Quarantine tanks.

[Clint24]

This is my first quarantine tank & this might be a dumb question? Lol. What is the best & less stressful way to catch the new fish after the quarantine period? Fish net, trap, etc... After the fish is caught then you have to acclimate to the DT before introducing them, right. Thanks.


CD

 

[Mr.Reeefer]

Hi Mate,

You always need to acclimatise when moving something into different water temps and parameters.

What I have found works great and is less stressful on fish is some form of plastic jar that fits whatever fish you are trying to Catch, fish HATE nets, I will never use a net again unless I really really had too.

Something else I do which makes the job easier and is less stressful on the fish is extremely low light, I mean just enough for you to see what you are doing, works fantastic for me.

Good luck and happy reefing

 

[Oxylebius]

I try to catch fish at night, after they've gone to bed. A few nights prior to catching them, I watch where they go to sleep at, that way I have a better idea of where to look for them at. Give them about a half hour to an hour to go to sleep, then turn the lights in the room on low enough so you can see to get a hold of them in a specimen container. I also don't like using nets and try not to use them, I've caught and tagged too many wild fish to know that nets scratch their eyes, which can lead to infection. If you must use a net then use a fine mesh type net. Sometimes using the net to guide the fish into a specimen container is helpful.

Yes, acclimate to the new tank. Anytime you are moving a fish from one tank to another you always have to acclimate them to new tank parameters.

Good Luck!

 

[3dees]

if the qt water and dt have the same parameters you don't have to acclimate. I have done it many times. never lost a fish. needless acclimation will only stress the fish.

 

[reefer gladness]

This is what I use: http://www.marinedepot.com/Reef_Gently_AccliMate_Acclimator_Transporter_Tank_Acclimation_Tanks_for_Saltwater_Aquariums-Reef_Gently-RG1111-FIMIATTK-vi.html

Even though water parameters between my QT and display tanks are the same I still like to give the fish some time to check each other out so I'll use the Accli-mate to trap the fish in QT and then put the Accli-mate inside the display tank for a few hours before releasing. Also works great for visits to the LFS instead of bagging fish or corals, I use a little thermal lunch bag the Accli-mate fits nicely into.

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

3dees

to ReefSanctuary, a real Sanctuary of reef forums, with lots of very nice members

Start a new tank thread & share your tank with us so we can follow along - we love pics

 

[CDMSeaLife]

This is what I use: http://www.marinedepot.com/Reef_Gently_AccliMate_Acclimator_Transporter_Tank_Acclimation_Tanks_for_Saltwater_Aquariums-Reef_Gently-RG1111-FIMIATTK-vi.html

Even though water parameters between my QT and display tanks are the same I still like to give the fish some time to check each other out so I'll use the Accli-mate to trap the fish in QT and then put the Accli-mate inside the display tank for a few hours before releasing. Also works great for visits to the LFS instead of bagging fish or corals, I use a little thermal lunch bag the Accli-mate fits nicely into.

Hello, is it the 'Acclimate Gently' you're using to acclimate your fish? I'm just trying to ascertain if it will work with my Red Sea Max 250C. I read in a review it wouldn't work in closed tank.). Has anyone out there used on a RSM? I hope this is not off subject if it is I apologize in advance.

 

[coralrama]

I also try to avoid the net, but I run copper in the QT. Does anyone have a netless way of getting fish into the DT without transferring any of the copper treated water?

 

[Clint24]

Thank u to all that replied to my question. Great advise from all. I will use a specimen container & even look into getting one of those acclimation traps.

Another maybe dumb question...is it normal to fight ammonia & nitrites in a QT? I have a 40 gal QT with a marine land HOB filter rated for 50 gal & I have had a slight trace of one of the two every day. I use API test kits & get readings of
.25-.50. I have to do water changes everyday. All that is n there is a tiny starry blenny.


I did start a tank thread, not much there yet but it's in reef chronicles, titled- hello fellow reefers!! Thanks again for all the advice.


CD

 

[Snid]

I agree with everyone above about nets being no good. I use a plastic container and then gently urge the fish into it with a net, but I never catch it in the net.

As for the Ammonia and Nitrites... That seems a bit excessive to me, so let's figure out why. Did you add anything to the QT tank that would have had some of the beneficial bacteria from your DT? For example, in my QT tank, I migrate in a sock full of charcoal that was in my DT, bringing with it all the beneficial bacteria needed to consume the Ammonia and Nitrites. I also have a sponge in the DT that I can move into the QT if I ever need to hospitalize with treatment and remove the charcoal.

If you did that... Have you tested your water that you are doing water changes with? Perhaps you are introducing some of the Ammonia that way? The fish has a bio load, but if you have the bacteria in there, then it shouldn't really be showing up with that many water changes.

I guess one last thing to ask is how were you feeding the fish? Could you be overfeeding the fish? Excess food will rot and turn into Ammonia.

 

[pablomay28]

I just made a rookie mistake. Since I sold my nanocube I did not have a quarantine tank and decided to risk putting a powder blue in my DT. Big mistake I have since lost my sail fin tang, regal tang, today my powder blue tang and my 2 clowns and tomini tang are showing ich. My system was perfectly fine before the addition of the powder blue. I will definately get another QT tank before any future purchases.

 

[Clint24]

That stinks pablomay28. I lost all my livestock back in febuary to ich & since then have set up my QT tank but it's my first one & still trying to work out all the kinks & get used to it. Definatly don't wanna a repeat what happened. Sry to hear about your lose, good luck.


CD

 

[Clint24]

Snid
I did add some media from DT to my HOB filter on QT tank. The little bit of food I put n there, my blenny eats within 2-5 minutes & is still lookin for more. I've never had any nitrates but always a slight trace of nitrates & sometimes ammonia. I will test my water that I use for changes & see if that's the problem. If not I'm at a loss & kinda confused. Thanks for the help.


CD

 

[Clint24]

The way I understand it, I'm supposed to leave fish in QT tank for 6-8 weeks.
My blenny is doin well, eating & swimming, perching on rocks like they do. I've been battling nitrites mainly, doing atleast a 5 gal water change everyday to keep around .25 on my API test. My DT tank water parameters are consistently right where they should b. Should I transfer my blenny to DT after only 2 weeks to where water is good & chance it or leave him in QT & keep him in a stressful non healthy environment until is get it back to par???


CD

 

[Snid]

pablo... That sucks. Sorry for the losses.

Clint... 6-8 weeks is even shorter than professional zoos and aquariums do it. They go 90 days (so roughly 12 weeks). I don't know any hobbyist that does that. Most hobbyists go for 2 weeks, though the more experienced do tend to lean more towards greater numbers like you have heard. From what I've read, most diseases (not all) reveal themselves within the first 3 weeks, so I aim for 3 weeks myself. Now, if any disease shows up, I reset the clock after the disease seems completely gone. That being said, my last addition only went 2 weeks and 4 days. The only reason why I shortened the time was because I was going out of town soon and I didn't have someone I felt comfortable with monitoring a fish in the QT. So I set him free at the beginning of my weekend so that I had two days of pure observation to make sure he adjusted well. He adjusted too well actually. Moved in like he always lived there.

Also note, that a fish isn't entirely disease free at any time, just like humans. They always have diseases in them, even after being treated for it, but if you see no symptoms their immune system is keeping up with it. This is why a fish gets sick when it is stressed. Their immune system dropped and the disease that was in their system already takes advantage of it.

I know you were probably looking for a more definite answer, but the truth is the correct answer is to set the fish free back into the ocean. We aren't doing that, are we? Heheh... So you just have to make the best judgement that you feel comfortable with. Who is more stressed about the QT, you or the fish? If he can wait out 3 weeks at the least, that is my suggestion. If you have the will power to go longer, more power to you!

 

[Saltyhog]

I actually use my water from DT changes to do changes on my QT's. My parameters are always the same in QT as in the main tank. If the temps are within a degree I just transfer. I do use a Reef Gently but I only use it as an acclimation box to identify any potential aggression before release in the DT.

 

[Oxylebius]

I just made a rookie mistake. Since I sold my nanocube I did not have a quarantine tank and decided to risk putting a powder blue in my DT. Big mistake I have since lost my sail fin tang, regal tang, today my powder blue tang and my 2 clowns and tomini tang are showing ich. My system was perfectly fine before the addition of the powder blue. I will definately get another QT tank before any future purchases.

Now that you have Cryptocaryon irritans "crypto" "ich" in your DT, you need to get your fish into a QT so that you can treat both the DT and the fish in QT separately. This way you can treat your fish and allow your DT to go fallow.

There are many ways to treat fish which have crypto, some good advice listed here:
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/fish-diseases-treatments/23132-marine-ich-myths-facts.html
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/fish-diseases-treatments/52236-curing-fish-marine-ich.html
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=1818
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2003/11/mini
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2004/2/mini

For the DT, no fish = no food for crypto.
Crypto will starve and die off, but the key is to allow enough time that the crypto life cycle die off. How much time is listed in the links above.... you will be given a lot of different opinions here. I'd go the full 3 months of having the DT empty to make sure that no ich survived. 8 weeks is suggested in the link above from leebca.

 

[Clint24]

Thank you oxy. My DT actually went fallow for 3 1/2-4 months by time I introduce my blenny. It's been fallow since March. I wanted to try to give it enough time so hopefully the ich died off. Also been runnin uv sterilizer 24/7 the entire time.
Also thanks for all the other great advice from above.


CD