Guide to setup a Quarantine Tank (QT).

[Dr. Reef]

U can do 1/2 tsp for 10gal first week the 50% water change and on second dose u can go a hair less than 1/2 tsp as there is some prazipro still in water. I am not sure if it was a bacterial infection ur fish had as prazipro will not cure that antibiotics will. Any ways its too late for that but wipe and restart.
Good luck.

 

[Dr. Reef]

Guys
this has been brought upto me a few times now.
there is no such thing as established water. also if ur waiting for a fish to arrive right after qt cycled and qt is sitting idle during wait i recommend ghost feeding a pinch of food every 2-3 days to keep cycle going.
If ur new to hobby and new to concept of qt dont buy an expensive fish the first time.
buy a cheap chromis or cardinal to try out ur new qt and hobby.
after u have the hang on it and ur fish survives u can keep it as a permanent resident of the qt tank to keep cycle going if not then sell it back to lfs.
go slow nothing good will happen fast in this hobby.
i wish everyone good luck and safe reefing.

 

[Nemo60]

Thanks for the great info!

 

[newaquarist]

HOB or Canister

HOB or Canister

Which is better for a 20 Gallon Long QT that will over time house tangs and other swimmers? I thought that the canister might be better bc it will create more flow which those fish might prefer? I am planning on QT'ing all fish for 6 weeks before going into the DT. My LFS store recommended a canister bc i want to quarantine everything for 6 weeks and they said that an HOB would be inadequate for such a long period of time. That doesn't seem to make much sense to me?

Another question I am unsure on is whether to put any LR in the QT. I am hoping that the answer will be no need, if I kick start the cycle with the shrimp and build good bacteria in the media filter, provide PVC elbows for hiding, then no need for a live rock.

thanks.

 

[Dr. Reef]

Most commonly qt tanks are setup bare bottom no live rock and HOB filters.
Its easier to replace filters on them and also to seed them when needed. Canisters do well with freshwater systems than saltwater.
Pvc elbows are good hiding things u can put in ur qt tank also u can use floss or ceramic rings to increase surface area for bacteria to grow on.
If u cycle it properly u wont need to change filters throughout 8 weeks of qt even with copper dosing.
Good luck I hope it answers ur questions

 

[newaquarist]

thanks Bnumair

So, something like the aquaclear hob will get it done then?

Should i also add a pump driven air filter? I read an article linked from another RC thread that recommend these.

regarding the floss, does that go into the hob, on top of whatever it comes with? same with the ceramic rings, or do i just throw them into the tank?

If I use an hob, should i also use a power head to create flow?

Last, should i expect to need to vacuum the bottom of the tank often to pick up detritus?

thanks!

 

[Dr. Reef]

Hi
yes any HOB filter will work. i personally have never used floss but people do, i use ceramic rings. i place them in the hon filter itself if there is room if not u can put them in a media sock and place them in heavy flow area.
air pump or a power head that moves enough water for air water mixture will work just fine.
i usually siphon bottom of the qt when i do water changes.
keep light schedule to minimum as fish dont need light helps in keeping algae away.
safe reefing.

 

[Drew11]

Ok so here is my situation... My Hippo Tang looks like it has come down with ich. very very very fine white specs, almost unnoticeable unless the light hits the fish perfectly, and it's rubbing up against the rocks. Also seems as though it's breathing a bit rapidly, but he eats PLENTY. I also have two ocellaris clowns and a royal gramma.... they all seem fine. No physical/behavior changes.

I have an empty 10g tank that I could use for a HT but I do not have it cycling yet. What I do have is a HOB filter on my display tank. I don't necessarily need the HOB on my display as I have a skimmer running along with LR and water changes once every 2 weeks or so. So could I use the HOB from my DT to cycle the HT and just use water from my DT also?

I think my biggest question is do I place all of the fish in the HT just in case? It's only a 10g and can it handle 4 fish at once? Or should I just place the Tang in the HT?

The HOB filter has BioMax, Foam, and I wouldn't run the carbon on it if I'm going to medicate with copper. So, do I leave the BioMax and Foam in there and add something else to the filter?

 

[tassod]

hi there.
equipment u mentioned is ok. running carbon is ok as long as u wont be using any meds in it. if u do take carbon out.

if u want to run hypo only all the time then sg is 1.009 ur 10 points too much.
also if u run hypo all the time make sure to slowly acclimate the new arrivals accordingly.

yes its best to cycle that tank, use shrimp method to kick start ammonia.

Safe reefing.

Hi bnumair,

Well i was able to get the salinity to 1.009 but never got around to kick starting the cycle with a shrimp. Any case, i've been trying to battle some GHA in my main DT and got sick of looking at it so I took out each piece of my rock one by one and put it in the QT and scrubbed them all with a tootbrush. Well i got my rock cleaned but needless to say I know have a bunch of gunk left in the QT and small pieces of rock everywhere. Do i need to start over and empty the whole thing out and clean it?

 

[Dr. Reef]

Guys I am traveling but will answer all the questions later tonight as I get to my motel. About 8 tp 9 pm central time USA. Sorry for inconvenience.

 

[skbrannen]

What is the absolutely smallest qt tank you can have? I don't have a lot of extra room. I currently have one firefish and a lot of different invertebrates after a bout with ick. I would only be adding one at a time one to two inches long.


Posted from ReefCentral.com App for Android

 

[Dr. Reef]

Ok so here is my situation... My Hippo Tang looks like it has come down with ich. very very very fine white specs, almost unnoticeable unless the light hits the fish perfectly, and it's rubbing up against the rocks. Also seems as though it's breathing a bit rapidly, but he eats PLENTY. I also have two ocellaris clowns and a royal gramma.... they all seem fine. No physical/behavior changes.

I have an empty 10g tank that I could use for a HT but I do not have it cycling yet. What I do have is a HOB filter on my display tank. I don't necessarily need the HOB on my display as I have a skimmer running along with LR and water changes once every 2 weeks or so. So could I use the HOB from my DT to cycle the HT and just use water from my DT also?

I think my biggest question is do I place all of the fish in the HT just in case? It's only a 10g and can it handle 4 fish at once? Or should I just place the Tang in the HT?

The HOB filter has BioMax, Foam, and I wouldn't run the carbon on it if I'm going to medicate with copper. So, do I leave the BioMax and Foam in there and add something else to the filter?

i am sorry to hear that ur fish has ick. 10gal for a few fish specially a hippo is a bit small but if thats all you got then by all means. if u can aquire a 20 or 40 it will be great. anyways HOB from the main will give u instant cycle in ur qt but remember after using it with copper you wont be able to put it back on main tank ever again.
all fish need to be treated now as all fish shared a ich infected tank.
good luck and post any questions u may have.

 

[Dr. Reef]

Hi bnumair,

Well i was able to get the salinity to 1.009 but never got around to kick starting the cycle with a shrimp. Any case, i've been trying to battle some GHA in my main DT and got sick of looking at it so I took out each piece of my rock one by one and put it in the QT and scrubbed them all with a tootbrush. Well i got my rock cleaned but needless to say I know have a bunch of gunk left in the QT and small pieces of rock everywhere. Do i need to start over and empty the whole thing out and clean it?

i am not sure why ur tank never started a cycle. did u check for ammonia? and how old is the kit maybe the kit is bad. anyways at this time you should drain scrub and clean the qt out and re start it. then give it a shrimp method kick start again. hopefully this time u can see some ammonia and cycle begins.

Note; what filter are u using? was this filter established or brand new.

 

[Dr. Reef]

What is the absolutely smallest qt tank you can have? I don't have a lot of extra room. I currently have one firefish and a lot of different invertebrates after a bout with ick. I would only be adding one at a time one to two inches long.


Posted from ReefCentral.com App for Android

sorry for ur loss to ich, unfortunately it will win most everytime if not addressed properly.
anyways, if ur just going to keep 1 or 2 small fish each time a small 10 gal tank will work with a HOB filter.
rest of the details u can find on how and what to get for ur qt in the beginning of the forum.
If u still have any questions please feel free to ask.
Good luck and safe reefing.

 

[Drew11]

I have an old AquaClear 70 that I previously used in a freshwater. Could I clean that out and replace the AC 50 with it in the main if I used the AC 50 on my QT? Or would there be left over stuff that I wouldn't be able to get off of the old AC 70 from the freshwater setup?

I'd like to use the HOB on the QT because if I wanted to run carbon I easily could.

 

[tassod]

i am not sure why ur tank never started a cycle. did u check for ammonia? and how old is the kit maybe the kit is bad. anyways at this time you should drain scrub and clean the qt out and re start it. then give it a shrimp method kick start again. hopefully this time u can see some ammonia and cycle begins.

Note; what filter are u using? was this filter established or brand new.

Sorry for the confusion, i never dropped a shrimp in there so the cycle never really started as I never detected any ammonia. I did check for it every other day and never saw any. I'm using an Aquaclear 50 HOB filter. I just bougt replacement cartridges for it, foam, carbon and bio max media. Should I stick any of those replacements in my sump? Will that give me an instant cycled tank?

 

[Dr. Reef]

I have an old AquaClear 70 that I previously used in a freshwater. Could I clean that out and replace the AC 50 with it in the main if I used the AC 50 on my QT? Or would there be left over stuff that I wouldn't be able to get off of the old AC 70 from the freshwater setup?

I'd like to use the HOB on the QT because if I wanted to run carbon I easily could.

u can do that as fresh water bacteria is different from saltwater. if u gave the AC70 a good rinse and if i am not mistaken it has a sponge in it rather than a filter. just take it out and use media instead or replace with with a new one. either way remember to run both ac 70 and 50 on ur main for atleast 3 weeks before pulling either or to use on qt. u want enough bacteria to be established on both units for either or transfers.
but yes it can be done.
carbon is good until u dose some meds. for medicine u will have to pull carbon out.
good luck safe reefing.

 

[Dr. Reef]

Sorry for the confusion, i never dropped a shrimp in there so the cycle never really started as I never detected any ammonia. I did check for it every other day and never saw any. I'm using an Aquaclear 50 HOB filter. I just bougt replacement cartridges for it, foam, carbon and bio max media. Should I stick any of those replacements in my sump? Will that give me an instant cycled tank?

sorry for confusion as well. yes if the replacement filter/sponges are new u can place them in ur established main for about 3 weeks and expect to move them to qt with instant cycle kinda. do monitor for ammonia and ghost feed till u get a fish in it.
Good luck and safe reefing.

 

[newaquarist]

What kind of food do you recommend for ghost feeding? If i put a chromis in the qt, is that sufficient to avoid ghost feeding? thanks!

 

[Dr. Reef]

What kind of food do you recommend for ghost feeding? If i put a chromis in the qt, is that sufficient to avoid ghost feeding? thanks!

Hi i feed a few mysis shrimp to the tank or to a single fish in qt. i generally keep PJ Cardinal in qt permanently as they are not aggressive towards any fish. chromis and damsels can be aggressive towards other fish.
But to answer ur question Yes, if u place a fish in qt permanently it keeps the tank cycled, u still have to feed the fish itself.
Good luck and safe reefing.