QT for inverts?

Wrench

New member
My tank is fallow at the moment. All of my fish are in QT. By the time I add fish it will have been 12 weeks since I removed them. If I were to acquire some inverts, like shrimp, how long would I need to QT them before adding them to my system. I am worried that they may may introduce ich.
 
My tank is fallow at the moment. All of my fish are in QT. By the time I add fish it will have been 12 weeks since I removed them. If I were to acquire some inverts, like shrimp, how long would I need to QT them before adding them to my system. I am worried that they may may introduce ich.

IMO 9 weeks, same as fish QT period. How many more weeks from right now until you put all the fish back in? If 9 weeks or more, you can add corals/inverts directly to the DT as anything they were "carrying" will have starved to death by then w/o a fish host.
 
Thanks for the reply. I've got three weeks to go so it looks like I'll be QT'ing the shrimp separately. I've got a 10g that I can use for them since my main QT system has had copper.
 
Thanks for the reply. I've got three weeks to go so it looks like I'll be QT'ing the shrimp separately. I've got a 10g that I can use for them since my main QT system has had copper.

You're not worried about the old myth that silicone in a tank absorbs and releases copper are you? A QT that has held copper is fine to use with anything. Dump the water and wipe down with vinegar, then rinse well. Silicone won't absorb anything.
 
I'm not sure I'd call it a myth; I've found it to be quite true actually.

I was curious one day and tried it with an old quarantine tank that I was cleaning. Tank was thoroughly rinsed with vinegar and fresh water, allowed to dry completely, filled with RO/DI and tested the next day. I had a measurable copper reading. Something clearly did absorb and release it.

With that said, it was a very small amount of copper...tossing a small sock of carbon in the aquarium was enough to make it undetectable with a LaMott colourimeter (less than 0.03ppm, IIRC).

If the tank has had copper in it, I would at least fill it and test it before you put invertebrates in it.

With that said; I think Wrench was saying the main QT tank is full of fish and actively being treated with copper, not that it couldn't be used for the shrimp because it had once had copper in it. :)
 
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It's not worth the risk to me. I have a spare 10g tank so I will set that up. Thank you all for the help.
 
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