Looking for advice

[spoonhandler]

I'm new to the hobby and reading a lot and some questions have occurred to me, so I'm looking for advice from others who have more experience.

I've read a lot about quarantine tanks, but for at least two species that I am considering in the far future, I can see problems.

The first is how to quarantine a tang. I've read a few people here stating that most tangs can become stressed in small tanks and this may contribute to their death. Most QTanks would be smaller than those advocated for keeping tangs (5' or greater I've read) so how do people go about properly QT-ing these fish, given the number of problems tangs are prone to and that minimum isolation time would be 4-8 weeks?

The second is how do you QT fish like dragonets and sand-sifters? Most QTank set-ups I've read warn against using substrate, suggesting that the tank be as minimally furnished as possible for various reasons. How would you go about QT-ing a mandarin when they may starve if not placed in a tank with established microfauna? Same question for sand-sifting fish like gobies?

I'm not about to rush out and buy these fish - I'm simply curious about how to resolve these issues, given the amount of debate I've seen on keeping tangs, dragonets and maintaining quarantine procedures. I'd be grateful for any feedback people might have.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi spoonhandler, welcome to reefs.org!

I am really glad to see someone asking about quarantine, too many folks skip this step. All of these fish spend a good deal of time in relatively confined spaces awaiting transport. I'm a huge advocate of going on the cheap if you must, a q/t doesn't have to be an aquarium - Rubbermaid makes great translucent tubs that hold about 30 gallons. Your biggest "problem" is ensuring the heater doesn't sit on any side and burn through, this problem is eradicated by situating it inside a piece of PVC that's been drilled with many holes (assuming it's a submersible that didn't come with the little suction cups).

A small bit of live rock will help with animals like mandarins, but remember, if you're new (and subsequently your system is new), you're going off too soon considering something like a mandarin. Think "old" system (around 2 yo or better) with around 100lbs. of well-established live rock. The gobies will and all other fish will do just fine for 30 days with bits and pieces of PVC to make hidey holes for them. You can provide additional "comfort" by either using opaque-sided tubs, or covering all sides with black plastic (like trash bags, those work great).

 

[spoonhandler]

Thanks for your feedback seamaiden.

Don't worry - I'm not looking to buy a mandarin right now - I'm just curious about all the issues and how people handle them. Our tank is in planning at the moment and we're trying to think as far ahead as we can re: equipment, set-up, etc, as well as livestock.

Would one or two pieces of LR really provide enough 'pod life for a dragonet? Could you raise copepods separately and add them to the QTank for this species? Does hyposalinity affect your ability to keep the fish fed?

I've read only one example of a mandarin that ate frozen food (mysis shrimp), whereas most sources suggest these fish do not adapt well to such things. I've read this about sand-sifters too, like sleeper gobies and worried that without substrate to dig in and eat from, they would starve in QT.

How susceptible are these species - dragonets, gobies, etc - to disease, as most cases of problems you read about don't mention these fish (mostly tangs and clowns instead)?