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you scream, i scream, we all scream for... quarantine!! that is how that saying goes, right? i got to say that i love the atmosphere lately on the boards. more and more i get PMs and calls on my qt protocols for fish and coral. you also see a lot more posts nowadays on folks working together with legitimate and accurate information on how to get through a situation with a pest or parasite, what are best practices, folks setting up coral quarantine tanks, etc. it's one thing to talk the talk and another to walk the walk. as the reefer becomes more knowledgeable and aware more than ever of what a proper quarantine protocol looks and sounds like we are able to make educated decisions about where the fish for our tanks come from. For conditioned, quarantined, and prophylactically treated fish at their healthiest, you’ve come to the right place. Here is our protocol: - first, we work to minimize the chain of custody. We obtain the healthiest specimens possible from the get-go from as direct a source from the country of origin to our door. We do this by leveraging negotiated relationships with divers and collection site managers we have developed over the years - fish are brought into and unbagged in a dimly lit room. If necessary, they are pH, salinity, and temperature acclimated. Otherwise, our systems that will hold the fish are matched for salinity to the water in the bag allowing us to float for temperature acclimation and release into systems minimizing the potential for ammonia poisoning and the amount of stress endured. - assuming the specimens are asymptomatic for uronema, brookynella, marine velvet, or any other quick-killer they are allowed to de-stress and continue acclimating over the course of 5-7 days while they are fed live foods, Rod’s & PE blends, and if appropriate, nori. If needed live BBS, clams on the half shell, etc. whatever it takes to get them eating very well and consistently - once they are eating and adjusted very well, we begin prophylaxis. this is done with copper, formalin, and praziquantel. Additional treatments may be used when necessary such as antibiotics, freshwater dips, fenbendazole and/or methylene blue baths. - we do not rely on outside vendors/wholesalers to quarantine our livestock. we've worked with most of them and there are often issues that arise or shortcuts taken. the only people and protocols we can trust are our own to ensure 100% confidence in what we provide our customers. - treatment continues for 2 weeks. - during those two weeks customer food choices are introduced, if any in particular, and fish continue to thrive on Rod’s & PE blends and live food selections. - after two weeks of therapeutic levels of treatment, fish are transferred to separate unmedicated systems for observation. These observation systems are at least ten feet away from any treatment system to do our best to avoid aerosol contamination from any pathogens in the treatment systems. - fish are given at least two more weeks to continue eating frequent meals and regain any lost vigor without treatment and observed many times a day for any issues that may have not been caught -fish at this point are ready for their new home and made available on the site if not already presold. You may be thinking, “Wow, that is a LOT of work.” But it is this diligence and consistent effort that separates us from the rest. At ERC we don't look for shortcuts. We are not of the business model to “flip” fish. We take the time, resources, and effort to provide the healthiest fish to you! We are confident this hard work is what shows in every customer order and why so many come back to ERC time and time again! We hope that if you haven't experienced everything ERC has to offer that you'll soon allow us to exceed your expectations with a truly superb specimen for your reef!