The problem with going the route is that you risk infecting the entire system. We still don't know what causes the infection, how it's transmitted, and how long it can remain in the water column. We have seen sick nems -- particularly Stichodactyla -- transmit the infection to healthy nems. This is why they should be isolated during the QT process as it eliminates cross-contamination.
In re-reading the thread, it sounds like you're putting your trust in Bob that he successfully treated the nems and believe that he has been holding all of them together for at least 28 days. If that is the case, then you should feel confident in adding them to the DT all at once, but it's good to hear that you have precautions in place.
I have reservations when it comes to nitrofurazone. I've used it in the past but was unsuccessful at saving a gigantea. On the other hand, I have successfully treated several gigs and mags with Cipro (mags respond very well to treatment), so this is where my bias stems. I'm assuming Bob's experience to the opposite, which is why he's still using nitrofurazone.
Fortunately, if the nems you receive do show signs of infection, you can begin using Cipro and not worry that the bacteria has developed a resistance to it.
I agree with your first point wholeheartedly. One of my primary concerns with this process is an infected anemone spreading something to a healthy one. That said, where I am hedging my bet is that because these anemones were housed together and went though the same conditions, that it will be more likely (not guaranteed) that if things go smooth, none will have an issue OR if one has an issue, they all will develop it... I understand where the flaws are in this logic but I believe based on the chain of command and history, that it has the chance of being more true than it would have been otherwise.
I believe that a lot of the challenges we deal with in this hobby are directly driven from the prolonged stress of transport and movement. Think about a typical process...From our oceans to the island holding facilities into bags then into boxes then onto planes, then transferred to another plane, then to a truck then to a wholesaler then into wholesaler water, wholesaler bags, wholesaler boxes, onto a plane, onto a truck, into a store system, into a store bag, into my car then to my house; sometimes within a 48 hour period without recovery time at any stage. When they are placed into a "final" system (lets face it, most people do not QT), they are extremely stressed and often surrounded by inhabitants from other parts of the world that they never would have encountered in the wild.
The 400 gallon system is not a display. It is literally a holding system that I use to bring in fish and and hold them to monitor for disease or try to get them eating in captivity. I am trying to decide if my success in this approach with fish would or could project to these anemones. Basically when we get these creatures after dealing with the transit process, they are stressed and weak. Introducing them into a traditional QT is stressful in itself and can be tough to manage with swinging parameters or tight spaces. Years ago, I was having issues bringing in fish and holding them in individual tanks as I would find that they would develop issues. I decided to build a big stable environment where they could comfortably adapt to my water and lighting without being bothered by other tankmates that were already established and comfortable. Since doing this, I have not had a single issue or loss of fish. My approach to prevention of disease outbreak with fish on this system is a 240w UV that I tune based on demand (slow down the water, kill more bad stuff vs. speed up the water kill less bad stuff). Like everything else in this hobby, people have their opinions on UV units. Mine is that if properly sized and installed, they will save you a ton of headaches around disease outbreak. I have no reference point on disease transfer in the water column for anemones but I will tell you that I've "rescued" sick fish from my LFS and dropped them right into this system only to watch them fully recover without impact to other fish or the next fish that would be introduced. Because of my previous success with the system, it is one option I am considering.
The next option is a dedicated 155 gallon set up that is basically a mini version of what I described above. The difference being that if there are issues with multiple anemones and I want to try to use Bob's recommendation for Nitrofurazone in the system, I can treat all the anemones together without worrying about impact of the medication on my display system or the holding system. I am wondering if using this setup (turning off the UV) with a preventative nitroFZ treatment would make sense...
Option 3 is dedicated individual QT tanks with 50% daily water changes.
No matter the final approach, I have 6 20H aquariums ready to go with Cipro if things really go south.
There are positives and negatives to the different options. At this point I am leaning towards option 2.
i have been thinking about trying out ibluewater if some of my LFS can't find what i am looking for
