how do you QT your fish?

[Neptune 555]

Please share your QT process?

I will always QT new fish! but how?

I want to start QT my next round of fish to go into my new 75 gallon SW tank. I want a kole tang in this 75 gallon... but how can a 10 gallon hold a tang for 6 weeks? Seems cruel? and seems crazy to buy such a large tank for QT?

What do you use while your fish are in QT? Do you just watch and observe or do you treat anyway?

Thanks for sharing your success / failures so others can learn.

Neptune!!

 

[Deinonych]

I use a 20 gal tall for my QT. Usually have cycled media in my sump that I use to seed the biofilter so ammonia isn't a concern. All fish are quarantined for 6-8 weeks, depending on the species and treatments. After acclimation, I get new arrivals eating well before mandatory treatments with Prazipro - 2 treatments 5 days apart. After that, treatment depends on the type of fish and where it is sourced. Sensitive species like wrasses are observed for a total of 8 weeks with additional treatment as necessary. Most other species of fish go through chloroquine phosphate @ 10mg/l for 4 weeks, followed by a minimum 2 week observation period. If disease was present (like crypto), the observation period is extended to 4 weeks after treatment.

I also quarantine all invertebrates for 10 weeks in a dedicated invert tank with LR and sand. Corals are dipped with CoralRX prior to being placed in QT.

Hope that helps.

 

[EllieSuz]

Is your display tank fully cycled? If so, put some kind of media into the sump for a couple of weeks to "seed" it with bacteria. What you use will depend on what kind of filtration you choose for your QT. I use a 12 gallon JBJ all in one tank, so I keep a sponge and those little ceramic donuts in the sump, which will enable me to have a QT ready very quickly. Regarding the size of your QT, a ten or twenty gallon tank should suffice for the size fish you intend to have in a 75. I prefer to buy fish on the small side anyway, because once a fish reaches adult size, it could already be quite old. The guys with the really big tanks need a larger QT for their huge fish. Personally, I use six to eight weeks of observation and don't treat unless I see symptoms. I have quarantined every fish in my tank and only once was it necessary to treat an illness. In that instance, it was Ich and I treated successfully with copper. There are two schools of thought regarding prophylactic treatment and you'll have to decide for yourself which way you want to go. Congratulations on deciding to quarantine your fish. You won't be sorry.

 

[snorvich]

Best practice quarantine protocol

My suggested protocol is to use tank transfer for all new specimens to insure against cryptocaryon irritans. 12 days and two 20 gallon tanks is all it takes.

The initial receiving tank is temp and SG adjusted to the bag water( SG a few points couple of points lower than the bag water is fine but not higher) This obviates the need for drip acclimation and prolonged stays in bag water where pH can rise and ammonia toxicity can increase once the bag is opened. This is particularly important after prolonged stays in the bag.

During the 12 day tank transfer process ( 3 day stays 4 transfers, move fish on the morning of days 4,7,10,13) observe for other maladies. Since there are no meds to interact with in the transfer tanks which contain freshly mixed salt water aged and aerated overnight , use an ammonia detoxifier such as Prime or equivalent during each 3 day period. Bound copper products for example can't be safely used with ammonia detoxifiers as more toxic free copper occurs with lethal copper toxicity,even though total copper measures the same.

If there is reason to suspect infestation with brooklynellosis, velvet or flukes , do a formalin bath before starting treatment with copper for velvet, formalin for brooklynellosis or prazi pro for flukes.

Since not all maladies will present symptoms in the 12 days( flukes can easily be missed, velvet can take up to 30 days to present), use a larger cycled QT tank for an additional 2 to 4 weeks of observation depending on the condition of the fish with treatment as necessary.

Most fish receive no medications yet all are effectively prophylactically treated for ich,the most common killer

Ammonia is monitored and has never been an issue during the 3 day stay but a detoxifier is added just in case, The cycled tank takes care of itself.

BTW there is no need to worry about nitrite or nitrate.