nexusnight
Active Member
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2013
- Location
- London, Ontario
Here is a great read about the quarantine process and why it is so important. I have cut and pasted the conclusion but one should take the time to read it all. Written by "Steven Pro". great job
Quarantine everything! Fish, corals, clams, anemones, live rock, live sand, mobile invertebrates, and everything else that is wet. When in doubt, quarantine!
A properly run quarantine tank is the best possible way to ensure the safety and well being of all your aquatic pets.
A competition free environment is the best place to allow fish and corals time to recover after enduring the stress and damage from shipping.
There are a staggering number of potential pests, predators, and pathogens that we want to avoid introducing to the display. And, to make matters worse, not all of them are readily apparent upon first purchase/inspection.
If the tank does become infected, it cannot be assured that any alleged 'reef-safe' medication is not harming some inconspicuous, but important, part of the overall ecosystem.
Completely eradicating an introduced problem is always more difficult and more costly than keeping said problem out in the first place.
A quarantine setup can be extremely simple and affordable, yet effective, with some forethought and planning.
Having a fully functional and cycled biological filter is key to a successful quarantine period.
The quarantine tank's lighting used when housing photosynthetic creatures need not be very expensive nor as high intensity as the main display. The animals merely need to be kept alive. Maximizing coloration or growth at this point is un-necessary.
Any deficiency in lighting can be balanced by feeding.
Use prophylactic treatment sparingly. Don't treat anything and everything, but be aware if the particular species is known for certain ailments and act accordingly.
A proper quarantine period is at least one month long if everything goes perfectly. If a specimen refuses to feed, needs to be treated for a disease, or just doesn't behave appropriately for its species, the countdown to introduction to the display should not begin.
Some specimens are going to be in quarantine for two months, or perhaps longer, because they need to be treated and the treatment protocol lasts a month.
And finally, if you can't commit to these practices, don't waste your time because you will eventually run into trouble and want to blame it on quarantine as a practice instead of your incorrect application of the technique.
Quarantine everything! Fish, corals, clams, anemones, live rock, live sand, mobile invertebrates, and everything else that is wet. When in doubt, quarantine!
A properly run quarantine tank is the best possible way to ensure the safety and well being of all your aquatic pets.
A competition free environment is the best place to allow fish and corals time to recover after enduring the stress and damage from shipping.
There are a staggering number of potential pests, predators, and pathogens that we want to avoid introducing to the display. And, to make matters worse, not all of them are readily apparent upon first purchase/inspection.
If the tank does become infected, it cannot be assured that any alleged 'reef-safe' medication is not harming some inconspicuous, but important, part of the overall ecosystem.
Completely eradicating an introduced problem is always more difficult and more costly than keeping said problem out in the first place.
A quarantine setup can be extremely simple and affordable, yet effective, with some forethought and planning.
Having a fully functional and cycled biological filter is key to a successful quarantine period.
The quarantine tank's lighting used when housing photosynthetic creatures need not be very expensive nor as high intensity as the main display. The animals merely need to be kept alive. Maximizing coloration or growth at this point is un-necessary.
Any deficiency in lighting can be balanced by feeding.
Use prophylactic treatment sparingly. Don't treat anything and everything, but be aware if the particular species is known for certain ailments and act accordingly.
A proper quarantine period is at least one month long if everything goes perfectly. If a specimen refuses to feed, needs to be treated for a disease, or just doesn't behave appropriately for its species, the countdown to introduction to the display should not begin.
Some specimens are going to be in quarantine for two months, or perhaps longer, because they need to be treated and the treatment protocol lasts a month.
And finally, if you can't commit to these practices, don't waste your time because you will eventually run into trouble and want to blame it on quarantine as a practice instead of your incorrect application of the technique.
