T
tailgate1979
Guest
Ok I have seen people say QT ur coral. Why is this, how do you do it, how long. Just trying to figure out how to do it I never have QT anything befor I put it in my tank fish and corals. Maybe I should start.
btldreef
Moderator
The reason why some of us QT corals is because you can get some nasty little hitchhikers with corals.
Ex: zoanthids love to bring along spiders, nudibranchs and snails that eat corals, acropora like to bring a long red bugs, large colonies of acro's can bring along some nasty little crabs, etc.
Dipping corals works, but I've found many times that a dip isn't enough, especially with large clusters of zoanthids or larger corals/colonies.
A separate tank is the best way (with proper lighting for the corals). Don't QT corals in a tank that you've used medications to treat fish. About7-10 days is usually enough time to QT corals, especially if they've also been dipped, you just have to really observe and be sure they're not carrying anymore hitchhikers.
Keep in mind, that although rare, corals can carry ich and for this reason some people QT them for a full 6-8 weeks in a fishless system.
Ex: zoanthids love to bring along spiders, nudibranchs and snails that eat corals, acropora like to bring a long red bugs, large colonies of acro's can bring along some nasty little crabs, etc.
Dipping corals works, but I've found many times that a dip isn't enough, especially with large clusters of zoanthids or larger corals/colonies.
A separate tank is the best way (with proper lighting for the corals). Don't QT corals in a tank that you've used medications to treat fish. About7-10 days is usually enough time to QT corals, especially if they've also been dipped, you just have to really observe and be sure they're not carrying anymore hitchhikers.
Keep in mind, that although rare, corals can carry ich and for this reason some people QT them for a full 6-8 weeks in a fishless system.
geoj
Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by tailgate1979 http:///forum/thread/385052/question-about-qt-coral#post_3375418
Ok I have seen people say QT ur coral. Why is this, how do you do it, how long. Just trying to figure out how to do it I never have QT anything befor I put it in my tank fish and corals. Maybe I should start.
You do it to keep the bad guys out of your tank as they can kill all real quick and some are hard to get rid of. The how to and what for, is based on the coral, you have to learn what pests there are for the corals you buy and what the life cycle is to know how long to QT.
Quote: Garrett's Acropolis
"Why quarantine?
Because there is an ocean of potential problems you could introduce into your tiny reef ecosystem.
Here is some info on what pests you should look out for and what to do next.
Having reef aquaria since 1994 I have seen / experienced allot
Bad
Red spot Acropora feeding amphipod, (AKA red bugs, red butt bugs) to the naked eye they look like a red speck or a cluster of red specks on the tip of an Acropora branch. They only affect Acropora species and in my option they are not life threatening to the coral but they do affect its growth and often its color. Do not confuse them with the other larger copepods swimming in your system, these ones are about the size of a hair follicle, or sharp pencil dot. They can swim if disturbed, so simply dipping the coral in an Iodine solution (coral dip) will only kill the ones that were on the coral. The only way I have rid my system of these pests was by using Interceptor. I found this link The Treatment that describes the procedure. I would also add some new cured live rock to re-establish the natural plankton.
Bad
Black spot Montipora feeding amphipod, to the naked eye they look like a black speck. They only affect Montipora species and in my option they are not life threatening to the coral but they do affect its growth and often its color. Do not confuse them with the other larger copepods swimming in your system, these ones are about the size of a hair follicle, or sharp pencil dot. They can swim if disturbed. Dipping the coral in an Iodine solution seems to not affect them at all. The only way to get rid of them is by using Interceptor, just like for the red bug treatment.
Very bad if un checked
Montipora eating nudibranch are quite a pest if not found early on. They eat the living flesh of Montipora species and can wipe out all your Montipora corals if left unchecked, commonly first seen on the underside of Montipora capricornis but you must check all species of Montipora for they can be found even on Montipora digitata. They look like white, off-white, or brown fluffy spots up to 3/8" long and the best place to look for them is at the base and undersides of the Montipora corals. A tell tale sign of there presence is the appearance white dead areas on the coral. The only sure way to avoid them is to quarantines the new coral for two weeks (incase there are eggs that haven't hatched) and check for there presence. If you find them you should remove them by picking them off or even better use a turkey baster to blast them off (in a separate container), and then scrub the base rock and all dead areas with a tooth brush to remove any possible eggs. You can make a coral dip using Melifix( a common fish medication). Use one cap full to one gallon container full of salt water, after about 5 minutes give the coral a shake and they should start falling off. If they are already in your system you must be diligent about there removal. You cannot remove them all in just one shot it will take several weeks checking all montipora every 3-4 days for the next month, and even then they may reappear a few months later, so always be on the look out for them and QT.
Very bad and can destroy allot of Acropora very fast
Acropora eating flat worms (AEFW) Don't confuse these with the common red planaria, unlike the red or rust colored flatworms these worms have no problem climbing onto Acropora branches. The adults are oval in shape, up to 1/2" from front to back and about 1/4" wide. Here they feed on the flesh of the Acropora coral and the zooxanthellae contained inside. The tell tale signs of these worms are the white holes left behind as they feed. The adult AEFW is very well camouflaged against the surface of the coral and during the daytime they usually hide in the folds between branches. When it comes time to lay eggs the adult AEFW will eat a section from the base of a colony upon which it will lay its eggs. There are some coral dips that will kill them but not the eggs, but there so far is no in tank treatment like there is for the red bugs. So far the best remedy for removal is the use of small species of Reef-safe wrasses and fallow the method described for removing the Montipora eating nudibranch."
Originally Posted by tailgate1979 http:///forum/thread/385052/question-about-qt-coral#post_3375418
Ok I have seen people say QT ur coral. Why is this, how do you do it, how long. Just trying to figure out how to do it I never have QT anything befor I put it in my tank fish and corals. Maybe I should start.
You do it to keep the bad guys out of your tank as they can kill all real quick and some are hard to get rid of. The how to and what for, is based on the coral, you have to learn what pests there are for the corals you buy and what the life cycle is to know how long to QT.
Quote: Garrett's Acropolis
"Why quarantine?
Because there is an ocean of potential problems you could introduce into your tiny reef ecosystem.
Here is some info on what pests you should look out for and what to do next.
Having reef aquaria since 1994 I have seen / experienced allot
Bad
Red spot Acropora feeding amphipod, (AKA red bugs, red butt bugs) to the naked eye they look like a red speck or a cluster of red specks on the tip of an Acropora branch. They only affect Acropora species and in my option they are not life threatening to the coral but they do affect its growth and often its color. Do not confuse them with the other larger copepods swimming in your system, these ones are about the size of a hair follicle, or sharp pencil dot. They can swim if disturbed, so simply dipping the coral in an Iodine solution (coral dip) will only kill the ones that were on the coral. The only way I have rid my system of these pests was by using Interceptor. I found this link The Treatment that describes the procedure. I would also add some new cured live rock to re-establish the natural plankton.
Bad
Black spot Montipora feeding amphipod, to the naked eye they look like a black speck. They only affect Montipora species and in my option they are not life threatening to the coral but they do affect its growth and often its color. Do not confuse them with the other larger copepods swimming in your system, these ones are about the size of a hair follicle, or sharp pencil dot. They can swim if disturbed. Dipping the coral in an Iodine solution seems to not affect them at all. The only way to get rid of them is by using Interceptor, just like for the red bug treatment.
Very bad if un checked
Montipora eating nudibranch are quite a pest if not found early on. They eat the living flesh of Montipora species and can wipe out all your Montipora corals if left unchecked, commonly first seen on the underside of Montipora capricornis but you must check all species of Montipora for they can be found even on Montipora digitata. They look like white, off-white, or brown fluffy spots up to 3/8" long and the best place to look for them is at the base and undersides of the Montipora corals. A tell tale sign of there presence is the appearance white dead areas on the coral. The only sure way to avoid them is to quarantines the new coral for two weeks (incase there are eggs that haven't hatched) and check for there presence. If you find them you should remove them by picking them off or even better use a turkey baster to blast them off (in a separate container), and then scrub the base rock and all dead areas with a tooth brush to remove any possible eggs. You can make a coral dip using Melifix( a common fish medication). Use one cap full to one gallon container full of salt water, after about 5 minutes give the coral a shake and they should start falling off. If they are already in your system you must be diligent about there removal. You cannot remove them all in just one shot it will take several weeks checking all montipora every 3-4 days for the next month, and even then they may reappear a few months later, so always be on the look out for them and QT.
Very bad and can destroy allot of Acropora very fast
Acropora eating flat worms (AEFW) Don't confuse these with the common red planaria, unlike the red or rust colored flatworms these worms have no problem climbing onto Acropora branches. The adults are oval in shape, up to 1/2" from front to back and about 1/4" wide. Here they feed on the flesh of the Acropora coral and the zooxanthellae contained inside. The tell tale signs of these worms are the white holes left behind as they feed. The adult AEFW is very well camouflaged against the surface of the coral and during the daytime they usually hide in the folds between branches. When it comes time to lay eggs the adult AEFW will eat a section from the base of a colony upon which it will lay its eggs. There are some coral dips that will kill them but not the eggs, but there so far is no in tank treatment like there is for the red bugs. So far the best remedy for removal is the use of small species of Reef-safe wrasses and fallow the method described for removing the Montipora eating nudibranch."