I dont frag often and would primarily use it as a QT and to grow new corals out some before placing in my DT. I also dont have room for more tanks. If you have the room and frag often (ei: you need the extra space to store frags), then I dont see why having both would hurt.