Quarantine Tank: A Strange Question

[Chris918]

Hi friends,

This is probably a weird question, but can I quarantine a coral and then just leave it in there?

Some context:
Pulsing Xenia is the coral that got me wanting to try reefing. It is a story I've heard from many people who later on regret putting it in there display since it spreads like wildfire. The same can be said for Green Star Polyps. These were the two corals I always wanted to start with but now I am not so sure I want them in my main display. That being said, can I put the frags in the quarantine tank and let them just grow on some island rock formations? I really want these two corals so I figured why not just get them and leave them in there. Does having corals in a tank mess with any preventative medications? I really want these two corals, but I don't want them in my main display. The quarantine tank is rarely occupied and is pretty much used to ensure fish are eating, healthy, and show no concerning signs before moving onto the display.

Any insight would be helpful since this seems to make my problem go away. If they get out of control it is just my tiny quarantine/observation tank and not my display but I don't want the corals being harmed by any medications or treatments.

Thanks so much for any advice.

Chris

 

[BlackBeardPete]

Hey Chris, xenias are pretty tough and hardy... I say you can leave them there as long as your not medicating the water, it can have a bad outcome if you have fish in there....it is said the pulsing releases toxins, not confirmed but its unessesary exposure....get a new quarantine tank instead

 

[Brieninsac]

It's probably unlikely your QT would have appropriate lighting for corals. Plus the point of having a QT is to treat fish if necessary, which subsequently would kill your corals.

You can put the coral on a rock in your sand to isolate it.

 

[Knighthawk]

I don't know about Xenia but I have some gsp on a rock separate from the main rocks and it stays there. I can place frag plugs around that rock and frag the gsp that way.


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[Chris918]

Thank you everyone for your quick and informative replies. I suppose I will try my best to isolate these corals or perhaps just try and find some new species that aren't quite as invasive. I'm just afraid I'll love them at first and hate them later haha

 

[A sea K]

I don't know about Xenia but I have some gsp on a rock separate from the main rocks and it stays there. I can place frag plugs around that rock and frag the gsp that way.


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I have zenia on an isolated rock in my DT. It's been there for at least a year and the only time it gets loose so far is if a piece floats away while i'm trimming it back. I also have mushrooms on an isolated rock, it has managed to drop polyps in other areas of the tank with regularity, right now I have a couple of shrooms that have attached to and are irritating my alveopora which needs to be addressed.

 

[tkeracer619]

Generally if you are going to QT coral you are going to do so in a tank setup to house them long term. I use a RSM-130D to house corals and inverts fishless for at least 72 days. This insures anything that could harm my fish or my current coral doesn't make it though.

Currently I am dealing with AEFW but thankfully it is just in the QT.

I would not QT coral in the same tank you QT fish. There are a lot of factors that will limit your success trying that. My system has some resident BTAs but I may move them out to their own home in a few months as I would like to break that tank down to get rid of vermatid snails.

 

[Sk8r]

I can tell you how to get xenia OFF a rock if you have to, ie, to kill it. The catch is that you have to be able to remove that rock to do it safely. You take it out, scrub it with a toothbrush, then dip that area of the rock in a bowl of hydrogen peroxide for 30 seconds, then rinse it off before returning it to the tank. The oxygen bubbles from hp are corrosive and harmful to anything they touch in the tank, so even so, set it apart from the rest til the bubbles stop.

That would be a way to stop the spread. Put its rock alone and apart from the others and if it starts up your side glass, razor it off and toss that part. Also run carbon: it spits when annoyed and your other corals won't like it. Same for gsp. And caulerpa weed---which doesn't spit, but the hp treatment can get a small area of it.