Clarify Proper QT process

[RockinSmall]

So i killed all my fish with improper QT tank, so id like to do it right from now one...


This is what i have- a 10 gallon tank with hetaer at 79 degrees, a walmart hang on filter i can stick pads in.. but dont have any pads or dont know if i need them or what would be appropriate. Theres a power head in there as well.. I have no rock or sand.. i used declorinated water, is that ok?

what else do i need?

should i add rock ? should i treat all new fish as if they have ich and put some sort of chemical in there? i am not interested in hyposalinity as i dont have the time to be so careful.
I was told not have rock or sand b/c it will just make ich stay longer and i cannot treat for ich without killing the live rock too....

 

[shawna1972]

Re: Clarify Proper QT process

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14876315#post14876315 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RockinSmall
So i killed all my fish with improper QT tank, so id like to do it right from now one...


This is what i have- a 10 gallon tank with hetaer at 79 degrees, a walmart hang on filter i can stick pads in.. but dont have any pads or dont know if i need them or what would be appropriate. Theres a power head in there as well.. I have no rock or sand.. i used declorinated water, is that ok?

what else do i need?

should i add rock ? should i treat all new fish as if they have ich and put some sort of chemical in there? i am not interested in hyposalinity as i dont have the time to be so careful.
I was told not have rock or sand b/c it will just make ich stay longer
and i cannot treat for ich without killing the live rock too.... [/QU

what I use in my hob=hang on the back filter for pads in my qt is poly fill from the craft dept at walmart you can get a big bag for cheap,I use this because I feed 3 times a day in my qt so once I feed any left over goes into filter and I remove the pad and replace with new before food causes a spike
is your qt cycled?
on your power head I would wrap the intake ,just incase while treating you have sick fish that can get weak and get stuck to it or drawn into it.
declorinated water is ok this is what I use but... heres the thing if you use meds "make sure you can use a declorinator" with that med I almost killed my fish using cupurmine with declorinator it makes the med toxic so just make sure you check.
You can treat before or wait and see if they show signs it's up to you, myself I said Im going to treat whether they show or not to be on the safe side but this is me.
You can have live rock if it is going to be a qt tank but if its going to be used for both Qt/Treatment tank I would get some big pvc pipes/elbows for hiding spots. No sand no rock no fake decoraions unless it's like plastic plants or something.
I would get a bunch of sponges for you qt ,stick them into your display to build up bacteria
then if you have to treat using cupurmine you can throw those in you filter for added bacteria
a small black backround for sides and bottom of tank and aybe some extra airstones -while treating with meds you need extra air sometimes
and of coarse some meds to have on hand.
thats all I can think of right now ,make sure the qt is cycled is the most important thing.
I hope this helps,

Shawna

 

[1geo]

Much depends on if you are using your QT tank as a treatment tank or just an observation tank. If its a treatment tank then read the below writeup. If its just an observation tank then any cycled tank setup will do. I use mine for both quarentine and treatment. When I get a new fish I assume it has either Ich or Brook and treat them for both. The following is some basics on the subject.

If one fish in your tank has Ich ALL the fish in the tank have Ich and so does the tank. But, are you sure its Ich or Brook? Their symptoms are much the same but the treatment is quite different. Here are some of the basics, first the tank. To make sure your tank is free of Ich or Brook you have to have it empty of fish for six weeks; some writers say eight weeks. Then and only then can you safely put fish back in the tank. The problem is with the eggs of the parasite. They can lay dormant for up to six weeks and then hatch reinfecting any fish in the tank. If you are dealing with wild clownfish they are more likely to have Brook then Ich. Brook is treated with Formalin; copper does not cure Brook. If they have Ich, then copper is the treatment of choice. There are many articles on the net for treating both parasites use Google and pull them up. Next you need to know about QT tanks. I use a 10 gal QT tank with a heater, air stone, HOT micron filter made of cloth no carbon or biofilter and a power head for circulation. Nothing else is in the tank, no LR, no sand, no nothing; the bottom is glass. You have to keep ALL you fish in this tank for up to 4 weeks either in copper or Formalin. Some writers recommend formalin baths then keeping the fish in a copper tank for up to 4 weeks. You need to read, read and read some more before you do anything.

 

[RockinSmall]

fantastic info. i wont make the same mistakes twice. it is clear what i need to do. thanks

 

[murfman]

Rockin, I saw that you plan to not introduce fish to your display for 2-3 months. Do as 1geo says and QT for 6-8 weeks. You can treat in the QT and not worry about re introducing ich to your display.