sterile QT and Cleanup Crew - Aquarium Advice

ryshark · 08-30-2008, 08:53 PM

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 · 08-30-2008, 09:37 PM

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

Kurt_Nelson · 08-31-2008, 12:58 AM

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 · 08-31-2008, 06:05 AM

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 · 08-31-2008, 12:57 PM

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 · 08-31-2008, 01:19 PM

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 · 08-31-2008, 02:05 PM

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 · 08-31-2008, 02:14 PM

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!

dskidmore · 09-01-2008, 09:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmor1701d

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 · 09-01-2008, 10:14 PM

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?