fragile fish and no quaratine tank ...??

jelwyoming · #1 12/27/2006, 09:59 PM

I was fortunate enough to receive from my wife an some fish that I've wanted for a while but were afraid to try. I think that it would be wise to accept these now, but figure on how is the best way to deal with these without some of the so called necessities. In short, I have a well settled 120g reef tank with 2x400w MH lighting, a EuroReef skimmer and 30g sump/refugium. I have wanted to try both a copperband butterfly fish and a flame dwarf angel. I have heard how difficult it is to get a copperband to start and keep eating. The usual suggested routine would be to keep it in a quarentine tank for a month until it is eating reliably. The angel has a reputation of raising havoc with corals. I have a mixed reef with mostly SPS/LPS.
Can anyone give me some ideas on how to deal with these two without a quarentine tank? Success stories doing it other ways? What has been successful in starting a copperband to eat? The store claims that it is already eating frozen mysis. I will start with those soaked in soime "Entice". Other ideas?

jelwyoming · #2 12/27/2006, 10:23 PM

I am receiving these tomorrow, so I need some ideas soon, if anyone has some experience here.

jelwyoming · #3 12/27/2006, 11:29 PM

bump for ideas?

blas · #4 12/27/2006, 11:53 PM

Personally if I didn't see the copperband eat in person I would be hesitant to buy it as they can be hard to get eating, with that said I have a friend who has owned a few in the past years and they always start eating for him. They do like feather dusters so if your tank has a lot of them that may kickstart it eating. The Flame is 50/50 I've heard people have no problems if they feed them well then I've heard of them eating all sorts of things, the one thing that steered me away from one myself was the likelyhood of it nipping my clam mantle. Both beautiful fish but I would think extra hard on getting them. My 2 cents : )

HDAlien · #5 12/28/2006, 12:58 AM

Also, since CBB's are 'sensiitive' fish, I would not put one in my tank without QT first. I have a CBB in QT now because of ich... not worth the risk IMHO.

HDAlien · #6 12/28/2006, 12:59 AM

Also, since CBB's are 'sensiitive' fish, I would not put one in my tank without QT first. I have a CBB in QT now because of ich... not worth the risk IMHO.

ACBlinky · #7 12/28/2006, 01:07 AM

Is there any reason you can't set up a simple QT? An inexepensive 20-35g kit from the LFS would serve nicely -- all you really need is a tank, stand, basic lighting, HOB filter, and a heater. You could transfer some rock and water from your 120g and have the QT set up within a day, ready for the new additions. You could add a nori clip with a piece of large-holed craft mesh to offer gel-based Formula One and nori for the butterfly and angel to pick at. The transferred LR will also give them a little algae, feather dusters and some pods.

Sk8r · #8 12/28/2006, 01:49 AM

Just a plastic tank from Petsmart would do the job. *IF* you have to treat, get the rock out, or treatment will kill the rock.

jelwyoming · #9 12/28/2006, 03:49 PM

Well, I dug out my old 55g with a ehiem 2227. I am very limited on good water so I probably will only fill it 2/3. I need to pick a heater and I should be set. Any ideas on a dip? I usually do a short formalin dip before putting them in a QT. I have an old set of PC lights as well, although I will probably keep that low for a while. Thanks!

boilermaker1 · #10 12/28/2006, 04:59 PM

The only time I ever did no QT was with my Hippo Tang. I was torn between getting it "home" in a bigger tank with lots of rock and good filtration and not stressing it further vs. QTing it again in a little tank and gambling with giving it something by stressing it out more. Opted for the lesser of 2 evils, went for a very healthy, fat fish and hand picked it from a very reliable place (Dr. Mac & Sons). His system was effectively a hypo QT and the fish had been there for a month under his care. I brought him home, drip acclimated for 3 hours and let him go... 5 months now, no problems what so ever. I got it from a relative anomaly though, I dont think Dr. Mac moves fish like an LFS does, he certainly doesnt have the quantity of fish any LFS does, so I felt safer knowing all his fish come from one place and there's only a few there at a time.
Everyone else went through QT for a few weeks.
I'd say it depends on the source of the fish as to how important it will be with a fragile fish. I don't have a lot of fish and the tang was the biggest when I added him, so he was fine on his own and no one bothered him.
The first few weeks afterwards I was big on garlic and selcon to keep him healthy, I still give it to him, and he's still a big fat tang.

dhoch · #11 12/28/2006, 05:37 PM

I would definitly QT if you can...

As for teh CBB get some "live" shellfish (mussels work well) crack open enough so he can get his snout in, and it won't close on him, and let him go to work...

Dave

jelwyoming · #12 12/30/2006, 08:38 PM

Well, I QT them. They are not eating after 24 hours though. I went to the LFS and bought a piece of apistisia and fan worm infested live rock to tempt the CBB. I hope that helps. So far, mysis in either Garlic Guard or Entice has not helped. Brine shrimp didn't work either. Help? Nothing else live to feed it either here. I have a flame angel and an eightline wrasse in with the CBB. The wrasse nibbles at stoff a bit, but no bodies really hungy. Just too soon?