Opinions needed from all you hardcore Coral growers
 

So I am in the process of a setting up several tanks for growing corals out and fragging and just wanted to get some input
should I set up a separate quarantine system for the corals?
or will having separate tanks but connected by a common sump be sufficient to keep any problems or diseases from spreading?
are diseases mostly contact to contact or are they water borne that would just go thru the overflow into the other tanks.
so what would you do?
the big thing is I don't want to have to buy yet another large skimmer.....and another sump.
thanks in advance for your input
Neal

A common system is alright. But I highly recommend iodine dips of all crags and colonies after the fragging process that way Any corL disease will be eliminated and iodine dips of all new coral being introduced to the tank.

What do you think you should do? You're the one who has to look after it. I personally find it enough work to manage the water chemisty of one system so keep it all together.

Red bugs, flatworms, sundial snails, aptasia, majano, hydroids, fire worms, crabs, nudibranchs, bacterial infections... yes you should quarentine.

i am definitely quarantining.
I am just wondering if being in separate tanks will suffice vice a totally separate system.
thanks
Neal

I think that the QT should be a separate system but maybe just a small one. That is just what I would do but that doesn't mean I am right. :biggrin:

id vote for seperate if you can afford and maintain both, being able to quarentine/treat in a different system will eventually pay off

This is when I would say UV light would be most effective. It would help prevent waterborne disease from spreading from tank to tank.

How large a system(s) are we talking? A few little tanks off of one sump makes more sense to me. You'll probably benefit more by having them all more stable than if you keep them separate. But if you intend on having large tubs containing hundreds of gallons each you probably want to keep them separate and specialized. That is the conclusion most people seem to come to. Small frag tanks running off of the main display and sump are pretty common. But in commercial green house style operations several independent systems seem to be the norm.

the 2 quarantine tanks are about 100 gallon each.
the remaining system will be about 750 gallons.

that is not something you do in a small back room,

what dementions will the 750 gal frag tanks have, and what are you planing to put on it to lid it all up?

other sugestion would be that in case you split it up, you can even devide LPS from SPS (I think for growing them it would be a benefit) if not that you even have a third one for softie's, each there own needs

se than you can run SPS ultra clean, the LPS you can tolorate some debr. and the sorfies you cna give the less cleanest set up, as for instance mushrooms dont need ultra clean water, thy even do better with a bit less

the main system will have 8 - 90 gallon 6 feet by 2 feet by 1 foot deep tanks
the corals will be placed in separate tanks as per their type.
I will be starting out a mixture of lighting fixtures, but hope to eventually have LED for it all.
Neal

Holly cr@p, can someone say 'go big or go home' :lol:. Well i would still say you might want a small QT (50 gal or less) just in case you get a coral in with some unwanted hitchhikers that way it would never get into you main system. It would be a shame to have it all go down hill if it could have been preventable. Do you need some metal stands:wink::wink:

Initially this system just for me to play with and get used to coral propagation.
however, this is part of a much bigger, more devious plan...lol
my goal is to eventually become the ORA of western Canada.
with corals and captive bred fishies being offered to canadian consumers and fish stores without the hassle of CITES and being told, sorry we don't ship to Canada.
(years down the road that is)

as for the stands,
I am actually just going to use wooden stands..I can do that myself..lol
thanks for offer though
Neal

By definition, a Quarantine Tank should be an entirely separate and isolated system. If you share a sump, it's not an isolated quarantine anymore.

Just imagine if there were some flatworms on a new coral, and they get blown into the water column, into the sump, then into the other tanks, etc etc. -- you get the picture.

If you're doing a crazy huge setup like you're talking about, I would definitely do an isolated quarantine tank for safety. You can treat new additions with copper and what have you before introducing them into the main system. Plus if you're gonna have so many tanks anyways, the cost of another skimmer & equipment for the quarantine will be a drop in the bucket :P

Think of it as insurance. ;)

Sounds sweet, then for sure i would do an isolated QT.

fair enough...it does make sense to do it right...
now i need yet another skimmer..lol
thanks for the input.
Neal

It is my personal experience that coral death (by whatever mysterious cause) DOES spread. When one coral dies, there is an increased chance that NEARBY corals will then die.

Maybe you build your system so that it CAN be all connected...but can be also be isolated to run as separate systems in the event of quarantine or concern.

Absolutly! A few extra valves to shut down a tank, throw a power head and heater in and you can keep a disaster to a minimum. Better to be safe then sorry :)