At Marine Collectors our priorities are the proper treatment of marine life, expert knowledge in selecting healthy fish, and refined, tested protocols, that are proven for prophylactic treatment and quarantine
Our Methods & Services
Just the Fish (No Quarantine)
Just the Fish (No Quarantine)
These fish are for the experienced fish-keeper who prefers to use their own quarantine methods and set up. When you purchase just the fish, we will visit wholesale facilities and personally hand select fish that are:
- Visually inspected for signs of disease
- Acclimated to 1.025 salinity
*** Not all fish are offered under this service***
Marine Collectors *14-Day Clean Protocol* (Fully Quarantined)
Marine Collectors *14-Day Clean Protocol* (Fully Quarantined)
- Handpicked fish to order
- Visually inspected for signs of disease
- Acclimated to 1.025 salinity
- Conditioned to prepared foods and accepts food readily
- Prophylactic treatment for Ich, Velvet, Brooklynella, Flukes, and Uronema
- Final visual inspection before delivery
This is what we are famous for; it's what we do better than anyone else. All fish purchased under this protocol have the best chance for success and keeping your current and new fish safe from disease!
Our 14 Day Clean protocol is best for those who may not have time to quarantine or prefer to leave it to the experts! Every fish we quarantine is hand picked, slowly acclimated, meticulously treated, and packed with care by our small elite team. Expert eye for detail and understanding of physiology and behavior are critical in selecting healthy fish.
14-Day Clean Protocol
The Basics
The Basics
Quarantine means something different to everyone. At Marine Collectors, we operate with a *14 day clean protocol*. Meaning, all fish, to be able to ship, must be visibly clean and symptom-free for a consecutive 14 days (while being prophylactically treated).
If a fish develops symptoms during quarantine, the 14 day clock will restart once they are symptom-free, and we keep the fish until they meet this requirement. When you order fish, it will typically take 2-6 weeks to receive them once the order is placed!
Our base quarantine protocol has changed and been fine-tuned over the years. Over 90% of the fish we sell will be prophylactically treated with this protocol! It treats for the big 5!
- Ich (Cryptocaryon irritans)
- Velvet (Amyloodinium ocellatum)
- Flukes (Monogeneans)
- Brook (Brooklynella hostilis)
- Uronema (Uronema marinum)
Step 1: Acclimation
Step 1: Acclimation
After being handpicked, the fish are acclimated into new clean water on our wet table. Our acclimation procedure is designed to be as stress free as possible. Fish are put into acclimation totes that are constantly supplied with new clean water, while natural overflow is drained until the water they arrived in is fully replaced. Acclimation water is fresh mixed unmedicated saltwater and is consistent with the following parameters:
PH: 8.1-8.3
Salinity: 1.025
Temp 76-78
After the water in the totes has been completely replaced by our water, we dose methylene blue and an ammonia blocker to the water. We add aeration and let the fish rest overnight.
Our facility is temperature controlled so fish remain in a consistently stable temperature. The following morning, we change 100% of the water again.
Step 2: Formalin Baths
Step 2: Formalin Baths
The next step is for fish to receive their first formalin bath. We do this before the fish leave the table, using 37% formalin at a dosage of 1ml/1gallon of water for 35-45 minutes. Once complete, these new fish are ready to go into quarantine!
Step 3: Proactive Treatment
Step 3: Proactive Treatment
Quarantine. The new buzz word of the hobby; but what does it mean when you order from us? It means Prophylactically treating at therapeutic levels. It means a progressive quarantine; every day the fish sits in quarantine becoming cleaner and free of parasitic infection. It means that you are buying fish from people who are uncompromising in their approach and we would rather loose a fish here than send you a fish that could have disease and contaminate your current pets.
Medications and dosage:
Most of our main quarantine systems are run with chelated copper sulfate (Copper Power) at 2.65ppm along with Nitrofurazone. We run this medication .15ppm above therapeutic to err on the side of caution. With so many fish coming in an out of our facility, we have little margin for error. The extra buffer gives us the confidence to assure customers that they are receiving clean, healthy fish.
Copper is a known gill irritant and we run Nitrofurazone (an antimicrobial) to prevent secondary bacterial infection both in the gills from the copper, and from any external abrasions that the fish may have sustained during their transport to our facility!
In addition, the systems receive formalin doses twice weekly the night before water changes. This is to keep our tanks clean and as a secondary precaution to any uronema or brooklynella that may have gotten through the initial formalin treatments. The fish will undergo 2 more formalin dips before completing quarantine.
System Design and Maintenance:
Our systems are designed to be as clean as possible.
The philosophy is simple: keep the water as clean as possible so that our fish can tolerate the chemicals used in quarantine much more easily. Each system(from 250 to 700 gallons) has an oversized protein skimmer and upflow bio-towers that are easily cleaned. We designed our facility with many smaller systems opposed to one large one, to better manage biosecurity, cleaning, and routine sterilization and sanitization.
Every system gets 100% water changes twice a week, in addition to the overkill filtration design. Again, water quality is everything! We scrub every system by hand prior to doing water changes. Water changes are performed by opening a series of valves that allows us to drain each system, flush it with clean pre-medicated water, and refill the system, all without having to move the fish or have fluctuations in medication concentration. The result is happy healthy fish that sail through quarantine with ease.
Step 4: Successful QT
Step 4: Successful QT
Our Brand:
To pass our protocol, fish must be in our systems, symptom free for a consecutive 14 days. If for some reason signs of infection arise, the clock restarts.
For example, if we have an achilles tang and it shows signs of ich till day 8 then on the 9th day, the 14 day clock starts and the total quarantine time time will end up being 22 days. This is where the 2-6 week wait time for *14 Day Clean* comes from.
Upon successful completion of quarantine we will contact you to schedule a shipping date. Fish are thoroughly inspected, carefully packed, and sent to their new homes!
