Tank Transfer Method and Ammonia

[ReefWithCare]

Hi there,

So I have been reading up on TTM and had a few questions:

- how do you keep ammonia in check during the the QT process. It seems like you can’t rely on biological filtration because you have to transfer tanks every 3 days.

- when you transfer the fish do you have to do a drip acclimation each time?

- do you run hyposalinity in TTM or just run normal salinity

- do you have separate equipment for each tank to ensure no cross contamination (e.g separate heaters and air pumps)

- do you use a light during the TTM QT process?

- if you aren’t using biological filtration do you need a bigger tank for TTM like say 20 or 29 gallons vs 10? My largest fish to QT with be a Yellow Tang — I will buy all my fish as small as possible. All fish will qt’ed one at a time

 

[Brew12]

I dislike TTM since it doesn't help with Velvet and it is just too much work for me. But, I can help with most of these.

- how do you keep ammonia in check during the the QT process. It seems like you can’t rely on biological filtration because you have to transfer tanks every 3 days.

I would use a sponge filter seeded with a little biospira. I would put the 5 sponges in a container and dump a bottle of biospira in. Take the sponges out as needed.

when you transfer the fish do you have to do a drip acclimation each time?

No. Just match the temp and salinity of the 2 tanks. In fact, I don't like drip acclimation for most fish, I feel it does more harm than good.

do you run hyposalinity in TTM or just run normal salinity

Normal salinity.

do you have separate equipment for each tank to ensure no cross contamination (e.g separate heaters and air pumps)

You need at least 2 sets so you can disinfect and dry one while the other is in use.

do you use a light during the TTM QT process?

Nope, ambient lighting should be fine.

 

[ReefWithCare]

I dislike TTM since it doesn't help with Velvet and it is just too much work for me. But, I can help with most of these.

I would use a sponge filter seeded with a little biospira. I would put the 5 sponges in a container and dump a bottle of biospira in. Take the sponges out as needed.


No. Just match the temp and salinity of the 2 tanks. In fact, I don't like drip acclimation for most fish, I feel it does more harm than good.


Normal salinity.


You need at least 2 sets so you can disinfect and dry one while the other is in use.


Nope, ambient lighting should be fine.

Gotcha - so you would just dry out the sponge filter than put it back into the same tank with the biospira when you dump them back in the QT and repeat until done?

 

[ReefWithCare]

Ya I know it doesn’t prevent against velvet. Velvet requires medication to prevent in QT right?

 

[Brew12]

Gotcha - so you would just dry out the sponge filter than put it back into the same tank with the biospira when you dump them back in the QT and repeat until done?

I would throw it away after each use, hence the 5 sponges.

Ya I know it doesn’t prevent against velvet. Velvet requires medication to prevent in QT right?

You can use TTM against velvet but I believe it works out to at least 7 transfers 72 hours apart. Hopefully someone can verify that.

@Humblefish or @4FordFamily you guys have worked it out, right?

 

[lagatbezan]

I do ttm every 48 hours. It's a short amount of time for the fish in the tanks so ammonia is not an issue.
I run close to hypo this way it cuts down on the cost of the amount of salt needed.
I have 3 of each equipment so it allows ample amount of time for all the equipment to fully dry between each transfer. I wash and disinfect all equipment with bleach/water as well.
I run ambient room lighting during ttm and when the fish goes into final observation tank I use a light on top to make sure I can examine the fish.
I believe for it to treat against velvet it should be transferred every 36 hours or so but it's not confirmed.

 

[ReefWithCare]

I do ttm every 48 hours. It's a short amount of time for the fish in the tanks so ammonia is not an issue.
I run close to hypo this way it cuts down on the cost of the amount of salt needed.
I have 3 of each equipment so it allows ample amount of time for all the equipment to fully dry between each transfer. I wash and disinfect all equipment with bleach/water as well.
I run ambient room lighting during ttm and when the fish goes into final observation tank I use a light on top to make sure I can examine the fish.
I believe for it to treat against velvet it should be transferred every 36 hours or so but it's not confirmed.

I thought it was about 72 hrs per transfer (but not more) and do it 4 times for the traditional method

 

[puffy127]

I thought it was about 72 hrs per transfer (but not more) and do it 4 times for the traditional method

Yes, if treating just for ich. If ammonia build up is a concern, you can transfer sooner (with more transfers).

I've been doing 36 hour transfers (for ich and velvet) and due to the short time between transfers, ammonia build up is less of a concern.

 

[dede]

If you are just doing one fish at a time and they are all on the small side then you should be fine with a 10 gallon. Be very careful with your feeding and remove any uneaten food. I also use an ammonia badge on each tank.

You will need 2 x the equipment so one set is always drying out. I also have a spool of airline tubing so each time I am using new tubing. I would not reuse sponging either. I found it helpful to have a 30 gallon brute mixed up and ready to go so you have enough saltwater made for the first couple of transfers.

Plan out your transfer times and dates. That way you can work around work or other obligations. You never want to exceed the transfer times, always be under. You can always add an extra set(3 days) if you need to transfer a lot sooner.

As far as salinity goes, usually fish will come in from online retailers or your local fish store at hyposalinity. You want to match this salinity. Therefore I usually will have heated RODI water on hand so I can adjust my salinity down to match what the fish comes in at. You can always call them to find out what they keep their salinity at too but I still check the bag as I am temp acclimating them from the fish store.

For transfers just make sure your salinity and temp is the same, no need to drip or temp acclimate. I like to use a Styrofoam cup to scoop them up and drain out as much water as possible and right into the other tank they go.

Also, tanks should be 10 feet from each other and the display. But if this is not feasible, at least do not put them right next to each other.

Most important thing is not to use anything from one tank to the other. They should be completely separate setups. Once the fish is transferred, empty and clean the tank and equipment right away so it has the maximum amount of time to dry.