QT Procedure for Wrasse

dan_mudder · 09/16/2013, 12:11 PM

Hello all,

I just purchased three fish online: a midas blenny, a radiant wrasse, and a hoeven's wrasse. This is my first online fish purchase so I have a few questions. I have been using a QT setup for every fish in my tank and I've had great success with Prazi Pro and Cupramine. I don't cycle my QT, I just use water from my 90 gallon display tank and keep an eye on ammonia.

1) I have a 10 gallon and a 20 long, will those be adequate keeping the blenny in the small tank, and the two wrasses in the other?

2) Should I match salinity and PH of the shipping water and just release the fish into the QT, or should I just drip acclimate like a normal LFS purchase?

3) Should I get some sand from the display tank and put in a small bowl for the wrasses? I'm confused if this needs to be done, but I know they like to bury themselves.

Thanks for the responses!

hogfanreefer · 09/16/2013, 01:03 PM

Find out what the salinity is from the company you are ordering from and match your QT to that. You can drip acclimate but the clock starts ticking when you open the bags and you need to be out of the shipping water and in the QT in <30 minutes.

I have QT'd a H. claudia and H. melanurus without any sand. Both searched the bottom for a place to bury but quickly calmed down and thrived in the 7 weeks they were in QT.

sleepydoc · 09/16/2013, 03:17 PM

Match the salinity, do a short temperature acclimation, then add them to the QT. I would keep the bag closed until you add them.

CO2 and ammonia build up during shipping. The decreased pH caused by the increased CO2 keeps more of the ammonia (NH3) in the less-toxic ammonium (NH4+) form. As soon as you open the bag, the CO2 out-gasses, the pH goes up and the ammonium gets converted back to the more toxic ammonia form. For this reason, drip acclimating may actually do more harm than good.

Check out this article by Randy Holmes-Farley and this sticky by Sk8r

dan_mudder · 09/16/2013, 04:55 PM

Thank you for the advice and links! I figured I'd try ordering fish online due to my very limited selection in Wyoming. I've ordered lots of coral online with pretty decent success. I lost a green birdsnest before I got my dosing completely figured out, but I later read they are sensitive to alk swings.

thegrun · 09/17/2013, 07:37 AM

I would provide the wrasses with a bowl of sand; they will be under lass stress if they can burry themselves. I use new washed dry sand to acclimate mine, but you could certainly use sand from your tank if you wish.

09/16/2013, 12:11 PM	#1
dan_mudder Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Casper, WY Posts: 44	QT Procedure for Wrasse Hello all, I just purchased three fish online: a midas blenny, a radiant wrasse, and a hoeven's wrasse. This is my first online fish purchase so I have a few questions. I have been using a QT setup for every fish in my tank and I've had great success with Prazi Pro and Cupramine. I don't cycle my QT, I just use water from my 90 gallon display tank and keep an eye on ammonia. 1) I have a 10 gallon and a 20 long, will those be adequate keeping the blenny in the small tank, and the two wrasses in the other? 2) Should I match salinity and PH of the shipping water and just release the fish into the QT, or should I just drip acclimate like a normal LFS purchase? 3) Should I get some sand from the display tank and put in a small bowl for the wrasses? I'm confused if this needs to be done, but I know they like to bury themselves. Thanks for the responses!

09/16/2013, 01:03 PM	#2
hogfanreefer Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Conway, AR Posts: 2,117	Find out what the salinity is from the company you are ordering from and match your QT to that. You can drip acclimate but the clock starts ticking when you open the bags and you need to be out of the shipping water and in the QT in <30 minutes. I have QT'd a H. claudia and H. melanurus without any sand. Both searched the bottom for a place to bury but quickly calmed down and thrived in the 7 weeks they were in QT. __________________ DSA 155,Custom Trigger 42" sump/refugium, MP40 X2, MP 10 X 2, AI Hydra 52 X3, Apex controller, Tunze ATO Current Tank Info: DSA 155 gallon, mixed reef, SPS and wrasse dominant

09/16/2013, 03:17 PM	#3
sleepydoc Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 3,907	Match the salinity, do a short temperature acclimation, then add them to the QT. I would keep the bag closed until you add them. CO2 and ammonia build up during shipping. The decreased pH caused by the increased CO2 keeps more of the ammonia (NH3) in the less-toxic ammonium (NH4+) form. As soon as you open the bag, the CO2 out-gasses, the pH goes up and the ammonium gets converted back to the more toxic ammonia form. For this reason, drip acclimating may actually do more harm than good. Check out this article by Randy Holmes-Farley and this sticky by Sk8r __________________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 120 gallon, coast to coast overflow w/beananimal overflow. Waveline DC 10000 II return pump, 40 gal sump, Octopus XS200 skimmer, T5 lighting

09/16/2013, 04:55 PM	#4
dan_mudder Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Casper, WY Posts: 44	Thank you for the advice and links! I figured I'd try ordering fish online due to my very limited selection in Wyoming. I've ordered lots of coral online with pretty decent success. I lost a green birdsnest before I got my dosing completely figured out, but I later read they are sensitive to alk swings.

09/17/2013, 07:37 AM	#5
thegrun Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Garden Grove, Ca Posts: 17,023	I would provide the wrasses with a bowl of sand; they will be under lass stress if they can burry themselves. I use new washed dry sand to acclimate mine, but you could certainly use sand from your tank if you wish.