Hello everyone im kinda new to this stuff.... just finished cycling my tank yay! havn't got any live stock yet just beeen ghost feeding to keep stuff going. setting up a medicated tank before i drop anything in DT... anyhow can i and should i medicate inverts and corals before putting them in my tank? my buddy said he has some coral frags he wants to give me to start me off... but he also told me he has that bubble algae. and i know he has had ich in the past and i dont think its ever left his tank because he didnt medicate anything he just dont see it.....anyways say he gives me a small rock with a small frag on it how could i make sure is does not have bubble algae? or anything else undesirable?
can corals and inverts be Qt and medicated?
- Thread starter Isaac01
- Start date
MondoBongo
Obligate Feeder Obsessed
with corals, you can dip them in various products, to help kill most unwanted organisms. depending on the type of coral, there are different options here. from iodine based dips, to bayer insecticide. the course of treatment will depend on what kind of coral you have. some corals tolerate certain dips better/worse than others.
inverts like snails, crabs, shrimp, etc... should not be dipped like corals. the dips will kill them. you have two options for invert treatment:
1. time. place them in a dedicated invert-only qt system for 72 days. this will help ensure that any parasites, especially fish parasites, have time to die out from lack of a host.
2. Tank Transfer Method, aka TTM.
if you have the space, i would recommend tank transfer for both, and additional dips for corals.
as for the bubble algae, if you can see it, you can remove it, but there's not much else you can do to prevent it. you might be able to carefully apply hydrogen peroxide to frag plugs and things like that, but keep in mind that it will not be kind to any living coral tissue, or in the case of live rock the bacteria colonies and other life it harbors. not worth the hassle and potential risk, in my opinion.
typically with all algae your best course of action is depriving it of what it needs to grow, mainly nutrients in the water, coupled with manual removal where appropriate.
inverts like snails, crabs, shrimp, etc... should not be dipped like corals. the dips will kill them. you have two options for invert treatment:
1. time. place them in a dedicated invert-only qt system for 72 days. this will help ensure that any parasites, especially fish parasites, have time to die out from lack of a host.
2. Tank Transfer Method, aka TTM.
if you have the space, i would recommend tank transfer for both, and additional dips for corals.
as for the bubble algae, if you can see it, you can remove it, but there's not much else you can do to prevent it. you might be able to carefully apply hydrogen peroxide to frag plugs and things like that, but keep in mind that it will not be kind to any living coral tissue, or in the case of live rock the bacteria colonies and other life it harbors. not worth the hassle and potential risk, in my opinion.
typically with all algae your best course of action is depriving it of what it needs to grow, mainly nutrients in the water, coupled with manual removal where appropriate.
scooter31707
New member
Honestly, I get my corals from my LFS and they do not have any fish in with the corals. So I just do a dip in Bayer or Revive. All my inverts goes into a QT for at 72 days.
i think i have some revive i bought from a LFS closing down and never cracked it open... man i just set up a QT for my fish and now i need one for inverts and coral? i dont know if i have the patients to hold out for another tank and another 72 days... can you tell me more about the TTM or give me a link to better understand the proccess?
gone fishin
New member
There is a sticky at the top of this forum about TTM.
MondoBongo
Obligate Feeder Obsessed
keep in mind that QT is primarily a risk mitigation strategy, and not all things are created equal in regards to how much risk they carry as an infection vector.
i QT fish strictly, inverts less strictly, and corals varies depending on the type of coral.
so at the end of the day you know your setup best, and it's going to be on you to make the best informed decision as to what kind of QT strategy works the best for your set up and constraints.
MondoBongo
Obligate Feeder Obsessed
not true.
if ich happened to encyst on a coral, for example, then TTM would ensure that you would leave it behind at some point when it entered its theront stage. same with other inverts, if they happened to somehow be harboring ich cysts.
CHSUB
"Certified Hobby Expert"
false...TTM for fish only!!
MondoBongo
Obligate Feeder Obsessed
What is your evidence/reasoning behind not thinking TTM would be effective?
CHSUB
"Certified Hobby Expert"
http://http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fa164
this link shows the life cycle of ich and why TTM is effective for fish and only fish.
MondoBongo
Obligate Feeder Obsessed
Good catch. My reasoning was flawed there. Thank you for pointing that out.
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