Answers to QT questions.

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The following is a response to a member that wrote asking about how Reef eScape QTs our fish. Here is Phil's response, which we thought others might find insightful.

 

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Thanks for writing.

 

Yes, for special order fish (those that we do not normally have in stock) you could put down a deposit and we would hold the fish for you until it is through QT. However, many fish are already in-stock have already passed our QT process and available for same-day purchases. Other animals may not currently be in stock, but because they are species we frequently carry, they do not require a deposit, we will be happy to get them in for you.

 

Regarding our QT process, it is more than I can fully describe here. I'm not trying to be secretive, it is just too complex. Think about it like this: you wouldn't expect a Dr. to be able to explain in a paragraph or two how he or she treats patients. There is no single QT process that is able to treat all the things we might encounter. Some of the best books on fish disease are 300 pages or more.

 

SO what do we do that I can explain? Well, our “standard” QT process is a minimum of 2 weeks, but it may be as much a 3 or 4 weeks. Animals are received in "Batches" and once we start a QT, we protect that QT by not allowing any new animals to be added and potentially contaminate the batch. Our "standard QT" includes Hypo-salinity, copper, and 2 other internal & external treatments. Fish are held until they are feeding on prepared foods and are acting like adjusted healthy aquarium fish. We have a complex QT system that allows us to separate them from each other while in the same water supply using a powerful UV sterilizer, mechanical filtration and Ozone. We also have the ability to completely separate individual tanks when we encounter situations in which isolating a tank would help protect the other animals or allow us to treat one tank with something they don't all need.

 

We may collect gill clippings, skin scrapings, and fecal matter to be analyzed under a microscope. We frequently consulting with our in-house Marine Animal Health Expert Dr. Brent Whitaker who is also the full time Vet and responsible for the health and care of all the animals at the Baltimore National Aquarium and consults with many other well-known public aquaria. We also work with a local "exotic animals" Vet who give us access to prescription medications not normally available or used in the retail aquarium trade. When we do lose an animal to an unexplained cause, we may send that off to one of the world’s best histopathology labs for further analysis and explanation.

 

While I strongly believe that our QT process is WORLD CLASS for what you might find in a "local fish store" we do have limitations of time and space. For example, Reef eScape is the maintenance and livestock supplier for The Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of Natural History, and before we add Teleost (bony fish) to that system we put them through an even more complex 90 day QT. We would love to be able to do this for every animal we receive, but if we did, we would not be able to offer them for sale at a reasonable retail price. SO, we would never discourage an experienced aquarist, with an established system and knowledge of a process from using their own isolation / QT process for animals they intend to put into their own tank. I strongly believe that with the equipment, experience, and other resources we have, what we do far exceeds the capability of the average to even a very advanced hobbyist.

 

We do NOT have everything 100% solved and we continue to learn and get better. For example, under the direction of our Vet, we recently began testing a topical that is showing great results in treating hole-in-head / lateral line disease and fin rot… conditions that previously seemed irreversible in many cases. Furthermore, it is important to note, that there are known parasites and diseases that these animals may carry that are untreatable with modern medicine and practices... fortunately these are less common.

 

At Reef eScape, we feel strongly that we are offering animas for sale that receive more professional attention and are as healthy and parasite / disease free as you can purchase at any price anywhere in the world.

[Mattiejay6]

Well written!

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Thanks. There is more to talk about. Questions and conversation welcome, here, or in the shop.