using FOWLR tank as coral quarantine tank?

Kittikity · 09/21/2007, 09:18 PM

I'm thinking of using the empty 45 gal we have as a FOWLR tank.. (Besides, want to go bigger for my next reef tank..

) Could I use the FOWLR tank as a place to quarantine corals? Or would that somehow adversely effect the fish?

bgdiving · 09/22/2007, 01:45 AM

I assume using the FOWLR tank would work for a quarantine tank as long as you have enough light and water circulation. Most of the things you want to quarantine the corals for shouldn't hurt the fish.

ReefArtist · 09/22/2007, 04:48 AM

It would be best to have a dedicated tank. If you treat the corals (See The Hawkster last post) - it will kill all pods and other living creatures if the medication is working properly. Why put your fish through a treatment for your corals - lots of BAD chemicals! It really isn't that hard to have a 10/20g tank as some have mentioned with corals. A few degrees of change have not hurt my corals at all - JMO.

I have to tell you I very rarely dip/QT my softies/LPS corals anymore. I've lost to many to dipping and I feel it's just to hard on them. PLEASE before I get blasted for this - this is just what I do and just what I have found with my softies and LPS corals. My SPSs do get dipped and put into a QT. This is just my practice but I examine my corals very closely before/after adding them.

ReefArtist · 09/22/2007, 05:02 AM

BTW - it isn't that expensive to have a QT. I use a 20g, with a small pump for flow. I have a hang on the back for filtering. I don't keep my corals in QT for two months I keep them in for two weeks. I don't use a skimmer and never have, if I did it would be a small Corallife (I have two now). My light is DIY MH and you can get a great deal here on RC or other places. Please don't think you have to spend 500+ for a QT setup because you don't. But you have to do a little DIY and it would run around 200 is about right and most of that is the lighting. This is JMO and my practice that has worked for me - you my have other results. BTW - I very rarely purchase from other reefers and only purchase from two LFS (Oldsmar/Orlando) I trust both of these stores.

Kittikity · 09/22/2007, 05:36 AM

See, this is why I asked.. I didn't know if it would harm the fish or not, which of course I do not want to do.. The other reason I asked is because I can only purchase a little bit of coral/fish at a time.. Just not in my budget.. So I was trying to see if there was a way I could quarantine the corals (which I'm more interested in) without maintaining a tank that is probably going to be empty most of the time or only have one or two corals.. I do have a 20L that I was going to use as a refugium for the 45gal.. But if I do end up using the 45gal as a FOWLR then maybe I can get away with using the 20L as a QT tank..

mflamb · 09/22/2007, 06:06 AM

Jackie, I agree with Carol about not using the FOWLR for coral QT. If you don't want to go to my extremes, be careful where you buy and examine your corals very closely.

Kittikity · 09/22/2007, 06:18 AM

Not really a matter of want.. More a matter of cost, time, and space.. Cost I can do slowly.. Time I'll make because I love this hobby.. And space, well I figure that out too.. = ) I'll get there, just trying to figure out if there's any safe shortcuts to save me some of that cost, time, and space..

Freed · 09/22/2007, 06:36 AM

Uh, why would you want to risk infesting the fish with ich or something else that may come in with the coral?

Kittikity · 09/22/2007, 06:50 AM

I wouldn't.. That's why I was asking.. To find out any risks to the fish.. I believe that's how I started this post.. Asking if doing that would harm the fish..

Freed · 09/22/2007, 06:52 AM

Ah yes could very well harm the fish. You could bring in ich or velvet or other diseases in the water or may be on the rock that the coral is attached to.

bgdiving · 09/22/2007, 11:34 PM

You should be fine with a FOWLR tank, If your fish are healthy, your chances of introducing ick are minimal if you are only placing the coral in the tank, acclimate the coral in the bag when the bag is full discard all of the water, refill the bag with tank water swish the coral around in it and discard that water, if you want to be extra cautios do another rinse and discard. Don't treat the coral in the quarantine tank, just observe it, if you need to treat the coral remove it from the tank, treat it in a seprerate snall container, when treatment is done rinse coral with tank water and then return to FOWLR tank for obserzation, once your satisfied the coral is healthy and free of pests move it to your reef tank. Of coarse if you don't do a fresh water dip or some other type of dip before introducing the new coral to your FOWLR tank you do risk the chance of introducing flat worms and possibley a few other things to your FOWLR tank but not too likely to introduce anything that would bother the fish.

Hopefully that helps on the budget end.

ReefArtist · 09/23/2007, 06:02 AM

That makes no logical sense at all - IMO. Let see if you do need to treat the corals you just infested everything in the tank - right? So now the FOWLR needs to be treated because once you put the corals back into the tank - they are infested again. So you can once again take them out and treat them - to only infest them again when you put them in to "observe". If you are going this way - just put them in the display tank and take your changes. Or better - do it the right way with a small investment and then everything is healthy and you have minimal worries. This is JMO!

ReefArtist · 09/23/2007, 06:10 AM

Kittikity - I'm going to be setting up my new QT soon and I'll show you how in detail I'll do it on a budget. I'm sure I'll have lots of equipment left over from my other tanks that I can share with you

. You don't want to spend big bucks on corals/fish only to spend double treating or worst killing them. You seem every interested in doing to right thing - at a price you can live with and I admire that in a person. I'm sure others here also admire that and we are always willing to help people. Welcome to TBRC!

Kittikity · 09/23/2007, 06:06 PM

Thank you for going to all that trouble to let me know how to do it.. As for you left over part, I can always use help.. Maybe if you have a dog that needs grooming? Maybe I'll put up a post: Will groom for corals.. lol

ReefArtist · 09/23/2007, 06:42 PM

I have two wild ones and I'm sure you would end up thinking - I got a bad deal there - LOL. It's amazing how many parts, items etc I have just laying around that someone like you that is just starting out could really use. Mmmm, I have lots of reflector material. Oh, we can get you going in the right direction. You really seem to be interested in doing it right, caring about the livestock you are going to keep - that is great!

mflamb · 09/23/2007, 07:14 PM

Carol, you have Jackie figured out. I met her and her hubby (can't remember his name). Jackie is focused on getting it right.

Kittikity · 09/23/2007, 07:32 PM

Thank you Michael.. My husband, Randy, is like the spouses of most reefers.. He looks at the tank and says, "Oh, pretty.."

That or he rolls his eyes and says, "What did you buy now?"

09/21/2007, 09:18 PM	#1
Kittikity Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Lakeland, FL Posts: 255	using FOWLR tank as coral quarantine tank? I'm thinking of using the empty 45 gal we have as a FOWLR tank.. (Besides, want to go bigger for my next reef tank.. ) Could I use the FOWLR tank as a place to quarantine corals? Or would that somehow adversely effect the fish?

09/22/2007, 06:06 AM	#6
mflamb Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Pasadena, Texas Posts: 8,435	Jackie, I agree with Carol about not using the FOWLR for coral QT. If you don't want to go to my extremes, be careful where you buy and examine your corals very closely. __________________ Click on my red house to see my 390 and 300 build thread. Those are my last 2 tanks in Tampa. Now in Pasadena waiting to buy a house to set up my next tank....anemones and clowns...probably a 3x3 150 gallon.

09/22/2007, 06:36 AM	#8
Freed DammItImmaD Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: 41° 0' N 85° 12' W Posts: 7,757	Uh, why would you want to risk infesting the fish with ich or something else that may come in with the coral? __________________ Freed Current Tank Info: 180gal(1120 watts of MH/VHO light), 60gal "sump", Deltec 601 calcium reactor, Euro Reef CS8-3+ skimmer, 20 gallon QT

09/22/2007, 06:52 AM	#10
Freed DammItImmaD Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: 41° 0' N 85° 12' W Posts: 7,757	Ah yes could very well harm the fish. You could bring in ich or velvet or other diseases in the water or may be on the rock that the coral is attached to. __________________ Freed Current Tank Info: 180gal(1120 watts of MH/VHO light), 60gal "sump", Deltec 601 calcium reactor, Euro Reef CS8-3+ skimmer, 20 gallon QT

09/23/2007, 07:14 PM	#16
mflamb Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Pasadena, Texas Posts: 8,435	Carol, you have Jackie figured out. I met her and her hubby (can't remember his name). Jackie is focused on getting it right. __________________ Click on my red house to see my 390 and 300 build thread. Those are my last 2 tanks in Tampa. Now in Pasadena waiting to buy a house to set up my next tank....anemones and clowns...probably a 3x3 150 gallon.

09/22/2007, 01:45 AM	#2
bgdiving Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: S.W. Florida Gulf Coast Posts: 791	I assume using the FOWLR tank would work for a quarantine tank as long as you have enough light and water circulation. Most of the things you want to quarantine the corals for shouldn't hurt the fish.

09/22/2007, 04:48 AM	#3
ReefArtist Moved On Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Largo, FL Posts: 2,703	It would be best to have a dedicated tank. If you treat the corals (See The Hawkster last post) - it will kill all pods and other living creatures if the medication is working properly. Why put your fish through a treatment for your corals - lots of BAD chemicals! It really isn't that hard to have a 10/20g tank as some have mentioned with corals. A few degrees of change have not hurt my corals at all - JMO. I have to tell you I very rarely dip/QT my softies/LPS corals anymore. I've lost to many to dipping and I feel it's just to hard on them. PLEASE before I get blasted for this - this is just what I do and just what I have found with my softies and LPS corals. My SPSs do get dipped and put into a QT. This is just my practice but I examine my corals very closely before/after adding them.

09/22/2007, 05:02 AM	#4
ReefArtist Moved On Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Largo, FL Posts: 2,703	BTW - it isn't that expensive to have a QT. I use a 20g, with a small pump for flow. I have a hang on the back for filtering. I don't keep my corals in QT for two months I keep them in for two weeks. I don't use a skimmer and never have, if I did it would be a small Corallife (I have two now). My light is DIY MH and you can get a great deal here on RC or other places. Please don't think you have to spend 500+ for a QT setup because you don't. But you have to do a little DIY and it would run around 200 is about right and most of that is the lighting. This is JMO and my practice that has worked for me - you my have other results. BTW - I very rarely purchase from other reefers and only purchase from two LFS (Oldsmar/Orlando) I trust both of these stores.

09/22/2007, 05:36 AM	#5
Kittikity Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Lakeland, FL Posts: 255	See, this is why I asked.. I didn't know if it would harm the fish or not, which of course I do not want to do.. The other reason I asked is because I can only purchase a little bit of coral/fish at a time.. Just not in my budget.. So I was trying to see if there was a way I could quarantine the corals (which I'm more interested in) without maintaining a tank that is probably going to be empty most of the time or only have one or two corals.. I do have a 20L that I was going to use as a refugium for the 45gal.. But if I do end up using the 45gal as a FOWLR then maybe I can get away with using the 20L as a QT tank..

09/22/2007, 06:18 AM	#7
Kittikity Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Lakeland, FL Posts: 255	Not really a matter of want.. More a matter of cost, time, and space.. Cost I can do slowly.. Time I'll make because I love this hobby.. And space, well I figure that out too.. = ) I'll get there, just trying to figure out if there's any safe shortcuts to save me some of that cost, time, and space..

09/22/2007, 06:50 AM	#9
Kittikity Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Lakeland, FL Posts: 255	I wouldn't.. That's why I was asking.. To find out any risks to the fish.. I believe that's how I started this post.. Asking if doing that would harm the fish..

09/22/2007, 11:34 PM	#11
bgdiving Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: S.W. Florida Gulf Coast Posts: 791	You should be fine with a FOWLR tank, If your fish are healthy, your chances of introducing ick are minimal if you are only placing the coral in the tank, acclimate the coral in the bag when the bag is full discard all of the water, refill the bag with tank water swish the coral around in it and discard that water, if you want to be extra cautios do another rinse and discard. Don't treat the coral in the quarantine tank, just observe it, if you need to treat the coral remove it from the tank, treat it in a seprerate snall container, when treatment is done rinse coral with tank water and then return to FOWLR tank for obserzation, once your satisfied the coral is healthy and free of pests move it to your reef tank. Of coarse if you don't do a fresh water dip or some other type of dip before introducing the new coral to your FOWLR tank you do risk the chance of introducing flat worms and possibley a few other things to your FOWLR tank but not too likely to introduce anything that would bother the fish. Hopefully that helps on the budget end.

09/23/2007, 06:02 AM	#12
ReefArtist Moved On Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Largo, FL Posts: 2,703	That makes no logical sense at all - IMO. Let see if you do need to treat the corals you just infested everything in the tank - right? So now the FOWLR needs to be treated because once you put the corals back into the tank - they are infested again. So you can once again take them out and treat them - to only infest them again when you put them in to "observe". If you are going this way - just put them in the display tank and take your changes. Or better - do it the right way with a small investment and then everything is healthy and you have minimal worries. This is JMO!

09/23/2007, 06:10 AM	#13
ReefArtist Moved On Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Largo, FL Posts: 2,703	Kittikity - I'm going to be setting up my new QT soon and I'll show you how in detail I'll do it on a budget. I'm sure I'll have lots of equipment left over from my other tanks that I can share with you . You don't want to spend big bucks on corals/fish only to spend double treating or worst killing them. You seem every interested in doing to right thing - at a price you can live with and I admire that in a person. I'm sure others here also admire that and we are always willing to help people. Welcome to TBRC!

09/23/2007, 06:06 PM	#14
Kittikity Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Lakeland, FL Posts: 255	Thank you for going to all that trouble to let me know how to do it.. As for you left over part, I can always use help.. Maybe if you have a dog that needs grooming? Maybe I'll put up a post: Will groom for corals.. lol

09/23/2007, 06:42 PM	#15
ReefArtist Moved On Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Largo, FL Posts: 2,703	I have two wild ones and I'm sure you would end up thinking - I got a bad deal there - LOL. It's amazing how many parts, items etc I have just laying around that someone like you that is just starting out could really use. Mmmm, I have lots of reflector material. Oh, we can get you going in the right direction. You really seem to be interested in doing it right, caring about the livestock you are going to keep - that is great!

09/23/2007, 07:32 PM	#17
Kittikity Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Lakeland, FL Posts: 255	Thank you Michael.. My husband, Randy, is like the spouses of most reefers.. He looks at the tank and says, "Oh, pretty.." That or he rolls his eyes and says, "What did you buy now?"