A Fish Quarantine Process - Step by Step

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new reefer 03

Active Member
do i need to cycle a QT for my new tang im about to order? he will be resting in there while i treat my current fish, and let my tank be fallow.
Thanks :wave:
 

sqrle

New Member
So what do you do with the sponge filter after the Qt if you are treating ick for example. Would placing the sponge back in the sump introduce the disease back into the tank or would it be completely gone by that pont??
 

BigAl07

Administrator
RS STAFF
IMO nothing EVER goes from QT to the Main System. I wouldn't even use a net or anything even AFTER the treatment time period is over.

The fewer "Variables" added to the equation the better.
 
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new reefer 03

Active Member
wow, im stupid. :dummy:

if i was going to make a QT tank and used my water to "season" the sponge that would infect the QT tank with ich aswell.
so the only way you could connect your QT/Hospital tank with your DT is if you plan on treating the disseases you have in that tank. :square:
 

lcstorc

Well-Known Member
For I think the first time ever, I am going to disagree with Al (unless I just mis-read his post).
I would go ahead and seed the sponge from the display and you could start the qt with water from the display. Anything for setting up the QT can come from the ich infested display since you are going to treat the QT for ich and you are already adding the fish with ich anyway.
Once you put the fish into the qt and start your treatment and fallow period, I would not use anything from one tank to the other.
After the fallow period I would put new sponges into the display to get seeded for future qt use. This would be only after the fallow period is done.
Once you have an ich free tank, then follow proper QT procedure for all "wet" additions. This would include any coral as well. If you know for certain that it was in a coral only tank for 10+ weeks, I might make an exception, but that would be the only case.
 
I'm just curious as to the "6 week" period that Lee recommends. He says that 4 weeks is insufficient, but I'm just wondering for what reason.
For instance, I have a new blue tang who has been in quarantine for the last 4 weeks. He flashed a bit for the first week (probs due to bad acclimation) but then stopped, and has been fine ever since. He eats well, is active, and looks healthy, and I'm just wondering what I'm looking for that an extra 2 weeks is going to expose?

To cut a long question short. WHY is 4 weeks not sufficient? WHY 6 weeks? Why not 8 weeks, or 12 weeks? (Damn... now we're at 3 questions :p )
 

leebca

Well-Known Member
There are a wide range of pathogens and afflictions which ornamental marine fishes may harbor. Some are intestinal/internal that take weeks to make an outward appearnce to the human eye. Other pathogens like the Marine Ich parasite, require weeks to go through their life cycle, then multiply in large enough populations to have an effect on the fish confined in a small space, then days or weeks more for the hobbyists to see them on the fish.

For instance, if the QT is infected with a Marine Ich cyst, it could take up to 6 weeks for the hobbyists to see the first spot. This is allowing enough time for the parasite to go through its cycle and show up in enough numbers on the fish to be seen by the human unaided eye. The next generation of parasite during the next two weeks would show an 'explosion' of the parasite that couldn't be missed by the hobbyist. In this case, the hobbyist would hold the fish in quarantine for 6+ weeks with the showing of a spot on week 6. So 'spot-free' for 6 weeks gives about a 99% confidence level that this parasite isn't there in the QT.

Although a longer quarantine time does increase the confidence level above 99%, from experience and knowledge of the pathogens most likely to find their way into the QT, they will show themselves within 6 weeks. Lengthening the time in quarantine would not seem to be a good investment, or would not have much of a payoff, if any.

If the hobbyist is not observant and doesn't spend a lot of time with the fish, or leaves town/away during the process (and the care taker doesn't know what to look for or doesn't care), it is certainly reasonable to extend the time in quarantine.
 
Cool... thanks Lee... I was considering releasing him into the DT after 4 weeks (tomorrow), but no way I'm risking another MI infection!!!! I lost 4 of my 7 fish last time! I'm keeping it pristine from now on!
 

leebca

Well-Known Member
Kudos to you and congratulations. You're moving another step closer to being a marine aquarist, from being just another hobbyist. :) It takes patience, a sense-knowledge-experience of what's right for the marine life form, and diligence in doing what's in the best interests of the marine life to become (in my opinion) a marine aquarist.

:woohoo:

 

Woodstock

The Wand Geek was here. ;)
RS STAFF
Kudos to you and congratulations. You're moving another step closer to being a marine aquarist, from being just another hobbyist. :) It takes patience, a sense-knowledge-experience of what's right for the marine life form, and diligence in doing what's in the best interests of the marine life to become (in my opinion) a marine aquarist.

:woohoo:


:bluenod:



Kudos to you Lee for being here and answering all of our questions! I am certain your responses (and those that heed to them) are directly responsible for saving the lives of many, many fish.
Your time and effort are greatly appreciated!!
Thank you!
:)
 
have a question about the QT tank. if the tank is large enough could you place acrylic dividers in the tank. in case lets say one has ich and the other doesn't. this way you will have a compartment that needs to be medicated and you won't medicate the others.

while on this subject, when i do manage get my reef up and running, and get the CUC, would I need to QT them before they go into the tank with the LR & LS to start the clean up process. Or can they go just go straight in, and then everything after thme would go thru the QT before going into the DT?
 

leebca

Well-Known Member
If there is one tank totally separated/divided, it would work, but the opportunity for cross contamination is so great that it shouldn't be advised.

When I set up a FOWLR system, I put my substrate and live rock directly into the Display. After that, everything is quarantined (snails, crabs, etc.). You may want to expand your awareness about other problems that the quarantine process helps avoid (other than with fishes) by reading this article: An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure: A Quarantine Tank for Everything by Steven Pro - Reefkeeping.com

 
If there is one tank totally separated/divided, it would work, but the opportunity for cross contamination is so great that it shouldn't be advised

What I was thinking on this line is the divider would extend from the bottom to the top of course the waterline wouldn't extend to the top of the divider. this way if one section has a fish in it using the hypo salinty for some reason and in another section that would have snail or shrimp or some other invert at the full salinty level of the DT.

In each of the chamber I know most everyone here on reef sanctuary uses corner filter. I think is great but with me I won't be able go this route since I'm building a FOWLR then work on building a sump and get what i need so I can turn the FOWLR into a reef. My FOWLR won't have a sump to where i can put the corner filters into until they are ready for use in the QT.

I'm planning on getting filter that can handle the size of the section. so if I have 4 sections then each section would have it's own filter. as far as water movement goes. get a air pump and use a gang valve then run airline to each section with a airstone. to help with water circulation.

I do understand cross contamination especially between the qt and the dt and this something I won't happen because water from the QT will not touch the DT. The QT will be in my bedroom while the DT is in my living room, because I have to make do to the size of my 1 bedroom apartment.

After all we are only talking about for 6 - 8 weeks without having to medicate and the section that is medicatd then the time would be longer.
 

sneaks03

Member
One place where you may get cross contamination from that you may not be thinking about is in the silicon used to seal the seprate compartments. If you use Cu on one side of the seal it could possibly leach through on the other side of the seal. Just some food for thought.
 
you are right, i didn't think about the seal. What if i make a qt with acrylic since no silicon is use in it's construction. or i can make several seperate cubes for QT different sizes. I can go that route. I think this would be the best route when it comes to quarentine different species at one time.

This can be a fun DIY project to build acrylic QT tank.
 

sneaks03

Member
If you have the ability/skills to mold acrylic then I think it would be better than using silicon to separate a glass tank. As of now I cannot think why that would not work, but maybe someone else will think of something I am not.
 

leebca

Well-Known Member
Have you never seen salt creep; salt spray; or heard of water droplets so small you don't see them?

I stand by what I've written.
 
yes i had lee, thats why I might do individual cntainers from acrylic, or make individual containers from glass. because of their size 1/8" glass should be fine, but I might go with 1/4' glass.

While I'm planning a 75g FOWLR that will turn into a Reef after a year or 2, This was the one aspect i was overlooking big time. I know the QT is only used when it's needed, and the rest of the time it's cleaned up and put up with no water in it.

but hopefuly the reef happens, I hope i would have a bigger 1 bedroom apartment that i could afford, right now I'm in a 615 sq ft apartment.
 
Does anyone know where I can get one of those simple corner sponge filters at? I'm just now getting around to setting up my quarantine tank. Got too busy to worry about it earlier. I don't have any fish and don't plan to get any until after Christmas sometime so now is the time to set up my quarantine tank. I only have the corals that came with my tank as I bought an already established tank so I haven't had the need to quarantine anything yet.

Another question I have is can I use the same quarantine tank to quarantine both fish and corals? Obviously not at the same time in case you have to dose one or the other. I ask this question because a fish quarantine system says only minimal lighting, but a coral will need more lighting then that. A coral could go a few days without adequate lighting, but not for 6 weeks. Would I need to set up two separate quarantine tanks? Or could I just set up one with adequate lighting for a coral and use it for fish too? And what would adequate lighting be for a 10 gallon tank to quarantine corals in?
 
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