Quarantine questions

[ichthyogeek]

Hello all, I was looking into quarantine tanks, and had a few questions.
I've got a 10 gallon tank that's gone through multiple freshwater inhabitants and currently resides empty from the last use (for blackworms).

Can I use a powerhead sponge filter for filtration? Or do I specifically need to use a certain type of filter that's better? Can I cycle the sponge in my current DT, then return to the sump whenever the tank is not in use?

What do I put in it? I've got 3/4" PVC, straight, elbows, and caps, so should I stick a few pieces in there to act as caves and such for fish to hide in?

I've never dosed a tank with copper before, but have sterilized with bleach. Is this tank safe for invertebrate quarantine? Continuing the bleach question, I just recently finished sterilizing with bleach, neutralizing with 2x the recommended dosage of Prime. Once the tank dries out, is it safe?

The tank is in a room with a skylight. Maybe not in wintertime, but in summer, could I quarantine photosynthetic corals/gorgonians/anemones in it, or do I need to add a light?

And one crazy question:
How do you quarantine pistol shrimp?

 

[Dmorty217]

With a 10g tank I would look into getting another one so you can do the Tank Transfer Method (TTM). A sponge from the DT will work fine providing that the DT is disease free. PVC of different sizes that are appropriate for the fish being QTed are fine.Once the bleach dries after using water conditioner its good to go, if you smell bleach when it dries then repeat until you don't smell it anymore. You would want a light when QT inverts like corals and anems and 12 weeks is how long you QT for. You QT a pistol shrimp just like a coral... for 12 weeks. Or you could use Chloroquine Phosphate since it won't kill things with a exoskeleton like shrimp.

 

[ichthyogeek]

Hmm...I'll look into the TTM. Does this mean that I can reduce QT time as it removes pathogens and such from the water?

So...even though there's sunlight entering the room, I still need a light? Would a small fluorescent work to supplement the sunlight with? Why can't I simply use the sunlight?

Ok, but how do I keep the pistol shrimp from being stressed? Seahorses need hitching posts, and halichoeres wrasses need a pyrex dish of fine grain sand to sleep in. But how do I provide for the pistol shrimp which needs a burrow?

 

[Reef Frog]

Hmm...I'll look into the TTM. Does this mean that I can reduce QT time as it removes pathogens and such from the water?

You would do TTM only for fish. This method does more than remove pathogens - it starves & interferes with a pathogen's life cycle.

So...even though there's sunlight entering the room, I still need a light? Would a small fluorescent work to supplement the sunlight with? Why can't I simply use the sunlight?

Use a light, especially with corals. It's possible if you have all day sun for days on end through glass that does not filter the spectrum, but not going to cut it with light demanding organisms like hard corals with a skylight, anywhere. Most corals need a minimum of 8 hours, 10-11 being what most do since they're mostly equatorial animals. Plus it's best if you can simulate, roughly, the lighting they'll be getting in the display aquarium.

Ok, but how do I keep the pistol shrimp from being stressed? Seahorses need hitching posts, and halichoeres wrasses need a pyrex dish of fine grain sand to sleep in. But how do I provide for the pistol shrimp which needs a burrow?

A Tuoperware dish filled with sand may work. Never had a pistol but this is a good question. Most people probably don't QT just an invert, although it's an excellent idea as it's unlikely but possible that a fish or coral parasite may come along for the ride, but it's certainly possible. I don't know of any short cuts on this one. See what others say about it.

 

[julie180]

Concerning your question about sponge filter. Yes, you can seed it in your DT but once its been in the QT with medication, its trash. Keep multiple sponges in your sump and use a new one each time.

TTM is only affective against ich. You will still need to QT for 6-8 weeks against flukes, brook, velvet etc. With TTM, rinse tanks and equipment well, and let dry for 2 days. Bleach is not necessary. I soak powerheads and heaters in full strength vinegar for several hours because they are prone to hold water even after sitting for 2 days.

 

[Dmorty217]

Hmm...I'll look into the TTM. Does this mean that I can reduce QT time as it removes pathogens and such from the water?

It works for ich and only ich but that's the most common disease we encounter. A lot of people use prazipro while doing the TTM

So...even though there's sunlight entering the room, I still need a light? Would a small fluorescent work to supplement the sunlight with? Why can't I simply use the sunlight?

There is no way that your corals that require high light will survive for 12 weeks with sunlight alone, even if it's direct sunlight (which would probably end up causing bleaching in the corals)

Ok, but how do I keep the pistol shrimp from being stressed? Seahorses need hitching posts, and halichoeres wrasses need a pyrex dish of fine grain sand to sleep in. But how do I provide for the pistol shrimp which needs a burrow?

You could use a small dish of sand and a small rock or two and leave the shrimp in the QT for 12 weeks just like the corals. Also if your say 8 weeks into QTing corals and you put a new one in the QT the count starts over at day 1

 

[nuxx]

I'm in the minority here, but...

I find TTM a PITA... having to constantly clean and re-setup tanks every few days...

Also it REALLY stressed out the wrasses I tried it with.

I just do:
- Get them to eat.
- Two weeks of Paraguard everyday with 3 treatments of Prazi (5 days apart) during the Paraguard.
- Four weeks of Cupramine @ ~ .4 strength.
- Also dose Stability everyday to give a little bit of extra protection from ammonia.

Tank:
Lots of PVC, heater, powerheads pointed at surface, HOB filters with MarinePure seeded spheres, air pump with a bubbler and multiple ammonia badges.

 

[Dmorty217]

I'm in the minority here, but...

I find TTM a PITA... having to constantly clean and re-setup tanks every few days...

Also it REALLY stressed out the wrasses I tried it with.

I just do:
- Get them to eat.
- Two weeks of Paraguard everyday with 3 treatments of Prazi (5 days apart) during the Paraguard.
- Four weeks of Cupramine @ ~ .4 strength.
- Also dose Stability everyday to give a little bit of extra protection from ammonia.

Tank:
Lots of PVC, heater, powerheads pointed at surface, HOB filters with MarinePure seeded spheres, air pump with a bubbler and multiple ammonia badges.

Peter, thats why you just buy 3 sets of everything I did the TTM with a Achilles tang and it was stress free for all parties involved

 

[nuxx]

Peter, thats why you just buy 3 sets of everything I did the TTM with a Achilles tang and it was stress free for all parties involved

LOL I know...

I think I tried it with super stressed out wrasses, felt bad after 2 transfers. So just put them in a cycled "permanent" QT.

I have too may "QT" tanks laying around... should really give some away... our attic looks pretty sad...

 

[Dmorty217]

LOL I know...

I think I tried it with super stressed out wrasses, felt bad after 2 transfers. So just put them in a cycled "permanent" QT.

I have too may "QT" tanks laying around... should really give some away... our attic looks pretty sad...

If i lived near you I would take some off your hands... Can never have too many tanks:fun4:

 

[ichthyogeek]

Concerning your question about sponge filter. Yes, you can seed it in your DT but once its been in the QT with medication, its trash. Keep multiple sponges in your sump and use a new one each time.

TTM is only affective against ich. You will still need to QT for 6-8 weeks against flukes, brook, velvet etc. With TTM, rinse tanks and equipment well, and let dry for 2 days. Bleach is not necessary. I soak powerheads and heaters in full strength vinegar for several hours because they are prone to hold water even after sitting for 2 days.

Will freshwater medications that have been used on a sponge before (specifically Kordon's herbal ich attack) make a sponge unsafe for QT? Should I just buy another sponge for cycling then?

A brief search for the lifecycles of velvet, and ich shows that they have similar life cycles, so does the TTM work on velvet as well? Also, wouldn't moving the fish and as little water as possible help to reduce pathogen populations such that the levels of "X" pathogen would drop to undetectable after the third or fourth tank transfer?

 

[ichthyogeek]

Mostly, I'm looking into quarantining male/female pairs of fish, specifically Banggai cardinals, longfin/social fairy wrasses, Stonogobiops nematodes and alpheus randalli, and Lysmata wurdemanni. Do I need to take any specific precautions when quarantining any of these fish/shrimp? Peter, how would you suggest medicating for fish that are being quarantined with inverts, like the shrimp goby pair with the snapping shrimp?

 

[Dmorty217]

If you want to medicate fish and inverts both, specifically shrimp CP is the only thing that won't kill the shrimp

 

[nuxx]

If i lived near you I would take some off your hands... Can never have too many tanks:fun4:

Just looked now...

It's not TOO bad...

470 (200 sump), 150 (75 sump), 55, 2 x 40B, 3 x 20L, 40T.

 

[Dmorty217]

Just looked now...

It's not TOO bad...

470 (200 sump), 150 (75 sump), 55, 2 x 40B, 3 x 20L, 40T.

:lmao: it can always be worse... I currently have a 625,220,210,125,75,55, and 3 11g tanks I use for TTM oh and a 10g so I guess I'm the one with the problem

 

[nuxx]

:lmao: it can always be worse... I currently have a 625,220,210,125,75,55, and 3 11g tanks I use for TTM oh and a 10g so I guess I'm the one with the problem

I'll show my wife this

 

[Dmorty217]

I'll show my wife this

Yeah seriously, you own a fish store and have less tanks than I do. I WON'T be showing my wife your post...

 

[nuxx]

Yeah seriously, you own a fish store and have less tanks than I do. I WON'T be showing my wife your post...

Think I'll be good for a while with the Display and Frag tanks. Just have a 40B setup for permanent QT. If I get multiple tangs or something, can put a few more QTs together.

IF we move, I do think I'll go for a 144x48x48 starphire from A.G.E. though

 

[Dmorty217]

Think I'll be good for a while with the Display and Frag tanks. Just have a 40B setup for permanent QT. If I get multiple tangs or something, can put a few more QTs together.

IF we move, I do think I'll go for a 144x48x48 starphire from A.G.E. though

If I was to was to get a bigger tank it would be 1000g+ with a PVC bottom that stretched the span of whatever wall it was on. I should probably set the 625g up before I start that psychobabble... :hmm6:

 

[nuxx]

If I was to was to get a bigger tank it would be 1000g+ with a PVC bottom that stretched the span of whatever wall it was on. I should probably set the 625g up before I start that psychobabble... :hmm6:

Yeah our frag tank is starphire with stainless steel borders and a PVC bottom.

Would do the same on the next display

The way where our current display is could only really take 120". Also the cutout in the wall really only allowed 29" depth.