quarantine question

[sbaumann14]

here's our setup: 3 tanks total...
12 gal aquapod w/2 36 watt cf that we use as frag tank and quarantine for new fish and corals
55 gal with 219 watts of t-5 lighting that has mostly softies and fish that my girlfriend used to get me hooked into this obsession

180 gal that i got off ---- to "take it to the next level"
the 180 has been up and going for about 4 months now. measures 60l x24w x29h and has 3 250 watt halides, 190 watts of actinics and moonlights. 29 gal sump and 29 gal fuge and skimmer.
my question is: i want to get into sps and i know you should quarantine your stuff when you bring it home; thats what we have been using the nano for. but the lighting in the nano is nowhere near what the sps need for lighting, and i would like to have them in quarantine for at least 2 weeks. so will i be killing my sps frags if i keep them in the nano for that length of time? what would be my other options? can i "dip" them, then into the dt without fear of hitchhikers? any help would be great.
also, have a longspine urchin that i love to watch... is he ok with the sps i will be wanting to get?

 

[reefkprz]

well first off, generally urchins are dangerous to sps due to their spikes doing damage to the coral, leading to secondary infections, so its risky.
Qting coral in insuffcient light can cause light shock, bleaching, etc. so using weak light to QT corals may cause you to lose some, two weeks is a long time under poor lighting to an already stressed coral from shipping. I would suggest getting better lighting for your QT. I know $$$ is hard to come by for such things, but it is really the best route.
many people use prophylactic dips and skip the QT completly. thats hit or miss IMO many people do it without problems but you dont always get all the critters if they are present. I dont use dips myself so I cant reccomend any from expirience. hopefully some one who uses dips can chime in and reccomend a good one if you are interested in that route.

 

[sbaumann14]

there is a 150 watt clamp on halide i can get for the 12 gal, i was kinda hopin i didnt have to go that route, but i have learned that you DONT cut cornerrs in this little addiction. any idea if they will they have any shock going from the qt to the dt after 2 weeks of sittin time?

 

[reefkprz]

depends on a couple factors.
initial lighting before purchase-lightin in QT-lighting in DT.
depending on the variance in swing it could be very possible or just a remote chance. corals dont like sudden changes.

 

[gatorwpb]

I dont do any QT, but then I get all my sps from reputable LFS that I am very familiar with their suppliers, tanks and corals.
You will most likely have to light acclimate the sps to your 12 g (w/150w clip on) and then light acclimate them to the 180, as that has very good lighting on it.
So whether you place the coral on the sand and slowly raise it up, use screen material to shade the coral and slowly remove layers of screening, or reduce photoperiod, the corals will require light acclimation. I had a deepwater that was under 400w 20k at my LFS that I put under my 150w 10ks and it lightened up slightly. a few weeks later and it has darkened back up.

 

[sbaumann14]

get all our corals/fish from the dr's (only 5 mins away) never had a problem, but our friend brought home a fish with ich on it without knowing it and no qt and killed everything except his corals. am trying to avoid that