Filling QT for the first time

[Brieninsac]

I have a 10 gallon QT that I'd like to start up with week.

I have bio-filter media in my sump that I will transfer to the QT. Should I fill the QT with fresh water or take some from the DT? If so, how much?

My DT is 6-weeks old and has cycled. It only has one fish (Clown) in it now.

 

[gone fishin]

I personally like to use fresh saltwater.

 

[homer1475]

I like to use fresh saltwater in my QT. Why cross contaminate your QT with something that might be in your DT?

 

[Brieninsac]

Excellent, thank you!

 

[ca1ore]

Makes no sense to me. If you are using seeded media from your display, any contamination has already occurred. Using DT water to fill the QT is unlikely to contaminate in a way the media hasn't. I always use DT water for my QT; doubles as a water change to boot.

Now, if you are setting up and cycling a QT independently of the dislay, a cogent argument can be made for not using display water.

 

[homer1475]

Makes no sense to me. If you are using seeded media from your display, any contamination has already occurred. Using DT water to fill the QT is unlikely to contaminate in a way the media hasn't.

I was actually thinking the same thing after I typed out my response. I leave a small bag of seachem matrix media in my DT for my QT, even so I still use fresh water.

 

[rfurst]

ya so if you are just setting up QT tank to house fish before placing in display, water from DT is fine... that's what the fish is going to go into anyway. If you are using it as a hospital/treatment tank i generally use fresh water, and if treating for something like ich,you don't want anything from the DT water column in the QT tank.