Guide to setup a Quarantine Tank (QT).

[Dr. Reef]

Ok thanks now there is some algae in that old hob should I just try to clean it out as much as possible and still use it?

As for the hob in my bow tank. One of the suggestions is to take the media from the sump of the display tank to put in in the hob of the qt. With no sump I can't do that. I would rather have a temporary qt so is this necessary or can I just take my dt water when I need it and run the hob of my qt with a fresh filter?

just clean it out and give it a vinegar bath.
regarding the qt if u have no sump but ur main tank is cycled and ready then u can place some ceramic media inside the main tank for 2 weeks and move them over to qt giving it a instant cycle. but i would still check for ammonia and add 1 fish for the first time a small one to make sure.
water from dt will not import bacteria.

 

[jfeva0049]

sorry i forgot about it.
but here are the links to some of the general meds.

prime
http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/Prime.html
Amquel
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752416
prazipro
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=12098
cupramine
http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/Cupramine.html

on the tank size it depends. if u are going to keep tangs and bigger fish that require more swimming space i rather go longer.

thank you, i will order some.

 

[cfd3lsd]

Quick question on QT tank: I and old wet dry that leaks, therefor it cannot be used outside a tank. I've set up 40g QT with the wet/dry inside the QT for filtration (looking to reuse as much as possible). Because it sits inside the QT, the bioballs (at least 5 gallons worth) are totally submerged. Any issue with that? As I understand it, the bioballs will still work to build bacteria but it may slightly diminish the effectiveness.

I'm cycling the 40g at this time. I used a frozen Silverside bringing the ammonia level to 1ppm. I plan to do a 50% water change this week, then allow it to run another 3 weeks.

My main tank is 190g anemone, soft-coral, shroom, zoos, and 5-fish. I will be using the QT to introduce new fish over the course of the next few months.

 

[Dr. Reef]

can u post a pic of the setup i am understanding it..

 

[fairladyZ]

well good news my QT tank finally finished it's cycle, on tuesday nitrites were almost 0, on wednesday ammonia and nitrite were 0 and nitrates were about 5-10ppm.
checked again today and same, so i got my first fish!
I had heard lawnmower blennies were good first fish so i picked one up and he's in QT now.

Any advice on keeping one of them in QT\?

 

[Dr. Reef]

well good news my QT tank finally finished it's cycle, on tuesday nitrites were almost 0, on wednesday ammonia and nitrite were 0 and nitrates were about 5-10ppm.
checked again today and same, so i got my first fish!
I had heard lawnmower blennies were good first fish so i picked one up and he's in QT now.

Any advice on keeping one of them in QT\?

awesome. i am happy for the progress.
nope there is nothing special u have to do. just wait out the term.
if u are just observing then 8-10 weeks.
if u are doing hypo or copper then 3-4 weeks.
but i think ur just observing so 8-10 weeks.
good luck.

 

[fairladyZ]

what would you recommend? observe or should i do medication just to be sure? They had 2 blennies and this one was the most active, he wasn't skittish and was swimming around eating on rocks and sands just watching me watch him, the other one they had kind of stayed to himself and if you got to close he darted.

He's currently just sitting in the corner of the QT, i hung some Julians purple sea weed on a clip low in the tank incase he gets hungry but he hasn't gone close to it or the PVC pipes yet. Hopefully by tomorrow he'll start coming around.

 

[Dr. Reef]

i would observe and not medicate. well prazipro wont hurt anything. 2 weeks. then 4-6 weeks observe.
if u already got algae in there ur good to go. some fish can take upto a week before they actually start eating. he will be skittish for few days. hopefully in few days it will start eating and moving around normally.
do check for ammonia for next few days due to added bioload and food and decomposition. if necessary do water changes.

 

[fairladyZ]

ok will do. The tank doesn't have any algae in it it's just completely bare, theres a little sediment on the bottom but nothing else. Would it be a good or bad idea to get a small cup of sand out of my DT or sump and put it into the QT? or maybe go to LFS and buy a small live rock to put in there for him to feed off of?

Thanks again for all your help!

 

[Dr. Reef]

u can attach it to a small piece of pvc pipe with a rubber band and let him eat off it.
sand is not a must.

 

[cfd3lsd]

can u post a pic of the setup i am understanding it..

Here is a pic o my setup.
http://s1344.photobucket.com/user/Charles_Dennison/media/SAM_3425_zpsa83e9316.jpg.html

 

[Dr. Reef]

Quick question on QT tank: I and old wet dry that leaks, therefor it cannot be used outside a tank. I've set up 40g QT with the wet/dry inside the QT for filtration (looking to reuse as much as possible). Because it sits inside the QT, the bioballs (at least 5 gallons worth) are totally submerged. Any issue with that? As I understand it, the bioballs will still work to build bacteria but it may slightly diminish the effectiveness.

I'm cycling the 40g at this time. I used a frozen Silverside bringing the ammonia level to 1ppm. I plan to do a 50% water change this week, then allow it to run another 3 weeks.

My main tank is 190g anemone, soft-coral, shroom, zoos, and 5-fish. I will be using the QT to introduce new fish over the course of the next few months.

that quiet a setup lol. but hey it works. i dont see anything wrong with it except for i hope u did clean the acrylic so there was no contaminant on the outside. other than that it should be fine.
u said ammonia rose to 1ppm. u dont have to do water change during cycle.
let the cycle finish its course then do 50% water change.
good luck and safe reefing.

 

[cfd3lsd]

thanks, I did clean both the aquarium and wet/dry inside and out with bleach (then rinsed it really well). This set up has been running for two weeks. I'll do as you stated and let the bacteria build up to reduce ammonia to 0, then do the 50% water change.

 

[Dr. Reef]

thanks, I did clean both the aquarium and wet/dry inside and out with bleach (then rinsed it really well). This set up has been running for two weeks. I'll do as you stated and let the bacteria build up to reduce ammonia to 0, then do the 50% water change.

sounds good let ammonia spike up then back to 0 then nitrites spike and back to 0 after that when u have ammonia and nitrite 0 nitrates will spike. that is when u need to do water change and ur tank is ready for a fish or 2. go easy on a young tank and add just a fish or 2 check for ammonia for few days if it remains 0 then u can add another few fish.

 

[hogfanreefer]

QT water change question

QT water change question

I have two QT tanks. A 20 gallon that's been set up for 13 weeks and a 29 gallon that's been set up for 9 weeks. Neither have ever had a positive Nitrite or Ammonia since completing the cycle. Nitrate has never been higher than 10 in either and currently is at 1 in the 20 gal and 5 in the 29 gallon.

I have been doing weekly 5 and 6 gallon water changes respectively on both tanks weekly. Is that necessary or overkill given my parameters?

The reason I ask is while water changes in my DT seem to be zero stress for the fish, in the small confines of my QT tanks it really seems bother some of my fish (most notably a Velvet Multicolored Wrasse and a Gramma).

Parameters today after my longest time between water changes (9 days). Temp 79.2, NH3 zero, NO2 zero, NO3 5, pH 8.1, Alk 9.3.

 

[Dr. Reef]

its nice to know u have 2 tanks, most people dont even have 1 qt. i have a 2 tank qt setup as well.... anyways
i usually dont do any water changes in between fish.(fishless qt) i generally do couple of 50% water changes before getting fish in.
then while fish are in the qt i never do water change unless its an emergency with ammonia or something. i try to last the qt term out on the same water fish started in.
nitrates are not an issue for fish unless they reach 90 and up.
so unless u have any parameter issues try to last the same water out.
i hope i understood ur question properly and answered accordingly.
good luck and safe reefing.

 

[fairladyZ]

how much ammonia is bad for the fish? I got home from work today and noticed the water in the QT was cloudy, so i checked ammonia and using an API kit it looks like there is just a hint of green showing up, yellow is 0. It wasn't quite .25ppm green but i would say in between so maybe .1ppm ammonia. Should i do a 25% water change? or ride it out? I have salt mixing now in case of emergency.

 

[Dr. Reef]

Api kits always shows me ammonia even in an established tank. And there is always some ammonia in every tank due to food Poop waste etc. I would check on fish and they will give u better indication. Heavy breaking not eating shyness hiding etc.
If symptoms are there then do water change.

 

[fairladyZ]

ya he hasn't moved since i got home, i can see he looks at me but won't really move, stuck my hand in the tank and he didn't move, he hasn't eaten anything that i know of. Can't see if he's breathing heavy as he's on the otherside of the tank, i'll grab a flashlight and take a quick peek. I tested the ammonia yesterday and it was for 100% sure yellow, again today there was just a hint of green from what it was yesterday that's why i've been wondering if i should just be precautious and do the water change.

 

[Dr. Reef]

With what u described yah I would do water change. 25% atleast.