albertareef

Agree with this - I think the tank transfer holds a lot of promise as a "low impact" methodology to reduce pathogens but I likewise struggle with understanding the timing and details. As for other QT methods... this is where I lean on people like Holly (Saltwater Harmony) and Colby (Pacific Island Aquatics) who are doing it on a larger scale so investing in the various tanks/treatments/equipment can be spread across a number of specimens to make it reasonable. They both offer a selection of pre-QT'd fish which makes for a great option for those who can't implement a full QT program themselves.

Yeah - I now worry more about coral pests than fish pathogens and the immunity argument doesn't really apply to them either. In addition to dipping, inspection, rock/plug removal this is where I rely on my natural pest control buddies as well - green coris, melanarus, blue star leopard, red possum... fortunately I like wrasses!

Good choice! I was eyeing that as well.

So wait... are you saying you are adding monkeys to your tank? 👀 i kid... I kid. Lots of good points and it reminds me that I keep meaning to track down a good magnifying glass!

Congrats Jorge - you can launch your alternate career as a caption writer! I have to confess that my contribution was poorly constructed for its target audience so am willing to accept this setback in stride 😪

Ok... going to play devil's advocate here a bit (I know, shocking isn't it!). I think there are potentially some legitimate questions one could ask about how best to approach the whole QT scenario with fish, coral, inverts etc. and whether or not a 100% exclusion target is either obtainable (realistically) or desirable vs. an approach that would favor reduction over elimination in combination with more general health maintenance. As noted by youcallmenny and pdxmonkeyboy above, there are many ways that pests can gain entry into your system and it takes a lot of dedication and planning to completely avoid all of them (sterilization of all equipment, sand, rock, prolonged separate QT of fish, coral, inverts). So, one honest question is whether or not that is a reasonable expectation of one's personal situation - after all, we all have high hopes and typically want to do the right thing but also have a tendency to underestimate the effort required to truly follow through on such a strict regime, especially when this hobby can through you as many curves as it does. A second question, which I find even more interesting, is whether or not a 100% avoidance approach is even truly desirable in the long run. While it may seem counter intuitive, might a better approach from both a biological (and personal sanity) perspective be one of "limiting" exposure combined with boosting natural resistance? The rationale here is that, despite one's best intentions and diligence, there is a good chance that at some point, one of these pathogens will make it into your system. When that happens, the impact may very substantially depending on the history of your system and whether or not you have become overly reliant on exclusion as your sole defense mechanism. As on overly simplified example, a person's immune system can be easily overwhelmed by a new pathogen if it hasn't experienced it before and been "primed" for an effective response. This is where too "clean" of an environment can actually backfire and create a catastrophic impact if/when something does get introduced. So... what are the options between strict QT and just saying "what the $&@@, I'm just going to throw it in"? I think a case can be made for doing a combination of pathogen and stress reduction (as opposed to elimination) that makes some sense from both a theoretical and a practical standpoint. This would involve things like preventative dips for incoming fish and coral along with running UV (pathogen reduction) along with careful monitoring of redox potential on one's system along with basic husbandry such as water parameter consistency and attention to stocking levels and specimen choices (stress reduction). The idea here is to take care of the low hanging fruit in terms of reducing the level of pathogens through new introductions to the system while also assuming that they will happen so how best to make sure they don't become overwhelming to your existing stock. This approach can include picking "worker" fish such as wrasses that will eat flatworms, sand sifters (fish, snails, starfish) to reduce detritus in the sand bed (source of water chemistry stressors) as well as using "artificial" mechanisms of control such as UV, good skimmers, carbon, etc.. This basic idea here is that fish are exposed to these pathogens in nature but typically not at the levels they can reach in contained systems or under as stressful conditions as an aquarium can be if over/badly stocked or maintained - thus let's address those points as opposed to shooting for 100% avoidance. I have been burned by velvet in the past and it is painful but have still settled on a "reduce but not eliminate" approach for myself as 1) I can't see myself ever being able to completely execute the full blown QT system and 2) I can see an argument for something more balanced being a better overall approach in the end (for me). That said, I still will choose a QT'd or even better, established fish over a newly imported one (for a variety of reasons) and I will continue to dip corals since these type of mitigations are easy wins for reduction - although not 100% effective as an elimination tool. In the end, I think there is no simple answer - other than "what the $&@@, I'm just going to throw it in" is a bad idea - and everyone will have to find their own "sweet spot" of elimination vs. containment. More than likely, this sweet spot will be impacted by how much you have invested and how much time, money and space you have on hand.

Very clean! Looks like you mapped things out quite well - congrats.

Oh man - that purple is nice! Glad your original pulled through as well.

Glad you figured it out fairly quickly and didn't lose any of your coral! Fortunately, I never have RODI in the same type of containers as salt water so it's harder for me to mix up. Of course, now that I have said that...

Well... that could have been a whole lot worse if you didn’t have the safety measures in place - except for the house alarm that is 😄

Wow - that will be a change for sure. Definitely some nice 300DD tanks up and running these days - Holly’s perhaps being the most well known example. You will need to retrain your tangs not to just swim in a straight line anymore. GLWS and the conversion!

That was about the only exercise I got on a regular basis. 😳

Hey Kim - how about the mystic grape favia and the scrambled eggs if you still have them.

Yeah. I kind of miss the Miss. Ave. shop for convenience (for me, not for anyone else I realize) but it was... cozy.

And also congrats on 5 years!!! Seems like things have been growing nicely in that time...

Woot - woot! Just in time for (my own) christmas presents

Well... most don’t anyway 😳

Glad you got that solved! They do have their own unique way of communicating 🙁. Glad to see that favia is still in your collection - really like that one a lot. Everything looking really sharp!

That is awesome - Thanks Karen!

Haha! I figured he just volunteered to move your new tank for you!

Haha! Sounds like you guys have a much higher tolerance for pain and suffering.... I mean the excitement of a new build!

Nice! You are filling that up fast - hope everything does well for you.

Took the long road again?

Welcome! Nice looking tank and it fits really well in that space - congratulations! Look forward to seeing this progress. As you noticed, many of the LFS around here have been very strong sponsors of the club and go out of their way to help us out so glad to hear you have already discovered some of them. We often do a road trip meeting during the year when we visit several of the local stores so you might enjoy that - keep an eye out for the meeting announcements.

Looking sharp! Hopefully you won't blind yourself when you open up that canopy with the lights on