Prophylactic tx in QT???? Yes or No?

[MyNameIsJoe]

I have two questions related to the QT tank.

1. I am going to purchase a Tang and I am not sure if I should do a hypo-salinity treatment right off the bat. Or should I just observe for 6 weeks and treat only if I notice disease? According to Steven Pro in "An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure: A Quarantine Tank for Everything by Steven Pro - Reefkeeping.com"
he recommends doing a prophylactic hyposal. treatment with all surgeon fish. I read somewhere that prophylactic tx puts the fish under unnecessary stress. Do I do the preventative tx, or just observe?
And...
2. I am also planning on buy multiple coral frags at one time. Can I put all of them in the same QT at the same time for observance? Do corals need to be quarantined at all?

Tanks, thanks, muchas gracias!

joe

[leebca]

Thanks for posting. First, I hope that Tang will be put into the right sized aquarium and that when it grows it will still be in the proper sized aquarium.

1. You didn't specify the type of Tang you are referring to. However, I recommend the treatment of all Acanthurus sp. of Tangs upon acquisition for Marine Ich. You can use hyposalinity or Cupramine (copper treatment). I prefer the use of Cupramine because it will take care of more than just Marine Ich. It will also kill off any Marine Velvet parasites. This particular genus of Tangs are so frequently acquired by hobbyists already infected, it is just best to do this. Have you read through these posts here?
It Was Acclimation, I know. . .
A Quarantine Process (step-by-step)
and
Curing Fish of Marine Ich

2. If you read the article you linked to, then you'll see that Steven Pro also recommends the quarantine of every marine life form. That includes live rock, invertebrates, etc. However, if you follow my guidelines to setting up a new FOWLR system: Setting Up a FOWLR Aquarium the initial weeks of seasoning the tank doesn't require the quarantine. After fish are quarantined and added then everything should be quarantined. There are however parasites and 'bugs' that hitchhike along with live rock and other invertebrates that are troublesome to mobile and immobile invertebrates, so this procedure (linked above) is not quite the same for concerns about them.
Putting multiple marine life forms together through the same QT runs the risk of one of them coming in with a hitchhiker that will kill the rest of the life forms in the QT. Another downside with handling inverts like this is that if one dies in the tank, the pollution kills others in the QT. A death can create enough pollution overnight to kill the rest. Some inverts release a toxin upon death. Another downside is that many inverts have ways to 'protect themselves' and/or compete for space. That is, they can attack each other. Another thing you don't want to have to contend with in a small space. I don't see any good side to doing this. Best to use multiple tanks or just go slowly (the best recommendation of them all).

[MyNameIsJoe]

Thanks for the info Lee, great advice as usual. I have read through those posts, but i will give them another once over and continue to use them as a reference guide. I will admit that I do need to research the different types of tangs a little more before i make a purchase. I might just keep a yellow tang until it gets to a certain size and try to trade it in for a smaller tang if possible. Right now I am limited to my 55 gallon. It will be about 3 years until i upgrade to a larger tank.

Also, I have decided to refrain from buying large amounts of coral frags for discounted shipping prices and just buy one quality piece at a time, mostly from the LFS. I totally forgot about corals competing for space and attacking each other. I will purchase slow and research in between purchases. Thanks for putting everything into focus.


For fun...

[leebca]

You're welcome!

The immobile invertebrates 'wage war' on reefs. One type of coral will take up several dozen square yards. We try to put a little piece of each in a small space. But in the wild they don't tolerate each other very well. Some will send out tentacles that will sting; others release chemicals. You can avoid these through research.

The 'bulk shipping discount' is a bane to the hobby. Many fall into that 'come on.' Yes, it is cheaper, but that just isn't how we stock our aquariums.

If you are still interested in a single large shipment, many club members go in on a shipment together. They do this for not only livestock but also: frozen foods, dry goods, salt, etc.. Find others that want to do the same thing.

Good luck!