Coral/inverts qt to avoid fish diseases

[kenith]

What are your protocols for qt'ing coral to avoid fish diseases from entering a clean system?



Kenny

 

[scooter31707]

Quarantine for 72 days. I dip every 3 weeks.

 

[Newsmyrna80]

For 100% assurance of fish disease abolishment...72 days quarantine in a fallow tank.

 

[Spar]

agreed, fallow and dip. and inspect heavily over the 72 days looking for signs of red bugs, aefw or other issues.

 

[kenith]

Thanks all. I am concerned only about fish diseases. Sounds like a second established tank is a must that contains no fish. There's an established blue linkia that I'd like to get, but sounds like its a no go, as I'd have to restart the 9 weeks fallow clock.

 

[zeebies]

agreed, fallow and dip. and inspect heavily over the 72 days looking for signs of red bugs, aefw or other issues.

^^^ Me too.

I keep a 10 gallon "anything other than fish" reef running 24/7. After 72 days is up, things get dispersed to display tanks. Then, the next new batch goes in for 72 days and repeat...

 

[Spar]

Thanks all. I am concerned only about fish diseases. Sounds like a second established tank is a must that contains no fish. There's an established blue linkia that I'd like to get, but sounds like its a no go, as I'd have to restart the 9 weeks fallow clock.

safest route it to not add anything during that period of time.

however, technically it is OK (non-fish of course) as long as you isolate new arrivals for a couple days in a separate tank and do the same for any critters before moving to your DT. it is a work around given your only concern is adding in new Protomonts within the fallow period or adding in Theronts to your DT. The Protomonts would become cysts (tomonts/tomites) within 2 days, and Theronts would die from not finding a fish host within the 2 days. think of it as mini-TTM's. regardless, you need to keep each critter locked-up for the full 72 days. So tracking each item carefully would be critical.

 

[kenith]

What about harder to keep inverts like blue linkias and such. There would need to be a well established reef in order for it to survive, 72 days without proper food is guaranteed death.

 

[Spar]

What about harder to keep inverts like blue linkias and such. There would need to be a well established reef in order for it to survive, 72 days without proper food is guaranteed death.

why couldn't you give it proper food? i don't know much about linkias, but as long as you have a cycled tank for your QT, it shouldn't be any different from a fully operating reef.

 

[Newsmyrna80]

Agree with Cliff on both counts.

 

[andy01748]

What about harder to keep inverts like blue linkias and such. There would need to be a well established reef in order for it to survive, 72 days without proper food is guaranteed death.

Linkias are notoriously hard to keep alive. Diet is not precisely known but thought to be biofilm. People have much more success in a well established (> 1 year) aquarium. OP is correct that a linkia probably won't survive 72 days in a cycled, but new, setup.

 

[ThRoewer]

Linkias are notoriously hard to keep alive. Diet is not precisely known but thought to be biofilm. People have much more success in a well established (> 1 year) aquarium. OP is correct that a linkia probably won't survive 72 days in a cycled, but new, setup.

I seriously doubt that that there is a realistic chance of Cryptocaryon being encysted on a Linkia seastar. The protomont needs a hard surface to encyst and I somewhat doubt it will find one on or in a Linkia.

 

[kenith]

I seriously doubt that that there is a realistic chance of Cryptocaryon being encysted on a Linkia seastar. The protomont needs a hard surface to encyst and I somewhat doubt it will find one on or in a Linkia.

Interesting. Can you elaborate on the surfaces and process in which parasites can encyst? Are sps likely to be to carry fish parasites? I usually cut the sps off the base, would that be ok not to qt in that specific situation?

 

[ThRoewer]

Interesting. Can you elaborate on the surfaces and process in which parasites can encyst? Are sps likely to be to carry fish parasites? I usually cut the sps off the base, would that be ok not to qt in that specific situation?

SPS without exposed skeleton (other than freshly made cuts) or base are pretty safe. There is no way for Cryptocaryon to successfully encyst on the slimy coral tissue. In fact I would assume the protomonts stay as far away from coral polyps as possible since they may eat them.

I can tell you, after looking at new corals with my microscope I'm much more concerned with coral diseases and parasites as they have an extremely high likelihood of coming with new corals and dips can't kill off all of them. You can almost be sure that each coral you buy brings in some coral parasite or pathogens.

Importing Fish diseases with corals is possible but magnitudes lower in probability. And most likely those are rather in the water the corals come in than on the coral (tissue) itself.

Also the fish diseases I would be worried about most are Amyloodinium, Brooklynella and Uronema, and the last two don't encyst but just multiply by division.