Barrier Reef Aclimation Policy

[Couevas]

What are your acclimation procedures? Particularly, I am interested in what the door-buster fish (Foxface & Powder Brown) for the Summer BBQ sale have experienced. I will be out of town and my wife will be coming by to pick up one of each.

I had overheard that you guys run copper in your fish only tanks. Is this true? How long would you guys have had these two fish in your custody at the time of the sale? I have a ten gallon QT, but don't really want to put both of these together in a 10g.

I guess the question is this: would I be better off putting the tang into my 20g reef (fishless) and the foxface in the QT before introducing both to my 125 FOwLR, or could I get away with one (or both) straight into the FOwLR? Current residents include a 2 yr-old mated pair of Ocellaris and a juvenile Snowflake Eel.

Thanks,
C

 

[70galloncube]

LOL - at first I read your post and thought "What?! you want to put what fish in a 10 gallon tank?!" HAHA!

Then I got to the part about the 125gallon FOWLR

 

[barrierreefcf]

What are your acclimation procedures? Particularly, I am interested in what the door-buster fish (Foxface & Powder Brown) for the Summer BBQ sale have experienced. I will be out of town and my wife will be coming by to pick up one of each.

I had overheard that you guys run copper in your fish only tanks. Is this true? How long would you guys have had these two fish in your custody at the time of the sale? I have a ten gallon QT, but don't really want to put both of these together in a 10g.

I guess the question is this: would I be better off putting the tang into my 20g reef (fishless) and the foxface in the QT before introducing both to my 125 FOwLR, or could I get away with one (or both) straight into the FOwLR? Current residents include a 2 yr-old mated pair of Ocellaris and a juvenile Snowflake Eel.

Thanks,
C

Hi,

Sometimes we run copper but we have not added or maintained its level for at least three months. It will be present, but at very low levels. Since we haven't had parasitic problems, we let it diminish. We usually treat the system with Prazi-Pro after a shipment arrives and this has been done twice since the PB Tangs and Foxface Rabbits arrived last Tuesday the 16th. As far as your QT question thats a tough call. Technically, they should both go through a rigid QT process but your 10G is too small to hold them at the same time. If you want to follow suggested guidelines to the "T", only buy one fish and QT it alone. If you are willing to take your chances then you could put one in the 20g until its turn in the QT. Two QT cycles seems like a long time for one of these fish to be kept in small tanks though. The stress induced might be counter productive. Personally, for Tangs, Rabbits, and fish with more size or swimming requirements I think a proper QT tank should be at least 30" long if rectangular. I can tell you that these two doorbuster fish looked great the last time I saw them, which was a few days ago.

 

[Couevas]

Thanks for the midnight reply!
I am assuming these specimens are roughly the same size....which are larger, the tangs or the foxfaces?

I think at this point I will have her QT the smaller of the two and place the larger straight into the 125 (after proper acclimation of course). I don't really want to pull LR and coral out of my lil reef to dig this guy out in a month....

 

[Couevas]

Also, what salinity do you keep the FO tanks at?

 

[Aquanaut]

I believe that Barrier also "RENTS QT's" I highly recommend a full QT for all fish prior to entry to display. You risk alot of grief if you don't. Sometimes it takes 2 weeks before anything materializes visually. Parasited can be in the gills or hidden areas not readily noticable on fish. Good luck.

 

[barrierreefcf]

Both fish are roughly 3" but the powder brown has more body mass. Our fish only system usually hovers around 1.020.

 

[Couevas]

Thanks!