sterile QT and Cleanup Crew

[ryshark]

I am about to start my QT back up because I want to add another fish to my main tank. Since I can't iodine dip a cleanup crew, I figure this may be a good time to add to my crew. I only have about 8-nassarius, 2-scarlet hermits, 2-astrea, 3-turbos and 3-margaritas and a hitchiker stombella and tons of little baby snails at night. But that is it for my 75-gallon, I have been wanting to get more but didn't want to just put them in without a QT or Dip.
My question is this, can I keep them alive for a month in the new QT without any rock or sand? Can I feed them algae waffers or Nori????
I think I need more snails and hermits.

 

[austinsdad]

I'm not thinking the snails wouldn't do that well. especially the nassarius. Crabs'll do fine with pellets IMO.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

I've never quarantined snails or crabs. Yeah... since there's water that comes in with them, that water could harbor a parasite. But with a long acclimation, that water gets diluted a lot. And I shake as much off as I can when I put them into the main tank.

It's really a question of where your tolerance for risk is. For me... I draw the line at inverts.

 

[ryshark]

What I have been doing is QT all fish and iodine dip all coral to knock anything off of them and then do a swirl around in a separate container with tank water. I guess the dilution thing makes sense, maybe I will just do that. The only thing is I always find issues with at least one fish at all of the lfs and they circulate the water to wherever the snails/crabs are. Liveaquaria could be another option, then I won't see what if there is anything bad going on, so I won't worry about it.

 

[Innovator]

Most of the time, with mobile inverts, you do not qt because the pathogens they may carry over (yes, it is possible) are not treatable without killing the invert. It is a matter of risk and perhaps a small one, who knows, but I would just acclimate them and add to the tank. Putting snails through quarantine is limiting food supply and with hermit crabs you are putting fiesty lil' buggers together in a small footprint which will lead to inevitable aggression and deaths including consuming the snails. If anything, they can all be rinsed in clean sw after acclimation.

 

[dskidmore]

Alternatively, you can set up a dirty QT. I do this with my freshwater QT when getting Otocats. They HAVE to be QTed, but live off of biofilm, and often come in low on reserves. After doing a fishless cycle, keep adding fish food daily until you have a good coating of algae on the glass, then order your critters.

 

[HoCkEyGmC]

uhh i dont get what this does, can someone explain the significance of a qt when you get new stuff? i have just been acclimating to the "main" tank and putting them in.

 

[cmor1701d]

Read this - Quarantine

Ryshark, I drip acclimate for a couple of hours then scoop, swirl in a bucket of used tank water, then dump them in. Sure, there is still a slight risk, but I'm willing to absorb that amount of risk. If something bad does still get in, then it's time to teart down the tank again -- OUCH!

 

[melosu58]

Also read this as far as what is a QT needed for. I too dont QT my inverts.

 

[ryshark]

Thanks for the advice. I am just going to treat them like I do coral and acclimate then swirl/shake them in tank water in a separate container and then put them in.
Hockeygmc- I used to just put stuff right into the main display also, but after dealing with ich, c. isopods and a possible eunicid or fireworm, I am much more skeptical now. I will always QT fish for at least 30-days now. Taking care of Ich sucks, and I dont want to have to do it again if I can avoid it.

 

[dskidmore]

Sure, there is still a slight risk, but I'm willing to absorb that amount of risk.

The risk factor of not QTing new fish is different for everyone. What is the value of your existing fish? Do you have children with emotional attachment to the fish? Do you have time to deal with a sick fish in the main? How much to you trust the source you got the fish from?

 

[HoCkEyGmC]

i would love to set one up but i would want meds on hand instead of having to drag my parents to the fish store with me each time that i identify something. is there like a kit or something out there that has a variety?

 

[dskidmore]

A thermometer and a refractometer are the best things to keep on hand. Ich for example can be treated with changes in salt and temperature alone. Most of the other meds have expiration dates, so it's a bit wasteful to keep them around and have to throw them out later.

 

[HoCkEyGmC]

yea i have the refractometer and thermometer on hand. and thanks for the tip about expiring.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

The risk factor of not QTing new fish is different for everyone. What is the value of your existing fish? Do you have children with emotional attachment to the fish? Do you have time to deal with a sick fish in the main? How much to you trust the source you got the fish from?

We're not talking about quarantining fish here... where talking about quarantining snails. The only risk is with the water that is coming in with them. And with proper techniques, you can knock the risk level down by a couple of orders of magnitude.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Ich for example can be treated with changes in salt and temperature alone.

If you mean hyposalinity as far as "changes in salt", then yeah... I agree. But I get the feeling you're confusing freshwater ich with saltwater ich. Two totally different beasts.

 

[Innovator]

FYI, invertebrates (mobile or not) have been known to carry over various bacteriums amongst other nasties, all communicable to humans.

 

[dskidmore]

If you mean hyposalinity as far as "changes in salt", then yeah... I agree. But I get the feeling you're confusing freshwater ich with saltwater ich. Two totally different beasts.

Freshwater ich is usually treated via temperature changes, SW ich by hyposalinity?

 

[melosu58]

SW ich by hyposalinity?

That`s one of a few ways. IMO it`s one of the best ways. This link shows several other ways.

Marine Ich/Cryptocaryon irritans - A Discussion of this Parasite and the Treatment Options Available, Part I by Steven Pro - Reefkeeping.com

 

[Innovator]

Freshwater ich is usually treated via temperature changes, SW ich by hyposalinity?

I'd say the most common treatments for fw ich are raised salinity, raised temperature, and copper (still widely used). For sw the most common is hyposalinity and copper. In the future it seems nothing will be full proof since certain species of ich are showing tolerances towards near fw salinities, but this in itself is off topic.