Guide to setup a Quarantine Tank (QT).

[Dr. Reef]

in short i can tell u to keep salinity at 1.009 and best thing u can do is have ato attached to that qt due to simple fact that hypo needs to have dead on 1.009 salinity.
fish usually stay in hypo 4 weeks after last ich is observed (including ich in gills u cant see but breathing will be heavy if there is any). after those 4 weeks start bringing up salinity to match ur main tank then transfer.
if u have any specific questions and more in detail concern then please do ask but i think this will get u going for time being.

 

[Kawi9_cf]

So would you reccomend doing this for all incoming fish over just observing them?

 

[JonnyD91]

This is how I have done Hypo in the past:

Start by doing water changes and replacing the water with fresh water NOT salt water. This will drop the salinity.

Your starting point should be between 1.025 and 1.027. Replace about one fifth of the volume with RO, RO/DI or aged freshwater that has been well aerated. Repeat this 12, 24 and 36 hours later, monitoring the specific gravity along the way. After the fourth water change the specific gravity should be 1.010 or pretty close. Wait a few hours to make the final adjustment to get down to 1.009. Note that you can estimate the resulting specific gravity. If you are changing one fifth of the water and the current specific gravity is 1.025 the result will be:

((1.025*4)+1.000)/5 = 1.020 approx.
Then, after 12 hours:
((1.020*4)+1.000)/5 = 1.016 approx.
After 24 hours:
((1.016*4)+1.000)/5 = 1.013 approx.
After the 4th change:
((1.013*4)+1.000)/5 = 1.010 approx.

 

[Dr. Reef]

So would you reccomend doing this for all incoming fish over just observing them?

its best to match ur qt parameters with the parameters the fish came in at first. once in ur qt for few days then start reducing salinity by doing water changes with ro/di. decrease salinity by 1-2 points per days till u reach 1.009. keep it there 4 weeks after last ich is observed and then start increasing salinity back up to match ur main. again increase by 1-2 points per day.
i like to observe then treat accordingly buy if u like to run every fish through this process thats ur personal choice.

 

[Kawi9_cf]

Thanks for the great replies guys!

I like to repeat things back just to make sure I understande correctly.

I would acclimate the fish to the same salinty as the tank they came from. Leave them there for a few days and make them comfortable then slowly start reducing salinty in the tank to 1.009. Stay at that salinty for roughly 4 weeks then slowly bring the salinty back up by over a few days by topping off with salt water. Once the salinty returnes to normal leave the fish there for a few more days then transfer to dt.

 

[hogfanreefer]

I read it as 4 weeks after the last sign of Ich.....could be considerably longer than 4 weeks. Otherwise I understood it the same as you.

 

[Dr. Reef]

yes u have the basic concept right but let me clear up few details.
1. its 4 weeks in hypo AFTER last ich is observed.
2. after 4 weeks are over raise salinity in next few days and observe for 2 weeks then match salinity and temp of the main and transfer.

 

[Kawi9_cf]

Okay thank you very much

 

[Dr. Reef]

LR is a bad choice of medium for QT. It is not the most effective medium for nitrification and it is too bulky and unwieldy.
If lives other than bacteria start to grow on it, the decay may be a big problem.
LR cannot be as easly taken out as some other medium of filtration, such as crushed coral in sacks.

I agree 100%. i am not a big advocate of using LR to cycle qt. its best done bare bottom and with filters/ceramic rings or even other mediums in socks etc.
in some cases people including myself have placed LR in qt and run cycles and runs qt with them, it comes with its dangers like state above by wooden_reefer but its best not to use live rock or sand in qt.
just to clarify....
thanks

 

[shiladitya1991]

I am setting up a 24 x 15 x 15 permanent quarantine tank using the disposed water from my main tank(during water changes). I am planning to run a HOB filter on it and will do water changes monthly with fresh saltwater or from the main tank water. Do you see any problem with this whole arrangement?

 

[Dr. Reef]

I am setting up a 24 x 15 x 15 permanent quarantine tank using the disposed water from my main tank(during water changes). I am planning to run a HOB filter on it and will do water changes monthly with fresh saltwater or from the main tank water. Do you see any problem with this whole arrangement?

No there is no problem with the setup but u will need to cycle the Qtank. best thing u can do is place the hob filters in the sump of ur main tank for 2 weeks for them to get bacteria living on them and keep extras there too for future filter changes. remember everytime u place a new filter in the hob ur tank will go into mini cycle.
also placing some ceramic rings or such other bacteria harboring media in hob will increase surface area.
this is just a broad discription if u have specific questionn please dot hesitate to post.
good luck, safe & happy reefing.

 

[Deinonych]

So, in a couple weeks I'll be moving my fish from QT to DT (assuming everything continues to go well). Is there anything special I need to do when transferring them other than making sure water parameters in each tank match? Do I need to acclimate them again regardless?

Just wanting to make sure I'm doing everything right the first time.

 

[shiladitya1991]

Thanks, this helps a lot.

 

[Dr. Reef]

So, in a couple weeks I'll be moving my fish from QT to DT (assuming everything continues to go well). Is there anything special I need to do when transferring them other than making sure water parameters in each tank match? Do I need to acclimate them again regardless?

Just wanting to make sure I'm doing everything right the first time.

a little history if u can please i have not been able to place u and ur tank or our conversation!!
have u been dosing copper or just observing or hypo?
if u were just observing and its been atleast 8 weeks then just match ur water parameters of 2 tanks. salinity temp mainly..before transfer.
if copper then run cuprasorb or carbon and water changes to get rid of copper then match parameters. before transfer.
if hypo then raise salinity over several days and match with main to transfer.

in any case before transfer match salinity and temp mainly to main. once there i usually take a bucket of main tank water and introduce the qt fish to the bucket for a quick bath then into main tank. as long s salinity and temp match between tanks to me thats already acclimated.
hope it helps.

Note: i use separate nets/tools for qt to bucket then a totally separate set from bucket to main just a precaution for cross contamination.

 

[Deinonych]

Thanks, that does help. I have a separate net and tools for the QT so there will be no cross-contamination. Only medication has been PraziPro. Initially, I was going to treat with copper but elected to take the observation route.

Temp and salinity are a perfect match between both tanks. Alkalinity in the DT is higher (~8 vs. 6-ish in the QT). Should I be concerned with that? pH in both tanks are within 0.1 of each other.

 

[eastfernstreet]

QT Filter Questions

QT Filter Questions

Noob question . . .

My LFS is great. The #1 thing they recommend is a QT tank. That having been said, there's a lot of conflicting info about how to go about it.

If I go with Option 1: the permanent set-up, do I simply use an old-fashioned fresh/salt HOB filter with floss in it, make up some fresh reef crystals, toss in a piece of shrimp and some PVC, wait for the numbers to go to zero and then add a fish? Is it really that easy? Sounds too good to be true.

Do I change the floss? How often? How much/how often do I change the water? Do I need to do a complete re-start for every fish once the last resident has moved on? How long can I let it sit empty before the bacteria die off and it needs to re-cycle?

Sorry for all the questions but I'd hate to end up killing fish even as I try to do the right thing.

Thanks!

 

[Dr. Reef]

Thanks, that does help. I have a separate net and tools for the QT so there will be no cross-contamination. Only medication has been PraziPro. Initially, I was going to treat with copper but elected to take the observation route.

Temp and salinity are a perfect match between both tanks. Alkalinity in the DT is higher (~8 vs. 6-ish in the QT). Should I be concerned with that? pH in both tanks are within 0.1 of each other.

I wouldn't worry about alk. Just temp and salinity ph is fine. Hope u did prazipro 2 weeks a d the 6 weeks observation. If u did then its time to transfer.
Good luck, safe and happy reefing.

 

[ReefMonkey13]

Do the principles detailed on the first post also apply to a Coral QT?

I'm scoping setting up a 10-15gal tank as a QT tank for new acquisitions.

I have auto daily water change routine where I was thinking of "recycling" the Display tank water to replenish the QT tank on a day to day basis. (appropriately 2 Gallons a day). I figure this will assist in keep the parameters at bay.

I also plan to keep some live rock in the QT.

 

[Dr. Reef]

If I go with Option 1: the permanent set-up, do I simply use an old-fashioned fresh/salt HOB filter with floss in it, make up some fresh reef crystals, toss in a piece of shrimp and some PVC, wait for the numbers to go to zero and then add a fish? Is it really that easy? Sounds too good to be true.

Do I change the floss? How often? How much/how often do I change the water? Do I need to do a complete re-start for every fish once the last resident has moved on? How long can I let it sit empty before the bacteria die off and it needs to re-cycle?
Thanks!

first off i am glad ur stepping in the right direction.
yes its just that easy. get a small tank 20gal prefer. buy a hob filter system, place filters with no carbon in them or floss or ceramic media rings (anything to increase surface area for bacteria to grow on). place the frozen shrimp in to kic start cycle and watch the cycle take place and let numbers of ammonia/nitirites rise and fall back to 0 then nitrates will be high at this point do water chnage 30-50% and u got urself a permanently cycled qt.
i dont change filter for almost the time they get clogged and i always keep extra filters on hand in my main tanks sump so they have enough bacteria on them when i move/replace the old ons i dont throw the tank in mini cycle.
i never change/replace media only filter cartridges when they get clogged and replace them with pre-established filter cartridges (soaking in sump for atleast 2-3 weeks)
because this is a cycled qt u can get away with no water change for the entire length of observation/treatment 6-8 weeks.
i usually run 2 weeks of prazipro first then do 50% water change and next 6 weeks no water change.
once the fish are transfered out i always keep a cardinal fish in qt to keep it cycled and feed it once or twice a day till next batch of fish come around. before the next fish come in. right after 1st batch of fish get transfered and cardinal is left in qt i do few water changes like 20-30% maybe 2-3 times and get ready for second batch.
i never leave qt tank sit empty i always have a cardinal fish that is a permanent resident.
if u do decide to leave tank empty then just ghost feed the tank every few days to keep cycle going other wise the tank will need a new cycle.
hope this will help.
again this is a broad discussion, so please feel free to post specific questions and i can guide you in right direction.
good luck, safe and happy reefing.

 

[Dr. Reef]

Do the principles detailed on the first post also apply to a Coral QT?

I'm scoping setting up a 10-15gal tank as a QT tank for new acquisitions.

I have auto daily water change routine where I was thinking of "recycling" the Display tank water to replenish the QT tank on a day to day basis. (appropriately 2 Gallons a day). I figure this will assist in keep the parameters at bay.

I also plan to keep some live rock in the QT.

yes principles are the same but it would be more of a holding frag tank/qt rather than hospital tank. a few things u would do different are: lighting will need to be good. in fish qt we dont care for light but in ur case u will need strong lights and slow acclimation to lights.
in fish qt water movement is not that big deal but in coral qt u will need a powerhead or two depending on what type of corals being held. live rock is not a good idea in qt tanks i prefer not to have then i rather keep it bare bottom with eggcrate structure to hold ur frags or corals.
u will need to keep a very sharp eye on parameters along with salinity swing due to evaporation. best done by ATO so u dont have salinity swings atleast.
2gal per day in a 10 gal coral tank might not be enough to keep up the demand of growing corals so u may have to adopt a dosing method to keep up alk cal and mag.
but every tank and corals demands are different so do play with water changes to see where it sits in well for you.
if you are just going to hold corals in this tank then try to avoid all medications in this tank and just keep a small fish or two to keep eco system alive and healthy. corals live off fish waste in ur tanks plus keeping the cycle.

i have a frag tank 40gal but mine has a hob overflow box which drains to my main sump and a return from the sump. its not a qt tank as its an extended part of my main system. so anything bad that happens in the frag tank (example: aptaisia, red bugs flat worms etc) it is safe to assume are also in my main tank.
but in ur case it will be an independent tank and if there are hitchhikers u can take care of them there rather than making it to ur tank.
let me know if u have any more questions..
happy reefing.