QT a CUC?/ how do you bring in new livestock

[squibege]

I've read it's a good idea to QT anything wet... But it seems a bit excessive to stick snails in a bare tank for 72 days.

What process do people go through for bringing in new live stock?

[Animal-Chin]

Depends on your level of caution and what you want to avoid.

Snails, I just drop them in but I guess there is a chance that someone rides in on their shell?

Coral - I dip every one to kill pests. Dip dip dip!!!

Fish - I was a quarantine kinda guy for a while but had very little success with it. I now just drip acclimate for 3 hours and add to my main display. I will only add a new fish no sooner than a month after the last one. I find if you take it slow and only add really healthy looking fish, you can avoid quarantine but that's my personal thought on it, I'm sure many people have great success with quarantine set ups. For example, I've wanted a blue tang for a long time. I won't buy one that just got to the store, too many chances of it being ill. I won't buy a small one, wont buy a skinny one, wont buy one with a lumpy belly, won't buy one from a tank that has even one spot of ich. I'm just super careful, it actually took me over a year to find one I'd try.

[corpusse]

For snails I usually stick them in my frag tank for about 30 days or more (sometimes I catch all of the frag tank ones and swap them out with the new ones). I rinse them a few times prior to putting them in the tank. Just in buckets trying to get any possible parasites off.

I added an anemone crab directly to my system but again I rinsed him off in bare containers 3-4 times prior to putting him in. Something with a hard smooth shell is unlikely to carry stuff but still possible. If you can I highly recommend everything wet stays in a fish less system a min of 72 days. To keep everything alive this long you really need another tank though. I got ich from a coral once so hopefully I've already had my bad luck.

[squibege]

With rinsing them... Do you like blast them with a turkey baster? Physically swoosh them through water? Like... Can I scrub their shells with a soft toothbrush?

Ugh. Sorry for the stupid questions. Just want to do the best I can for the long term health of everything without putting the little guys through hell lol

[CM125]

I have always just dropped in CUC...

[albert_dao]

People kill fish in QT for a few reasons:

• QT tank wasn't properly set up.
• Fish was not properly attended to (medicated, enticed to feed, provided with proper shelter, etc)
• The fish was going to die from having suffered too much transport/holding trauma regardless.

None of these are reasons not to QT your fish.

[F.H]

I quarantine all fish. Regardless of if it's a $300 one or a $20 one.

I used to quarantine all my CUC as well, but I've asked around a lot and generally it's extremely rare to have an ich cyst transfer on the shell of a CUC. The more dangerous part is the possible transfer of any water from an LFS/hobbyist into your system.

For this, I simply make 4 separate (small) containers of display water. One for acclimating, and then the other 3 I just take the Inverts and "rinse" them in the separate containers. With 3 rinses, you can be confident that there's no contaminating water being transferred. Blasting with a baster won't dislodge any [possible] ich cysts. The rinse is more of a preventative of contaminated water transfer.

I used to even give snails/things with shells (hermits/conch) and such a light brush with a soft toothbrush in the beginning when I was more paranoid, but in hindsight I don't think that was quite necessary lol.

In a perfect world, yes, you should QT everything wet for 72 days, but personally, I've tried it and it's a lot of hassle, at least for me. I find the rinsing to be enough to satisfy me, and if an ich cyst were to transfer then the universe really hates you hahaha.

[squibege]

Thanks for all the info!!! Puts my mind at rest. I want some kind of life in there sooner than 3m from now lol

[Animal-Chin]

Another tip, test the water in the bag before you put the fish in QT or your tank. I run my salinity at 1.025 and my alk at 9-10.

I've brought home fish and the water was 1.015 with alk of 5. This is a huge difference and unless you slowly raise the levels your fish is going to really feel it. inverts may just die and fish will be stressed. Drip long and slow to ease the transition to your reef levels.

[hillegom]

I use tank transfer for all my new fish. Have not lost one yet due to this process.
15 days.
I never thought of doing this for snails, but have not bought any since before I used TT
Here is a good read about it

http://atj.net.au/marineaquaria/3daytransfer.html

[kyl]

Forgive the older thread bump, but this is a curious topic to me given I've set up a new 65 gallon tank and have the ability to properly QT fish now (and have started on the first two additions already). For inverts it seems like a lot of work and delay for CUC, though at the (slight?) risk of crypto tagging along and making the fish QT somewhat pointless.

I know we have a lot of GVRD people on this board, and it seems the local retail livestock quality lately is not so great in some of the chatting I've done over the past weeks. I'm still on the fence towards not 72 daying the inverts, but if they're in tanks with suspect fish then.. well you can see where it's going.

Just being paranoid, rash, or responsible thinking? I haven't seen any signs of crypto in my nano tank so far, but you never really can know until the visible signs hit.