Tank transfer method questions about emerald crabs & wrasses.

[reefrox]

I have two wrasses and two emerald crabs that Im about to do the tank transfer method on. Just making sure will the wrasses (yellow coris and leopard) be okay in the tanks with the emerald crabs and visa versa. Its about 10 gallons of water.

 

Also is it okay that theres no sand at the bottom of the tanks for the wrasses during this process. Or should I add two little containers filled with sand to the bottom.

 

Thanks.

[seabass]

I'm under the impression that you use two quarantine tanks (so you can sterilize them after each transfer).

 

The crabs can stay in the display.

[reefrox]

2 hours ago, seabass said:

I'm under the impression that you use two quarantine tanks (so you can sterilize them after each transfer).

 

The crabs can stay in the display.

Sorry should have mentioned. Main display has been fallow for 4 months. Im picking up new crabs and fish in a couple days from LFS. Gona do tank transfer method on them to make sure  theres no ich on the fish and crabs..

Need emerald crabs in the tank asap as ive got a massive bubble algea issue. Rocks getting covered by this stuff.. 

I have two seperate tanks to swap the fish and crabs between.

[seabass]

It's highly unlikely that the crabs will introduce Ich.  It's a fish parasite which can't feed on inverts.

 

Sanitizing the sand would be difficult.

 

I'd probably introduce the crabs to the display, then just quarantine the fish in one of the tanks.  You could always start a tank transfer treatment if necessary.

[reefrox]

Okay thanks. After doing 4 months fallow, still very dubious about adding anything to the tank without qt or ttm : ). I know crabs dont necesarly hold the ich, however if in the off chance, some fell off a fish in the lfs system, then technically it could be introduced to my system I woulld think. This is why I was thinking of doing the ttm with the fish and crabs altogether. Do you think that would be okay?

 

For the sand, I purchased an extra seperate bag of sand. this way I would just add some to the tank tranfer tanks and then discard the sand and use new sand at every  switch of the tanks. But not sure if they would need it in the few days they are in each tank?

[seabass]

I get what you are trying to do.  Personally, I feel a typical quarantine, in a tank with sand should be adequate.  You can QT the crabs too.

 

That said, if you are set on using the tank transfer method, I don't see any harm in it (especially if replacing the sand after each transfer).

[Tamberav]

I am pretty sure TTM does not work on crabs because the ich would be in a different cycle on them then a fish, since they have a hard shell ich can attach to. Just like how you cant TTM a rock.

 

They would need to be put in a separate QT with NO fish and moved to the DT after they molt. The ich will be attached to their old shell and this is why you can safely move them after the molt.

 

Things that don't molt like snails, corals, ect would need to be in their own QT without fish for a full fallow period before being added.

 

1 hour ago, reefrox said:

Okay thanks. After doing 4 months fallow, still very dubious about adding anything to the tank without qt or ttm : ). I know crabs dont necesarly hold the ich, however if in the off chance, some fell off a fish in the lfs system, then technically it could be introduced to my system I woulld think. This is why I was thinking of doing the ttm with the fish and crabs altogether. Do you think that would be okay?

 

For the sand, I purchased an extra seperate bag of sand. this way I would just add some to the tank tranfer tanks and then discard the sand and use new sand at every  switch of the tanks. But not sure if they would need it in the few days they are in each tank?

 

[reefrox]

Thanks. I have the crab and cleaner shrimp in their own little QT tank. 

[mcarroll]

 

On 7/8/2019 at 2:12 AM, reefrox said:

I have the crab and cleaner shrimp in their own little QT tank.

 

The same way you don't QT a rock for fish diseases, you don't need to QT inverts for fish diseases either.

 

Doing so would be extreme to the point of silliness if you ask me.

 

If the hypothetical ich/velvet/parasite is attached to a shell, then it's not going to be able to infect any fish.  

If the hypothetical ich/velvet/parasite is not attached, then it wouldn't be able to hitchhike into the tank.  

Either way this vector is a non-issue under any normal conditions.

 

The first fact to remember may be that stressed fish are the only ones that have anything to worry about from random microbes.    

 

A heathy fish has to be worn down to become susceptible to parasites.

 

So once all you fish are settled in and de-stressed – as long as you have a nice, non-overcrowded home set up for them – they will be almost bulletproof.

 

That's not a light statement to be dismissive of the impact parasites can have.  

 

It's to emphasize that there are lots of things that most people could do to lower stress on their fish when they're starting out, but which they don't do.  

 

Adding hand-picked local fish singly instead of fish shipped long-distance, sight-unseen, and in multiples, for example.  Making sure the coral and invert population isn't exceeded too much by the fish population (if it's a reef tank).  Making sure there's lots of time (weeks or months) in between fish additions for monitoring the fish as well as the tank for changes.  Etc.  Etc.

 

If you just focus on good husbandry you don't have to be an eradicationista.  🙂

 

(That includes learning what husbandry is all about....read books, especially old ones from when husbandry was all they had) 

 

Dealing with pathogens is one of the main reasons that organisms have immune systems...and fish have one of the baddest (as in good-est) immune systems around.

 

On the contrary to being an eradicationist ("curing" by adding stress from QT and medication), if you think your snails brought some little spore in that wiped out your fish then you need to look seriously at how you're keeping your fish that they would be so susceptible to such a minor "incursion".  Something is holding down their immune system.  Overcrowding?  Fighting?  Poor source of fish?  Something.