Do you need to quarantine coral?
- Thread starter mjc041800
- Start date
neededahobby
New member
I am new but have been reading MANY threads/books on this
Consensus seems to be for coral you should at least dip!
but many many do not bother with QT.
Try this thread
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2513640&highlight=qt+coral
Consensus seems to be for coral you should at least dip!
but many many do not bother with QT.
Try this thread
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2513640&highlight=qt+coral
vhuang168
New member
2 reasons to quarantine coral.
1) gives any eggs that escaped the dipping time to hatch then you dip again
2) kinda like letting a tank go fallow to rid it of all stages of ich. Quarantining the coral for the full 72 days really cuts down on the chance any ich cysts had encrusted on the frag plate/rubble the frag is attached to.
How high is the chance there are ich cysts on a frag plug? I don't know. Like some say, it depends on your risk tolerance. Qt for as long as you are willing to.
1) gives any eggs that escaped the dipping time to hatch then you dip again
2) kinda like letting a tank go fallow to rid it of all stages of ich. Quarantining the coral for the full 72 days really cuts down on the chance any ich cysts had encrusted on the frag plate/rubble the frag is attached to.
How high is the chance there are ich cysts on a frag plug? I don't know. Like some say, it depends on your risk tolerance. Qt for as long as you are willing to.
scooter31707
New member
I recommend quarantining corals. I messed up and put corals into my tank 1st before fish. 2 weeks later added my 1st fish, 2 days later had ich. So don't know if the corals were the suspect but that's the only thing I can think of.. started with dry rock and sand.
MondoBongo
Obligate Feeder Obsessed
it's a good idea to dip and QT coral.
there is a chance, as sk8r said, that if the coral was in a system with fish, then it could be harboring ich.
however, the more risky possibility, in my opinion, is coral parasites. zoas could be carrying zoa pox, or zoa eating nudibranchs. montipora could be hosting montipora eating nudibranchs. acropora, acro eating flat worms, red bugs, etc...
so using a coral dip(s) and having a QT for them as well, isn't a bad idea.
there is a chance, as sk8r said, that if the coral was in a system with fish, then it could be harboring ich.
however, the more risky possibility, in my opinion, is coral parasites. zoas could be carrying zoa pox, or zoa eating nudibranchs. montipora could be hosting montipora eating nudibranchs. acropora, acro eating flat worms, red bugs, etc...
so using a coral dip(s) and having a QT for them as well, isn't a bad idea.
KingTriton1
New member
I would if I had the room and could afford it. Not many people on RC quarantine their corals though, mainly just fish.
gone fishin
New member
I agree with Mondo. The chances of ich are small whether they are encysted or transferred with a little bit of water and there are far worse things than ich.
Get some of those coral pests into your tank and that can ruin a reef in short order.
Get some of those coral pests into your tank and that can ruin a reef in short order.
Perth_reefer
Member
What kind of lighting are you going to have to run on your QT to put corals through a 72 day period??
This is the thing with quarantining coral, it's nice if you have the setup, but you'll have to spend a bit of money on lighting and filtration to do that.
Personally I never quarantine or dip corals, but I ONLY buy from trusted sources and mostly as frags from a few select local reef keepers.
MondoBongo
Obligate Feeder Obsessed
i've kept some LPS and softies under the regular PC hood light in a 20 long for extended QT periods.
they didn't grow, and i had to be very careful about light acclimating them to my LEDs when i moved them over to the main system, but other than that, no issues to report. your mileage may vary based off light type and coral type.
for more light demanding corals like acros, and clams, i upgraded my QT light fixture to a cheap 4 bulb T5HO.
they didn't grow, and i had to be very careful about light acclimating them to my LEDs when i moved them over to the main system, but other than that, no issues to report. your mileage may vary based off light type and coral type.
for more light demanding corals like acros, and clams, i upgraded my QT light fixture to a cheap 4 bulb T5HO.
vhuang168
New member
I have a 15g permanently setup as a coral qt. I run a single AI prime (may get another or get a Hydra 26) over it because I run a Hydra 52 in the dt.
This allows me to acclimate coral to my LEDs while I'm qting them. When they go into the dt, the light acclimation is to simply find a spot they like.
All you need is enough light to keep them alive.
The odds for ich are low ; higher if the coral comes from an ich infested tank. Unfortunately, the chances for parasites predatory like red bugs , nudibranch, faltworms et alia, to corals is pretty high. Dips are useful;adding quaranatine is better.imo; a coral qt set up is more complex in terms of settled chemistry; lighting and so on than a fish qt ;so , it's tempting to avoid it but ultimately the consequences can wipe out years of work and growth if a bad bug comes in.
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Shock and Awe
New member
Same thing happened to me as Scooter. Dipped the coral. 2 weeks later lost 75% of my fish to ich.
Perth_reefer
Member
Dipping does nothing for ich so I wouldn't be surprised that you got it in your display if that was your ich prevention measure.
Well this is what I'm saying, I run almost purely SPS, so would need something like a Hydra26 for it. What kind of filtration do you run? I guess your QT could double as a small drag tang so long as you didn't mind losing the frags if the worst happened.
Saltliquid
New member
The RO or what ever dip way is good! Corals close up so this will not hurt them for a short time, it’s very hard to see pests come with corals some times.
The rest of what can go wrong, think about it, corals come with holes and crevices and what you buy is not always just that coral, there are dead bits or a base it is growing off and more, so what’s in that parts holes and crevices?
If you place the new coral over some rubble in quarantine, those potential nasties that are not good hitchhikers usually come out at night and set up in that rubble.
In two days I add the corals then wash the tub and rubble in hot water to kill all that is in there now and that will inspire a little cycling in the quarantine tubs wet section bio filter, I use plastic tubs for that sort of thing, not a glass aquarium.
The rest of what can go wrong, think about it, corals come with holes and crevices and what you buy is not always just that coral, there are dead bits or a base it is growing off and more, so what’s in that parts holes and crevices?
If you place the new coral over some rubble in quarantine, those potential nasties that are not good hitchhikers usually come out at night and set up in that rubble.
In two days I add the corals then wash the tub and rubble in hot water to kill all that is in there now and that will inspire a little cycling in the quarantine tubs wet section bio filter, I use plastic tubs for that sort of thing, not a glass aquarium.
vhuang168
New member
Do you need to quarantine coral?
My coral QT is setup permanently so it is a fully cycled system. Rock, sand, sump, skimmer etc. I keep a six line n a peppermint shrimp in it for pests that live through dipping.
My coral QT is setup permanently so it is a fully cycled system. Rock, sand, sump, skimmer etc. I keep a six line n a peppermint shrimp in it for pests that live through dipping.
karimwassef
Active member
Is it possible to use tank water to run the quarantine tank?
Basically, tee off a DT UV return into the quarantine tank with an overflow directly to a drain. The DT would need a regular infusion if fresh SW but if the DT is 700 gal and the QT is 20 gal, that would be a very small impact?
Maybe a 2 gal daily bleed into the QT?
That would limit the cost and complexity of a QT. just glass, light, and maybe a local heater and hang on filter?
Basically, tee off a DT UV return into the quarantine tank with an overflow directly to a drain. The DT would need a regular infusion if fresh SW but if the DT is 700 gal and the QT is 20 gal, that would be a very small impact?
Maybe a 2 gal daily bleed into the QT?
That would limit the cost and complexity of a QT. just glass, light, and maybe a local heater and hang on filter?
CStrickland
New member
Lots of people use tank water for their qt water changes once the sg is matched, so I don't see why not. Just be aware that some stages of ich can travel short distance in the air so you'd want it far enough away. Idk if the uv would be necessary, they are going to end up on the DT. Also be ready to stop the flow if you are using for fish and want to medicate the water so the level isn't diluted.
I used to not even dip my corals but learned my lesson after losing alot to AEFW as well as the annoyance of redbugs.
I do not QT corals, but I have an aggressive dipping regime,
First 15 min dip in Tropic Marin Pro coral cure, then about an hour long dip in a small container spiked with a heavy dose of inceptor. Im pretty paranoid these days and I have witnessed the Tropic Marin knock AEFW off a frag once, I didnt want to risk anything so I threw that frag in the trash.
I do not QT corals, but I have an aggressive dipping regime,
First 15 min dip in Tropic Marin Pro coral cure, then about an hour long dip in a small container spiked with a heavy dose of inceptor. Im pretty paranoid these days and I have witnessed the Tropic Marin knock AEFW off a frag once, I didnt want to risk anything so I threw that frag in the trash.
Irishman360
New member
It seems like every store I go to has a coral section with at least one fish in it. Those strong chemicals wont kill the ich? Is the only way to kill it to let it dry out/ have no host?
