there is no set time but usually nitrites go down in half the time than ammonia.
Guide to setup a Quarantine Tank (QT).
- Thread starter Dr. Reef
- Start date
there is no set time but usually nitrites go down in half the time than ammonia.
as a precaution i would strongly advice yes 2 more weeks.
Redhaloangel
New member
can i put in dry rock into a QT?? and can a QT eventually just turn into a normal tank once the fish is fine???
you can put dry rock in QT but it wont help in cycle as yet. it will need to be cycled before it have any value.
Also why do u want to put dry rock in QT? in case u have to put copper or some other medicine rock will absorb some of that copper and making hard to have a consistent dose in tank.
But if u never dose copper for ich treatment then by all means dry or live rock is not a problem and after ur fish is fine over several weeks and you move them to Main tank yes QT will/can be used as just another tank. (as long as u keep it cycled)
Still patiently waiting for this cycle to complete.:headwalls:
Another question has me concerned.I'm relying on bio wheels as main filtration.If there is a power outage for any length of time,wont bio wheels die being that they are not submerged?Then have to start all over?
Another question has me concerned.I'm relying on bio wheels as main filtration.If there is a power outage for any length of time,wont bio wheels die being that they are not submerged?Then have to start all over?
Redhaloangel
New member
ok thanks.. yes i just thought dry rock or a rock might look nicer than just some pvc.. lol
good question. i have not yet encountered such long power outage but my guess is that if bio wheels (which i use too) are out of water for long time they will lose beneficial bacteria. but it has to be over several days as live rock is out of water during shipping for days. i am quite sure 24-48 hours will not be a big deal. you will have die off but it will bounce back up in few days instead of going into a complete cycle.
Blind45503
New member
Thank you so much for this thread it has cleared up all of the questions I had about QT's. At first I was going to go without a QT simply for cost reasons but I am realizing now its not that expensive to set one up and in the long run will most likely save money. I am about to start my first tank and am very excited to get into this hobby. I have a question about Ocellaris Clownfish I know this probably isnt the place to ask this but you seem very knowledgeable can I QT one as my first fish and then at a later time if I decide get another to pair with it or do they have to be introduced at the same time? Another question now that I think of it I plan on having a 10 gal for my QT can I put it under my stand with out light without problems?
you can QT 1 clown and move it to main when qt duration is over and then get another one later qt it and place in main. a simple tip... bigger size of the same species will be a female, all clowns start out as males then bigger one converts to female if none present. so buy accordingly.
2 in a tank introduced at different timings will probably be ok. they may have some issues(not disastrous) till dominant one becomes female.
Qt can be placed under the main in the stand with no lights. Fish dont require lights. I would suggest to get some temp lights to observe ur fish in QT for parasites and diseases. its hard to tell in dark tank.
ur starting in good way and doing things the right way. feel free to ask.
Good Luck and Happy Reefing
So odd question for you,
I currently have my DT at the end of the cycle. To be honest I had originally disregarded warnings of a QT because of the extra effort/cost.
But after putting in so much time researching and planning and building I realize now that its probably worth it to QT (Haha I'm a noob... I know)
Anyway Im working on setting up a 20g QT now and am going to keep it up and running as a cycled QT for at least a year or two while I stock the tank.
My question is can I use the DT as a QT for the first fish? I figure Ich needs a living fish host so if my first addition has it I can just move the fish to an emergency setup QT and let the tank sit empty for 6 weeks or so while I treat. Currently the DT has only LR in it.
This may be a stupid question but be kind. Trying to learn.
I currently have my DT at the end of the cycle. To be honest I had originally disregarded warnings of a QT because of the extra effort/cost.
But after putting in so much time researching and planning and building I realize now that its probably worth it to QT (Haha I'm a noob... I know)
Anyway Im working on setting up a 20g QT now and am going to keep it up and running as a cycled QT for at least a year or two while I stock the tank.
My question is can I use the DT as a QT for the first fish? I figure Ich needs a living fish host so if my first addition has it I can just move the fish to an emergency setup QT and let the tank sit empty for 6 weeks or so while I treat. Currently the DT has only LR in it.
This may be a stupid question but be kind. Trying to learn.
there are no stupid questions. please feel free to ask.
I strongly recommend not to use DT as QT. reason just in case if ur 1st fish in dt has ich you probably wont be able to catch it without tearing ur system down. secondly you can treat ur dt with copper nor hypo. plus the cost to maintain a full strength medication in a large system will be huge.
so please save urself a headache and setup a QT properly and keep all new fish in qt for 6-8 weeks and medicate according to symptoms.
ReeferGil
New member
Advice Please
Advice Please
I had setup a 24-7 QT. I cycled it with a raw shrimp. They cycle completed and the shrimp was removed. The QT sat for about a month, then I added my new clown pair. One of the clowns died within a week, I am guessing due to stress from being shipped. I then added a powder blue tang and a sailfin. I tested the water and the ammonia is up (.5). I believe I messed up because I allowed the beneficial bacteria to die off, since the QT sat for an entire month after the cycle was done. So I believe the cycle is re-starting now.
The QT is a 10 gallon with filteration, no carbon. I have dosed it with cooper, nothing else. I do not know what I should do next.
Should I remove my QT fish and place them in the DT. The cycle is going to start over (I believe) so I do not want them exposed for obvious reasons
OR
Should I use Amquel to deal with the affects of the ammonia on the fish and keep them in QT? I would also do daily WC.
OR
Any advice you'd like to share...
Thanks in advance...
Advice Please
I had setup a 24-7 QT. I cycled it with a raw shrimp. They cycle completed and the shrimp was removed. The QT sat for about a month, then I added my new clown pair. One of the clowns died within a week, I am guessing due to stress from being shipped. I then added a powder blue tang and a sailfin. I tested the water and the ammonia is up (.5). I believe I messed up because I allowed the beneficial bacteria to die off, since the QT sat for an entire month after the cycle was done. So I believe the cycle is re-starting now.
The QT is a 10 gallon with filteration, no carbon. I have dosed it with cooper, nothing else. I do not know what I should do next.
Should I remove my QT fish and place them in the DT. The cycle is going to start over (I believe) so I do not want them exposed for obvious reasons
OR
Should I use Amquel to deal with the affects of the ammonia on the fish and keep them in QT? I would also do daily WC.
OR
Any advice you'd like to share...
Thanks in advance...
yes ur guess it right, if u let a tank sit idle with no ammonia source it will go out of cycle and needs to be cycled again.
anyways at this time i DONOT recommend ammonia reduction products as they will react with copper and make water toxic. Also with use of copper beneficial bacteria will die too so best thing u can do at this time is have a lot of water ready and do water changes as soon as u register ammonia.
if u place the fish in DT ur taking chances of transferring diseases over.
water changes are ur best bet and buy ammonia badge to stick it inside the qt and monitor it. as soon as it shows ammonia do water change.
good luck
anyways at this time i DONOT recommend ammonia reduction products as they will react with copper and make water toxic. Also with use of copper beneficial bacteria will die too so best thing u can do at this time is have a lot of water ready and do water changes as soon as u register ammonia.
if u place the fish in DT ur taking chances of transferring diseases over.
water changes are ur best bet and buy ammonia badge to stick it inside the qt and monitor it. as soon as it shows ammonia do water change.
good luck
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Im getting confused with one thing relating to live rock + copper or no live rock + copper:
Someone stated if the QT is cycled, you wont need to do water changes during the copper treatment. I also have read that copper kills off beneficial bacteria. This seems contradicting since there has to be beneficial bacteria to process the ammonia. So, does all the bacteria actually die off in copper treatment, resulting in frequent water changes during copper treatment? Or does enough bacteria survive to allow no water changes for a couple weeks? Just looking for a little clarification, i would like to minimize water changes if possible.....
Sent from my MB865 using Tapatalk 2
Someone stated if the QT is cycled, you wont need to do water changes during the copper treatment. I also have read that copper kills off beneficial bacteria. This seems contradicting since there has to be beneficial bacteria to process the ammonia. So, does all the bacteria actually die off in copper treatment, resulting in frequent water changes during copper treatment? Or does enough bacteria survive to allow no water changes for a couple weeks? Just looking for a little clarification, i would like to minimize water changes if possible.....
Sent from my MB865 using Tapatalk 2
Cupramine may slightly retard the bacteria but overall it is safe to use and won't adversely affect the nitrifying bacteria. The reading of*ammonia*you might get is most likely a false reading because Cupramine contains an organic amine which is very similar to*ammonia*in structure and the test kit is likely not able to distinguish between the two. You could try MultiTest: Free and Total*Ammonia*test which does not have this issue and will not give a false positive... or you can use our*Ammonia*Alert which works on the same principal and will show only free*ammonia.
So all in all it should be safe and no water changes may be required. But I always advise hobbyists to keep enough water mixed and ready so if required u can change water quickly. Also the badge ammonia detector that sticks inside the tank seems to do best when dosing copper u can find it at petsmart or petco.
in my personal experience i have dosed cupramine in my cycled qt over few days and never had any ammonia issues. i went 2 weeks without any water changes. i do water change 2 weeks later due to just a regular habbit but not due to ammonia.
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Also the concept of not keeping any rock in QT that is being dosed with copper is :
rock absorbs copper making dosage very difficult and effective. also once a rock is exposed to copper it can never be used in a reef/invert tank.
for my satisfaction i emailed Seachem manufacturer of Cupramine. this is the response i got.
Tech Support <support@seachem.com>
2:13 PM (51 minutes ago)
to me
Hello Mike,
Thank you for the email and for using Cupramine! As long as you have an established biological filter, the Cupramine will not have any impact on the beneficial bacteria. After the treatment, we recommend adding some Stability in order to give your biological filter a boost. As long as the Ammonia Alert is showing zero for ammonia, than you are in the safe zone. It only detects the Free Ammonia which is the form you are most concerned about in the aquarium.
I hope this information helps. Let us know if you have further questions.
Product Support
100215
So its safe to use and will not hurt bacteria.
Tech Support <support@seachem.com>
2:13 PM (51 minutes ago)
to me
Hello Mike,
Thank you for the email and for using Cupramine! As long as you have an established biological filter, the Cupramine will not have any impact on the beneficial bacteria. After the treatment, we recommend adding some Stability in order to give your biological filter a boost. As long as the Ammonia Alert is showing zero for ammonia, than you are in the safe zone. It only detects the Free Ammonia which is the form you are most concerned about in the aquarium.
I hope this information helps. Let us know if you have further questions.
Product Support
100215
So its safe to use and will not hurt bacteria.
ReeferGil
New member
Thank you so much for the quick response. I went out and purchased Amquel with the intention of dosing the QT. Ill stick to doing WC and already have an ammonia badge that seems to be proving itself reliable.
Thanks again bnumair!
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