Greg's 75g

[Reef Pilot]

Originally Posted by gregzz4

I've lost fish in QT before and wanted to avoid it for their benefits
Why risk healthy fish due to paranoia ?
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There was no point in hypo, and waiting 6 weeks was going to be a risk of their lives
That's about it

Well, I can certainly understand your thinking, and I'm sure is popular opinion with many on canreef. But consider this.

Fish can be carriers, and have some MI that will not be visible, as I described with my experience.

If a fish dies in QT, then either your QT was inadequate, or the fish was sick and would have likely died anyway (good that it happened in QT and not your DT). I have a very, very mature QT, using DT water for W/C's. It is running all the time with a canister filter and some live rock. I also use it to house some frags from time to time.

Water quality stays high in QT, first because of frequent initial changes to get the salinity down, and then later more changes with DT water to bring it up. I actually extended that time even further, and the fish looked even stronger and healthier as time went on.

The extended time allowed the fish to get feeding with the foods they will be receiving in the DT. Your wrasses may have been OK early with this, but some fish need a lot more time to adjust to the new food.

And with wrasses, you can put in some sand (maybe use a container), but not sure if that is even necessary.

Here is a good article about all the benefits of a hypo routine. Not sure if you have read this one.
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2007/6/fish

What it comes down to, I think, is patience. And that, I think, is the hardest thing. But it my case, I add fish so infrequently now, it is definitely worth the while, considering what may happen if I don't. From a risk standpoint (cost of risk = probability or frequency X cost of bad outcome), the cost of mitigation is very small compared to the cost of risk. Like I said, I gambled once, and lost... And not to mention my early hard lessons learned when I didn't QT.

Greg, you have taken a very methodical and cover all bases approach with much of your tank and sump design. And IIRC, you got burned in the past with not QTing. So that is why I was surprised when you took this shortcut.

Anyway. your tank and inhabitants are looking very good. So I do wish you continued success, and look forward to more great pics.